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A Zionist Smear: The ADL Attacks Baltimore
Islamic Peace Conference
By Mark Weber
IHR, September 15, 2008
The Anti-Defamation League is a master of deceit. A good example is
the recent ADL blast against a conference in suburban Baltimore on
August 16, 2008, where I was a speaker. Dedicated to peace and
cross-cultural understanding, the meeting was organized by Jamaat
al-Muslimeen, a local Islamic group.
The ADL, one of the world’s most influential Jewish-Zionist
organizations, calls it a gathering of “Far Right and Muslim
Extremists” who found “common cause in their hatred of Jews and
Israel.” (http://www.adl.org/main_Anti_Israel/jamaat_baltimore_conference.htm)
In fact, the conference brought together men and women of diverse
religious and racial backgrounds, and a range of political views,
who were united by devotion to peace and justice.
Contrary to what the ADL suggests, no conference speaker expressed
hated of Jews. Instead, speaker after speaker emphasized the
importance of promoting justice, peace and cross-cultural
understanding. Ramsey Clark – a prominent peace activist who served
as US Attorney General in the Johnson administration -- spoke
eloquently about the need for understanding between Christians and
Muslims, and the dangers of an arrogant and militaristic US foreign
policy. He movingly stressed the importance of justice even for the
vilified and the powerless. Chuck Carlson, a Christian activist,
spoke about his campaign to persuade churches to embrace the
authentic Christian message of peace.
In my talk, I spoke in some detail about the dangerous consequences
of the US alliance with Israel and of the Jewish-Zionist grip on
American political and cultural life. I concluded with a call for
awareness and unity for the sake of humankind. (http://www.ihr.org/other/aug08weber.html)
After explicitly speaking against “hate,” I emphasized: “We should
not, and we do not, wish harm to any individual because of his or
her ancestry, ethnic background, religion or privately held
beliefs.”
According to the ADL, “Weber told the audience that not only was the
Iraq war the result of `Jewish cabal,’ but that the same `Jewish
cabal’ is currently pushing for war with Iran.” In fact, my only
mention of a “Jewish cabal” was when I cited remarks of a prominent
Labour Party member of the British parliament, who said in May 2003:
“A Jewish cabal have taken over the government in the United States
and formed an unholy alliance with fundamentalist Christians … There
is far too much Jewish influence in the United States.”
As it has on many other occasions, the ADL once again described the
IHR as a “Holocaust denial organization.” But as the IHR website
explains (http://www.ihr.org/main/about.shtml
), this smear is “completely at variance with the facts… Every
responsible scholar of twentieth century history acknowledges the
great catastrophe that befell European Jewry during World War II.”
In my talk, my only mention of the deaths of Jews during the Second
World War was a single ten-word sentence I quoted from a speech by
Malaysia president Mahathir Mohammed: “The Europeans killed six
million Jews out of twelve million.”
Is that what the ADL means by “Holocaust denial”?
Conference speakers, the ADL charges, were “well-known anti-Semites”
and “prominent domestic extremists.” For the ADL and its
allies, of course, an “anti-Semite” is anyone who speaks
forthrightly about Israel’s inhumane and illegal policies, or the
harmful role of the organized Jewish community in political and
cultural life. As one witty commentator has put it, “An anti-Semite
used to be someone who hates Jews. Now, it's someone whom Jews
hate.”
Only by the distorted standards of the ADL and its allies can the
conference speakers be considered “extremists.” In fact, the basic
views and values presented at the meeting -- for peace, justice, and
unity against war and oppression – are supported by the vast
majority of people of good will around the world.
The ADL claims to “counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.” In
fact, the group routinely defends institutionalized discrimination
of non-Jews by Israel, as well as the Zionist state’s routine
violations of human rights and international law.
As I explained in my talk, it’s the ADL and its allies who are
“extreme” and out of step with world opinion. But the ADL’s minority
view is not surprising, given its arrogantly ethno-centric mindset.
This outlook was candidly spelled out by ADL National Director
Abraham Foxman in an essay published in the group’s monthly
newsletter. He wrote: “…The Holocaust is something different. It is
a singular event. It is not simply one example of genocide but a
near successful attempt on the life of God's chosen children and,
thus, on God himself."
The ADL attack against the Baltimore peace conference is
understandable, because Zionists fear the growing unity and sense of
common purpose by people of diverse political and religious views
who understand the Jewish-Zionist agenda and what it means for
humanity. Given the ADL’s track record of malice and deceit, this
latest attack is a badge of honor.
Institute for Historical Review
http://www.ihr.org/news/aug08adl.html
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