American Jewish Committee Decries Arab Group's Anti-Semitic Pamphlets at UN Conference against Racism

American Jewish Committee
Tuesday, 28 August 2001

The American Jewish Committee today condemned the distribution by an official Arab group of vile anti-Semitic literature at the non-governmental forum of the UN World Conference against Racism, taking place in Durban, South Africa.

"The distribution of blatant, despicable hate material at an international conference designed to combat racism and promote tolerance is an outrage that should not be tolerated for one moment," said David A. Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee.

"We call upon the organizers of the both the world conference and of the non-governmental forum to immediately revoke the credentials of the Arab Lawyers Union for distributing this literature, whose sole intent is to inspire hatred towards Jews," said Mr. Harris.

One pamphlet, published by the Egypt-based Arab Lawyers Union, includes a collection of more than 80 anti-Semitic cartoons. On the cover of a companion pamphlet, also published by the Arab Lawyers Union, is a Nazi swastika, superimposed over the Jewish Star of David, the ancient symbol of the Jewish people and the symbol of the modern state of Israel.

"This kind of obscene image, and many others in the Arab Lawyers Union publication, are quite familiar to readers of the Arab press, from Egypt to Iraq to Syria to the Palestinian Authority, and across the Arab world," said Mr. Harris, who has testified before the U.S. Congress on anti-Semitism in the Arab and Muslim world.

"Tolerating the willful introduction of hate literature into the UN conference setting is but another example of why this well-intentioned international conference designed originally to promote tolerance will instead be remembered for giving the imprimatur to the spread of bigotry and of defamation of the Jewish people."

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org