This column by Asharq Alawsat‘s Diana Mukkaled is worth reading. It tells the tale of a French-Moroccan comedian—who happens to be Jewish—and how his religion is being used to define him as an enemy of the Lebanese people and a Zionist to boot.
It is simply too easy to make the mental jump, in the Arab Muslim world, between a person’s religion and his assumed political beliefs. Through flawed educational systems and the narrowest interpretations of Islam, children are being (and certainly have been) raised to hate Jews and to equate the religion with the disfavored Zionism.
Gad Elmaleh
Diana MukkaledComedian Gad Elmaleh has cancelled the tour dates he was scheduled to perform this summer in Lebanon.
This young Frenchman of Moroccan descent has become the target of a fierce media smear campaign conducted by the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar television station along with other Lebanese media organs over the past few days. This media campaign has made claims that Elmaleh has links to Israel, and that he previously served in the Israeli army. This smear campaign has utilized images taken from the internet which were later proven to have been complete fabrications.
Elmaleh is Jewish; however he has never served in the Israeli armed forces, nor is he Israel’s ambassador to the French-speaking states, as the media campaign alleged.
There can be no doubt that Elmaleh’s religion was used against him, and if we are to rely solely on facts, the only thing that has been ascertained is that Elmaleh is indeed Jewish. There is no truth in the allegation that Elmaleh is an Israeli citizen, or that he served in the Israeli armed forces. This media campaign against Gad Elmaleh is ongoing despite his official denial of these accusations.
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July:07:2009 - 03:00
It only goes to show what liars Hizbollah and their propoganda speaking voice through Al-Manar TV are.
During the Israel-lebanon war of 2006 you kept on seeing the same man dressed as a fireman or paramedic or civilian in the news that was shown repeatedly on news channels around the world.
This time they were definitely caught out by their own propoganda
stupidity concerning the French jewish Commedian of Moroccan origin gad Elmaleh. These Hizbollah & Hamas members see Jews under every carpet, as did the American administration during the McCarthy period in the 1950s when they saw Red’s under every bed.
Hassan Nazrallah has stated more than once that it would be a good thing if every jew in the world emigarated to israel, as it would save them the trouble of hunting down every jew worldwide to extinction, there is then no distintion between the nazi ideology and that of Hizbollah and Hamas, in other words while these two terrorist organizations spit out their disgusting evil tirades against the whole Jewish people, there can never be peace in this area of the world. PS. Is Hassan Nazrallah so stupid as to belive what he is saying ie another 7-8 million Jews in Israel, Israel would then have most probably the largest most powerful army-navy-airforce in the entire world, if nazrallah hasn’t yet crawled into a cave he surely would very quickly if that situation ever arose.
July:07:2009 - 04:55
The phobia has no eyes…
July:07:2009 - 08:34
Hassan Nazrallah hates Zionists and pro-Zionists. So… He hates 90% of Jews in the world. He does not hate the Lebanese Jews and the Jewish anti-Zionists. He did not oppose the restoration of the Synagogue Magen Avraham. “Writer”, me, is pro-government March 14. However, one must distinguish between Jews and Israelis in a matter of logic… The Lebanese Maronite have not the national of the Vatican State just because he is Catholic… I have no sympathy for the Israelis and Syrians, but I make the “distinction”. The war of 2006 between the State zionists and Lebanon have logical “wastes”…
Hassan Nazrallah déteste les sionistes et pro-sionistes. Voici… Il a horreur de 90% des Juifs dans le monde. Il ne déteste pas les Libanais Juifs et les juifs anti-sionistes dans le monde. Il ne s’oppose pas à la restauration de la synagogue Maguen Avraham. “Writer”, moi, est pro-gouvernementaux Mars 14. Toutefois, il faut distinguer entre les Juifs et les Israéliens dans une question de logique… Le Libanais Maronite n’a pas la nationalité du Vatican, simplement parce qu’il est catholique… Je n’ai aucune sympathie pour les Israéliens et les Syriens, mais je fais de la «distinction». La guerre de 2006 entre l’Etat sioniste et le Liban ont logique «déchets»…
July:07:2009 - 13:16
As Jeffrey Goldberg puts it, the central question in the Middle East is, “Can the world of Arab Islam accept the idea of Jewish national equality?” link As a Jewish comedian who doesn’t actively denounce the Jewish State, I suppose that in Hezbollah’s gut Gad Elmaleh is a Jew who stands as an equal or superior when he addresses an Arab audience, so in that sense he represents a sort of microcosm of Zionism, whether Gad Elmaleh acknowledges it or not.