Somehow, I’m agreeing with Mehdi Hasan
Mehdi Hasan: an unlikely new ally.
I won’t often say this, but there is a must-read article at the Huffington Post today. Titled ‘The Sorry Truth Is That the Virus of Anti-Semitism Has Infected the British Muslim Community’ it is a reflection on the recent anti-Semitic outburst by Lord Ahmed of Rotherham. It an admirably honest piece of writing the author says:
‘It pains me to have to admit this but anti-Semitism isn’t just tolerated in some sections of the British Muslim community; it’s routine and commonplace
Sounds like the writing of some terrible ‘Islamophobe’ doesn’t it? Except that you’ll be relived to know that as author goes on he writes:
‘Any Muslims reading this article – if they are honest with themselves – will know instantly what I am referring to. It’s our dirty little secret.’
Phew! ‘Our dirty little secret.’ Thank goodness the author is a Muslim. He goes on to say:
‘I can’t keep count of the number of Muslims I have come across – from close friends and relatives to perfect strangers – for whom weird and wacky anti-Semitic conspiracy theories are the default explanation for a range of national and international events. Who killed Diana and Dodi? The Mossad, say many Muslims. They didn’t want the British heir to the throne having an Arab stepfather. What about 9/11? Definitely those damn Yehudis. I mean, why else were 4,000 Jews in New York told to stay home from work on the morning of 11 September 2001? How about the financial crisis? Er, Jewish bankers. Obviously. Oh, and the Holocaust? Don’t be silly. Never happened.
‘Growing up, I always assumed that this obsession with ‘the Jews’ was a hallmark of the ‘first-generation’ immigrants from the subcontinent. In recent years, I’ve been depressed to discover that there are plenty of ‘second-generation’ Muslim youths, born and bred in multiracial Britain, who have drunk the anti-Semitic Kool-Aid. I’m often attacked by them for working in the “Jewish owned media”.
‘The truth is that the virus of anti-Semitism has infected members of the British Muslim community, both young and old. No, the on-going Israel-Palestine conflict hasn’t helped matters. But this goes beyond the Middle East. How else to explain why British Pakistanis are so often the most ardent advocates of anti-Semitic conspiracies, even though there are so few Jews living in Pakistan?
The author writes:
‘To be honest, I’ve always been reluctant to write a column such as this. To accuse my fellow Muslims of being soft on the scourge of anti-Semitism isn’t easy; I feel as if I am ‘dobbing in’ the community.’
And he continues:
‘We’re not all anti-Semites. But, as a community, we do have a ‘Jewish problem’. There is no point pretending otherwise.’
Adding that ‘anti-Semitism passed the dinner-table test in polite British Muslim society long ago,’ he concludes:
‘Oh, and I’m well aware that this column will also be held up by some of my fellow Muslims as “proof” that “Mehdi Hasan has sold out to the Jews”.’
Because yes – the author of this astonishing piece is none other than the Huffington Post’s very own Mehdi Hasan.
I didn’t think I would ever agree with so much of an article written by Mehdi. But this is no time for gloating. Mehdi should be congratulated for breaking the silence on this subject. It might have been broken a long time ago, but every time somebody tried to make these same points they kept getting dismissed as a racist or ‘Islamophobe’
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