Melbourne Al-Quds Day features antisemitic cartoons

August 9, 2013 by Julie Nathan
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Melbourne held its first Al-Quds Day rally this year.

The short video of the rally and march shows about fifty people gathered on the steps of the State Library, with speakers giving speeches, and protestors waving anti-Israel banners. The crowd then marched down the street.

In the middle of this two minute video of the anti-Israel protest several photos and cartoon images have been inserted. Some of these images are overtly anti-Jewish.

2013-8-2-AlQuds-video-aOne image is of a Jewish man, identified as such with a kippah (skullcap) and Star of David, and with a stereotypical huge hooked nose, holding a small and limp child in front of him. The Jew is poised to take a gigantic and deadly bite out of the child.

Why is an image of a Jew eating a gentile child inserted into a video of an anti-Israel rally?

For a thousand years, Christians had accused Jews of murdering gentile children and draining their blood for use in religious rituals or for making matzah (Passover bread). This fabrication has been used against Jews to vilify and demonize them, and to incite the mobs to violently attack Jews.

2013-8-2-AlQuds-video-cAnother image shows a dead Palestinian in loin cloth draped in the arms of a sitting woman, with fighter planes overhead. The figure is transposed from artwork of the dead Jesus in the arms of Mary. This image elicits the millennial accusation against Jews as “Christ-killers”.

This accusation was used to incite the mobs to go out and massacre Jews, often whole Jewish communities. This image in the video reconstructs the accusation and demonizing of the Jewish people as being innately murderous and absolutely evil, and of the Palestinian Arabs as being mild and meek as Jesus, and innocent.

The video was made by Alaa Al, and appears in several places.

The Al-Quds Day committee Australia, the organizers of the rally, posted this video on their Facebook page, with the acknowledgment of its producer, through the introduction: “Video made by sister Alaa on the first Al-Quds Day Protest in Melbourne.” The video was also posted on the Al-Quds Day Committee’s Melbourne event Facebook page by Alaa. It also appears on Alaa’s Youtube channel.

Al-Quds Day was inaugurated by Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran in 1979 as a call for international protests against Israel and to promote the destruction of Israel and its replacement with a Muslim state.

This is reinforced by the Al-Quds Day Committee Australia in 2012 calling “Israel, the enemy of mankind, the enemy of humanity…”

So why the antisemitic images?

Anti-Zionists deny they are anti-Jewish, claiming they are only anti-Israel. They often accuse those who accuse them of using anti-Jewish stereotypes and imagery of using the ‘antisemitism card’ as a ploy to stifle and silence criticism of Israel. This is aimed at diverting the accusations of antisemitism away from the anti-Zionists, and of legitimising any claims of antisemitism.

A banner at the Sydney Al-Quds Day rally had the words ‘Delete Zionists’. This goes beyond calls for the destruction of a state. It is a direct call to kill people, specifically to murder millions of Jews in Israel and around the world.

In Toronto, Canada, a speaker at the Al-Quds Day rally called for giving Israeli Jews two minutes warning to leave Palestine, and then to start shooting any Jews they come across. This is another direct call and incitement to murder Jews, urged at an Al-Quds Day rally. The speaker’s words were:

“We have to give them an ultimatum: You have to leave Jerusalem. You have to leave Palestine… We say get out or you are dead. We give them two minutes and then we start shooting. And that’s the only way they’ll understand.”

If Al-Quds Day was about protesting against the Israeli control of parts of the West Bank and Jerusalem, or even of Israel’s existence, then why the antisemitism?

With all their rhetoric of ’justice’ and ‘human rights’ for all oppressed people throughout the world, and especially for the Palestinian Arabs, how can they justify using and promoting racist stereotypes and images about one segment of humanity, namely Jews, and only Jews? How do they justify portraying Jews as innately evil, and as the enemy of humanity?

It appears as though Al-Quds Day is not about Palestinian human rights at all, but about hatred of Jews. It appears that their problem with Israel is that it is the state of the Jewish people.

As Al-Quds Day proponents have a vitriolic hatred of Jews they will oppose Jews wherever they are, whether in a Jewish state or dispersed throughout the world. Their focus for now is on where Jews are concentrated most – in Israel.

To Al-Quds Day supporters, the Jews’ greatest crime is not to have re-established a state in the ancient homeland, but to survive and thrive, despite or in spite of, whatever hatred, demonization, and violence is used against the Jewish people.

 

Julie Nathan is the Research Officer for the Executive Council of Australian Jewry

 

 

 

Comments

16 Responses to “Melbourne Al-Quds Day features antisemitic cartoons”
  1. Otto Waldmann says:

    Liat

    just a tiny bit of my own opinion which will not alter the direction of your thoughts.
    Ignorance does not beget necessarily fear, it could engage rage and aggression as well, but I am sure that you know that.
    Engaging in discussions, dialectics on specific issues is conditioned exclusively on comprehensive knowledge of the field one defends as well as the one opposes. It is a sine qua non condition !
    You are perfectly right about certain people who chase a specific position of communal authority and barge into certain areas of communal advocacy utterly ignorant about matters. It happened precisely on the subject of Jewish Catholic dialogue about the time of the 2000 Sydney “International Youth Catholic do with the Pope here etc. A certain Board of Deps. ambitious boss aspirant took the reins of a necessary discussion/confrontation with the Church. The person was tabula rasa ( Latin for utter ignorance ), claimed leadership of the talks, pushed me aside, then asked me on the 12th hour for instructions, it was too late, screwed up the whole thing big time, blamed ME for not advising him on time important knowledge and , finally, boasted that his failure was a valuable lesson for the Community on how NOT to go about this kind of stuff .The clown now is the head of something else because he is viciated by a monstruous ego incapable to be accommodated by his vacuous skull.
    Manners in which sensible matters must be discussed is a matter for intense discussions and hey are relative to the issues. ( a Motherhood flat statement if I ever made one ).
    I shall only add that, in most cases, controversial stances expect reactions of a certain kind and in some cases they even desire certain reactions. These are called “provocations”. Here we must debate if one should or should not respond to provocations. ( see above Motherhood statement !!)

    Gil

    take from me I am an expert in the Board’s Constitution.
    If you are a Member of the Board ( only some 25 bucks and you are in ), not a Deputy, you are allowed to assist at Plenums. You may be given the floor only is specific leave is given by the Chair and, of course not voted down by the majority present. You have limited time to speak ,but once you have the floor will be free to express yrself if not out of order. Another detail, you will seat in a special place, NOT in the same general sitting arrangements with the Deputies.
    That’s all !

  2. Liat Nagar says:

    It does my heart and my intellect good to read your words, Gil Solomon, for their acuity and passion. I am of accord. I also agree with much of what you say, Otto.

    It’s true that as Jews we have the knowledge of our history and our traditions. It’s equally true that in the main others are vastly ignorant of both of these. Therein lies the fault-line, as ignorance breeds fear and is a stamping ground for the implantation and blooming of lies and ultimate destructiveness. I can’t think of anything worse than sitting around sipping tea with interfaith participants, while mouthing superficial inanities, and I wouldn’t do it. However, a program devised whereby people of different faiths or, if not religious, cultural traditions and perspectives, can get together motivated by a willingness to be exposed to one another’s ‘truths’, that’s a different story altogether. Directness and fire in the belly, while being willing to listen to one another, is the only effective way to go – sadly, this will not attract the numbers to make a difference. Oh, and there are so many Jews with almost complete ignorance of the Christian tradition and New Testament, due most probably to a feeling of repugnance due to what has followed from it (something I understand as a feeling full well). The thing is, we need the knowledge. Just as we need good knowledge of Islam. Otherwise, how can you effectively fight destructive acts in the name of these faiths? It’s not enough to have good knowledge of our own religion and concerns; we must be as informed as possible.

    As Jews, we cannot afford to cling together as a group and disappear into some gaping, black hole of emptiness, unregarded. We must be willing to speak out with fierce control the truths we know and look our enemies in the eye with dignity.

  3. Iain says:

    I do so love the smell of rampant double standards. It seems that it’s quite alright to defame through cartoons [?] if you are an Islamic organisation but let anyone, and I mean anyone at all, defame through cartoons Islam or any element of Islam and the Fatwas begin flying around. Just a little piece of advice to the Al Quds day organisers, if you defame prepared to be defamed. That the grossly offending cartoon had its origins in the Christian church comports with the historical attitude of Christianity towards Judaism.

    Iain. R. B.

  4. Gil Solomon says:

    Julie,

    All past inter-faith meetings run especially by the Jewish Board of Deputies, year after monotonous year, have accomplished nothing, as Jews simply refuse, for fear of offending anyone, to address the real issues and in many cases those who purportedly speak on our behalf have no clue as to the Gospel teachings that led to the anti -semitism spread by the Church to this day.

    You have my email address.
    I would be pleased to attend as a guest speaker at your next useless inter-faith meeting with the Christian and Islamic denominations.

    If I were to receive an invitation to attend, be advised that my language will NOT be politically correct and I will be saying things that no media outlet will allow me to put into print for fear of offending anyone. It seems that Jews can be vilified, physically harmed and killed (as we have for centuries) but we will not allow anyone of our own to put in print anything controversial for fear it may hurt this or that group’s sensibilities.

  5. Maxine says:

    I agree wholeheartedly with Gil. Those so-called moderate muslims wouldn’t dare to stand up against the hatred and lies spread by their co-religionists. We have to show a much larger presence at these rallies and publicly refute their vile propaganda against Israel and by extension . all Jews.
    Those Jews who are naïve and deny the scope of Jew hatred should read chapters of the Koran, or listen to Leanne Piggott who gave 2 lectures to me at Melton years ago on Islam.
    A marvellous book called “The Secret War against the Jews ” , by Mark Aarons and John Loftus and another “The Closed Circle ” by David Pryce-Jones, which explains the mentality of the Arabs and Islam will enlighten.
    Open your eyes to Islamic terrorism around the world. You will be shocked by a website Atlas Shrugs. Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer of the US are very brave in exposing the murderous intent of the Islamists in seeking a world Caliphate and Sharia Law.
    We Jews and other people in the West have to safe guard our rights of freedom of speech, religion and democracy and Obama, unfortunately is destroying the US and weaking the West with the help of the EU.
    Am Yisroel Chai !!!!!!!!!!!

    • Otto Waldmann says:

      Maxine
      as a sensible writer I am sure that you will agree that by now everybody knows what Islam is capable to reek both within its specific geo-political world and outside. ( we must single OUT Indonesia as far as judicial and general State policies ).
      The books you recommend as well as Leanne Piggot, one of the most articulate academics we are fortunate to embrace ( and be embraced by ), are, indeed, valuable sources of solid information.
      Yet, we are also very fortunate in Australia that reliable institutions, as well as a general culture of aversion toward ostensive inter-faith, inter ethnic and even political conflict, ensure that a far more civilized approach to the issues you correctly raised is more than just accessible.
      Public manifestations of the violent nature originating with precisely the group we must single out, Islamic activism, have been retorted in such a decisive manner by the relevant authorities, that the unwanted tactics about to be continued by the same group have ceased altogether. The Australian civilized message to those passionate about open conflicts has been heard. Obviously the same groups have reconsidered their tactics. More intense PR of the farcical type has replaced the violent propensities.
      Here we, civilized people, are at home, here we must outwit the dedicated falsifiers of the truth, here we must engage in policies which will compel the transgressors to account for themselves in places where reality, logic, common sense, again civilized approaches are the only way to conduct “business”.
      We have acquired knowledge, we have historic truth on our side, we do have talented people, and I, for one, would love to see and hear a lot more from Leanne – I told Peter how incredibly lucky he is to see and hear daily and he assured me that he follows her word obediently !! -.
      As reality demands, we must confront those responsible for spreading all manner of unethical material, those inciting to anti-social behavior, in a very decisive fashion and all those fora available are the best places. Yes, inter- whatever provides ALL parties with the democratic decent venues a civilized society is defined by, one we, like everybody else, should safeguard.
      Your excellent rationale would be most efficient in such places as well as the passion for our ideals of a blessed Eretz Zion Yirushalaim.
      Same goes for me mate Gil.

      • Gil Solomon says:

        Otto,

        You are no doubt a good well meaning Jewish man.

        However, it is high time that men of goodwill pull their heads out of the sand and face reality. Unfortunately, the messages of tolerance, goodwill, democracy etc. etc. ad nauseum only emanate from our side.

        You write:
        “The Australian civilized message to those passionate about open conflicts has been heard. Obviously the same groups have reconsidered their tactics. More intense PR of the farcical type has replaced the violent propensities”.

        What planet has your head been living in that you won’t face reality? It is now 2013 and nothing, absolutely nothing, has changed for decades. Islamic educators have no problem in teaching their children that Jews are the offspring of pigs and apes. As sure as night follows day, there will be violence in the streets of Western capitals at the first outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East.

        Regardless of a few moderate individuals (who are too terrified to speak out against their co-religionist’s excesses, both verbal and physical) the religion of Islam will most probably never be tolerant towards Jews.

        Their Imams simply wish us dead. How many times have we heard them quoting from the Koran where a tree is telling a Muslim: “O Muslim there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and slaughter him”. This doesn’t sound like the preachings of brotherly love to me.

        Until we as a people demand that so called moderates within the Muslim community are prepared to speak PUBLICLY against their “leaders”, the claptrap known as inter-faith dialogue should be terminated. Again, that group known as the Board of Deputies will argue that this will cause a void, to which I, for the umpteenth time respond: “So what? These people have the Board’s number should they ever want to enter into serious dialogue with us”.

        • Otto Waldmann says:

          Gil
          your perceptions/comments are impeccable, but I will still argue with the comments/you about the AVAILABLE methods of dealings with” them”.
          I will not criticise the Board here, I will criticise it everywhere, but always with the best intentions, realistically, as a true friend.
          Yet, the initiatives and tactics will have to originate with us simply because “they” will NEVER call our number, except for leaving obnoxious messages.

          Seeya at the Board, there you’ll have also the chance of sampling some of the best instant coffee – no less than International Roast !! – and delicious “Marie” biscuits. I always stuff me pockets with them and on the way home I make lots of pigeons in the park across the road happy. No wonder the birds are nuts about me, especially those around the Board’s building.

          • Gil Solomon says:

            Otto,

            You won’t be seeing me at any future Board of Deputies meeting.
            I did attend for a short time but at my last appearance, my “interrogation” of a certain member as to his knowledge of the Christian gospels that gave birth to the accusation of Jews as Christ killers, was not appreciated, to put it mildly.

            The thrust of my argument was that there was no point in anyone from the Board getting into debate with an Anglican Priest who accused Jews of deicide if they had not the faintest idea of the false Christian narrative that gave birth to this abomination. My main point was that those Jews who know nothing of this issue, do more harm than good when they engage Christian clergy.

            Suffice to say that as I was not an affiliate, I was told in no uncertain terms that in future, the Board would go by the rules and only affiliates would be allowed to speak at Plenums. If I wanted to attend I could do so but would have to stay silent until I was an elected affiliate. As these terms were unacceptable to me, I walked out.

            Hypothetically speaking, based on what I have seen going on and reported at these Plenums, if I were to be elected to the Board, my first aim would be to shut down all the inter-faith and any other useless committee that did not directly aid the Jewish community.

  6. Rachel says:

    I think this article goes much further than the one re Al Quds day in Sydney – this article critically examines the intent behind each of the symbols used by these anti-Semites and clarifies the background and therefore the dual purpose in such symbolism – the ultimate destruction of the Jewish people.

    The joke is, the harder our enemies push for our demise, the stronger we become. 6 million Jews murdered by Hitler have been replaced by 6 million Jews now thriving in Israel. Israel will never be conquered no matter how much our enemies wish it.

    Am Yisroel Chai!

  7. Otto Waldmann says:

    Julie Nathan’s presence on J-Wire in such a decisive manner is a fairly new initiative by the Board, one that deserves support.
    It is quite tempting to consider that the entire islamic community in Australia shares in the attitude shown here, one of intolerance, indeed of deep hatred for all matters Jewish.
    The paraphrase to Michelangelo’s sixth “Pieta” is vulgar, the Nazi style cartoon goes well beyond vulgarity and represents well the stage arrived at by those who support the Palestinian cause from a position of visceral hatred.
    The Board is sending a clear message to the specific communal group present in Australia. This a serious call to all those responsible to explain themselves not just in terms of their political objectives, we know they barrack for a Palestinian state, but in regards of the immorality of the methods they use in achieving their goal.
    Symbols of racial hatred, instigation to dismissal of a certain specific group, obviously the Jews, cannot be accepted in a civilized society. To this extent, the Board is opening a necessary public explanation of ethical values,a discussion, call it dialogue, with those responsible for these serious transgressions. They must be held to account, they must answer and we must insist that they do not flaunt the ethics/laws of our society. If they broke specific laws they shall be called to answer in the right fora, the appropriate Courts. How we go about it is a specific matter of structural nature.
    ECAJ has a reliable record of objecting to anti Semitic manifestations in Australia and within it we have achieved results of great significance even in legal terms.
    In realistic terms, we can conclude that an overwhelming part of the Australian Islamic community in Australia would sympathise with objectionable anti Semitic manifestations. There are hardly any indications or groups with it that we could rely on to commence a realistic attempt at a mass shift in that attitude. An open conflict, be it even of legal nature, would result in torrents of thinly veiled anti Israel anti Semitic actions of a group known for its hysterical profile. Powers to be would, necessarily, accede to a variety of concessions to the more virulent of the sides, obviously not us, and the general tenure of the encounters will be less likely to satisfy our community. All kinds of “freedoms” will be claimed etc.
    So, a dialogue under specific formal auspices is the best way and we should be THAT clever in conducting it.

  8. steve says:

    Well put, Gil.
    couldn’t agree more

  9. Gil Solomon says:

    Julie,

    You again report what happened but never once suggest what, at a minimum needs to be done.

    I’ve said this time and time again.
    It is shameful that the ECAJ, the Jewish Board of Deputies and others continue with the farce known as inter-faith dialogue with the Muslim community, erroneously thinking they are making progress, when time after time they are proven to be wrong.

    Until and when those same so called “moderate” Muslims that you share tea and cookies with at periodic meetings come out and PUBLICLY denounce the lies and hatred shown by their co-religionists towards Jews, all inter-faith dialogue should be abandoned.

    The attitude of the Board of Deputies is the usual and pathetic: “If we terminate the dialogue, there will be a void” to which I have respond in the past: “So what? These people have your number in case they ever want to contact you with something serious to say”.

    It’s time the Jewish organisations showed some backbone, got up off their knees and walked away from any further dialogue with these people.

    Thanks to what passes as Jewish “leadership” in this country, we are fast becoming the ghetto Jews of old, too timid to get up and say what needs to be said but instead hiding behind legalistic mumbo jumbo rhetoric that means nothing.

    If organisations like the one you are associated with cannot do what needs to be done to effectively combat this anti-semitic propaganda, then all Board members should resign en masse and call for fresh elections, open to all.

    The Muslims who attend these inter-faith meetings with Jewish organisations must be laughing hysterically behind our backs at the stupidity of Jews. While there may be moderate individuals around, they would be terrified of PUBLICLY challenging the mainstream viewpoint which was, is and will probably always show hatred towards Jews.

    So any further dialogue with these people is an exercise in futility and should therefore be PUBLICLY terminated with reasons given.

    Finally, the despicable cartoon of a Jew eating a gentile child had its origins in the Christian Church. You and I have had email exchanges on the inter-faith dialogue Jews conduct with Christians which certainly again falls far short of spelling out what needs to be said. I won’t elaborate any further here on this. You know exactly what I’m referring to.

    • Sam says:

      And what do you suggest we do about it? This should be interesting.

      • Gil Solomon says:

        Sam,

        Both pictures shown in Julie’s article were Church inspired anti-semitic lies and the Muslims have picked up on it.

        As a community we need to be well informed IN ADVANCE through Jewish media outlets as to when and where these days of protest will take place, be it Al-Quds or Nakbar or whatever. We can be assured, as sure as night follows day, that the sons of Ishmael will again put up this vitriolic filth and we have to do more than just report on it.

        For this, we need a LARGE Jewish male presence on the ground at these demonstrations to counter the lies constantly hurled at us. We need to be involved and Jews have to get up off their comfortable sofas, open their eyes as to what’s going on and attend in large numbers, especially if the demonstration is right in their particular city.

        The aim is to ensure that these rallies do not in future go off as smoothly as the organisers have come to expect.

        Julie, please call me in to speak at your next useless inter-faith meeting. If you do, be advised that my language will NOT be politically correct and I will be saying things that no media outlet will allow me to put into print for fear of offending anyone. It seems that we can be vilified and physically harmed and killed but we will not allow anyone of our own to put in print anything controversial because it may hurt this or that group’s sensibilities.

  10. steve says:

    Welcome to Germany 1938….pack your bags

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