Hezbollah is a voice ofextremism, murder and hate

THE Australian Jewish community can accept political debate about the rights and wrongs of the Middle East conflict.

We understand the emotions it arouses and we look forward to a just and peaceful resolution that takes the interests of all affected parties into account. However, we cannot accept the recent statements by Keysar Trad and Sheik Mousselmani in support of Hezbollah.

It is well known that Hezbollah is committed to Israel’s destruction. As its leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has stated: ``I am against any reconciliation with Israel. I do not even recognise the presence of a state that is called Israel.’’

But of even greater concern is Hezbollah’s blatant hatred of Jews. In 2002, the Lebanese press quoted Nasrallah as saying, ``if (Jews) all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide’’. Some years later, Lebanese author and expert on Hezbollah Amal Saad-Ghorayeb quoted Nasrallah as saying, ``If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice, I do not say the Israeli.’’

Hezbollah is a voice of extremism, murder and hate. It does not ask for a two-state solution or for justice but stridently calls for genocide. By endorsing Hezbollah this is what Trad and Mousselmani are effectively supporting. While this has global implications, it also endangers local community harmony. We ask all Australians of goodwill, including the leaders of the Australian Muslim community, to reject this stance in the strongest possible terms.
Geoffrey Zygier
Executive director
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Inc

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Are we preaching to the converted? it's OK to raise the voice of moderation within a moderate thinking community, but how does it get out there Should we encourage more of our youngsters to become journalists? What is being done to dialogue with the wider community?

Posted by Maimon@mac.com on 2007-07-01 03:33:12 GMT

How fine a line is it that separates the community leaders supporting an outlawed terrorist movement, and terrorists who are part of the outlawed group. It would appear to be a fairly wide line, for Trad and Mousselmani to escape prosecution.

Posted by Danny on 2007-06-27 13:26:52 GMT

Well done and thank you for communicating the concerns of the Jewish community about the growing danger of Islamists in Australia preaching hate and violence. Let's hope your important article in the Australian will be widely read. A further damning evidence of the growing danger of Islamists in Australia had been revealed by the recent capturing of several terrorists fighting with Fatah al Islam in Lebanon who have been identified as "Australian citizens". It concerns me that in the media those Islamists holding Australian passport fighting Jihad overseas are called "Australian" and expect the government to provide them with support and taxpayers' money to rescue them.

Posted by rachel on 2007-06-27 03:55:51 GMT

Hezb'Allah and Hamas are terrorist groups, made more radical by their self segregation. They perpetuate hate by concentrating on their "victimhood." Ignorant of their "roots" they don't know that Islam derived and strayed from Judaism and Christianity. God is not a pimp, rewarding killers with sex. Civilized people do not perform "honor killings," non-Muslims are not "infidels". Radical Islamists are wild beasts. Anyone who believes them or supports them is a fool.

Posted by R. E. D. on 2007-06-27 02:50:49 GMT

Geoff's letter is very good, particularly his last sentence, in which he calls on Australians, especially Muslim leaders, to condemn Trad's and Mousselmani's statements. The silence that greets Geoff's call is a clear indication of Muslim attitudes in a society where PC rules. So are we going to play along with this Muslim hostility until it threatens all Australians, or will we, at long last, start telling our fellow citizens that we have among us a group whose loyalty is to jihad and the proposed caliphate?

Posted by paul2 on 2007-06-26 13:54:05 GMT

Well Done Geoffrey what an excellent letter,if only The Age or SMH would publish such letters,then if only only israel had Oil!

Posted by Michael on 2007-06-26 08:48:18 GMT

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Hezbollah is a voice ofextremism, murder and hate

THE Australian Jewish community can accept political debate about the rights and wrongs of the Middle East conflict.

Tell us what you think