PMW Bulletin

Jan. 25, 2012

International condemnation of PA Mufti
following PMW exposure
of religious hate speech

PA rejects condemnation as "incitement"

http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=6196

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
p:+972 2 625 4140 e: pmw@palwatch.org

f: +972 2 624 2803 w: www.palwatch.org

Palestinian Media Watch's exposure of the PA Mufti's speech citing the
Islamic tradition (Hadith) that anticipates the killing of Jews by Muslims
has brought Israeli and international condemnation of the Mufti and the
Palestinian Authority.

The PA has rejected this international condemnation, calling PMW's exposure
of the story and the responses "incitement" against Palestinian leaders, and
called for "international human rights organizations to denounce the brutal
attack against [Mufti] Sheikh Hussein, since it runs contrary to
international law."

The following are some of the Israeli and international condemnations of the
PA Mufti followed by a senior PA religious leader's rejection of the
condemnations as "incitement," and the NY Times' coverage of the story:

Israeli President Shimon Peres to Justice Minister:

"President Shimon Peres met with Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman and asked
him to take steps against the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Mohammed
Hussein who called to kill Jews. 'Israel's law enforcement must use all
means to prevent such calls,' said Peres."

[JPost.com, Jan. 23, 2012]

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu:

"The call to murder Jews simply because they are Jews is terrible from an
ethical point-of-view and is an obstacle to peace. Incitement in general is
an obstacle to peace. What is especially serious is that as of today, not
only has the Palestinian Authority neither condemned nor taken exception to
the remarks, it enabled them to be broadcast on official Palestinian
television. I expect senior PA officials to condemn this act."

[http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/Spokesman/2012/01/spokelikud230112.htm]

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, in the Israeli Parliament:

"Today, most governments around the world are silent in the face of calls by
the Palestinian mufti to kill Jews simply because they are Jews. What is
most chilling is the fact that there is here a legacy of hatred and
annihilation because this mufti is following in the footsteps of that
previous mufti. [Mufti] Haj Amin al-Husseini was one of the architects of
the Final Solution."

[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Speeches+by+Israeli+leaders/2012/PM_Netanyahu_incitement_Mufti_24-Jan-2012.htm]

UK Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt:

"I condemn the inflammatory words used by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and
others at a recent event marking the 47th anniversary of the Fatah movement.
To refer to the Jewish people in such a way and to talk of killing Jews is
anti-semitism, pure and simple."

[http://ukun.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=719743582]

Americans for Peace Now:

"Americans for Peace Now strongly condemns the belligerent anti-Jewish
comments made by the Palestinian Authority's Mufti of Jerusalem at a public
event in the West Bank earlier this month... 'We are appalled by these
comments, coming from the most senior Muslim cleric on the Palestinian
Authority's payroll,' said Debra DeLee, APN's President and CEO. DeLee
added, 'What we find particularly disturbing is that these vile comments
were broadcast on the Palestinian Authority's official television channel,
amplifying their inciting affect.'"

[http://peacenow.org/entries/press_release_apn_condemns_palestinian_muftis_offensive_comments]

PA Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Law, Sheikh Yusuf Ida'is:

"Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Law, Sheikh Yusuf Ida'is,

emphasized that the decision by the occupation Prime Minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, to open an investigation against the Mufti of Jerusalem and the
Palestinian territories and speaker at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad
Hussein, is an insult to Muslims, an escalation of Israeli measures against
our people, and an attempt to silence and intimidate the voice that defends
Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Ida'is emphasized that our people will not
agree to insults to its religious authorities and symbols. He described
Netanyahu's call as a political step designed to strengthen the occupation
with its discriminatory laws, and as a dangerous precedent that joins the
occupation's [other] precedents and repeated violations. He declared the
occupation fully responsible for [protecting] Sheikh Muhammad Hussein's
life. Idai's called for restraint of the official and unofficial Israeli
mouthpieces which incite against Palestinian religious and national leaders.
He demanded of the Islamic and Christian sources of authority around the
world, legal institutions, and international human rights organizations to
denounce the brutal attack against Sheikh Hussein, since it runs contrary to
international law."

[Emphasis added, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Jan. 24, 2012]

The following is the Mufti's words at the Fatah event that show the context
in which he cited the Hadith, followed by excerpts from The NY Times:

Moderator at Fatah ceremony:
"Our war with the descendants of the apes and pigs (i.e., Jews) is a war of
religion and faith.
Long Live Fatah! [I invite you,] our honorable Sheikh."

PA Mufti Muhammad Hussein comes to the podium and says:
"47 years ago the [Fatah] revolution started. Which revolution? The modern
revolution of the Palestinian people's history. In fact, Palestine in its
entirety is a revolution, since [Caliph] Umar came [to conquer Jerusalem,
637 CE], and continuing today, and until the End of Days. The reliable
Hadith (tradition attributed to Muhammad), [found] in the two reliable
collections, Bukhari and Muslim, says:
"The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight the Jews.
The Jew will hide behind stones or trees.
Then the stones or trees will call:
'Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.'
Except the Gharqad tree [which will keep silent]."
Therefore it is no wonder that you see Gharqad [trees] surrounding the
[Israeli] settlements and colonies. This is Palestine, when we talk about
it, from the beginning of the Jihad, with the continuation of the Jihad,
with the struggle, and with the way of the Martyrs."
[PA TV (Fatah), Jan. 9, 2012]
Click to view

Following PMW's exposure, the Mufti and PA's Minister of Religious Affairs
defended the Mufti's quoting of the Hadith, saying it was merely a quote
from an Islamic source, not intended to incite to hatred, and not relevant
for today's context. However, the Mufti's words introducing the Hadith and
following the quote clearly shows that he intended to apply the Hadith about
Muslims killing Jews within the context of today's conflict.

New York Times:

"Prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, called on the leaders of the
Palestinian Authority to condemn remarks by its top cleric, Sheikh Muhammad
Hussein, who recently recited an ancient Islamic text at a ceremony
broadcast on Palestinian Authority television advising that Judgment Day
will come only when the Muslims fight and kill the Jews.

"Whoever wants peace should not permit such incitement and should not allow
calls to murder Jews," Mr. Netanyahu said Monday. ...

The mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Hussein, addressed a crowd at an event
marking the 47th anniversary of the founding of Fatah, the mainstream
movement led by the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas. He
quoted a hadith, a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, stating: "The
Hour will not come until you fight the Jews. The Jews will hide behind
stones or trees. Then the stones or trees will call: Oh Muslim, servant of
Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." ...

Mr. Netanyahu described the words of the mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Hussein,
as "morally heinous" and compared the remarks to those of Haj Amin
al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem who notoriously aligned himself
with Hitler in the 1930s. Palestinian television broadcast the mufti's
comments on Jan. 9 and Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli monitoring group,
drew attention to them on Jan. 15. An Israeli official said that the prime
minister became aware of it only in the past few days.

The mufti denied calling for the killing of Jews, telling Israel Radio on
Sunday that he was only quoting the words of the Prophet Muhammad. He told
Voice of Palestine radio on Monday that "these allegations come within the
Israeli incitement campaign against Jerusalem and its figures."

[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/world/middleeast