I am glad to hear of Kasim Hafeez’s turn-around, he should be widely applauded and supported for his change of heart. He however remains in the extreme minority, but deserves respect nonetheless, it’s not an easy thing to admit to anti-Jew hatred (anti-Semitism) as a Muslim, especially when the OIC (which says it represents all Muslims worldwide) says that “Islamic anti-Semitism is a myth, it is not the case“.
Truth be told however, the ”Islamism” Kasim Hafeez refers to, is just basic Islam 101, denying that truth, no matter of the motive involved, is ignorance at best or disingenuous at worst, and stands in the way of actual debunking and modernization of Islamic thinking. Hatred of the Jew first, then the Christian to a somewhat lesser degree, is a central theme in Islamic texts.
I applaud Hafeez’s change of heart, and though he still remains a Muslim, (it is for he himself to wrestle with all the contradictions) I wish him well and a successful journey, and hope that more Muslims can come to similar conclusions as he. What cannot be dismissed however, is the fact that all four Sunni and Shiia schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia) overwhelmingly support anti-Semitism and the subjugation of the non-believer, and in the institution of jihad that brings the sharia into existence in every land it conquers.
Excerpt: My father, however, was much more brazen in his hatred, boasting of how Adolf was a hero, his only failing being that he didn’t kill enough Jews.
H/T: Missing Peace
Muslim, Zionist and proud
Op-ed: His father praised Hitler, but Kasim Hafeez writes about love for Israel, Jewish people
Kasim Hafeez
Published: 04.25.12, 17:27 / Israel Opinion
I am a Zionist, a proud Muslim Zionist, and I love Israel, but this was not always the case. In fact, for many years I was quite the extreme opposite. I experienced the high levels of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activity taking place on British university campuses, because I was the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel activist.
Growing up in the Muslim community in the UK I was exposed to materials and opinions at best condemning Israel, painting Jews as usurpers and murderers, and at worse calling for the wholesale destruction of the “Zionist Entity” and all Jews. In short, there was no accommodating a Jewish State in the Middle East.
To grow up around this constant barrage of hatred directed at Israel has a massive effect on an individual’s own opinions. More disturbingly, many of these people weren’t radical or extreme, but when it was about Israel the most vicious of rhetoric poured out, coupled with the casual anti-Semitism that seemed too prevalent, when the phrase “stop being a Jew” used as an insult.
My father, however, was much more brazen in his hatred, boasting of how Adolf was a hero, his only failing being that he didn’t kill enough Jews.
By the time I had reached 18 I was completely indoctrinated to the fold of radical Islamism. My hate for Israel and for the Jews was fuelled by images of death and destruction, set to the backdrop of Arabic melodies about Jihad and speeches of Osama Bin Laden.
