Thought experiment: Imagine if the Deputy Editor of the Guardian hosted a forum at a pro-Jihad, pro-Hamas event

H/T Harry’s Place

Suppose there’s a group which is known to be a pro-Hamas propaganda operation. And, suppose the leader of this group is the former deputy secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, a signatory of a pro-Jihad, pro-extremism, pro-terrorism document which called for:

Jihad and resistance against the occupation until the liberation of all Palestine”.

Suppose, further, that the leader of this group has such a prolific record of promoting hate and extremism that the co-director of a counter-extremism think tank said that “the man is a fanatic.”

Wouldn’t progressives be shocked and appalled to learn that the Deputy Editor of the Guardian – the world’s leading liberal voice – hosted such an event?

Close your eyes for a second.

Now open them:

The Guardian's Michael White on left

Here’s The Guardian’s Deputy Editor, Michael White, hosting an event (with Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP) by MEMODaud Abdullah‘s organization. Abdullah, deputy secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), attended a conference of Islamic extremists in Istanbul an assembly for jihad. Delegates at the February conference included representatives of Hamas and theological and political supporters of some of the worst forms of Sunni extremism.

Abdullah’s deputy at MEMO is Ibrahim Hewitt, chairman of Interpal, another British charity that serves Hamas.

On MEMO’s pages you will find work such as the vile accusation of dual loyalty against the Jewish British ambassador to Israel, support for blood libel charges, and multiple essays by Abdel Bari Atwan, the journalist who has said he would “dance in Trafalgar Square” if Israel were annihilated by Iran in a nuclear strike.

Of course, White is no stranger to extreme anti-Israel bias.  During a discussion on BBC Radio London’s Breakfast Show, concerning the physical vulnerability of political leaders, he said:

“In Israel they murder each other a great deal. The Israeli Defense Forces murder people because they don’t like their political style and what they’ve got to say and it only means that people more extreme come in and take their place.”

Regarding the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (allegedly by Israel), a senior Hamas military commander and one of the founders of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades – who was prolific in smuggling deadly weapons into Gaza – White said this:

“I’m not ‘one of those’ liberals who relentlessly denigrates Israel, but murdering Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was a crime.”

White then added:

“The trouble is with killing [such terrorists], you never know when you’ve just killed Nelson Mandela. Apartheid South Africa was wise in that respect.”

(Right, you just “never know” when leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah are going to lay down their arms, cozy up, and reconcile with Jewish citizens of the “Zionist entity,” and join the Arab equivalent of Peace Now.)

Still, White’s attendance at – indeed, endorsement of – an event by an openly Jihadist organization makes such comments seem mild by comparison.

So, to sum up:  White is “not one of those liberals who relentlessly denigrates Israel”, but sees nothing inappropriate about legitimizing Jihadists who openly seek that state’s annihilation and routinely engage in explicit classic anti-Semitism.

As Harry’s Place noted:

“If the Guardian and Kaufman are not aware of [MEMO’s] record, they are incompetent. If instead they are [aware], their decision to attend a MEMO event is nauseating”

That deafening silence you’re currently hearing is the outrage expressed by the progressive community to the Guardian’s tacit support for such a reactionary, and extremist, movement.

Written By
More from Adam Levick
Guardian and Indy articles on Marc Lamont Hill’s firing omit his call for violence
Marc Lamont Hill is not merely a pro-Palestinian 'activist' who criticises Israel...
Read More
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *