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British Muslims for Israel
Ive been really overwhelmed just by how shocked people have been that theres been a group called British Muslims for Israel, Afzal said. That surprise isnt surprising. The debate over Israel and the broader Middle East conflict has become so tense and toxic that a group calling itself British Muslims for Israel inspires a mix of suspicion and fascination. But Afzals group is real. Formed by young Muslim professionals in Britain in January under the umbrella group Institute for Middle Eastern Democracy, it really took off after Afzal was interviewed by Israels Channel 10. Their Web site (BritishMuslimsForIsrael.com) received thousands of hits and the group began receiving letters of all kinds, from thank you for what you said to how can we help? One writer offered to help jazz up their Web site, and several spoke admiringly of the groups bravery. Although I never for one second thought I was being brave, I just thought I was being obvious in what I was saying, Afzal told me. We were worried that the dialogue, when it comes to the Middle East and especially Israel, had in the past five or six years moved from how do Muslims build an independent Palestinian state and coexist with Israel, to nonsense questions like should Israel even exist, or should the Jews even have a homeland, Afzal said. And we found that disturbing for two reasons: first is, its a completely delusional question to even ask if Israel should even exist. Afzal likes to pose the following hypothetical to anyone willing to discuss Israels right to exist: Suppose the argument was about India-Pakistan, and Afzal said to his interlocutor, you know, I really support Indias right to existhow silly would he sound? In addition, Afzal knows where such a question, with respect to Israel, would lead. Once you start asking if Israel has a right to exist, Afzal said, that is almost like a back door Trojan horse entry to some pretty dark aspects of Islamism. The media environment in Britain can be downright hostile to the Jewish state. Part of Afzals work is countering the misinformation in British media. Im sure you know that the UK has an infamous leftwing newspaper which cant help itself but print editorials or op-eds linked to members of Hamas. And Im talking about the Guardian here. Afzal points to the coverage of the massacre of the Israeli family in Itamar. It was mostly ignored in British media, he said, and when the BBC finally covered it, they did so in a dehumanizing and insulting way, insinuating that since the family lived in the West Bank, they got what they deserved. Though Israel does have a tense relationship with European intellectuals and media, these groups arent ready to give upquite the opposite. Thats because the media in Britain, according to Afzal, doesnt speak for the people. I asked him how representative British media is of the populations opinions on the whole. Its not representative, which is the bottom line, he said. But their work remains so important because such biased media coverage can, over time, erode sympathy for Israel even among its supporters. Take your average consumer of news in Britain, he said. If he gets the same anti-Israeli, delegitimized point of view, day in and day out, then decent people will start to turn their backs on Israel. On a cultural level, Afzal made a point to avoid the traditional talk of coexistence between Jews and Muslims in Europe and beyond. He isnt opposed, of course, to this activity, but rather wants to take it beyond the commonalities and into the realm of real debate. What I would say about coexistence groups is, its great having a Muslim and a Jew in a room together and agreeing that we shouldnt eat pork and agreeing that male children should be circumcised, he said. But what youll rarely find is that they actually talk about the issues that matter. So thats why we try not to get too into the coexistence game. We have set beliefs and its our job to advocate it to the grassroots Muslim community and beyond. Posted by: 2011-04-17 |
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