ADL PRAISES OSCE ASSEMBLY'S CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) hailed a strong resolution on combating anti-Semitism adopted by parliamentarians from the 55 participating states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  Adopted by the OSCE's 14^th Annual Parliamentary Assembly, which concluded today in Washington, D.C., the resolution urges states to define and collect data on anti-Semitism and hate crimes and to develop legal and educational strategies to combat them.  It also urges parliaments to initiate regular discussions and public awareness efforts on anti-Semitism.  The call for action was offered by Prof. Gert Weisskirchen, a Bundestag Member who was appointed this year as the first OSCE Personal Representative on Anti-Semitism. Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement: The OSCE Assembly's call to action is a welcome step in the battle against rising global anti-Semitism.  The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly brought together parliamentarians from both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Atlantic unified in their conviction that a failure to address anti-Semitism will have adverse ramifications for all peoples and societies.  Yet we must not lose momentum.  The 55 participating states should follow-up with hearings in their own parliaments to raise awareness and to craft national action plans against anti-Semitism and intolerance. We commend the leadership of Prof. Weisskirchen who has fought against anti-Semitism with sensitivity and passion throughout his tenure in the Bundestag.  We are grateful for the commitment of members of Congress who have worked tirelessly to press OSCE states to address this problem.  OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President and Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Congressional Helsinki Commission Chair Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH), and Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have consistently worked in a bipartisan manner to ensure a distinct focus by the OSCE on anti-Semitism. The Parliamentary Assembly's 2002 resolution on anti-Semitism broke new ground in acknowledging the link between some anti-Israel animus and anti-Semitism -- language that was hailed as part of the "Berlin Declaration" against anti-Semitism in 2004.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

Special Dispatch - Turkish Media Project/Antisemitism Documentation Project
 MEMRI, DR. AARON LERNER

Antisemitism in the Turkish Media (Part III): Targeting Turkey's Jewish
Citizens

The following is the third report in a series on the issue of antisemitism in the Turkish media.(1)  This phenomena is directed not only against the Jews in general, it also targets Turkey's Jewish citizens, in the form of multiple attacks on Turkey's Chief Rabbi; insults to and offensive characterization of Turkey's Jews; and accusations of disloyalty, espionage, and treason. The media frequently accuse Turkish Jews of destroying the Ottoman Empire, carrying out the 'genocide' of Armenians, hatching sinister plots against Turkey, establishing a secular 'anti-Islamic' regime in Turkey; also blaming Jews for being rich and influential is often seen. Publications by the Islamic terrorist organization IBDA-C,(2) which claimed responsibility for the November 15, 2003 bombings of two Istanbul synagogues, circulate freely in Turkey; dozens of pages in each issue are dedicated to virulently antisemitic literature.(3) Books such as Mein Kampf, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and The International Jew are high on Turkish bestseller lists, and are displayed prominently in the front of
bookstores.

The following report also focuses on some of the intellectuals and liberal journalists in Turkey who have spoken out against this wave of antisemitism.


"Judaism is Synonymous With Treason"

Columnist Fahri Guven wrote in the Islamist daily Milli Gazete:(4) "[...] The Ottomans saved the Jews from the hands of Christians, who murdered them along with the Muslims in Endulus [Muslim Spain]. When Russia and Hungary persecuted the Jews, again the Ottomans saved them. The Muslim Turks rescued Jews yet again, from the hands of Hitler, who was himself a hidden Jew [...]. From the beginning, the Ottomans showed hospitality, seemingly even by allotting the best homes to the Jews - along the Bosphorus, in Istanbul's most luxurious area. "And, characteristic of their savage, treacherous [nature], in return they [the Jews] first overthrew Sultan Abdulhamid and destroyed the Ottomans;(5) [then], like insects, they ate away at the Ottoman [Empire]; and as if this were not enough, they stabbed the Muslim Turkish soldiers in Palestine in the back. "'Judaism' is synonymous with 'treason' [...] They [the Jews] even betrayed God [...] When God told them to bow their heads while entering Al-Quds [Jerusalem], they entered with their heads up. The prophets sent to them, such as Zachariah and Isaiah, were murdered by the Jews [...] In fact, no amount of pages or lines would be sufficient to explain the Koranic chapters and our Lord Prophet's [Muhammad's] words that tell us of the betrayals of the Jews. [...]"

"Here is the Real Jew!"

Columnist for the ultra-nationalist daily Ortadogu Selcuk Duzgun, in an article titled "Here is the Real Jew," wrote:(6) "Salamon [a Jewish name often used in a derogatory way] is on his deathbed. He asks his wife about each member of his family and wants to know if they are present. When the wife assures him that all his loved ones are beside him, he is angered and shouts at them for leaving the shop unattended. "This is a clear example of what the real Jew is. While we read and laugh at our jokes about the Jews, they [the Jews] are enjoying themselves by fooling the entire world. "[...] Oh my naive people - you have elevated so many of these [Jews], and you have given an identity to so many [who had none]. You have saved, protected, and fed so many of them!... [...] and they have created the [country's] agenda and continued their march to [their] 'Promised Land.' While we were calling them Masons, Sabbateans, Rotarians, etc., they had the privilege of ruling our country. Whatever name we call them, we always are faced with the truth that they are the 'JEWS.' "[...] We are surrounded. Wherever we look we see traitors. Wherever we turn we see impure, false converts. Whichever stone you turn over, there is a  'JEW' under it. And we keep thinking to ourselves: 'Hitler did not do enough to these Jews.'[...]"

Turkey's Chief Rabbi Attacked, Reviled By Media

On August 17, 2004, the Islamist daily Anadolu'da Vakit, popularly known as Vakit, published a column by Abdurrahim Karakoc that lauded Hitler for his "foresight" and for "purging the bloodthirsty, swindling Jews" and also praised Osama bin Laden.(7) In February 2005, the publication of the daily in Germany was banned by the German government because of its antisemitic incitement and Holocaust denial. The Turkish press reacted with attacks on and smears against the German government, particularly German Interior Minister Otto Schily. On March 2, 2005, German Ambassador to Ankara, Wolf Ruthart Born, sent a letter to Turkish Press Council President Oktay Eksi, of the centrist, widely circulated daily Hurriyet, who had called Germany's ban on Vakit "the murder of the law." In it, Ambassador Born said that Vakit's articles were 'inciting and disgusting' and that it would be better for the Turkish Press Council to focus on these inappropriate publications instead of giving legal advice to the German Interior Minister. Since then, the German government has approached Turkish Interior Minister Aksu to protest against Vakit's ongoing attacks on Germany and its government.

At a May 18, 2005 press conference, German Interior Minister Schily said: "As you know, Anadolu'da Vakit was banned because of its virulent antisemitism. Then it began publishing articles attacking me and, lately, Prime Minister Schroeder. The Turkish government must also concern itself with the Vakit newspaper. [...] This paper has depicted me, and also our Prime Minister, as neo-Nazis [...] If the Turkish government does not have the necessary laws, they should create them."(8) Following the August 17, 2004 publication of Karakoc's article in Vakit, the Turkish Chief Rabbinate sent a letter of complaint to several liberal columnists in Turkish newspapers, prompting a campaign of daily attacks and revilement against Turkish Chief Rabbi Izak Haleva by journalists and politicians who write primarily for Vakit. The following are only a few sample excerpts from this campaign: The Chief Rabbi must condemn Israel. On August 26, 2004, the headline of Vakit's lead story read: "The Chief Rabbi who criticizes '[free] thought' is indifferent to Sharon's cruelty. Turkey's Chief Rabbi, who criticized our writer Abdurrahim Karakoc in a letter he sent to some columnists, has never said anything about Israel's massacres that have turned into 'genocide.'"

On August 27, Vakit's headline, and a report by Kenan Kiran in the paper, read: "Still not a sound from the rabbi. Chief Rabbi Haleva, who sent a letter to journalists targeting our writer Karakoc, has not answered our questions for yet another day. "The Chief Rabbi's letter prompted many reactions [...]: "AKP MP from Manisa, Huseyin Tanriverdi, said: '[...] [The Chief Rabbi's] attitude that is disrespectful of free conscience is wrong. [...] Those who call themselves 'men,' and especially the faithful, cannot be silent about the savagery in Palestine. Mr. Haleva must condemn Israel's inhuman massacres. "MP Tanriverdi added: 'In the face of the existing barbarism and massacres, Mr. Karakoc has sought to stop this human tragedy by reminding [us] of historical facts. [...] Mr. Karakoc has made very reasonable observations.' "Chief Rabbi Haleva stated that he would send a written reply to [Vakit's] questions. Although two days have passed, the following questions remain unanswered: 'Do you consider Hitler cruel? Do you also consider Sharon cruel, knowing the world media's decision that the massacres he commits are similar to what Hitler did to the Jews? Do you condone the Israeli soldiers' aggression against Palestinian civilians?'"


Rabbi Haleva, if you do not stop Sharon, anti-Jewish voices may turn into anti-Jewish actions! On August 29, Vakit's Ilhan Toprak reported: "Turkish Health Workers Union President Mustafa Basoglu criticized Turkey's Chief Rabbi [in a letter he
sent to him] for being disturbed at Karakoc's comparing Hitler and Sharon. [...] [The letter read:] 'As a religious leader, Izak Haleva must make all the necessary efforts to prevent Sharon's negative attitudes [...] If Sharon [...] is not stopped, the voices being raised against the Jews [...] might turn into actions. To prevent that, the Chief Rabbi must stop Sharon [...]'


More Turkish politicians join in: Chief Rabbi must apologize. On August 28, the front page of Vakit read: "[...] Politicians are reacting to Chief Rabbi Haleva: AKP MP from Kahramanmaras and former President of Turkish Writers Association Atilla Maras said it was a crime for Turkey's Chief Rabbi to send letters of complaint to journalists against Abdurrahim Karakoc. MP Maras added: 'Turkey's Chief Rabbi Izak Haleva must condemn Israel and Sharon' [...] "Nurettin Aktas, AKP Member of Parliament from Gaziantep, said that Turkey's Chief Rabbi had no reason to be disturbed by Karakoc's article, 'Israel is perpetrating state terrorism [...] The Chief Rabbi [...] must warn Sharon and apologize to the Palestinian people. The world condemns Sharon, just like they condemned Hitler.'" "Chief Rabbi, the Commander". On August 29, in an article titled "Chief Rabbi, the Commander," Vakit columnist Huseyin Uzmez joined in: "[...] Why is it that one of the [Turkish] authorities does not come forward and say: 'You, [Chief Rabbi,] come here! Haven't you learned when and how to submit a complaint? How dare you cross your limits?'" [...]


Chief Rabbi "Beats the Drums!" On August 31, Hasan Karakaya added another article to the attack on Turkey's Chief Rabbi: "[...] It was clear that...the mallet beating these drums [the six journalists to whom Rabbi Haleva wrote] was in the hands of that [person], whatever his name is: Helava [derived from the Turkish word for 'sewage' or 'toilet'] or 'Haleva.'"


Turkish columnist: "Chief Rabbi's synagogues are Zionist bases" On September 2, 2004, Vakit columnist Nurettin Sirin wrote: "[...] Firstly, the Chief Rabbi who uses his synagogues as Zionist bases must learn that no Jew has the right to teach a lesson on 'human rights' to [us], the children of the Ottomans. These [Jews], who fled Spain's massacres and found shelter thanks to Ottoman tolerance, have carried out nothing but treason and plots on Ottoman territory, and have [always] carried out the ugly designs of Zionism on this [Turkish] land. "These people [the Jews] [...] tried to 'Israelize' the Ottoman [Empire] from within, carrying out their treachery through some Zionist organizations. With the help of Masonic lodges, Lions and Rotary clubs, and political, academic, economic, media, and bureaucratic co-conspirators, they have woven a 'web of Semitism' on this Islamic geography.

"'Semitism' in this country [Turkey] is the name of 'treason' against Islam and Muslims, and against all our national and moral values. [...] Documenting this treachery is as easy as proving the laws of gravity. In face of this truth, the Chief Rabbinate and their allies' cries of 'antisemitism' and their fake claim to innocence are laughable. "[...] Has he [the Chief Rabbi] ever condemned the genocide by the Jews, that he [dares] to talk of the so-called persecutions of the Jews? [...] "[...] It is these so-called innocent Jews who are responsible for the loss of our Ottoman [Empire], for the trampling of our sanctity, for the hanging of our forefathers, for the humiliation of all our beliefs, and for the ban on our women's covering [as demanded by Islam]. "[...] [Karakoc's] article will be an important contribution to the questioning of [the Jews'] sinister plots, satanic steps, and historic treason in our country. When the masks of these so-called innocent people and groups fall, we will clearly see the monster behind them. "[...] At this opportunity, I would like to also place my signature under
the article titled 'Foresight, Israel Shameless' written by my brother and friend Karakoc, and to express my willingness to be judged [as I stand] right next to him. God bless your pen and your heart, brother Karakoc... [...]" For more examples of the attacks on and revilement of Turkish Chief Rabbi Izak Haleva see Appendix I.


Turkish Columnist Warns: Last Chance for the Jews. Columnist for the mainstream secular liberal daily Aksam, Sakir Suter, wrote:(9) "In Turkey, there are 'sworn enemies' of the Jews. [But] Jews also have some friends, even if they are not 'sworn [friends]' [...] Quite a few people [in Turkey] are pleased by their friendship with Turkish citizens of Jewish descent. There are some common [shared] historical sorrows and joys."Today, however, we are on the verge of saying 'there WERE' [in the past]. We will either cross-out this friendship or continue with a 'bad taste.' "In Turkey, there is a big 'maybe' hanging in the minds of [even] those who [until now] did not see the Jews as 'enemies.' "They [the Turkish Jews] have an obligation to show us that they are distanced from the terror that resulted in the death of thousands in Turkey [due to terrorism activity by the PKK, a separatist Kurdish organization]... and that the Jews are not 'plotting' against us [the Turks] together with the [Kurdish] elements in Northern Iraq, who definitely cannot be our friends. "[...] The burden of proof is on [...] Tel Aviv to show that they [the Jews] are not playing out any Israeli 'anti-Turkish plots in Northern Iraq,' as
reported even by the foreign media. Instead of providing the required proof, making nasty threat-like comments against Turkey is ugly. "[...] If they [the Jews] claim to be real friends of Turkey, the burden is not on the Turks, who have proven their friendship, but on the Jews, whose 'hostility' we are discussing. "We, on our part, are offering one last chance before officially and openly declaring that the Jews are our 'enemy.' "[...][Now] we have reached such a juncture that... millions in Turkey are all too eager to pour out to the streets and cry out: 'Death to Zionism!'... 'You [Jew]! Let us hear you [reply]!' 'You must either prove your innocence ... or apologize [immediately] to the Turks, who took you for a 'friend' for over 500 years!"


Jewish Espionage. Columnist Suat Gun wrote in the nationalist daily Once Vatan:(10)  "Upon the discovery of an Israeli mole in the Pentagon, I remembered the book by the late General Cevat Rifat Atilhan, titled Suzi Liberman, the Jewish Spy... "Cevat Rifat Atilhan was an officer, much valued by great Ataturk. His units fought in important [...] battles [during WWI]. When the Arab-Israel war started in 1948, he joined that front with the 300 volunteers he gathered, and was successful in capturing a Jewish settlement from the enemy. "Cevat Rifat Atilhan is an unequalled patriot, who informed the Turkish public of the 'Jewish threat.'[...] "This present day espionage [in the U.S.] is an operation undertaken by the Jews [...] who like a cancer virus have spread everywhere, destroying the American governmental system. In reality, the U.S. has been infected with a 'Jewish cancer,' and the Jews will bring about its death, demise, or destruction [whichever term you choose]...."


"Politics are Committing Adultery With Our Honor". Liberal columnist Ayse Onal, formerly of the secular, Kemalist daily Aksam and who writes now for the Star Gazete, wrote an article protesting the Turkish media's accusation of the Jews for every disaster in the world. She opens with quotes by antisemitic writers:(11) "335 children and teachers were murdered in Beslan by the Jews. The barbarism of 9/11 was a Jewish plot. Turkish society and family values are being destroyed by the Jews. It is the Jews who are cutting off heads in Iraq. They [the Jews] are so blinded [with hatred] that in order to conceal the Jewish finger [role] in all of that, they sometimes butcher [their fellow] Jews as well. It was them [the Jews] who bombed their own synagogues. And when their own families died, they shed false tears.

"The Jews are like a punching bag. Hit [them] and hit [them], as much as you can... Punch [them] as much as you want, with no fear, shame, respect or sense of boundaries... In any event, only about 15,000 Jews remain [in Turkey], and they have no voice to be heard. "The Jews are a convenient, living shield for all immorality, all murders, savagery, and lies... If you place a Jew where there is barbarism or fraud, you have solved the problem..."And knowing too well what would await them, nobody has the possibility, nor the courage, to ask, 'Where are the human rights and freedoms, values of equality, principles of non-discrimination with regard to religion, race, and ethnicity?' If the honor [of the citizens] is indeed under the protection of the [Turkish] constitution, this means that according to the State, Jews are either not human, or not citizens.[...]


A Nauseating Synagogue in the Land of the Prophets. In the Islamist daily Milli Gazete,  Burhan Bozgeyik wrote:(12) "[...] We went to the city of Sanliurfa to visit friends and relatives. Before entering the city, we went directly to the garden of the revered Hajji Halil's father. We performed our noon prayers there. Our young brothers went all out to show us hospitality. We were in the place where [...] Ibrahim Aleyhisselam [Abraham] lived. [...] "After food and conversation, we started thinking about our next stop, Adana. But, since we had come this far, we had to first visit the cave where Halilullah [Abraham] was born [...] So we went to the Dergah Mosque, and there we performed our mid-afternoon prayers. "I have told you all this as an introduction to our real subject: On the way back, our guide said, 'Just take a look here, look at this synagogue.' We looked: it was an impressive building. "This entire area was expropriated; this park is going to be expanded so that the synagogue will be prominent,' he said.(13) "When we saw the synagogue, we lost all our joy. It wiped away the vision of the beautiful garden, the magnificent banquet, the mosque, the shrine [...] Instead, this frightful building stood in front of our eyes like a ghost. What was a synagogue doing in this 'Land of the Prophets?' [...] Where did this 'Jew-love' come from?"[...] Frankly, we were extremely nauseated when we saw the synagogue. The food we had eaten stuck in our throats like a knot [...]"


Respect for Christians and Jews Harms This Country. In another article, Burhan Bozgeyik wrote:(14) "Some people in this country are mistaken in how they treat Christians and Jews. Such mistakes are harming not only the perpetrators, but also all the young Muslims of this land, and directly or indirectly, this country."Heading the list of these mistakes is the respect and reverence shown to Christians and Jews [...] It is a mistake to include them in the protocol of meetings, to let them speak, to applaud them, to quote their words in the newspapers [...]. It is not just wrong, it is a frighteningly grave mistake [...] "It is a mistake for so-called professors, writers, thinkers, and famous intellectuals to make 'sympathetic' statements about Christians and Jews. Particularly, to say that 'they too will go to heaven' is an even bigger mistake. [...] Christians and Jews, who have rejected our Prophet and refuse to recite 'Mohammed is the Messenger of God' belong forever in Hell. "In the eyes of God, there is only one religion, and that is Islam [...] There is only one book, and that is the Koran. [...] "For so-called 'dignitaries' to present Christianity and Judaism as 'godly religions' is terribly wrong. [...]

 

THE ISLAMOFASCIST TERROR: Politico Friends of the Florida Professor of Jihad

Photo: Arian-al Sami, handcuffed.

While American campuses are crawling with pro-terror professors, none is as deeply involved in actual perpetration of terrorism as "Professor" Sami al-Arian. Now it turns out that the Professor of Jihad had been awfully cozy with certain politicians in very high places. Claiming to be a Palestinian born in Kuwait, al-Arian had been a tenured professor of engineering at the University of South Florida when he came to the attention of the FBI for his role in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, responsible for many mass murders and suicide bombings of Israeli civilians. The Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating Al-Arian's connections to Islamofascist terror groups in the early 1990s, including via wiretaps. It gathered information on Al-Arian and two other professors from USF. In some of the intercepted conversations, Al-Arian allegedly praised suicide bombings, kidnappings and drive-by shootings. .I call upon you to try to extend true support to the jihad effort in Palestine so that operations such as these can continue,. he wrote in one fund-raising appeal after a suicide bombing that killed 22 Israelis in 1995. Al-Arian appeared on The O'Reilly Factor on September 26, shortly after the September 11th attacks. Bill O'Reilly reported charges from fifteen years earlier that alleged Al-Arian had used a university-affiliated Islamic "think tank" that he headed as a front for Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Though well known as a terrorist since 1996, one month before 9/11 President George W. Bush thanked Sami Al-Arian's family for a book they sent him and expressed "regret" about how their son was treated by the Secret Service. Bush Administration officials repeatedly met with terrorists linked to 9/11 such as Sami al-Arian and Abdurahman al-Amoudi even after the attack

On February 20, 2003, the FBI arrested Al-Arian after indicting him and seven others on 50 terrorism-related charges. The University of South Florida finally got around to sacking al-Arian after he was indicted for terrorism, a fine example of doing too little too late. Several politicians who had been involved in the coddling of al-Arian have paid a political price for their stupidity. Attorney General Ashcroft alleged at a press conference that Al-Arian was the North American head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Al-Arian also co-founded the Islamic Association for Palestine, which funnels funds to terror organizations. Naturally - this all made him the hero du jour of the academic Moonbatocracy, which complains that academic freedom includes the right to organize and fund genocidal terrorism. The NY Times decided to honor the 9-11 victims of New York by showing its support for the Florida professor of terrorism. Al-Arian's trial is slated to begin in Tampa, Florida, in early June. It seems that al-Arian had some contacts with some friends in some very high offices. Newsweek just reported that al-Arian's lawyer, William Moffit, will introduce evidence that his client attended numerous meetings at the White House and met with high-level figures in both political parties, including Hillary Clinton and White House political director Karl Rove. Moffit states that Al-Arian attended meetings at the White House with both Clinton and Bush every year between 1998 and 2001, attended a briefing at the Justice Department in July 2001, met with Al Gore in November 1998 and Hillary Clinton in October 1999. Al-Arian did in fact have his photograph taken with President Bush when he was campaigning in Florida in March 2000 and later was among 150 Muslim-American activists invited to the White House to attend an .outreach. briefing that was given by Rove. Perhaps the White House might learn a lesson from all this about the payoff from pretending that Islamist fascists are moderate and pro-West.