by Amir Lulu, political science doctoral candidate at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, translated by Hillel Fendel.
Last week, U.S. President Trump, the leader of
the free world, signed an order outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist
organization. [More precisely,
the order "sets in motion a process by which certain chapters or
subdivisions of the Muslim Brotherhood shall be considered for designation as
Foreign Terrorist Organizations" – ed.] In the ongoing fateful struggle between Islam
and the free Western world, this is a significant move not to be underestimated
– and Israel must take full advantage of it.
There is a common assumption, not particularly based on empirical knowledge, that the rise of Nazism was a one-time phenomenon whose eruption could not have been foreseen. This is not quite the case.
Although the Nazi movement did have its unique characteristics, the facts belie the naïve belief that the German nation was swept almost helplessly into the event. Anti-semitism in Germany, and in many other areas of Europe, had long been deep and well-rooted. The evil man with the small mustache understood the prevailing sentiment when he was yet young, and upon it he built his diabolical empire. At the height of the Nazi movement, its members were not only the masses who flocked to the charismatic leader who promised them post-World War One vengeance and German rebirth; they also included many lawyers and students.
In fact, the most shocking example of the
movement’s multi-dimensional character is the simple fact that a large portion
of the Einsatzgruppen commanders - the mobile killing units in the East - held
doctoral degrees. Furthermore, many of the participants in the infamous Wannsee
Conference in January 1942, where was discussed the “Final Solution to the
Jewish Question,” were also doctors and lawyers.
This introduction is important for two reasons:
1. It sharpens in
our minds the concept that the evil in man's heart does not suddenly appear out
of nowhere. It is rather a long-range process that begins with the laying of
foundations – in our case, extremist Islamist foundations.
2. The
construction of ideological foundations is nearly always led along by the
social elites, and not by the masses – who join up only towards a latter stage.
It would be a case of intellectual laziness to
say that the Muslim Brotherhood is like Nazis; there is nothing that can equal
the Nazis in their ability to turn their wicked dreams into such totally
destructive reality. But it would be complete folly not to compare these and
other extremist ideologies to see what they share and where they differ.
The Muslim Brotherhood is an extremist
organization, whose prominent intellectual champion Yusuf Al-Qaradawi (1926-2022)
was an outspoken supporter of
suicide attacks against Israeli citizens. The Brotherhood is no longer legal in
countries such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates – and Trump's decision is one
of the most severe blows it has suffered. As of now, the Muslim Brotherhood has
active and strong chapters operating legally throughout the United States.
It's always better to win the war before it
begins. The State of Israel will be smart if at least now it begins to restrict
the steps of the Islamic Movement – whose ideology draws heavily from the
Muslim Brotherhood’s worldview – within its borders. The Movement, especially
the Northern Branch thereof, is known for its broad use of the "smiles
offensive," while behind its back it is busy sharpening its knives.
What Israel must do is not to withhold voting
rights, or to prevent Arab parties from running in national elections. Rather,
Israel must begin a long and involved process of investigating individuals and
ferreting out Muslim Brotherhood members. The strongest country in the world
has already understood that terrorist organizations must be marked - and we
need to be wise enough to learn from the step they have just taken and act in a
similar spirit.
Both the Arab
and Jewish sectors in Israel would benefit from ensuring that these violent
and dangerous individuals are not considered legitimate within Israeli
democracy. Again, this should not be a blanket disqualification of their
parties' running for office. This is because once we begin disqualifying
parties, the slippery slope kicks in; leaders could one day come to power who
use such disqualifications for their own purposes against non-dangerous
ideologies that they simply do not like. All that is needed is to point them out
and say, "They are of the Muslim Brotherhood" – akin to saying "He’s
from the KKK," meaning that anyone who votes for him is supporting the KKK
– and they thus lose much of their public legitimacy.
Not to mention that a sweeping ban on
Israel-haters would only drive them underground, where they would continue to
operate covertly. In short, it is better that they remain out in the open, so that
we know who they are.
We have an important opportunity now, and this is our fateful
moment. We have witnessed the rise of the green crescent [a symbol of Islam], and
now we have to make sure it settles down.