DISCOURSES ON ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA IN ARAB MEDIA

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the relationship between antisemitism and Islamophobia, focusing on debates in Arab newspapers in the wake of the Second Intifada and 9/11 and then in response to two issues of contention for Muslim communities in Europe, the Danish cartoon crisis in 2006 and the Swiss referendum on building minarets in 2009. The paper relates these debates to major UN and EU resolutions for combating racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. The aim of this paper is to explore how far discussion of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the Arab world is dominated by those who see Islamophobia as the real danger in today's Europe and antisemitism as a Zionist ploy, and how far antisemitism and Islamophobia have become two competing terms relating to two communities that perceive themselves as victims of prejudice and racism and also of each other. The paper seeks to qualify this image. It acknowledges that the entanglement of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict adds a political aspect to the discussion of the two terms, intensifies competition between them for recognition as unique forms of racism and discrimination, and curtails the creation of positive ground for dialogue. However, it also demonstrates the presence of other voices which are more open to addressing both forms of exclusion.

Keywords:

• antisemitism
• Islamophobia
• racism
• Danish cartoons
• Swiss ban on minarets
• UN resolutions

Notes

¹ Jerusalem Post, December 3, 10, Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2008.

²Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 5 February 2009. For the report see: http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/ar06p2_en.pdf.

³ http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-a-definition/.

⁴Al-Maktabi, www.salaam.co.uk/maktabi/islamophobia.html.

⁵ http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=38547&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTION=201.html.

⁶ Al-Sharq al-Awsat, 10, 16 August; al-Ba‘th, 26 August; Tishrin, 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 September; al-Akhbar, 2 September 2001.

⁷ http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg12908.html.

⁸ http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/pdf/DDPA_full_text.pdf.

¹¹ Al-Ahram, May 6, al-Jazira, November 2, al-Quds al-‘Arabi, November 4, al-Ahram al-‘Arabi, November 22, al-Bayan, December 1, 2003.

¹² Al-Ahram, May 6, al-Ahram al-‘Arabi, October 25, al-Ahram Weekly, November 20, 2003; January 1, 2004.

¹³ Al-Hayat, May 24, al-Mustaqbal, July 23, October 25, al-Bayan, October 21, al-Jazira, November 2; al-Ahram Weekly, November 20, 2003.

¹⁴ Al-Mustaqbal, October 25, 2003. See also al-Jazira, November 2, al-Safir, November 6, al-Bayan, October 21, December 1, 2003.

¹⁵ Al-Bayan, December 1, 2003.

¹⁶ Al-Bayan, December 1, 2003.

¹⁷ Al-Sharq, November 22, 2007.

⁹ Al-Safir, November 6, 2003.

¹⁰ Al-Bayan, November 19, December 1, 7, 2003. See also al-Safir, November 6, al-Ahram al-‘Arabi, November 15, 22, al-Bayan, December 1, 2003.

¹⁸ Al-Hayat, May 15, 2003.

¹⁹ Al-Hayat, December 12, 2001; MEMRI, Special dispatch, no. 314, December 14, 2001. See also: al-Hayat, November 11, 2003.

²⁰Khalid Amayreh, ‘Palestinian blast anti-Semitism meeting’, www.english.aljazeera.net, April 29, 2004.

²¹ Al-Ahram, May 2, 2004.

²² Al-Dustur, May 1, 3, 2004.

²³ Jordan Times, March 9, 2004. See also Washington Post, March 13, al-Hayat, April 16, 2004.

²⁴ Al-Sharq al-Awsat, October 17, 25, 27, al-Raya, October 17, al-Quds al-‘Arabi, al-Masa', al-Ra'y, October 18, al-Dustur, October 19–28, Tishrin, October 19, 25, al-Hayat, October 20, 25, al-Quds, October 20, 24, 28, al-Ahali, October 20, al-Wafd, October 21, 30, al-Sha‘b, October 22, al-Ahram, October 31, November 2, 3, 10, 15, 17, 29, December 2, 27, 28, al-Usbu‘, November 1, 29, December 6, 20, Aakhir Sa‘a, November 3, al-Riyad, November 6, al-Watan, November 8, 2004; Filastin al-Muslima, December 2004; Aluma Dankowitz, Arab Reactions to the U.S.'s Global Antisemitism Review Act of 2004 – MEMRI, Inquiry & Analysis 198, December 8, 2004.

²⁵ Al-Sharq al-Awsat, October 18, 2004.

²⁶ Gulf News, October 19, 2004. See also al-Hayat, October 25, 2004.

²⁷ Al-Liwa’, October 13, 2007.

²⁸ Al-Ahram Weekly, December 9, 2004. See also: Tishrin, April 27, 2004.

²⁹ Al-Ahram Weekly, December 9, 2004. See also The Electronic Intifada, March 15, 2007, www.electronicintifada.net/v2/printer6679.shtml.

³⁰ New York Times, February 22, 2006.

³¹ Al-Quds al-‘Arabi, January 31, 2006. See also al-Ahram, February 3, al-Quds al-‘Arabi, February 6, al-Ayyam (Kuwait), February 8, al-Mustaqbal, February 9, al-Ahram Weekly, March 2, 2006.

³⁴ Al-Ahram Weekly, February 16, 2006.

³² Al-Hayat, February 8, 2006.

³³ Al-Ahram Weekly, February 23, 2006.

³⁵ Al-Sharq al-Awsat, February 2, al-Ahali, February 15, al-Hayat, February 23, 2006.

³⁶ http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/HRC/resolutions/A_HRC_RES_7_19.pdf.

³⁷ http://www.oic-oci.org/34icfm/english/resolution/34-ICFM-Dec-%20Final-En.pdf

³⁸ http://www.oic-oci.org/is11/english/DAKAR-DEC-11SUMMIT-E.pdf.

³⁹ http://www.central-mosque.com/fiqh/oicsttmnt.htm.

⁴⁰ Al-Sharq al-Awsat, December 7, 2009. See also Tishrin, December 21, 2009.

⁴¹ Al-Raya, December 2, al-Sabil December 16, al-Ahram, December 20, 2009.

⁴²Memri, Clip no. 2297, December 8, 2009; Al-‘Ahd al-Intiqad, December 10, 2009.

⁴³ Al-Ahram, December 21, 2009, January 4, 2010.

⁴⁴ Al-Hiwar al-Mutamaddin, December 22, 2009.

⁴⁵ Al-Hayat, December 5, 2009.

⁴⁶ Al-Mustaqbal, December 20, 2009.

⁴⁷ Jerusalem Post, March 10, 2009; see also Jerusalem Post, December 3, 2008.

⁴⁸ EuropeNews, September 23, 2008, http://europenews.dk/en/node/14354.

⁴⁹ Al-Sharq al-Awsat, July 21, 2008.

⁵⁰ Al-Riyad, June 25, 2009.

⁵¹Delawareonline, August 4, 2009.

⁵²See also http://www.ahewar.org/debat/print.art.asp?t=0&aid=171316&ac=1.