On Oct. 16, President George Bush signed into law a bill requiring the US State Department to monitor global anti-Semitism incidents and rate countries annually on their treatment of Jews. Bush said the law permits the government to keep a record of anti-Semitic acts throughout the world, and also a record of responses to those acts.
The bill, known as the Global Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2004, contradicts every known legal principle in the world. It requires the American administration to engage others in the fight against anti-Semitism by asking bodies such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union and the United Nations to join in this effort without even waiting for their agreement to offer such cooperation.
The State Department has also been asked to submit a report before Nov. 15 at the latest on acts of anti-Semitism that took place anywhere in the world.
Anti-Semitism is an expression that has been exploited by the international Zionist and Jewish movement since it first appeared by the end of the 19th century in Germany when it was used to distinguish between the Aryan and Jewish races. Journalist William Marr also used it in 1879 to refer to the anti-Jewish movement that was widely reflected in writings in Germany at the time.
Several movements and organizations emerged at that time demanding the expulsion of Jews from Europe. The anti-Jewish trend was further consolidated by the wide publication of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion following the end of World War I.
The Zionist movement succeeded in exploiting the term “anti-Semitism”, preferring it to anti-Judaism, a term they always sought to avoid because it is the one that reflects truth. The latter term was used in Dresden that hoisted the first anti-Judaism conference calling for imposing harsh restrictions on Jews.
One reason that made Jews stick to the term “anti-Semitism” instead of “anti-Judaism” could be the fact that not all Jews are of Semitic origin. Arabs on the other hand are the origin of the Semitic race. It should however be noted that not all Muslims are Semite.
By signing into law the Anti-Semitism Act, the American administration under George Bush has lost its credibility. The law could very well undermine American calls for reform and democracy in the Arab world because it is intended to impose new restrictions on freedom of expression not only in Arab countries but also all over the world.
The law described by some as an election ploy to win American Jewish votes in reality was originally intended to serve Israel. Lessons from previous elections have shown that Jewish votes are not that important in influencing the outcome of US elections and deciding who becomes president. The same applies to Arab-Americans who proved to have no significant role in influencing the results. The law was the result of Zionist pressure on the US. It was carefully timed in an election year making use of the presence in the administration of neoconservatives and extreme right-wing groups hostile to Arabs.
The American administration must work to protect Arabs from any attack if it is really interested in defending Semites since Arabs are Semites too. The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act should thus be changed to the Anti-Judaism Awareness Act. If this does not happen then Arab writers, intellectuals and thinkers who oppose Israel and its inhuman practices against the Palestinian people may find themselves in American prison at Guantanamo base in Cuba.
