The inflammatory remarks made by Egypt’s former president, Mohamed Morsi, captured on tape years ago, urging his followers to “nurse our children and our grandchildren on hatred” for Jews and Zionists, are indeed disturbing. Coupled with the former Muslim Brotherhood leader’s description of Zionists as “bloodsuckers,” “warmongers,” and “descendants of apes and pigs,” these statements highlight a deeply concerning sentiment. While these expressions may seem extreme to some, they are unfortunately not isolated incidents. For many, including those who grew up in Muslim families, such sentiments are neither shocking nor particularly novel. The idea of Jews as enemies is a pervasive notion in certain parts of the Muslim world, demanding a closer examination of the underlying reasons.
This pervasive perception of Jews as malevolent figures – murderers and bloodsuckers – has often been downplayed in the West as the view of fringe radicals. However, this is a mischaracterization. Across significant portions of the Middle East, animosity towards Jews and Zionists is deeply entrenched, permeating educational materials for young children, sometimes as young as three years old. These materials often feature grotesque depictions of Jews as monstrous figures. Mainstream media, including educational television programs, frequently disseminate anti-Semitic content. In various forms of media, from songs and books to newspaper articles and online blogs, Jews are routinely dehumanized, likened to pigs, donkeys, rats, cockroaches, and even mythical creatures like vampires.
Consider the chilling example of a televised exchange with a three-year-old child, which occurred some years before Morsi’s widely condemned statements.
Presenter: “Do you like Jews?”
3-year-old: “No.”
“Why don’t you like them?”
“Jews are apes and pigs.”
“Who said this?”
“Our God.”
“Where did he say this?”
“In the Koran.”
Instead of correcting this misinformation, the presenter responded approvingly, stating, “No [parents] could wish for Allah to give them a more believing girl than she … May Allah bless her, her father, and mother.” This disturbing interaction was not clandestine propaganda; it was broadcast on a prominent program, “Muslim Woman Magazine,” on Iqraa, a widely watched Saudi-owned satellite channel.
The unequivocal condemnation of Morsi’s words by a US administration and leading American newspapers is a positive step. However, condemnation alone is insufficient. It is crucial to acknowledge the widespread and deeply rooted nature of anti-Jewish sentiment in the Middle East and understand how this profoundly impacts the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Numerous explanations have been proposed for the repeated failures of US administrations to broker lasting peace in the region. Yet, the answer may lie, in part, within Morsi’s hateful rhetoric itself. Why would anyone seek peace with those they are taught to perceive as “bloodsuckers” and “descendants of apes and monkeys”?
Millions of Muslims have been systematically conditioned to view Jews not merely as adversaries of Palestinians, but as enemies of Islam, God, and humanity at large. Influential Arab leaders, even beyond figures like Morsi, have consistently propagated this narrative, effectively “educating” generations to believe that Jews are “the scum of the human race, the rats of the world, the violators of pacts and agreements, the murderers of the prophets, and the offspring of apes and pigs.” These are not fringe opinions but were articulated by Saudi Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, the imam of the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca, a highly revered figure in the Muslim world.
Pew Research Center data from 2011 reveals the alarming pervasiveness of these views. In Turkey, a mere 4% of those surveyed held favorable views of Jews. In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, only 10% expressed positive sentiments. Pakistan registered an even lower 2%. Conversely, overwhelmingly negative views were prevalent in several Arab nations: 95% of Jordanians, 94% of Egyptians, and 95% of Lebanese held “very unfavorable” views of Jews.
In past decades, Israeli and American administrations engaged in negotiations with unelected Arab leaders, some of whom were perceived to be playing a double game. While these leaders maintained formal peace treaties and refrained from direct military aggression against Israel, they often tolerated, or even tacitly supported, the dissemination of anti-Israel, anti-Zionist, and anti-Jewish hatred by Islamist factions within their societies.
As Islamist influence expanded through various civic institutions, younger generations were raised on a diet of hatred. The Arab Spring uprisings, while initially promising democratic reforms, also brought to the forefront the deeply ingrained sentiments of the populace. For many who fought for liberation and self-determination, a core ideal was, unfortunately, the rejection of peace with Israel.
The United States and other international actors must unequivocally communicate to leaders like Morsi, and to the broader region, that such stances are unacceptable and detrimental to any progress. Furthermore, this situation presents a critical opportunity for secular movements within the Middle East. These movements must actively challenge the incitement of hatred by religious figures and institutions. It is imperative for secular voices to initiate a “counter-education” focused on tolerance, mutual respect, and understanding. Confronting the roots of anti-Jewish hatred is not just a matter of rhetoric; it is a fundamental prerequisite for fostering genuine and lasting peace in the Middle East.
