31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!!!, August 6, 2001
This review is from: Islamic Anti-Semitism As a Political Instrument (Paperback)
This is (as far as I know) the first book on a very necessary subject: Anti-Semitism in the modern Arab world (mid 1950s - present). It seems to do a thorough analysis of trends in Islamist and pan-Arab circles, Arab governments, elites, intellectuals and masses. It is amply illustrated with samples of anti-Semitic writings.
I gave it 4 stars, even though there are some questionable issues. For instance, the author seems to imply that Egypt's signing of the peace treaty with Israel was nothing more than a trick. It seems to me that Anwar Sadat paid too high a price for it to be just a trick. The quote from Alija Izetbegovich does not look very convincing, since there has been no anti-Semitic persecution in the modern Bosnia.
Another major problem is total lack of reflection on Arab Muslim non-Anti-Semitism. Does it exist at all? I think it probably does. So I think it should be written about, at least for the sake of comparison.
The author also writes (and quotes others) about the terrible threat fundamentalist Islam presents to the Arab states. But so far I don't see a single Arab regime falling. It seems to me that the ability of Arab leaders to lie to/manipulate their population is underestimated. The author also mentions lack of legitimacy of Arab governments. But the question here is: legitimacy based on what? The popular vote? Descent from Muhammad? Being the toughest? It seems to me that people who have never known democracy might view things differently.
Possibly there are other problems with the book, but since it is the only book on the subject, I have no way of knowing that.
The style of the book is also somewhat heavy and repetitive. The author tries to follow a complex web of ideological trends across different countries and strata of Arab societies - a very hard task. The same "precepts" are drilled into the reader's mind over and over: "Enmity between Muslims and Jews is eternal and irreconcilable", "Scheming, duplicity and corruption are at the root of Jewish character", "The Torah has been distorted by Jews, and the Talmud promotes hatred, racism and arrogance", "Jews eat matza with human blood", "All tragedies of Jewish history are due to their wickedness and despicable acts", "Israel is the first step in the worldwide Zionist conspiracy", "The entire land of Palestine must be returned", and a few others. These are repeated throughout the book ad nauseam.
Perhaps this repetition is necessary, because it gives the reader a feeling for the spread and intensity of such sentiments in the Arab world. On the other hand, this obscures the message the author is trying to convey, "the Islamists have brought their relationship with the Jews a full circle - back to their Qu'ranic roots where relationship is based on enmity and confrontation.", i.e. that the status of Jews as Dhimmis (minority within Islamic world, protected from outright extermination, but not from all kinds of indignities) is not possible any more, and therefore Israeli Jews would face outright extermination should Israel fall, just as the Jews of Arabia were exterminated at the time of Muhammad. This is a good argument. Unfortunately, the author never tells us the reason for presenting it. And there is a reason.
Still, if just one tenth of the book is true, the amount and viciousness of anti-Semitism in the Arab world is staggering. (It is far beyond anti-Semitism in the Western and even the Soviet world.) It is everywhere: in the media, schoolbooks, summer camps, official speeches and religious sermons. When hatred is so massive, it becomes a threat to everyone around. There is a major need for drawing conclusions, yet since nothing had been written on the subject of modern Arab anti-Semitism, there is no knowledge of it, so no conclusions are drawn. Israel and the world have engaged in appeasement (withdrawal from Lebanon, "peace-process"), which has become a major impetus to growth of Muslim extremism and further hatred. Thus the process which was supposed to bring peace is actually bringing war. No one until recently asked, "What is wrong with this picture". I hope that now, when this book has appeared, someone will.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting for what it is, but too short, November 7, 2001
This review is from: Islamic Anti-Semitism As a Political Instrument (Paperback)
" Yossef Bondansky's scholarship is generally of considerable value, though his writing style is often dry. Here, in a work that is far too short, he seeks to examine the anti-Semitism that is rampant in the Muslim world and its roots. (Please note, I like Professor Bodansky am aware that Arabs are Semites, however, the term, originating with 19th century racists and in use to the present day, then and now refers only to hatred of Jews). Bodansky does a fair job of tracing how these European concepts entered the Arab world view, beginning with the famous Damascus blood liable, but does not give the topic the attention it deserves.
Some reviewers have argued that Bodansky overstates the pervasiveness of anti-Semitic content in Arabic papers. Clearly, they are ignorant of the facts. As Bodansky documents, major mainstream Arab papers such as the semi official press organ of the supposedly moderate Egyptian government (whose editor and chief is hand chosen by the President) has continually reported such stories. Examples of what can be found in theses papers pages on any given day include:
*Jews are responsible for the September 11th attack in order to defame Islam (included in the charge is that no Jews died in the WTC, even though Jewish casualties numbered over 1,000).
*Jews engineered AIDS and spread it among Arab youths.
*Jews have infected Arab women with a virus that loosens their morals.
*Jews kill Arab children for sport and use their blood to make Matzo.
*Bill Clinton, George Bush and Colin Powell are all really Jewish.
*Jews tricked Saddam into invading Kuwait.
*Jews have a secret plan to castrate all Muslim men.
The list goes on. Where Bodansky's work shines is in showing how propagating these lies helps prop up the brutal autocratic regimes of the Arab world. By creating an all powerful entirely evil foreign enemy, these nations can attempt to excuse their own barbaric and repressive tactics that include some of the world's worst human rights abusers in places like Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and others (all of which always rank worse then Israel on lists of human rights abusers). The book also includes several excellent examples of anti-Semitic cartoons.
Readers should note what this book is and what it is not. It isn't a comprehensive history of Jewish-Muslim relations. For that I suggest looking at the work of Bernard Lewis. For what it is, however, it is a worthwhile read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Analysis of the Arab Propaganda Machine, January 14, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Islamic Anti-Semitism As a Political Instrument (Paperback)
I cannot recommend a better book that shows the true face of the Arab world.Their ideology is built on hatred and propaganda which is used against Christians and Jews. It shows the reasons why totalitarian governments(which are the only kind of governments in the Arab world)use this kind of propaganda to promote their politics, especially in the Arab world and suppress democracy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
