34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing. Required Reading !, February 8, 2004
I purchased this exceptionally, well written, in-depth study further to my own research into anti-Semitism (hatred of the Jews) spanning many years.
Replete with specific references, the text of this work provides a compelling and deeply disturbing investigation as to how, virtually unnoticed by large elements of the International community, a lethal hatred of the Jews has once more come to the fore and depicts how it has been so influential in manipulating public attitudes through the media & also it's influence within political realms pertaining to circumstances in the International arena.
At the outset, the book declares that to anyone even modestly acquainted with current events, it is readily apparent that the Islamic World is today the epicentre of what is cited as a particularly virulent brand of anti-Semitic hatred.
The reader is shown how throughout the Islamic world, Israel has been allegedly transformed from a country into a malignant force, cited as embodying every possible negative attribute - aggressor, usurper, occupier, corrupter, infidel, murderer and barbarian, with the Israelis themselves being allegedly viewed as foot-soldiers of the same dark force instead of human beings, parents, students, civilians, women & children. The book demonstrating how this hatred depicts the Jews themselves as constituting what is described as the sinister force behind almost every significant event in the World.
Through a seemingly endless, inexhaustible supply of material, the historic and underlying causes of this irrational hatred are discussed. Individual readers must make up their own minds upon the many aspects of this investigation, some aspects of which may be seen as controversial by some. One issue examined is how Islamic anti-Semitism perhaps draws and meshes seamlessly with it's Christian and Nazi "cousins" in Europe where similar patterns of anti-Jewish hatred were practised, taught & richly developed for centuries in some areas of Europe.
Further discussed is how such teachings may have found an entrance corridor and a sympathetic audience amongst the Arab/Islamic world surrounding the re-birth of Israel in 1948. Nazism's ideology cited as having been defeated on the battlefield but the book showing how named Arab leaders had already been thoroughly steeped in it's doctrines and eager to embrace it's ideological package in relation to the Jews. The study declaring that the Arab world's hatred of the Jews now equals that of Nazi Germany at it's peak and discusses how that seldom will you find anyone opposing or discrediting anti-Semitism in the Islamic world or even amongst it's supporters.
References are also provided of the dissemination of hatred through official Arabic Government channels and publications where Jews are depicted as "apes and pigs" and the "worms of the entire World". In one example, tthe book illustrates how what are described as Iranian anti-Semitic propagandists, erase all distinctions among Israel, Zionism and the Jews. These sources cited as describing the State of Israel as being not merely Zionist but a "bunch of Jews" and that the ridding the World of this "bunch of Jews" is a prime Muslim obligation. Israel being further described by Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a "cancerous tumour that must be excised".
In relation to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the reader is shown clearly that central to the signing of the Oslo Accords was an agreement to cease the propagation of hatred towards the Jews, but that the hate has instead been constant and unceasing through the official Palestinian media as well as the schools and the entire Palestinian education system where an implacable hatred of Israel & the Jews is shown to be included in many school books. Alongside this, the reader is shown how the doctrine of Holocaust denial has been ever present reality. Something which the book reveals to have been reinforced by the recent Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, (cited as being portrayed by the West as a moderate & a suitable peace partner' for Israel), who is shown to have written a doctorate on Holocaust denial & the alleged secret relationship between Nazism and Zionism.
The book illustrates whenever reference is made in the Islamic world to the Holocaust, it is nearly always in the context of the "final solution" not being final enough or that the Holocaust never occurred at all. The book, in no uncertain terms, declares that these passions in the Islamic World are not the end of the matter, with anti-Semitism also reawakening dramatically in Europe whilst also making unprecedented headway in the United States. Anti-Semitism cited as now finding ready acceptance on many college campuses and among the "opinion makers" of the media elite. Even a significant contingent of Jews are themselves shown to be promoting what are cited here as nakedly anti-Semitic ideas.
The book declares that it is foolish to dismiss the potential of this new anti-Semitism outlining that few observers comprehended the depth of Hitler's obsession with this hatred of the Jews until the World was confronted with a catastrophe of unprecedented dimensions. It being further illustrated that the modern day champions of this hatred either possess or are working assiduously to obtain weapons of mass destruction whilst simultaneously proclaiming their desire to murder Jews and destroy their State. Seldom has a book had such a profound effect upon me in recent years. Highly recommended. Five stars is not enough.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A report on the popularity of antisemitic ideas today, October 20, 2004
In the 1930s, antisemitism was a serious problem. It manifested itself in widespread defamation of Jews, attacks on European Jews in particular, a series of horrible anti-Jewish laws, and an environment in which the combination of attacks on Jews and anti-Jewish propaganda caused Jews in general to become increasingly despised. So despised that it was possible to murder millions of them in World War 2.
That is not exactly what is happening today. For the most part, Jews are faring well, and very few have been murdered. But anti-Jewish propaganda (much of it "antizionist") is widespread, especially in the Arab world. This book describes where things stand, and it notes the intensity of anti-Jewish propaganda in the Arab world, clearly showing that "the parallels between Nazism and the current Arab-Muslim brand of anti-Semitism are striking." It also shows how Arabs are training many of their children to be antisemites.
A chapter on Europe shows a striking correlation between Arab attacks on Israelis and local attacks on European Jews. I hadn't realized the extent to which terrorist attacks inspire violence elsewhere, but the author also explained that "the September 11 terrorist attack on America led to a sharp increase in European violence against Jews," with dramatically increased incidents of violence in England and France in the months of September and October, 2001.
The author says that antisemitism is a grossly delusional view of the world and its implications continue to reach far beyond the fate of the Jews. I agree, and that's a reason I think this book is important for everyone.
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22 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, and terrifying, January 16, 2004
By A Customer
This is an extraordinary book; I couldn't put it down, and when I finished it, I was filled with despair about the direction of events. The book clearly shows that the menace of anti-Semitism is becoming ever more deadly and pervasive. I haven't seen any reviews yet, but I suspect it will be the focus of much attention; among other things, the author pulls no punches in discussing the purveyors of the new anti-Semitism, including various leftwing Jews, many of them tenured academics. The picture painted here--meticulously documented and written in a voice of urgency--is alarming in the extreme. It is certainly easy to see why Elie Wiesel wrote a blurb calling this book "necessary" reading.
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