Teach Your Children

The Monitor will return next week to the subject of veteran Israel-basher Mike Wallace. This week, though, with yet another horrific suicide bombing in Jerusalem, it seemed more relevant to focus on the fanatical hatred inculcated in Palestinian young people by their elders.Last week in Washington, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) screened a videotape compilation, with English subtitles, of programs seen on Iraq Television, a global satellite channel run by the Saudi-based Arab Radio and Television Network. The tape is full of examples of the lunatic anti-Semitism one regularly encounters in the Arab media, but one program is particularly nauseating: The May 7 broadcast of “Muslim Woman Magazine,” whose anchor, Doaa ‘Amer, begins that day’s show with the following introduction:

“Our report today will be a little different, because our guest is a girl, a Muslim girl, but a true Muslim. Allah willing, may our God give us the strength to educate our children the same way, so that the next generation will turn out to be true Muslims who understand that they are

Muslims and know who their enemies are. This girl will introduce herself immediately. She is the daughter of my sister in faith and of the artist, Wagdi Al-Arabi….”

The camera focuses on Ms. ‘Amer’s guest, who, viewers now see, is actually a toddler.

Toddler: Allah’s mercy and blessing upon you.

‘Amer: What’s your name?

Toddler: Basmallah.

‘Amer: Basmallah, how old are you?

Toddler: Three and a half.

‘Amer: Are you a Muslim?

Toddler: Yes.

‘Amer: Basmallah, are you familiar with the Jews?

Toddler: Yes.

‘Amer: Do you like them?

Toddler: No.

‘Amer: Why don’t you like them?

Toddler: Because…

‘Amer: Because they are what?

Toddler: They’re apes and pigs.

‘Amer: Because they are apes and pigs. Who said they are so?

Toddler: Our God.

‘Amer: Where did he say this?

Toddler: In the Koran.

‘Amer: Right, he said that about them in the Koran….

‘Amer: …. Did [the Jews] love our master, Muhammad?

Toddler: No.

‘Amer: No. What did the Jews do to him?

Toddler: [Looking unsure of herself] The Prophet Muhammad killed someone…

‘Amer: Obviously, our master Muhammad was strong and could have killed them. All right, you know the traditions about the Jews and what they did to the Prophet Muhammad?

Toddler: [Mumbles]

‘Amer: Is there a story you know?

Toddler: Yes, the story about the Jewish woman.

‘Amer: The Jewish woman? What did she do to our master, the Prophet Muhammad?

Toddler: The Jewish woman?

‘Amer: Yes.

Toddler: There was a Jewish woman who invited the Prophet and his friends. When he asked her, “Did you put poison (in my food)?” she said to him, “Yes.” He asked her, “Why did you do this?” and she replied, “If you are a liar you will die and Allah will not protect you; if you speak the truth Allah will protect you.”

‘Amer: And our God protected the Prophet Muhammad, of course.

Toddler: And he said to his friends, “I will kill this lady.”

‘Amer: Of course, because she put poison in his food, this Jewess.

Toddler: Oh.

‘Amer: …. Allah be praised…. No one could wish Allah could give him a more believing girl than she…. The next generation of children must be true Muslims. We must educate them now while they are still children so that they will be true Muslims.