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Saturday 21 November 2009

Taking the airbrush to evil

Friday, 4th July 2008

Amazing sequel over at Harry’s Place to its report -- which I commented upon here -- of remarks made by Mohammad Sawalha, President of the British Muslim Initiative, speaking to Al Jazeera in Arabic about his demonstration against last Sunday’s celebration of the foundation of the State of Israel. Dave M on Harry’s Place translated his comments in a speech on al Jazeera thus:

‘We, the Arab and Islamic community, gather here today to express our resentment at the celebrations by the Jewish community and the evil/noxious Jew in Britain’.

[والوبيل اليهودي في بريطانيا]

Translation by DaveM

What then followed is summarised today on Harry’s Place here, but to get the full flavour of what happened it is worth reading yesterday’s thread here.

In brief, this is what was said on that thread. The word ‘evil’ was a mistranslation of the Arabic which was actually the word for ‘lobby’. So instead of ‘evil Jew’ Sawalha had referred to ‘Jewish lobby’. Dave M and HP were guilty therefore of a wicked mistranslation, spreading racial hatred (sic), evil Zionists and so forth, and causing Melanie Phillips (collective gasp) to repeat it on her own blog.

Then Dave T of Harry’s Place revealed that al Jazeera had actually changed the word, removing ‘evil’ and replacing it by ‘lobby’, and HP had a screenshot of the original which showed that the word was the Arabic for 'evil'.

Then an Al Jazeera reporter called Medyan Dairieh said he had written the report, and that the original word had been ‘lobby’ but he had mistyped it so that it appeared in Arabic as ‘evil’. That’s quite a typo.

Then Dave T (2.29 pm) pointed out that Medyan Dairieh appeared to have actually misquoted his own misquote, since he claimed to have mistakenly typed one Arabic word whereas a quite different word – the Arabic for evil – was what actually appeared on al Jazeera.

Then the BMI threatened to sue HP for libel. Apparently the BMI are very upset that anyone might think that one of their number was a ‘Jew-hater’ or 'antisemitic’. Fancy! As HP has pointed out, Sawalha has been identified by the BBC as

the mastermind of ‘much of Hamas’ political and military strategy’, and as responsible for directing ‘funds, both for Hamas’ armed wing, and for spreading its missionary dawah’.

This is what the Hamas charter says about Jews:

They stood behind the French and the Communist Revolutions and behind most of the revolutions we hear about here and there. They also used the money to establish clandestine organizations which are spreading around the world, in order to destroy societies and carry out Zionist interests. Such organizations are: the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, B’nai B’rith and the like. All of them are destructive spying organizations. They also used the money to take over control of the Imperialist states and made them colonize many countries in order to exploit the wealth of those countries and spread their corruption therein. As regards local and world wars, it has come to pass and no one objects, that they stood behind World War I, so as to wipe out the Islamic Caliphate. They collected material gains and took control of many sources of wealth. They obtained the Balfour Declaration and established the League of Nations in order to rule the world by means of that organization. They also stood behind World War II, where they collected immense benefits from trading with war materials and prepared for the establishment of their state. They inspired the establishment of the United Nations and the Security Council to replace the League of Nations, in order to rule the world by their intermediary. There was no war that broke out anywhere without their fingerprints on it... The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him! This will not apply to the Gharqad, which is a Jewish tree...

Presumably the BMI think this is not antisemitism either.

From this instructive little affair we learn, among other things, the following:

The BMI believe that inveighing against ‘the Jewish lobby’ is not antisemitic.

The BMI are very sensitive indeed to what is said about them.

That is because they are accustomed to pulling the wool over the eyes of many journalists. That is because a) some journalists are sheep b) some journalists have the bee of bigotry buzzing in their bonnet c) virtually no British journalists know any Arabic.

It is clearly very important indeed to these Islamists not to allow the false image of moderation they have so carefully constructed for themselves to be punctured at all. It is very important indeed, therefore, that it is punctured as much as possible. Well done, Dave T and all at Harry’s Place.

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Steven

July 4th, 2008 8:25pm

Why are you Brits putting up with this scum?

James

July 4th, 2008 8:46pm

"Then an Al Jazeera reporter called Medyan Dairieh said he had written the report, and that the original word had been ‘lobby’ but he had mistyped it so that it appeared in Arabic as ‘evil’. That’s quite a typo."

In English it's quite a typo; not in Arabic: luubiil vs luubii. If Jews were going to be described as evil, why not simply say "the evil Jewish community"? It doesn't make sense to say "the Jewish community and the evil/noxious Jew in Britain’." Muslim anti-semitism is undoubtedly vicious and widespread, but I don't think this is an example, another more than "shoah" for the Palestians meant "holocaust" for the Palestinians.

YA

July 4th, 2008 8:48pm

..and another proper portion of camel dung carefully served for you by Melanie, - enjoy.

Ann

July 4th, 2008 9:09pm

Good question, Steve. And we even have to put up with the likes of YA.

Laurence Pressler

July 4th, 2008 9:16pm

Yes, okay 'James'

Unfortunately (for you) people can follow the link to Harrys Place and see the full story for themselves in all its glory.

And my is it good. Quite how the error came about almost doesn't matter anymore - its the lies, threats, deceit and squirming from the chaps at the muslim group that is so bloody funny.

How very embarassing for you, YA and the various other new readers on Mels blog who tried to come on here and tell everyone it was all lies.

The chaps at Harrys Place were just a little to bright for you guys.

Hee hee. Those damn Jews (whoops, Zionists I meant). Too bloody clever by half.

Good work HP and well done Mel for highlighting this case to a wider audience (which i know for a fact has included quite a few people from the mainstream press).

Bravo.

Andy Gill

July 4th, 2008 10:53pm

Why am I not surprised that the President of a prominent British Muslim organization is a first-class anti-semite?

YA

July 4th, 2008 11:49pm

..specially for Laurence Pressler, Ann and other bunker dwellers, - just have courage to understand irony.

Yes I am sick of intellectuals masturbating over that bloody shish kebab again and again.

Isn't it time to put fence around that crap and let it rot.

Melanie, please write something about Jewish/Israeli art. Or science. Or medicine. Or wine. Or pornography. Or music. Or whatever else is there, human.

Laurence Pressler

July 5th, 2008 8:29am

Golly, its almost embarassing having to explain but...

"Isn't it time to put fence around that crap and let it rot."

Yes, indeed; but as long as 'that crap' write regular pieces for The Guardian, appear on The Beeb and are fawned over by mainstream media outlets - it ain't rotting.

Fascists like the BNP are (correctly in my view) left to rot. These particular fascists are indulged.

So your point is actually a little..... ridiculous.

Thanks though for giving me the opportunity to explain the blindingly obvious.

Engage brain before writing; you may find it helpful ;-)

Anyway, more important matters to attend to.

PS when I want to read about say, Science or Medicine...I go to blogs about ... Science or Medicine.

Crazy I know, but I find it works.

Anth

July 5th, 2008 8:56am

As a linguist of sorts, it bears all the hallmarks of a simple typing error, and one which would have been seen as such by Arabic speakers. There are real issues out there where we will disagree fundamentally, but let’s not fabricate evil where none seems to have been intended.

elixelx

July 5th, 2008 9:29am

"Melanie, please write something about Jewish/Israeli art. Or science. Or medicine. Or wine. Or pornography. Or music. Or whatever else is there, human."
Only if your wife, YA, will take time off during sex for a smoke!
Melanie Phillips writes some of the most cogent, clever, consistent columns on Education, Social Mores, Religion and, yes, Israel!
Warriors do NOT put their swords down in the midst of battle!
Do you, YA, deny that there is a War?

raymond joseph douglas

July 5th, 2008 9:49am

Pter osbourne in the mail and telegraph,has been moaning about "islamaphobia".I think from melanie's article,we still have a lot to be phobic about!

J. Isaacs

July 5th, 2008 10:31am

Another superb story by Melanie Phillips, David T, Dave M. and the lads at Harry's Place. Gives a great insight into the nature of current anti-semitism in all its hues.

YA

July 5th, 2008 2:09pm

Laurence Pressler:
just to remind you Science and Medicine are political issues in this country.

If W invested in oil replacement R&D at least half of Iraq war money, starting from 1993, we would live in different world.

Oh and you need explanations of obvious, again. Here it is - things that I listed directly undermine the enemy, and much more effectively than any whinings, protests or objections.

elixelx:
Yes this is war, and in war one should find vulnerable point and hit it in full force until enemy collapses.
Not to sit and bleat how everything is bad.

James

July 5th, 2008 3:46pm

@Laurence Pressler -- I'm perfectly willing to believe that an Arabic journalist would describe Jews as evil, I am simply sceptical that this is an example. If it isn't, Melanie and the crypto-communist Harry's Place are should apologize for creating a tornado out of a typo. Truth and objectivity matter, except to bigots and ideologues.

Crow

July 5th, 2008 3:57pm

Anth

'As a linguist of sorts'

Enough said.

Ann

July 5th, 2008 5:46pm

"Yes I am sick of intellectuals masturbating over that bloody shish kebab again and again"

I wouldn't know. You appear to be the expert.
Maybe Laurence's post will open your eyes. Maybe.

Ann

July 5th, 2008 5:50pm

"As a linguist of sorts, it bears all the hallmarks of a simple typing error"

A linguist of sorts, eh? I take it the 'linguist' is you, rather than the 'it' which bears all the hallmarks etc? In than case, why are you incapable of writing correct English syntax? Your sentence is an example of the conflation often referred to as 'the carriage and the flood of tears'.
You are no linguist of any sort, mate.

Lynne T

July 5th, 2008 8:33pm

Typo? Freudian slip more likely.

Edward

July 5th, 2008 9:54pm

BMI?

My BMI is 24.9.

Anth

July 6th, 2008 9:27am

Ann,
They say that Legalism is Justice minus the Love. Let's not demonize each other over arcane technicalities when the meaning is explicit.
If you don't accept my opinion, ask a linguist whose credentials you DO trust, then we can return to the real issue.
Quite a temper you got (sic) there, Luv (sic) !
With respect,
Anth

Ann

July 7th, 2008 9:08am

Anth, looks up 'rationalisation' and 'special pleading'. And you are still no kind of linguist, and you still can't write a basic English sentence with a subsidiary clause.

Anth

July 7th, 2008 4:18pm

Ann,
There are levels of vicious pedantry which it is unhealthy to descend to.
There's no point in our indulging each other in a mud-fight ; it would strengthen the worst in both of us, obscure the facts still further, and distract us from the vital issues.
All the best,
Anth

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Melanie Phillips is a Daily Mail columnist. She also writes for the Jewish Chronicle and is a panellist on BBC Radio Four's Moral Maze. Her most recent book is 'Londonistan', published by Encounter and Gibson Square.

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