- Incidents in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, Algeria underlie concerns for Jews
- Anti-Jewish verbal incitement is a growing problem
- Current upheaval echoes 1948 Arab violence, expulsion of Jews
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A depiction of an Algerian Synagogue from the early 1900s. Algeria has largely immune to the traumatic violence of neighboring states. |
Washington, Feb. 22- In the aftermath of long-time President Zine el Abidine ben Ali’s overthrow in mid-January, Tunisian Jews were greeted with a harsh reminder of their delicate situation: "Jews wait, the army of Mohammed is coming back!” scores of Muslim demonstrators chanted in front of Tunis’ main synagogue on Feb. 11.
While hoping for a positive outcome from the upheaval in Arab nations, remaining Jewish communities from Tunisia and Egypt to Bahrain and Morocco still fear for their safety in a volatile region.
More than 60 years after Jews were first assaulted and forced from their homes in Arab countries, a new wave of anti-Semitic incidents, though sporadic, have alarmed remaining communities throughout North Africa. The incidents are a subtle echo of the Jewish expulsion from those places after the creation of Israel in 1948 and continuing until after the 1967 six-day war. Arab riots, vandalism, and outright violence forced Jews to flee from Egypt, Syria, Iraq and other countries were they were once a sizable minority.
In 1945, there were more than 870,000 Jews living in the various Arab states. With most having fled to Israel and the Unites States, it is estimated that there are fewer than 8,600 today. One expert has said that property losses and damage sustained from the exodus may have totaled more than $6 billion.
Even in countries with decimated Jewish populations, anti-Semitic incidents have occurred within Arab protest movements.
The Jews of Tunisia- where the unrest began in January with massive street demonstrations and the subsequent overthrow of Ben Ali- still fear for the safety of the 2,000 or so members of the community. On Jan. 31, the southern town of Ghabes witnessed its synagogue burning, although it is still unclear whether arson or vandalism is to blame.
Twenty days later, scores of Muslim demonstrators mobbed the front of the Tunis synagogue in an anti-Jewish protest.
A Tunisian Jewish leader on the island of Djerba- where Al-Qaeda bombed the ancient el-Ghriba synagogue in 2002, leaving 21 dead- said that the protestors came from the Muslim fundamentalist movement El-Tahrir (Arabic for “Freedom”), a group "very silent under the regime of (toppled president Zine el Abidine) Ben Ali, but now out to cause chaos."
The transitional Tunisian government has sought to reassure the Jewish community by meeting with its leadership, condemning such acts and vowing to provide better security for the community, though it is unclear whether they can prevent future incidents.
Meanwhile, in Egypt, protesters celebrating the fall of the Mubarak regime on Feb. 11 chanted Jew, Jew!” before dragging away and sexually assaulting CBS reporter Lara Logan. The attack caused international alarm. Logan is not Jewish.
Popular Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qardawi, returning to Egypt from 30 years in exile, delivered a fiery sermon in Cairo’s Tahrir Square Feb. 20. In a speech laden with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements, he said that “throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the (Jews) people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler.”
The events came as many in the international community have also voiced alarm about the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s long-repressed Islamist bloc that will likely become a major part of the next government. The group has a track record of anti-Semitic and anti- Israel statements.
In Libya, state television on Feb. 18 featured a Friday prayer sermon purporting “Zionist” influence in the unrest that has targeted Moammar al Qaddafi’s 42-year-old regime. “They were drawn by the deceiving media, and they took to the streets to sow corruption, thus assuming the character of the Jews, who spread corruption upon the land,” the preacher said.
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