False messages create misunderstanding

A few days ago, I read a statement by the Islamic scholar Shaikh Ayed Al Garni in which he stressed that he did not say that the Jews were the first nation that used force. He explained that he was referring to the Zionist entity in Israel that is waging war on Muslims and abusing the Palestinians in their occupied homeland.

I would like to tell the shaikh not to worry about what he said. As long as one does not attack another person's religion, it is his or her right to criticise the uncivilised behaviour of a people. And uncivilised behaviour is a good description of how the Israelis are behaving right now in occupied Palestine. The torture and abuse of innocent Palestinian teenagers makes the American abuses at Abu Ghraib look like a picnic.

But what about the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). It is an organisation founded by Israelis, some of whom are former Israeli Army intelligence officers. They also include many leading American Jewish writers and media people as well as ordinary American Jews.

These people in MEMRI love to distort the Arab image and try to create a wedge between ordinary Americans and Muslims. They deliberately mistranslate words, misinterpret statements and try to create the idea that our writers and religious leaders have no other purpose than to conduct an anti-Semitic campaign through our media. They have people who listen to them, but MEMRI has the support of quite a few important and influential officials in Washington. However, all these people who accuse us of defamation and anti-Semitism indulge in hypocrisy when it comes to our grievances.

Take, for example, the case of Irshad Manji who wrote the book, The Trouble With Islam. In her book, she calls for the reformation of Islam. She also states that "Muslims need to change their anti-Semitic and anti-female beliefs." She accuses Muslims of being backward and accuses the Arabs of being the colonisers of Muslims.

Sudden rise

Now the question arises of who has been responsible for her sudden rise to fame? She regularly debates on Canadian television and she has her own programme called Queers Television. Two leading magazines describe her as a "Feminist for the 21st Century" and a "Leader for Tomorrow".

She is being projected all across the media in North America. Although Shaikh Ayed Al Garni chooses to explain his innocent and harmless statement, Irshad Manji takes a trip to Israel paid for by a Jewish organisation. She also spoke at a Toronto University Jewish Students' Union lecture where she was introduced by a lady in hijab wearing an "Israeli Defence Force" T-shirt. Her book and research was sponsored by a Canadian Jewish organisation. She is protected by the Jewish community because her publishers refused to pay for protection. Last week in London I was told that she is not under any threat but by "fearing for her life" she gets extra publicity and "Muslim extremism" is attacked in the media.

Despite her writing's lack of veracity about Islam, Muslims and Saudi Arabia, people read the stuff and believe everything she says. A Hindu friend of hers has said: "She is a legend in her own mind." Unfortunately, uninformed Canadians and Americans have also begun to believe her.

In January of this year, I met Elie Weisel who spoke about the elimination of hatred. His summation of man's inhumanity to man was profound. I told him that we could not be selective in pointing at preachers of hate. They are everywhere and we should all come together to expose and stop them.

I also suggested to others who were present that we should form a joint task force with any attack on one of the three Abrahamic faiths being considered as an attack on all. This was agreed upon by many of the participants in that forum but words are not enough.

We have to do more. I also met Manji at the World Economic Forum in Davos and offered to debate with her. She responded by asking me to buy her book for $25 (Dh92). Of course I refused and besides so much has been written about it on the internet. My $25 should go instead to a poor oppressed Palestinian family. Any protest or any accusation that she is lying or inciting hatred against Muslims will be met by a hail of criticism from the pro-Zionist press who, I can assure you, are not Nepalese.

Fraudulent book

In the same breath, they will talk about free speech. This fraudulent book has now become a guide to Islam, and this woman who regularly vacations in Israel and has become a pro-Israel TV pundit has also moved even more to the far right than Daniel Pipes and Charles Krawthammer who are known for their hatred of anything Saudi.

The question is when an organisation such as MEMRI can be informed literally in minutes of what we have done, why do we merely sit, complain, wallow in self-pity and claim that others are out to get us?

I can assure you for one-tenth of MEMRI's budget we could contain them. And I know of people who could answer and expose these false preachers and critics of all things Islam and Muslim. But do we have the will to put our hands in our pockets and not forget to take them out?

Without that, the message of the mongers of hate will go unchecked and the messages of MEMRI will remain the ones in circulation which sadly are the one that should be forgotten.

Khaleed Al Maeena is editor in chief of Arab News, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.