Pakistan’s Self-Righteous Antisemitism

Source: Muhammad Sajjad/DW

The ongoing Gaza war has brought the Israel-Palestine conflict, and yes, I consciously wrote “conflict” in focus. The brutal but not necessarily unnecessary or diabolical Israeli bombing of the strip, which by any standards is overkill, brings out the anti-Zionist activist in everyone. That is all fair. There could be no excuse for particularly Israel bombing the building housing AFP offices in Gaza, which is arguably their biggest PR blunder. However, there are certain lines that should not be crossed.

Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in an outrageous statement on a CNN interview repeated an age-old Nazi antisemitic trope by accusing Israel of “controlling the media” with its “deep pockets.” CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga called her out for it on air, with the minister only doubling down with the proverbial evil laughter.

OMG, this is a must-see: Discussing Israel's actions in Gaza, Pakistani FM said Israel has "deep pockets" and "they control media," prompting an impressive pushback from CNN's @biannagolodryga 👇 pic.twitter.com/BuxqtsDpo1

— Noa Landau נעה לנדאו (@noa_landau) May 20, 2021

Such casual antisemitism is obviously rampant in Pakistan where children grow up learning about the same antisemitic Hadiths that are a part of Hamas’ charter. Even otherwise sane socialist leaders like Farhatullah Babar had to choose this hill to die on. Samri has done an entire thread on it.

https://twitter.com/SAMRIReports/status/1395696388047085571

https://twitter.com/SAMRIReports/status/1395697445171040256

Ridicule Islam & our Prophet PBUH & spread Islamophobia by claiming it as "freedom of speech"; when we highlight Israelis "deep pockets" & influence over western media & govts, it gets labelled "anti Semitic"! Massacre Palestinians & claim it's right of self defence.

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) May 21, 2021

@4kshatra Mostly PTI trolls and their supporters. But then some folks who I usually respected like Ammar Ali Jan al… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
Hari / ഹരി/ हरि / هري (@HariPrasad91) May 21, 2021

@4kshatra Mostly PTI trolls and their supporters. But then some folks who I usually respected like Ammar Ali Jan al… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
Hari / ഹരി/ हरि / هري (@HariPrasad91) May 21, 2021

Well, of course, Human Rights minister Shireen Mazari had to agree. Our progressive and socialist revolutionaries must realize that in their zeal, they are only parroting points by the Muslim Brotherhood propaganda machine while standing side by side with them. Pakistani liberals who recognize Israel as a legitimate homeland for the Jewish people do not need to legitimize left socialists who deny their right to a homeland in the name of anticolonialism.

Left and center-left politicians, activists, and intellectuals may want to stand with the right-wing fundamentalists in Pakistan to apologize for its antisemitic foreign policy and to justify its “principled stance.” However, it does not change the fact that Pakistan’s foreign policy stand on Israel is anything but.

While the Pakistani left is consciously secular on many fronts, the fact that they were raised with the same antisemitic Hadiths that have shaped the charter of Hamas is proved every now and then.