Friday marked the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It was designated by Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran, as Quds day in solidarity with Palestine. It has traditionally been marked by fierce anti-Israel protests across the world. And this year unfortunately was no exception. In South Africa, this year’s celebration of anti-Israel hate orchestrated by leading representatives of the South African Muslim community and members of the South African government was more vitriolic than I have ever known it.
Hundreds of people, mainly Muslim, marched in Cape Town from District Six to parliament to demand that the South African government stop the oppression of Muslims in Palestine. The march was led by the Muslim Judicial Council, Qibla (a militant Jihadi gang) and Cosatu (South Africa’s largest trade union and a member of the ruling tripartite alliance). The murderous cries of ‘one Bush, one bullet’ and ‘death to Israel, death to America’ polluted the air while Nazi-like posters with ‘Zionists- bloodthirsty oppressors’ were held aloft.
But worse than an anti-Jewish lynch-mob marching through the streets of South Africa’s capital, was the wording of their official memorandum. It demanded ‘the world recognises Israel as an illegitimate, terrorist state, racist, expansionist and chauvinistic and has no right to exist’. It would be a mistake to laugh this off as a meaningless list of words that some wannabe intellectual shmuck copied out of the leftist version of Roget’s thesaurus. Rather it is a shocking reminder of the extent of the irrational hatred that many influential Muslim and Labour organisations in South Africa feel towards the Jewish State.
And what was the response of South Africa’s intelligentsia to this festival of anti-Jewish hate? The South African department of foreign affairs happily accepted this detestable declaration. Human rights organisations that were so vocal in condemning the pope for religious intolerance only a few weeks ago have remained silent. And even official Jewish organisations have not made a peep. This sort of behaviour is now considered commonplace and thus acceptable in democratic South Africa. Acquiescing to this sort of vile hatred will not make it go away. South Africans would do well to remember the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller.
When they came for the Jews, I did nothing because I wasn't Jewish. ‘When the Nazis came for the Communist When they locked up the social democrats, When they came for the trade unionists, When they came for me, |
Your criticism of South Africa Foreign Affairs is unjust.
They too have to abide by the Universal First Commandment:
"Thou Shalt not offend a Muslim no matter what his views or demands."
Posted by: Anti-UN | October 25, 2006 at 08:29
Unfortunately you too right anti-UN. I really believe that a civilisation, culture, country, society or even organisation that is not prepared to defend its values will not survive in the long run. If Islamist appeasement is our new First Commandment God help us.
Posted by: Mike | October 25, 2006 at 10:43