To the Arab Jews: Happy Passover!
Hesham Elthouky*
In an article on the Arab reformist
websites Aafaq (April 9, 2007) and Middle East Transparent (April 8, 2007), Egyptian
author Hisham Al-Tuhi rejects the view that Muslims should not convey holiday
greetings to non-Muslims on their holidays, reviews the history of Jews in Arab
countries in the 20th century, and wishes Jews still living in Arab countries a
happy Passover.
The following are excerpts: [1]
In Response to My Norouz Holiday Greetings, I Received [From Muslims]
a Flood of Racism, Hatred, Ugliness, and Abuse
"In my previous article, I gave holiday greetings to the
Afghanis and the Kurds on the Norouz holiday, [as well as] the Egyptian
Baha'is. The letters came in from the caves: a flood of racism, hatred,
ugliness, and abuse.
"This is neither out of the ordinary nor new. Here, it is
only to be expected.
"The strange thing is that most of these letters… came from
the caves of the Saudi Kingdom and the 'infidel' Western countries, [in]
Europe, Canada, and the U.S.!
"One of the letters that caught my eye included an official
fatwa by the learned Wahhabi sheikh [and] venerable Mufti of Saudi Arabia, the
late [Salih] Ibn 'Uthaymayn, [who said:] 'All agree that giving holiday
greetings for infidel rituals… is forbidden.' [2]
"I respond, here and now, in these days crowded with
holidays - and just like I gave holiday greetings to the Egyptian Baha'is on
Norouz, and to the Muslims on al-mawlid al-nabawi (Muhammad's birthday)
- I give holiday greetings to the Arab Christians on noble Easter, and then - I
say:
"To the Arab Jews: Happy Passover!"
Many Arabs and Muslims Are Descendants of the Jews, Even if They
Say "They Crucified Christ!" or "Monkeys and Pigs!"
"Many of the sons of the Arab Middle East lived for more
than 1,000 years as Jews, more than 1,000 years before the advent of
Christianity, and before the advent of Islam.
"Today, many of the Arab Christians are the descendants of
these Jews. Their ancestors were Jews, even if they curse them and say: 'They
crucified Christ!'
"And many of the Arab Muslims today are the descendants of
Jews. Their ancestors were Jews, even if they curse them and say: 'Monkeys and
pigs!'"
In 1956, 60,000 Jewish Egyptians "Lived As Egyptians in
Soul and in Blood… Today There Are No More Than 300"
"In Egypt in 1917, there were 59,581 Jewish Egyptians -
Egyptians in flesh and in blood. They took part, together with the other
Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, in the Egyptian liberal renaissance (nahdha)…
"In politics, there was Musa Qattawi, who was a member of
the Egyptian Legislative Assembly, finance minister, and then transportation
minister in the 1925 government. He founded the Aswan railroad line and the
West Delta tramway…
"There was also Yousef Qattawi, head of the Egyptian
Sephardi Council, and member of the Draft Committee for the 1923 Constitution…
"Others were members in the negotiations committee for the
abolition of the capitulations [Ottoman-era accords that granted special rights
to foreigners]. And then there was the lawyer Zaki 'Uraybi, member of the Draft
Committee for the 1956 Constitution.
"[Jews] founded the Salt and Soda Company… the Egyptian
Petrol Company… the Rice-hulling Company… the Egyptian Real Estate Bank… the
Family Bank… the Commercial Bank… and 'Rico' the Jewish Egyptian participated
with Tal'at Harb in founding Bank Misr…
"In the arts, there were creators and performers who took
part in the revival of music and singing and in the launch of Egyptian cinema
and theater… For those who don't know, Ya'qub Sanu'a, the Jewish Egyptian, was
one of those who raised the slogan: 'Egypt for the Egyptians!'…
"On October 25, 1952, following the military revolt,
President Muhammad Naguib visited the temple of the Qaraite Jews to give
felicitations to the Jewish Egyptians on Yom Kippur.
"In 1956, there were 60,000 Jewish Egyptians, who lived as
Egyptians, in soul and in blood. Approximately 20,000 of them were forced to emigrate
between 1956 and 1961…
"Their money was seized, and those of them who remained
after the nationalization of 1961 were deported. Many of their homes and
properties were distributed to army officers, after the renaissance ended and
the eternal leader [i.e. Gamal 'Abd Al-Nasser] came to despotically rule Egypt.
"Today, in 2007, there are no more than 300 of the Jewish
Egyptians left..."
Jews in Iraq, Morocco, and Tunisia
"In Iraq, Nuri Al-Sa'id gave a speech at the 1939 Round
Table Conference in London, in which he said: '200,000 Jews live in Iraq, the
majority of them in Baghdad.' In 1950, they began to be forced to emigrate. In
1976, there remained of them fewer than 400 Jewish Iraqis.
"In Morocco, the number of Jewish Moroccans is estimated to
have been 280,000 in 1950. Today, in 2007, the approximately 5,000 Jewish
Moroccans live in fear of suicide bombers.
"On May 16, 2003, their possessions and cemeteries were
subjected to a wave of bombings, which left 45 dead. In September 2003, one of
them was killed in a stabbing, and another was killed in a shooting.
"In Tunisia, more than 3,000 Jewish Tunisians live in
freedom, since the presidency of the late President Habib Bourguiba, who gave
one of them, Albert Bessis, the position of minister in one of [his]
governments.
"Nonetheless, they were not safe and sound -safe neither
from the enmity of the Islamist Nahdha movement, nor from the suicide bombings.
On April 2002, the oldest Jewish temple in Africa, which was constructed in 566
B.C. on the island of Jerba, was bombed, leaving 20 dead."
The Jews Who Remain "Still Celebrate Their Holidays in
Silence, Forgotten… Is Not the Least We Can Say to Them: Jewish Arabs - Happy
Passover!?"
"Despite this - despite the nationalization, the expulsion,
the banishment, the bombings, the racism, the enmity, and the marginalization;
despite their being reviled with the ugliest abuse in the prayers of the
Muslims, in all of the Arab mosques and in some of the churches; despite their
being called infidels and cursed, and being accused of treason, in the books,
the newspapers, and the TV stations, [both] governmental and private - despite
all this, they still live in Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Morocco,
Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, and in other countries of the Arab Middle East!
"And they still celebrate their holidays in silence,
forgotten. And they still passionately love their countries who treated them
cruelly, and will not accept any substitute [for them].
"Is not the least we can say to them: Jewish Arabs - happy
Passover!?"
[1]
www.metransparent.com, April 8,
2007; www.aafaq.org, April 9, 2007.
[2]
Majmu' fatawa wa-rasa'il al-Sheikh Ibn 'Uthaymayn 3/369.
*
Translation by www.memri.org
GKronfli@aol.com
Date:
An excellent and
timely reminder by Mr. Altoukhi of what was possible in the not too distant
past and may even be possible in the not too distant
future. However, it must be mentioned that not all the problems were instigated
by Arabs and Muslims in particular. A lot of hatreds and pressures against Arab
Jews were fomented by European Jews in
Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:03:51 -0400
(Eastern Daylight Time)
From: "Naim S.
Mahlab" <nsm@videotron.ca>
I am thrilled to read an article, written by a Moslem, that confirms the
views I have held for decades. He is absolutely correct in everything he says.
The area that is now Iraq, which was mostly part of the ancient Persian Empire
which extended to the Euphrates river, had a very large Jewish population.
There were two major Jewish academies that instructed the group. The Bible was
translated into Arabic by Saadia Gaon, the head of one of the academies which
continued functioning after the Moslem conquest. In the early years, the Jews
and the Moslems got along very well. Jews worked in every area and served their
country well.
When King Feisal the first was
installed as King of Iraq, one of the Jewish landed gentry, loaned him his
house to live in until a suitable place was constructed.
King Feisal called a meeting of the
wealthy Iraquis and asked them to donate money to build a
Moslem orphanage. There was some hesitation among the group.
Menahem Daniel, a Jewish landowner,
asked the Monarch to allow him to build it himself, which he did.
They named a street after him in
Baghdad which, I am certain, has been changed. The major business street was
called Al Samawaal Street, after the famous Jewish Arab whose integrity is
legend in Arab lore.
One of the features of early Islam
was the 'jezya' tax which was levied on non- Moslems. I am certain that this
was one of the prime reasons that drove Jews and Christians to convert to
Islam. No one has been able to establish the amount of the Jezya, but some
believe that it was some 50% of the income, based on the settlement that the
Prophet Muhammad imposed on the Beni Keybar Jewish tribe, after He defeated
them in battle. I have no way of verifying this.
No child is born with hatred in its
heart. Hatred is a learned emotion, which is why I have always advocated the
elimination of schools run by religious groups. I have often wondered why we do
not read about 'wars of religion' in the ancient pagan societies. It appears
that with the success of the monotheistic religions, all of which claim that
they are in possession of the only truth, wars of religion became commonplace.
I can only refer to the words of Pontius Pilate who asked 'what is truth?'
I would also like the add that when
Alexander the Great built Alexandria, he populated it with Jews whom he
admired. When the Arabs conquered the city, the Commander sent a message to the
Caliph that he had conquered a city of 40,000 Jews.
I find it difficult to hope that
common sense will prevail again in the Near East. There are too many groups
preaching hatred of 'the other' for any peace effort to succeed.
Naim S. Mahlab
Montreal
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 05:35:26
-0700 (PDT)
From: Norma Fares norma_fares@yahoo.com
" We send Greetings to Muslims on Ramadan...To Christians
on Easter...and now we say to Arab Jews Happy Passover"; Absolutely !
What an insightful article by Hesham
El Toukhy from Egypt ! What a great piece that guarantees respect to people as
Human Beings. While the World is trying to shift the Globe in to a small
village that can embrace all the peoples with Love, Respect and Peace, I can
tell you Dear Hesham El Toukhy that you have already embarked the track of
Humanity.
Congratulation for your enlightening
article. Thank you metransparent.
Norma Fares
Lebanon