AntiAmericanism And AntiSemitism Popular Themes In The MidEast Media

The world is entering a dangerous phase. World peace is showing more signs of a serious threat and tearing into open warfare everyday. The disturbing riots over the disrespectful cartoons published in a Danish newspaper first published back in September are a deeply sad and serious world shaking series of events. All world religions deserve to be treated respectfully. It is hoped that peace and order will soon be restored and editorial cartoons in the Western press will better respect faith, and more carefully construct their editorial cartoons to avoid offensive attacks on sincerely and deeply held principles of faith and seek to prevent more violence.

But at the same time, it cannot be ignored that much of MidEast press is filled with very disturbing antiAmerican and antisemitic images meant to inspire hate and violence against both Americans and Jews.

Popular images in the MidEast media portray American soldiers as rapists, such as an editorial cartoon in Al-Hatat Al-Jadida on November 22, 2004. This portrays an American soldier raping a Muslim woman. These images also often portray the U.S. flag as made out of snakes or the U.S. as a state under Jewish control, or the U.S. and it's soldiers as murderers. Others show Americans stuck with the war in Iraq, as other world peacekeeping soldiers merely pack up suitcases and walk away.

While many American televangelists such as Robert Schuller's Hour Of Power or Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church present a very positive and upbeat view of life, the Palestinian Authority's own television staion has allowed Muslim clerics such as Ibrahim Mydayris to present sermons that promote the extermination of all Jews and call for the subjugation of all christian nations under Islam, and this is under the "moderate" leadership of Mahmoud Abbas. Under Hamas control things should only grow far worse.

The Star Of David is often portrayed in very disrectful ways. And themes in MidEast editorial carttons and newspapers often revolve around themes such as portraying Israel as Nazis, Holocaust denial, Jewish conpiracies, and Jews as ritual murderers.

The Saudi language, The Arab News on April 10, 2002, portrayed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as using a swastika shaped object to bludgeon Palestinian children into a bloody mass in an editoral cartoon.

The Syrian Tishrin newspaper on May 19, 2002 used an editorial cartoon to portray a stereotypical jew kicking over the U.S. Statue Of Liberty, replacing it with himself.

While Egypt is generally thought to be an "moderate" MidEast state, the official Egyptian government newspaper ran an editorial cartoon portraying Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon riding a bicycle with swastika shaped wheels.

Oil rich Qatar, a major supplier of America oil ran an editorial cartton on March 14, 2002 that portrayed Ariel Sharon as Hitler with swatika armbands.

A Palestinian Authority newspaper has portrayed a Jew blowing out of a horn in a n attempt to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount. On the golden dome, few know that the words, "God Has No Son" is written in the gold structure meant to deny that Jesus was the son of God. In the Koran, many passage also deny the claim of Jesus as the son of God. Jesus is reduced to a mere mortal man in their holy book.

Many of the oil rich nations that the U.S. buys oil from regularly run very antiU.S. and AntiJewish cartoons. The kind of anger that is exploding into serious violence has long had time to brew as hatred fires have been stoked in the MidEast press.

There are many religious moderates in Islam, the Jewish and Christian faiths, as well moderate political leadership in many states. It is very important that this moderate leadership bring peace and mutual respect restoration as soon as possible. The Muslim cleric, Ali al-Sistani whose parties control nearly 50% of legislative seats in the Iraqi Parliament has called for moderation and peace, while condemning the cartoons that incited the violence that is now tearing the world apart. The call to peace by cleric al-Sistani should be heeded by all.