Militant Islam Monitor > Satire >
August 13, 2006
August 13, 2006
MIM Irshad Manj's IDF and Israel bashing,has reached new depths with her 'dillema' about whether to put a petition on her website condemning Israel for bombings in Lebanon. Manji wrote to the petition launcher that she was willing to post it on her site"if he also mentioned Hezbollah's attacks on Lebanese Christians and civilians, but made no stipulation regarding denouncing Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli citizens. She called the IDF a 'band of criminals'.
Manji's IDF and Israel bashing has gone on for years yet she and still gets nearly 8,000 dollars to speak at a Jewish event, and has no qualms about accepting a Jewish Federation paid trip to Israel, on the condition that she can go anywhere and speak to anyone she likes,which means interviewing Israel's enemies.On one such trip the ' Itjtihadist' who plays up her death threats to the media, showed no fears for her safety when she went to Gaza and interviewed a terrorist on camera Manji recently put up pictures of herself on her site, leaning nonchalantly on a fence at the Israel Lebanon border, accompanied by a photo of a Hezbollah terrorist eyeing her through binoculars.(photos below)
Her up close and personal encounter with Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists who have her within shooting range strains the credulity of her oft repeated stories of how she is living under constant fear of her life in North America.
Not content to just bash the IDF 'criminels', Manji showed her gratitude to the Jewish benefactors who paid for her trip by comparing Jewish settlers to suicide bombers, writing that "there are extremists on both sides."
I'm not implying that Israeli government policies are blameless. Far from it. For example, the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon refuses to arrest the criminals who set up illegal outposts in the West Bank. Such willful negligence will only feed extremism on both sides..."
"...It's because there isn't only one occupation of the Palestinian territories. There are two. The first is a military occupation by the Israel Defense Forces, and the distress that it's inflicting can't be denied. Neither can the resentment fueled by Israel's security barrier, a combination of fences and walls that turns some Arab villages into holding pens..."
http://www.jewlicious.com/index.php?p=195
MIM:At a 2004 appearence at at a Jewish event in Seattle, Manji refused to appear on stage with the IDF. The organisers hastened to banish the IDF to another part of the the building in order not to offend Manji's Islamist sensibilities.
MIM:Manji, who claims to be against Wahhabism, praised Ingrid Mattson. the vice president of the Islamic Society of North America, one of the biggest Saudi funded propagation enterprises gushing that Mattson who disingenuouly claimed that 'moderates are afraid to speak out because of extremists', offered a refreshing message."
"...As I explained in my earlier message, I stand with those who are victimized by all the sides, including criminal elements in the Israeli Defense Forces..."
http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/
http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/aboutirshad.html
www.masada2000.org/
Nusseibeh appeared in a panel discussion on Qatari Television on June 29, 2002, alongside Hamas official, Khaled Mashal, and Mrs. Umm Nidal, the mother of a suicide bomber, who encouraged her son to carry out the attack. Nusseibeh said; "When I hear the words of Umm Nidal, I recall the Koranic verse stating that 'Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.' All respect is due to this mother, it is due to every Palestinian mother and every female Palestinian who is a Jihad fighter on this land." (Translation courtesy of MEMR1.)
THE TRUTH ABOUT SARI NUSSEIBEH...
ARAFAT'S MAN IN JERUSALEM
In an interview with the Israeli Arab newspaper Al-Ittihad on June 20, 2002, Nusseibeh said "The (Israeli] enemy has not a trace of human characteristics."
(Translation courtesy of MEMRI.)
MIDI: "The Awful Truth"
.
Nusseibeh Supports Violence
Nusseibeh praised "Jihad fighters":
Nusseibeh appeared in a panel discussion on Qatari Television on June 29, 2002, alongside Hamas official, Khaled Mashal, and Mrs. Umm Nidal, the mother of a suicide bomber, who encouraged her son to carry out the attack. Nusseibeh said; "When I hear the words of Umm Nidal, I recall the Koranic verse stating that 'Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.' All respect is due to this mother, it is due to every Palestinian mother and every female Palestinian who is a Jihad fighter on this land." (Translation courtesy of MEMR1.)
Nusseibeh said he "'does not condemn" suicide bombers:
On the Arab web site on June 24, 2002, Nusseibeh explained why he signed a recent statement saying that, for tactical reasons, the Palestinian Arabs should refrain from attacking "civilians within Israel"' (i.e. within the pre?1967 borders): "We did not address our brothers in the various resistance factions to chastise them, or to condemn them, or depict the resistance as terror, or to de-legitimize it. None of these words appeared in the communique." (Translation courtesy o f MEMR1.)
Nusseibeh supported "the use of force":
Speaking to the Jerusalem Arab newspaper Al Fajr in August 1993, that "military means against Israel are vindicated by Israeli practices" and that he supports "the use of force against Israelis as a means of support of our negotiating position." (As quoted in the Cleveland Jewish Times, Sept.8, 1993)
Nusseibeh praised hijacking:
In 1986, Nusseibeh called a terrorist hijacking of an Israeli bus "a very daring attack." (Jerusalem Post, July 3,1986)
Nusseibeh's role in "intifada" violence:
Nusseibeh played an important role in the mass Palestinian Arab violence (intifada) of 1987-1989. In bills of indictment brought against seven leaders of the violence in Lod Military Court in 1989 (bill 108/89 and 109/89), the Israeli Government prosecutor stated that Nusseibeh served as a conduit for money "for financing the 'intifada"', and that Nusseibeh was responsible for "drawing up reports and leaflets for 'intifada' purposes such as instructing 'intifada' activists," including leaflets which called for "throwing firebombs" at Israelis and "fighting with knives." (A summary of the charges appeared in the New York Times on May 5, 1989 and May 21,1989.)
Nusseibeh refused to condemn the murder of two elderly Jews:
Shortly after a terrorist attack in Jerusalem in May 1989, the Jerusalem Post interviewed Nusseibeh and reported: "Nusseibeh refused to condemn outright the slaying of two elderly men at a Jerusalem bus stop last week, saying the attack had to be considered in the context of frustration at Israeli actions." (Jerusalem Post, May 8, 1989)
Nusseibeh justified murdering Arabs suspected of cooperating with Israel:
During the "intifada" of 1987-1990, Palestinian Arab terrorists murdered more than 1,000 fellow Arabs. Although the victims were accused of "collaborating with Israel," the majority were actually murdered to settle personal scores, clan rivalries or because of alleged violations of Islamic religious strictures. Nusseibeh defended the murders. "The question to be asked is not why there are more killings, but why has there been a re-emergence of collaborators in the last two or three months." Nusseibeh maintains that the death penalty is only inflicted on suspected collaborators as a last resort after all other means fail and only when there is very little likelihood of a mistake. "The local collaborator is very conspicuous. A killing is usually the end of a long process. Collaborators are usually well known in a village. If a family does not stand up to defend one of its members, that is also a sign that he is a collaborator." (Jerusalem Post, May 8, 1989)
..
Nusseibeh Demonizes Israel
Nusseibeh compared Israel to Satan:
In 1987, he endorsed Arab rock-throwing attacks against Israelis, saying: "I think it is a kind of exorcism to throw a stone at Satan." (International Herald?Tribune, June 4, 1987)
Nusseibeh said Israel "born in sin":
Nusseibeh said that the "heart of the problem" in the Middle East" is that "'Israel was born in sin." Uerusalem Post, January 8, 2002)
Nusseibeh called Israel "a racist Zionist entity":
In a 1986 article, Nusseibeh described Israel as "a racist, Zionist entity" and called for a three stage plan of consolidating the Arab position within Israel, increasing the Arab population, and then "the final stage will be the stage of a Palestinian democratic and secular state, achieved as and when Arab Palestinians naturally become a majority." (Jerusalem Times, May 9, 1986)
Nusseibeh's Aid to Saddam:
In January 1991, Nusseibeh was imprisoned by Israel. A statement from the Defense Ministry explained: "The detention follows his activity of collecting security information for Iraqi intelligence, especially after the missile attacks on Israel. He acted as coordinator for forwarding security information to various elements, including PLO elements abroad, for the Iraqi intelligence. (Jerusalem Post, January 30, 1991)
Prof. Michael Widlanski of Hebrew University has written: "During the 1991 Gulf War, Nusseibeh was caught contacting Iraqi intelligence officials in order to help direct the Scud rocket attacks of Saddam Hussein in which four Israelis were killed (one directly) and many wounded from 39 missile strikes. "While the rockets were falling it became clear to us that this gentleman was telephoning the Iraqi ambassador in one of the neighboring countries to tell the Iraqis where to shoot the missile," stated Col. (Res.) Shalom Harari, former Arab Affairs Advisor for the Israeli Defense Ministry. Nusseibeh was arrested by Israel's counter?intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, and put in administrative detention without trial for several weeks. After the Gulf War ended, Israeli officials, under pressure from the Israeli Left, allowed Nusseibeh a kind of "plea bargain" under which he voluntarily left the country for three years, said Harari, today a researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. (www.themedialine.org, Dec. 28, 2001)
..
Nusseibeh's Attacks on America
During the Gulf War, Nusseibeh authored an extremist anti-American article which appeared in the Arabic language edition of Al Fajr on January 23, 1991 (for the English translation, see the edition of February 4, 1991). He wrote that when Iraq invaded Kuwait, "War generals, military strategists and the military-industrial complex in the United States were 'rejuvenated' with this recent development... They saw in this invasion a golden opportunity to test their machines and theories and to revive their industry and profits ... The forces of aggression got themselves together to start the annihilation process using the most advanced and sophisticated weapons of mass destruction and dropping hundreds of tons of explosives on Iraq which exceed the power of the bomb on Hiroshima ... In order to further humiliate the Arab world and rub the Arabs' nose in the dirt, the war in the Gulf was dubbed the 'six hour war.'"
..
Jewish Leaders' View of Nusseibeh
Conference of Presidents: Nusseibeh is no moderate.
In a statement on July 11, 2002, responding to the media's claims that Nusseibeh is a "moderate," the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations pointed out that "The comments and actions of Prof. Sari Nusseibeh contradict media reports ... The portrayal of Prof. Nusseibeh appears to belie the facts as demonstrated in some of his recent comments." The Conference then quotes Nusseibeh's statements endorsing violence against Israelis [see above] and noted that "In 1991, he served time in prison for providing precision missile-targeting information to Iraqi sources."
The Conference also stated: "Prof. Nusseibeh's predecessor, Faisal Husseini, was similarly lionized by many as a moderate. In fact, he played an important role in coordinating terrorist activities and was informed of each attack in the Jerusalem area. Documents found by Israeli forces corroborated Husseini's direct role in the violence and terror."
World Jewish Congress: Nusseibeh is a "con man" and liar:
The Vice President of the World Jewish Congress, Isi Leibler, has written: "Nusseibeh's behavior does not imply 'moderate' dissent from Arafat. It is more likely a propaganda weapon ultimately controlled by Arafat??a man who has established a consistent tradition of speaking with a forked tongue ... At best he is a propagandist playing his role in a good cop, bad cop performance orchestrated by Arafat. At worst he is a straightforward con man." (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 24, 2002)
Posted August1,2006
http://www.muslim-refusenik.com
Irshad needs your advice!
Every day, I face one or another ethical dilemma. For example, should I encourage people to sign a petition that condemns Israel outright but essentially lets Hezbollah off the hook? Normally, my answer would be a clear and direct "no." But the request comes from a young Muslim man who's written to me before – and who has always been civil, smart, and nuanced. He deserves to be taken seriously. How, then, to respond? Read our email exchange below and let me know if I handled it fairly...
July 30, 2006
Dear Mehdi,
Today of all days, when an Israeli air strike has reportedly killed 60+ innocents, I'm more sympathetic than ever to a petition like this. I denounce murder, no matter who perpetrates it. And this is not a conclusion I've reached since the latest air strike. As I explained in my earlier message, I stand with those who are victimized by all the sides, including criminal elements in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Problem is, the differences that you and I have are not simply semantic. They have everything to do with factual accuracy and therefore my own journalistic integrity. Perhaps you have the luxury of viewing this war as an activist. Activism is necessarily polemical. It's the very opposite of a "measured response." By contrast, I'm not an activist in the conventional sense. I'm a journalist who insists on going to where the preponderance of evidence takes me. That necessarily means I have to weigh the facts (and propaganda) from every camp. So when major facts are missing from a response, such as the petition you've asked me to post, my journalist duty is to probe what's not being said. Taking into account the missing information, I then have to draw my own conclusions.
In my previous message, I already gave you two examples of what's not being said in the petition. You dismissed one of my points as irrelevant. You accepted the validity my other point but decided that this is not enough to make the petition lop-sided. What, then, about additional facts missing from the activist analysis - facts that, if acknowledged, would lead to a more "measured response" on your part?
Here's what I mean: When the petition below announces that "Lebanese civilians have been under the constant attack of the state of Israel for several days," that's only partially true. One missing fact is that Lebanese civilians who are CHRISTIAN have complained that they are under attack by Hezbollah and not just Israel. See, for example, this story in the New York Times.
Mehdi, is the pain of Christian civilians less worthy than that of Muslims? If not, why are activists trivializing these reports of Hezbollah's horrors?
The first email you sent me about the current war expressed your personal feelings of powerlessness to do anything substantive. In the spirit of being pro-active and imaginative, I have an idea: How about putting aside the petitions that people are sending to you and writing your own "Manifesto for a Measured Response Among Activists" -- a manifesto that recognizes the military terrorism and civilian anguish of all sides, as well as the need for people of good faith and sincere convictions to stop demonizing each other's nations?
I would post and publicize such a manifesto because it's about recognizing our shared humanity rather than compelling decent people to dig in their heels and stop talking.
Remember the message you sent me last February about the Danish cartoons? You wrote, "I feel the cartoons accomplished what they set out to do: stop the dead lock in conversation and get people talking again. Say something, anything, but don't stop talking." Amen, brother.
I look forward to your "Manifesto for a Measured Response among Activists."
-------------
Thank you whatever your decision,
Mehdi
Petition
Save the Lebanese Civilians!
To The Concerned Citizen of The World:
"Killing innocent civilians is NOT an act of self-defense. Destroying a sovereign nation is NOT a measured response."
Lebanese civilians have been under the constant attack of the state of Israel for several days. The State of Israel, in disregard to international law and the Geneva Convention, is launching a maritime and air siege targeting the entire population of the country. Innocent civilians are being collectively punished in Lebanon by the state of Israel in deliberate acts of terrorism as described in Article 33 of the Geneva Convention.
The Lebanese people feel left out by the world that is turning a blind eye on the savagery of the Israeli state. Israel does not seem to be capable of approaching any problem outside the realm of the military power bestowed on it by the government of the United States of America and other western governments.
We are writing you this letter in the hope that this massacre is immediately stopped. It is the universal duty of each individual to defend the innocents and expose the truth. The numerous civilian victims of the Israeli operations are increasing by the hour. The viciousness of the attacks has attained terrifying levels where a child has been cut in three while another was half burned.
The Israeli war machine, in its blind savagery, is destroying not only our lives but the foundations that could help the civilians survive beyond their massacre. The Israeli Defense Forces are destroying in few hours what Lebanon has spent years and billions of dollars to rebuild.
Up until now more than 500 Lebanese civilians have been killed and thousands missing under the rubbles , thousands wounded, bridges and infrastructure destroyed, refugees are leaving Beirut in droves and worst of all the enforced siege might lead to a human catastrophe in the next few days. There must be an end to this cycle of violence and continuous violation of international laws and basic ethical behavior.
Between the blindness of the international community and the deafness of the Arab one, the besieged Lebanese population has no way out.
Peace begins with justice.
This petition is going to be sent to all representatives (Senate, Congress, Assembly, etc.) in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, UK and European Union. Moreover, it will be sent to more than 500 media outlets around the world. If you have the contacts of the representatives of your country (not listed above), please email us the list and we
I will include your country representatives as recipients.
http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/
July 24, 2006
Dear Mehdi,
Thank you for recognizing that I do try to show both sides (and, often, more then two sides) of the issues. Which is why I'd be glad to post the links to a petition – as long as the petition emphasizes that no party in this warfare is free of culpability.
I will post your petition when it condemns not only Israel crimes but also Hezbollah's crimes of setting up shop in the middle of busy residential districts, so that any attempt to "take out" Hezbollah will necessarily mean hitting innocent people along the way. Hezbollah has always known this. Why are we not condemning their cruel calculus in our petitions?
I will post your petition when it denounces not just Israeli human rights violations, but also Lebanon's – for example, the fact that in Lebanon, Palestinians cannot, by law, hold full time jobs, purchase property, or become professionals, thus consigning them to more poverty in the refugee camps. Why do our petitions not point out that Lebanon has a share of responsibility for the anguish that ordinary human beings are experiencing?
Far from being neutral, I am on the side of the people who find themselves trapped by all the criminals – Israeli military, Hezbollah, and elements of the Lebanese government. Don't even get me started on Syria and Iran!
Mehdi, the moment you send me a petition acknowledging the above, I'll be the first to post – and sign – it.
Best regards,
Irshad
Printer-friendly version 
Email this item to a friend