Conspiracy theory ends with debate

After Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad delivered his keynote address to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), world leaders raised their collective voice in condemnation of what was seen as blatant and unrepentant antisemitism. Judging by the outcry it seemed as if the Malaysian P.M. had called for a second Holocaust. What he had called for, and was actually central to his speech, was reform in the Islamic world, and opposition to violence and extremism. Mohamad spoke about intellectual regression in the Islamic world, a result of the overemphasis on Islamic theology as the only important source of knowledge. He condemned those Muslims who react to oppression through "anger," and by launching "their own attacks, killing just about anybody" saying "the attacks solve nothing." He called for people in the Muslim world to refrain from launching retaliatory strikes, and accept unfair conditions for the sake of peace.

Yet, for all the important points that Mohamad made, he played into — for whatever reasons — the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews control the world. Such statements help to fuel a growing antisemitism in parts of the Islamic world, where Judaism, Zionism, and Israel are conflated into one entity, opening the door to hate. Such antisemitism not only serves the forces of hate, but also provides a scapegoat for problems in certain countries. The resulting outcry after Mohamad's speech glossed over what should have been a very critical evaluation of the state of the Islamic world. Instead Mohamad did all Muslims a disservice with his misplaced remarks regarding Jews.

Combatting antisemitism in the Islamic world is an important endeavor. Such hate has become far too pervasive. There are those who believe the Mossad was responsible for Sept. 11, or that Jews control the world economy, or that Jews drink the blood of young children during certain religious ceremonies. It is real and Muslim leaders need to come to terms with it. In most of the Islamic world, people simply do not understand how a few million people can defy the will of the United Nations, and why the most powerful country in the world stands by an oppressive occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Moreover, there is a lack of distinction between the Israeli Defense Forces, the Israeli people and the Jews in general; many Muslims erroneously see them as one and the same. Unfortunately, this has given rise to a disturbing trend (that is present, but not necessarily rampant), of hate and conspiracy theories.

We need to be more open about the influence of Zionist groups and individuals in American politics to dismiss this antisemitism. This does not mean to say that American foreign policy is controlled by the "Elders of Zion," but rather to admit that there is an undue influence of certain Zionist groups and individuals on policy today. An open atmosphere can prevent the generation of conspiracy theories, which develop in environments shrouded by secrecy. Neoconservatives such as Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and Elliot Abrams serve as influential drivers of American actions in the world today, and were leaders of the Israeli lobby in Washington prior to the Bush Administration. Perle, a key architect of the Iraq war, advised former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on policy, urging him to annex the Gaza Strip and West Bank completely. Wolfowtiz, Deputy Defense Secretary, has worked actively with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and Feith, the Number 3 at the Pentagon, was given an award by the Zionist Organization of America. AIPAC has also been one of the leading contributors to politicians in Washington, routinely targeting intransigent members of Congress, and successfully campaigning against their reelection, as in the recent defeat of Cynthia McKinney in Georgia.

What is the purpose of such openness? If these discussions are in the mainstream, we can isolate the extremism and hate. One can admit the above, while condemning quite openly the demonization of Jews, and conspiracy theories regarding Sept. 11. Unfortunately, this openness is lacking. For example, did you know that a flight attendant on Flight 11 gave different seat numbers for the hijackers than those named by the FBI, and also counted four instead of five? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1556096.stm) Or that several of the named hijackers have been spotted alive — such as Waleed Al Shehri, who is flying planes in Saudi Arabia, or Abdulaziz Al Omari who is an engineer working in Saudi Arabia? Also, messages were passed in advance over an instant messenger service, Odigo, warning of the WTC attacks (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=77744). A spy ring of Israelis posing as art students was broken up in the year after Sept. 11, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Shrouding such investigation in secrecy, gives those conspiracy theorists greater weight in advocating extremist positions. We must condemn antisemitism, and extremism, but that also means bringing genuine and worthwhile discussion into the mainstream.

Taufiq Rahim is a Wilson School major from Vancouver, British Columbia.