Exploiting the Koran to Target the Jews?

by Lawrence A. Franklin
December 19, 2013 at 3:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4097/koran-target-jews

Koran-based anti-Jewish themes that closely resemble typical anti-Semitic stereotypes appear to be part of a studied effort to convince Christians to view Muslims as their natural ally against the Jews.
The Koran's prejudicial passages against Jews might have more traction in Europe, where many of the continent's citizens, even secular Europeans, seem to have trouble separating their antipathy for Israel's policies from their feelings for the surviving remnant of Jews among them.

Anti-Jewish passages in the Koran appear to be undergoing exploitation by Muslim extremists and neo-Nazi elements alike to form a nexus of sorts based upon their one common denominator: hatred of "The Jew." The exploitation of these themes by hate groups should be challenged by the millions of peace-loving Muslims, and the use of these Koranic-passages by radicals should be combated by Muslims of good-will in mosques, Islamic Schools and on Islam-friendly websites. Muslim clerics and laypeople must fight the Koranic culture of violence[1] that seems to motivate some Muslims to justify horrific acts against non-Muslims. The following incidents are just a few of the acts of savagery which have done irreparable harm to the image of Islam: the Nigerian Muslim converts who slaughtered British soldier Lee Rigby in the heart of London; the mass murder of his fellow U.S. soldiers at Ft. Hood by Maj. Nidal Hasan, and the selective killing of "unbelievers' [non-Muslims] at the Westgate Mall in Kenya. Muslims must lead the fights against these extremists, or the ranks of those who distrust, fear and hate Islam will continue to grow.

The Koran-based anti-Jewish themes closely resemble prejudicial beliefs held by many Christians over the centuries. These themes seem to be part of an effort to mobilize non-Muslims to view "the Jew" as the enemy of "the Faithful," of both Islam and Christianity alike, and by implication, as the adversary of God. They also read as if they are part of a studied effort to convince Christians to view Muslims as their natural ally against the Jews.

Sura (chapter) three of the Koran, for example, "The Family of Imran", seizes upon the most virulent indictment of the Jewish people by some Christian anti-Semites: the charge of "Christ-Killer." The chapter describes Allah's providential intervention to frustrate the plot by Jews to murder Christ. Moreover, the Sura addresses Allah's decision to honor Jesus, while clearing Christ of all false charges leveled against him by the Jews.[2]

Allah's protection and elevation of Jesus is further described in Sura four, an-Nisa (The Women). According to this Sura, Allah made four specific promises to Jesus.[3] Allah saves Jesus from crucifixion and promises to allow him to die a natural death. Secondly, Jesus will forever be exonerated of all aspersions cast upon his character. Allah then informs Jesus that he will enjoy an honorable position in the midst of the divine presence. Lastly, Jesus is told that he will achieve total dominance over his prevaricating accusers, (the Jews).

As a demonstration of Allah's decency, An-Nisa further declares that Jesus was not illegitimate, and that Maryam (Mary), his mother, remained untouched by man, thus acknowledging the virgin birth of the Prophet Isa (Jesus).[4] This was a shrewd assertion, as early Christians were probably stung by the bawdy jokes of some Jews who ridiculed Christianity's doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ.[5]

The Koran doubles down on this theme by claiming that the Jews also attempted to assassinate Muhammad. But Islamic scripture relates that Allah intervened once again, this time to safeguard the Prophet Muhammad, his Messenger.[6] The Koran also condemns the Jews for the unseemly manner in which they treated many of Allah's prophets. Because of this scandalous behavior, Allah withdrew his favor and selected a more worthy people: presumably, Arab Muslims. To punctuate this point, some Koranic commentators even quote from the Gospel according to Matthew, in which he chastises his fellow Jews for having rejected Him.[7]

Sura 2, al-Baqarah, (The Cow) depicts the Jews as a race of ingrates who quickly forgot Allah's direct intervention of parting the Red Sea to help them escape Pharaoh's chariots. Koranic commentary also denounces the Jews for abandoning Mosaic Law by becoming idolaters, and taking up the bull-worship of their former masters, the Egyptians.[8] This stereotypical image of the Jew as fickle ingrate, despite God's favors, was once replete in the Catholic Good Friday prayer called "The Reproaches," before it was discontinued by order of Pope John Paul II. That prayer puts words in God's mouth, where He recounts all the blessings He bestowed upon the ancient Hebrews, only to have them crucify His incarnate presence in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.[9]

Moreover, Sura 5, al-Ma'idah (The Spread Table or The Food) even quotes the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel[10] as further theological justification for the suffering of the Jews. This reference justifies the scattering of the Jews from their ancestral homeland throughout the globe because of their perverse moral behavior -- a "curse theme" familiar to some Christians.

Just in case any gullible gentile might fall victim to suggestions that Muslims and Christians are natural allies against the Jews, he should be aware that every year on October 30, Muslims, especially Shia Muslims, celebrate Eid Al-Mubahala,[11] a feast that commemorates a historic meeting in 632 A.D. between Muhammad and a group of Christians from Najran, a town in the southwestern tip of Arabia's border with Yemen. According to the Koran, Muhammad and his followers debated with the Christian delegation over the latter's claim that Jesus was God. After the inconclusive discussion in the Muslim city of Medina, Muhammad dared the Christians to pray alongside his Muslim faithful to call down a curse upon those who argued in falsehood. The Najarani Christian delegation's refusal to take the dare is viewed by many Muslims as evidence of lack of belief and therefore a victory for Islam. Following the meeting, Muhammad agreed to a truce with the Christian inhabitants of Najran, as long as they agreed to pay an annual tribute. However, ultimately the Najarani Christians were forced, by the third Caliph Umar ibn al-Kattab, into exile -- mostly in the southern region of today's Iraq.

Still another example of Koranic scriptural targeting of Jews while simultaneously siding with Christians is found in Surat al-Buruj (The Zodiac).[12] Most Muslim commentators interpret these verses as an oblique reference to the slaughter of Najarani Christians by the last King of the Jewish Himyarite Dynasty of Yemen in 524 A.D.[13] It is possible that Muhammad aware of the bitter history between the Himyarites and Christians of Najran and sought to demonstrate that the latter fared better under Islam. The Christians were allowed to live and practice their faith as long as they agreed to pay taxes and remove themselves from the affairs of state.

This type of anti-Semitic scripture-based prejudice is unlikely to win many converts in America. The overwhelming majority of Americans have no ill will against their fellow Jewish citizens. Even many Muslims, particularly American-based Islamic communities, reject the Koranic justification for attempting to turn Christians against their fellow Jewish citizens. Certainly, there are many Muslims who are sincerely dedicated to inter-faith cooperation with both Jews and Christians. Their rejection and/or reinterpretation of apparent Koran-based enmity for Jews is a courageous decision – and is quintessentially American.

The Koran's prejudicial passages against Jews seem to have found an appreciative audience among some neo-Nazis as well as extremist elements on the left of the political spectrum. This is particularly the case in Western Europe.[14] However, some American Jewish students perceive that this affliction has found its way onto the college campus as well.[15]

Moreover, as early as the turn of the century, there were reports of contacts between al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremist networks with neo-Nazi groups. This seemingly incongruent phenomenon was denounced by former German Minister of Interior, Otto Schily, when he publicly described the relationship between his country's neo-Nazi National Democratic Party and the now outlawed Muslim extremist organization, Hizb-ut-Tahir (Party of Liberation)[16]. This alliance seems to have gained more traction in today's Europe, where many of the continent's citizens, even when secular, seem to have trouble separating their opposition to Israel's policies from their feelings for the surviving remnant of Jews among them.

Notes

[1] Sura 4, Verse 89, An-Nisa (The Women): "They (the Jews) wish that you reject the Faith, as they (the Jews) have rejected the Faith and thus wish that you all become equal (like one another). So take not auliya (friends/protectors) unbelievers (Jews and Christians) till they emigrate in the way of Allah. But if they turn back (from Islam) take hold of them and kill them wherever you find them."; The Noble Quran, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1996, p. 187.

[2] Koran, Sura 3, Al-Imran (The Family of Imran), Verse 55.

[3] Koran, Sura 4, An-Nisa (The Women), Verse 156.

[4] Koran, Sura 19, Maryam, (Mary), Verses 20-21.

[5] Isaiah 7:14 in the Hebrew Tanach claims that the Messiah will be born to a virgin. Some Jewish commentators refer to the Hebrew word for young girl (almah) rather than virgin (betulah), which was employed by Isaiah.

[6] Koran, Sura 4, an-Nisa (The Women), Verse 61.

[7] Koran, Sura 3, Al-Imran (The Family of Imran) and Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 21, Verse 43, "The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you (the Jews) and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."

[8] Koran, Sura 2, Al-Baqarah (the Cow), Verse 49-58.

[9] The Reproaches or Improperia is chanted as Christian worshipers approach to kiss the Crucifix on Good Friday. This commemoration of Christ's sacrifice for the sins of man (past, present and future) is called the Veneration of the Cross.

[10] Koran, Sura 5, Al-Ma'idah (The Food/The Table Spread). The Hebrew Bible, Ezekiel 22 8-15.

[11] Koran, Surat (Chapter) 3, Al-Imran (The Family of Amran), Ayat (Verse) 61. Eid Al-Mubahala (Ibtatala/The Humbling) is a feast memorializing a meeting between Nestorian Christians and the Alul-Bayt (House of the Holy Family of Islam) that included Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah, her husband Ali, and their children Hassan and Hussein. This feast is of particular import for Shia Muslims. However, Sunni Muslims emphasize the significance that the Prophet bested the Christians in the discussion that ensued.

[12] Koran Sura Al-Buruj (The Zodiac) Chapter 85, Ayat (Verse) 5-8. The Holy Koran English Language Commentary by Maulana Muhammad Ali p.1198. Lahore, Pakistan, 2002.

[13] The Jewish Himyarite Dynasty of Saba (Yemen) had reached its most expansive size during the last decades of its existence. Their territorial control reached far into the Arabian Peninsula, including the Christian communities of southeast Arabia. The Himyarites may have doubted the Najaranis' loyalty. The Yemeni rulers might have calculated that Najarani sympathies lay with the kingdom's rival, Christian Abyssinia (Ethiopia). This calculation was a rational, if not correct, deduction, as Christianity had first arrived in the region during Ethiopia's forty-year occupation of Yemen in the latter half of the fourth century. Ultimately, the last Jewish King of Yemen, Dhu Nuwas, liquidated most of Najran's Christians by mass immolation in 524 A.D.

[14] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) at last year's Office of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) July convocation in Warsaw Poland filed a request asking that that the OSCE pass a resolution to condemn bigotry and anti-Semitism "that have been given growing legitimacy in cities across Europe". British author Howard Jacobson was quoted on "the Volkh Conspiracy" website in an article by Daniel Bernstein as analyzing how some European leftists have focused on anti-Zionism as a convenient substitute for expressing anti-Jewish attitudes and thereby escaping the accusation of being anti-Semitic. October 23, 2013.

[15] Investigative Taskforce on Campus Anti-Semitism (ITCA) "Feds Investigate Claims of Anti-Semitism at UC Berkeley". October 3, 2012. This article addresses a suit filed by two Jewish students at UC's Berkeley Campus the Civil Rights Office of the U.S. Department of Education. The suit alleged that during the annual anti-Apartheid week in February, 2012, campus protests against Israel's policies morphed into anti-Jewish tirades which created a threatening atmosphere at the university.

[16] "Al-Qaeda's Neo-Nazi Connections by William Grim, Jewish Press, February 25, 2004. G2 Bulletin: Washington D. C., August 5, 2005.

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Comment on this item

14 Reader Comments

mjazzguitar • Dec 22, 2013 at 07:10

There are passages in the Koran that say Israel is for the Jews. I also recall an Islamic scholar in one of the USSR's breakaway Muslim countries saying that he saw nothing in the Koran forbidding the state of Israel.

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Phillip Slepian

mjazzguitar • Dec 23, 2013 at 08:29

Yes, there is such a statement in the Koran. However, although I am not certain, one must determine whether or not this passage has been abrogated by later passages or not. In either case, what matters on a practical level is how Islamic religious leaders interpret the Koran and Hadiths. In this case, the Arab cultural tradition of never ceding land once captured applies. Since Mohammed's army invaded the Land of Israel and held it for many centuries, the idea that it could become once again a Jewish land is anathema in Arabic culture, just as Spain is still referred to as Andelusia and claimed by Muslims today. Hence the unwillingness of Arab states to recognize a Jewish State in the Land of Israel.

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mjazzguitar

Phillip Slepian • Dec 24, 2013 at 07:28

Yes, I'm aware of that. I was thinking it might be useful for Muslims who actually do desire peaceful coexistence. It could be argued that, since Israel wasn't a nation when these verses were written, they apply to the future state of Israel.

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Phillip Slepian

mjazzguitar • Dec 26, 2013 at 08:11

Mjazzguitar: Your sentiments are a lovely interpretation of Koranic verses. However, unless major, recognized Islamic religious authorities promote such an interpretation, it falls into the same category as as Franklin's piece: Pure fantasy. There may be Muslim reformers who accept this view, but they are unlikely to influence Islamic leaders. On the contrary, they would likely be condemned with fatwas against their unorthodox interpretations. To my knowledge, I know of no widely accepted Islamic religious authorities who hold the view that the Koran condones an independent, Jewish state in the Land of Israel. If you know of any, please post.

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mjazzguitar

Phillip Slepian • Dec 28, 2013 at 03:52

I know of of no widely accepted Islamic religious authorities who hold the view that the Koran condones an independent, Jewish state in the Land of Israel. A while back, however, I did read of a palestinian who was the de facto head of a large number of families, who was opposed to Israel ceding any land to form a palestinian state. If I recall correctly, he said he would revolt against any kind of state headed by the PA. Unfortunately I lost the link.

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mjazzguitar

mjazzguitar • Dec 29, 2013 at 12:14

I would like to amend my previous statement by adding that the Italian imam, Abdul Hadi Palazzi , the secretary general of the Italian Muslim Assembly, teaches that the Koran clearly states that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and that the Temple mount was the site of the Jewish Temple.

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Phillip Slepian

mjazzguitar • Dec 30, 2013 at 08:10

M: I am aware of Palazzi and his work. Again, lovely sentiments, but the very fact that he preaches from the safety of a non-Muslim nation indicates that his views are not mainstream. There are many like Palazzi throughout the world, although mostly they are to be found outside of Muslim nations. Islamic religious leaders in most Arab lands base their anti-Israel beliefs on the concept that land added to the Uma must never be ceded to non-Muslim rule.

As for that Palestinian family leader, again, nice sentiments (if true), but hardly representative of accepted Islamic religious thought and doctrine. Many "Palestinian" Arabs are not orthodox Muslims, so their views, whether pro-Israel or anti-Israel, do not represent widely accepted Islamic thought.

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Phillip Slepian • Dec 19, 2013 at 11:52

Franklin is way off base here. While anti-Semitism was common in the Christian world until fairly recently, it was never a part of Christian doctrine. Various churches and church leaders throughout the centuries have made explicit statements to clarify the importance of not harming Jews as rejectors of Jesus as Messiah. Islam, on the other hand, clearly includes as a matter of doctrine, requirements to force Jews to, at the least, comply with sharia laws regarding dhimmi people, and at worst, demands they be converted at knife-point or eliminated. There is no equivalent to this in Christian holy writ.

Perhaps it is difficult to see from within the context of Islam, but history makes it clear: When Mohammad thought he could attract followers from one group or another, he praised them, and at least partially sought to accommodate them. If, however, these groups later rejected his prophetic status, he turned on them with the most vicious of criticisms, demanding their subjugation and compliance with sharia law. This is the story of the relationship of Jews and Christians to Islam. While the Jews sought no converts amongst gentile Arabs, and Christians, at least in doctrine, only sought converts via non-violent missionary efforts, Islam added the sword to dawa and declared a jihad against those who reject Mohammed. That sword is very much enshrined in Islam. Islam without jihad (in all of its forms) is like Judaism without the Torah, or Christianity without the resurrection. Jihad is an inseparable part of Islam. While reformists can alter Islam in an effort to make it less violent, what they would end up with, whatever they call it, would not be Islam.

So, yes, while the alliance between Jihadists and non-Muslim anti-Semites might make no sense from a religious perspective, the alliance exists, and is growing, as non-Muslims desperately seek common ground, any common ground, with their future Islamic masters. While not an issue in America now, it will be, as Islam grows there as it has elsewhere. People want to be on the victorious side of history (the oppressors), not the oppressed. And, as President Lincoln remarked, if you want to know what the nation will look like in 20 years, look at the universities today. So the rampant campus anti-Semitism of today, spurred on by campus Islamic groups, will become mainstream tomorrow. As Islam grows in America, fewer Muslims in America will feel at liberty to contradict mainstream Islam. They will be threatened and intimidated just as their colleagues in Europe are today. Considering some 80% of U.S. mosques were found to support jihad against America in some way, and many of these are funded and staffed by Wahhabi Islamic organizations, the hopes of Mr. Franklin are a fairy tale fantasy.

The inconvenient reality is that Nazism was driven underground and discredited after WWII, so that, while neo-Nazi groups exist, they receive no quarter anywhere in civilized society. Unless and until the Western world is willing to treat fundamental, orthodox Islam in the same way that Nazism has been treated for the past 70 years, there is little reason to be optimistic. Normative Islam uses religious doctrine to legitimize its attacks on the infidel, and Muslims as well as the Western world seem unwilling to confront it.

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Objective Observer

Phillip Slepian • Dec 22, 2013 at 13:56

It is with great sadness that I see nothing on the horizon to refute Mr. Slepian's realistic assessment. The assault on America's bastions of power—government, academia, and the media—is almost complete and, under Obama, has accelerated to a point of, possibly, no return. The uber progressives who support the Islamic narrative have infiltrated the halls of power to such a degree that attempts by, say, a Republican/Tea Party/Libertarian president would/will be met with endless howls of McCarthism and obstructionism. Perhaps the only thing that can halt this runaway train would be another 9-11 type attack.

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Phillip Slepian

Objective Observer • Dec 23, 2013 at 08:33

You are correct, O.O. Though what you speak of has already occurred. When a group of GOP Congressmen, including Michelle Bachmann, suggested that there ought to be hearings on the Muslim Brotherhood influence and operatives in the Federal Government, they were indeed immediately labeled McCartyites and Islamophobes. The attack was extremely effective in blocking their worthy efforts before they could begin.

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Objective Observer

Phillip Slepian • Dec 24, 2013 at 11:23

It appears that one of the best hopes for the truth to come forth lies on the horizon in the form of the 2014 and 2016 elections. Should the Republicans take control of the Senate in 2014 and the presidency in 2016, Congressional investigations into the influence of MB operatives can begin in earnest. NY Rep. Peter King has held a number of Congressional hearings, and has refused to be swayed by the Progressive-Socialist media. Hopefully, this can be continued and expanded upon. We must realize, however, that the influence of Obama's reach is so pervasive that it would take multiple successive victories at the ballot box by a Republican-Conservative-Tea Party-Libertarian coalition to have a reasonable counteracting force.

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Phillip Slepian

Objective Observer • Dec 26, 2013 at 08:19

Peter King is one of the good guys, but there are too few Peter Kings to make a difference. The fact is that Muslim Brotherhood operatives have infiltrated the GOP to almost the same extent they have the Democratic party. A good example is Grover Norquist. Another example is the politcally correct G. W. Bush second term, in which the door was thrown wide open to Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers seeking access to power. Think about it: If you are strategizing for the Muslim Brotherhood, would you focus only on one of the two major parties (because it was easier to infiltrate), ignore the other party, and hope for your chosen party's victory in elections? Or, would you infiltrate both parties, so that no matter which party was in power, you had influence? Sadly, 12 years after 9-11, America is more under the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood than ever. Peter King is the lone voice in the wilderness, ignored by a people under the influence of political correctness and Islamic deception.

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Objective Observer

Phillip Slepian • Dec 27, 2013 at 08:32

It is ironic that Grover Norquist should be such a lover of Muslims, which is outside his sphere of expertise—or else he may be anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. There have been many in policy positions whose statements and actions can best be explained in such a way.

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Phillip Slepian

Objective Observer • Dec 31, 2013 at 11:07

Without being predisposed to accept conspiracy theories, the documentation from the trial of the 1993 WTC bombing, as detailed in Andrew McCarthy's book "The Grand Jihad", leads me to conclude that people like Norquist are not just going off on a tangent. In fact, I think he siezed upon his anti-tax crusade as a way to infiltrate conservative circles. His true purpose is to exert Muslim Brotherhood influence within the G.O.P. and conservative organizations. His anti-tax crusade is a distraction and a means of gaining access only. His true agenda is the ascendency of Islamic hegemony in America. And so it is with other Muslim Brotherhood operatives in every corner of the American political scene. Read the works of Hassan al-Bana and other founders of the Muslim Brotherhood. This jihad (in all of its forms) is a multi-generational effort, known as gradualism. The Muslim Brotherhood will slowly, steadily, increase its influence for decades, until it is in a position to assert itself and cement its control of America and the imposition of sharia law in place of constitutional law. As in Europe, it may happen here without the need to fire a single shot or detonate a single explosive.

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