ARUTZ SHEVA
by Kasim Hafeez
May 28, 2014
The tragic murders at the Jewish Museum in Brussels has once again highlighted that murderous anti-Semitism is now common place in Western Europe. The culture of hatred against Israel spread from many facets of European society has deadly consequences and it is now vital that the Jewish community leadership wake up from their passive slumber to deal with these challenges. No doubt it must seem rather bizarre a Muslim writer asking the Jewish community leadership to stand up, but as a proud Zionist and someone who has a deep affinity with the Jewish people, and in turn, I have been embraced by so many Jewish communities I feel I am obligated to speak out.
In my experience, the community leadership within in the diaspora when approaching the current situation will say, ‘it’s not that bad’….. Alternatively they take the line of ‘if you ignore the hatred, it will go away’, have we learnt nothing from history! Whether this is a response born out of fear or just ignorance, it is a reckless and thoroughly abhorrent approach which abandons the communities they claim to ‘lead’. Menacingly with the new flag bearers of anti-Semitism, in the shape of Islamist extremists, coming from a position of being one many moons ago, I know they will bring their hatred and poison to your doorstep, it does not go away. The unwillingness of many in the West to accept this has had deadly consequences, there can be no more ignoring reality on the ground. How many more innocent Jews must be attacked or murdered on the streets of Europe before we acknowledge the prevailing situation.
There has to be a stronger voice against anti-Semitism and a stronger voice in defending Israel from those that delegitimize the state and the Jewish people. As the reality is Anti-Zionism is nothing more than Anti-Semitism repackaged, surely as Zionism, is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, to oppose Zionism is to deny rights to Jews that you do not deny any other people, which is racism in essence, when directed at Jews becomes, Anti-Semitism.
Kasim’s amazing story, from anti-West, anti-Jewish Radical to Zionist :
ArchitectGuy on Israel 