Amnesty, HRW urged to condemn Arab and Muslim antisemitism in New York

NEW YORK - June 25, 2013 - PRLog -- Over 1100 people from 47 countries - including several Arab countries - have signed a petition urging human rights groups to condemn the upcoming antisemitic mini-series "Khaybar" scheduled to be broadcast throughout the Arab world in July.

The petition, viewable at http://www.change.org/petitions/human-rights-ngos-condemn-upcoming-antisemitic-khaybar-ramadan-mini-series, states:

"Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have publicly stated that antisemitism is a human rights issue, yet they have not once condemned the endemic and virulent Arab antisemitism that is seen daily by millions in the Arab media.

"In July, a highly anticipated mini-series with an all-star cast will be broadcast throughout the Arab world. However, the writer and director of the series make no secret of the fact that the point of the series is to demonize Jews from the time of Moses to today. In other words, the series is meant to incite Arabs to hate Jews. This is a quintessentially human rights issue and it is outrageous that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty have ignored this, as well as many other antisemitic broadcasts in Arabic-language media. Their condemnation can show the Arab broadcasters that such hatred is not acceptable and that Arab nations must be held to the same human rights standards as every other nation on Earth."

On June 25, 2013, the petitions are being hand-delivered to the headquarters of Human Rights Watch and the regional offices of Amnesty International in New York City from where they will be forwarded to Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa team in London.

The petition drive was created by the anonymous writer of the popular blog Elder of Ziyon, http://elderofziyon.com, which receives 150,000 web hits every month. The Elder, as he is known, has publicized numerous examples of incitement and hate against Jews in the Arabic media. However, he says, Khaybar is much worse than most of the anti-Jewish incitement. In this case, the hate will be packaged as entertainment and will be seen by potentially hundreds of millions of people, making it one of the largest examples of antisemitism in the mass media in history.

The petition will be delivered by Dian Kjærgaard, a resident of Denmark who has taken up the cause while visiting New York. She will deliver the petitions along with a call to action on the part of HRW and Amnesty. In part, the call to action states:

"We are asking your organization to actually speak up against the anti-Semitism in Khaybar – now –, and to give us a firm commitment to specific activities. We request a documented plan and documentation of implementation as things develop. We would be happy to share responsibility for documenting implementation.

"...We believe that your organization should be in the forefront of warning about the dangers of the anti-Semitism expressed here and daily in Arab media – including cases where defense of free speech applies. Please express clearly whether or not you agree – and the reasons for your policy.

"We are asking your organization to document what you have done – and what you concretely plan to do – about anti-Semitic media floods aimed at Muslim audiences. We request that you set specific goals for how, when, and to whom the documentation will be provided. And we request that your documentation be ready for dissemination by September 30, 2013. In this connection, please comment on how your organization could exert pressure on politicians and policy-makers to denounce anti-Semitism in the Arab media and to prosecute when there is “advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence”. And please comment on how your organization could exert pressure on media to develop and follow policies to minimize vitriolic expression of anti-Semitism - and to improve balance by providing emotionally appealing material that encourage audiences to explore Jewish culture and actions with an attitude of honest curiosity, tolerance, and forgiveness."

The call for action and supporting documentation can be seen at http://www.scribd.com/doc/149902603/Information-Packet-on... .