Egyptian hatred amid peace: A machinery for producing hatred against Israeli Jews - opinion

Egypt’s machinery for producing hatred against “Israeli Jews” operates tirelessly, around the clock, and in an extreme and furious manner, despite more than 45 years have passed since the peace treaty between the two countries signed in Washington on March 26, 1979.

I will provide four examples to prove my point with verified evidence. All the following excerpts are part of extended statements.

Al-Azhar Religious Institution

Al-Azhar is Egypt's official religious institution and is also described as the "citadel of moderate Islam worldwide." Its influence extends beyond Arab nations to many Muslim countries, which consider its views to be a binding reference. Although Al-Azhar is an institution of Sunni Islam, its statements regarding hostility toward Israel are nearly identical to the rhetoric of the Shi’ite clerics in Iran.

This is an excerpt from Al-Azhar’s statement commemorating the anniversary of the terrorist attack by Hamas militias against unarmed Israeli civilians in the Gaza border region on October 7, 2023:

“Al-Azhar deeply regrets the continued violence and destruction in Gaza for an entire year. It strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist aggression that continues to commit the worst forms of genocide and massacres, leaving thousands of martyrs and wounded, while the world watches in shameful silence and fails to take responsibility for this ongoing tragedy.”

In another paragraph, the institution writes, “The world must stand against this and understand that international silence and cowardice only serve to endorse, support, and encourage the occupier in committing more crimes and violations against the innocent, rightful people of Palestine.”

After the successful Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operation that resulted in the death of terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar and two of his colleagues, Al-Azhar issued this statement: “Al-Azhar mourns the ‘martyrs of Palestinian resistance’ who fell at the hands of a criminal Zionist force, which has caused havoc, killing and destruction, and occupied our Arab land, all while an international community remains impotent [and as] silent as death, and international law is worth less than the ink used to write it.”

On October 18, a video was posted on Al-Azhar’s social media pages. It discussed Suhayb Ibn Sinan Al-Rumi, one of the early Muslims close to Muhammad who is also called "Abu Yahya," in an obvious comparison to Sinwar. The video was titled: “Blessed be the deal, Abu Yahya... and blessed be the deal of every martyr who defended his homeland and died for it.”

Al-Azhar's issues such official statements regularly throughout the year. Furthermore, its newspaper, Sawt Al-Azhar, directly supervised by Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, doesn’t stop at incendiary statements. It continues to publish caricatures mocking Jews, celebrating terrorist incidents from October 7, and portraying the terrorists as heroic resistance fighters.

Many entities affiliated with Al-Azhar promptly carry out the grand imam’s orders and policies. These entities, approximately 14 in number, contribute to the massive output of hatred through powerful means and with unrestricted support from other parties that favor institutionalized hatred as it currently exists.

Ministry of Education and Technical Education

In a disastrous media appearance that went unnoticed amid a flood of events, Mohamed Abdel Latif became Egypt’s Minister of Education and Technical Education on July 3, 2024. By virtue of his position, he directly oversees more than 25,657,000 students, according to the latest statistics from December 31, 2023 – a staggering number.

In that interview, he openly and proudly acknowledged the authoritarian military regime’s permanent approach and explained how “hatred is institutionalized and enmity is ingrained” in the minds and consciousness of millions of Egyptian students, directing these sentiments specifically against the State of Israel.

Certain Egyptian syndicates

About 55 professional and labor unions in Egypt hold similar sentiments. The following are excerpts from a statement by the Egyptian Bar Association mourning Sinwar.

“The Egyptian Bar Association, led by Mr. Abdel Halim Allam, President of the Bar Association and President of the Arab Lawyers Union, condemns the martyrdom of Palestinian leader Yahya Sinwar, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine (Hamas), who fell victim to treacherous hands while fighting the Zionist enemy.”

Allam’s stance may extend to other lawyers’ unions in Arab countries.

The General Medical Syndicate in Egypt also issued an official statement on October 16 titled "A Year of Destruction and Brutality: The Healthcare Sector in the Crossfire of Occupation," relying on Hamas figures regarding casualties, injuries, and the hospitals and health centers destroyed during the war.

In turn, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate issued multiple statements containing severe insults directed at the State of Israel, which they refer to as the “Zionist enemy.” In all of these statements, they call for a “complete severing of relations and an end to all forms of ongoing normalization with the criminal Zionist enemy.”

President Abd el-Fattah el-Sisi

On Saturday, October 26, 2024, President Sisi issued a directive concerning Hajja Farhana, the oldest living resistance fighter who assisted Egyptian intelligence after 1967. 

During a celebration by the Union of Arab Tribes and Egyptian Families commemorating the October War victory (in Egypt, the October War is considered a victory for the Egyptian army), he stated, “We must dedicate something in Sinai and in Egypt to honor Hajja Farhana. She is an exceptional woman and a model of the Egyptian Bedouin woman from Sinai who, in challenging times, gave so much for her country.” He said that a road and a neighborhood in Sinai should be named after her.

One can imagine the impact this has on the collective mindset of the Sinai community – in short, “The ideal model promoted by Egypt’s ruling regime is that of those who oppose the other.”

Sisi also expressed his gratitude to Hajja Farhana for her significant contributions, stating, “In Sinai, we will establish a neighborhood named after Hajja Farhana so that we will always remember the favor.”

When consider the role of state-owned media, officially controlled by Egyptian intelligence, and its significant contribution to the “hate and hostility toward Israel campaign,” which has been ongoing since the time of Abdel Nasser, we gain insight into the mindset we are entrenched in and what actions need to be taken (see the Magazine, “My longest 10 minutes” by Rami Mangoubi, June 1, 2007).

Is there any hope left for completely changing these conditions to achieve popular peace?

Yes – as Nelson Mandela said: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.