A New Look At Nazi Influence On The Modern Arab World

A number of interesting books have been published over the course of the last several years. They explore the influence of the Nazis and Nazism on the Arab regions. Among them are Nazi Palestine: The Plans for the Extermination of the Jews in Palestine, by Klaus-Michael Mallmann and Martin Cüppers (translated by Krista Smith from German original, Halbmond und Hakenkreuz: Das Dritte Reich, die Araber und Palästina) and Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World, by Jeffrey Herf. The two books should be read in pari materia with each other.

From Nazi Palestine: The Plans for the Extermination of the Jews in Palestine, we learn, among other things, about a previously unknown plan by the Nazis to exterminate the Jews of the pre-Israel Palestine (i.e., Yishuv) and the involvement of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Muhammed Amin al-Husseini, in that project. In particular, the Nazis attached an extermination unit to its Afrika Korps. The plan was, akin to actions taken in some other conquered lands, to use this mobile extermination unit along with local Arabs in Palestine. The plan was foiled by the defeat of Rommel's army at El Alamein. The authors released some of their findings, most particularly regarding the above described effort to exterminate Palestine's Jews, in an article titled "Elimination of the Jewish National Home in Palestine" and the article is also a must read. The book also describes other activities taken up by Grand Mufti al-Husseini in the service of Nazism.

Mallmann and Cüppers present a sad chapter in the relationship between Jew and Arabs, with the then leader of Palestine's Arabs, al-Husseini, not merely working to preclude the Yishuv from establishing a nation in historic Palestine but, due to his extraordinary hatred of Jews, working hand in glove with the Nazis to rid the world of Jews. Discussing Mallmann and Cüppers's findings, French author Bernard-Henri Lévy writes in his interesting book, Left in Dark Times:

First, that Arab anti-Semitism [i.e. of the Grand Mufti] was not, as is always said, a circumstantial anti-Semitism, mainly linked to English support for the nascent Israeli state, which the Arabs therefore saw as a colonial creation: Germany, says the Grand Mufti in a statement the authors discovered, is "the only country in the world that has not merely fought the Jews at home but have declared war on the entirety of world Jewry; in this war against world Jewry, the Arabs feel profoundly connected to Germany"—one could hardly put it better!

Jeffrey Herf explores an important aspect of the Nazis efforts to influence the Arabs. He uncovered a large trove comprising transcripts made of Arab language broadcasts from Nazi Germany into the Arab world, broadcasts intended to undermine British rule by associating British policy with the Jews. Jews were accused of manipulating and controlling Britain (and America) to destroy the Arabs. The broadcasts implored Arabs to rise up and destroy the Jews. This broadcast project was directed by, among others, the very same Grand Mufti, Al-Husseini. Herf also show al-Husseini's reception at the end of World War Two, when he returned to the Middle East. The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna proclaimed his devotion to al-Husseini's cause - the very cause of the Nazis. Herf quotes al-Banna proclaiming to the Arab League (and this is quoted from a paper delivered by Professor Herf just prior to the release of his book and, I believe, the quote also appears in his book):

The lion [i.e. Muhammed Amin al-Husseini] is at least free and he will roam the Arabian jungle to clear it of the wolves... Yes, this hero who challenged an empire and fought Zionism, with the help of Hitler and Germany. Germany and Hitler are gone, but Amin Al-Husseini will continue the struggle... God entrusted him with a mission and he must succeed...The Lord Almighty did not preserve Amin for nothing. There must be a divine purpose behind the preservation of the life of this man, namely the defeat of Zionism. Amin!  March on! God is with you! We are behind you! We are willing to sacrifice our necks for the cause. To death! Forward March.

 With the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, its historic association with Nazism is truly frightening. We find evidence of this will to genocide even in modern day Palestinian Arab politics. In particular, the Hamas Covenant proclaims:

Moreover, if the links have been distant from each other and if obstacles, placed by those who are the lackeys of Zionism in the way of the fighters obstructed the continuation of the struggle, the Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realisation of Allah's promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:

"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews." (related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).

The above quoted Hadith (i.e. traditions) in the Hamas Covenant - and Hamas claims to be the Palestinian chapter of the Brotherhood - to kill the Jews is, historically, associated with Islamic eschatology. Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood have, however, re-worked tradition to create a modern day political project. Hence, we have a religious sanction to commit genocide; and this is truly frightening.

It is hoped that opinion makers and politicians will take greater notice of this genocidal political project, a project sanctioned by religion. However, given the attitude shown about the involvement of the Muslim Brotherhood in the recent uprisings in Egypt, you should not hold your breadth expecting the realization of this ominous connection anytime soon.