Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud

"Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud! Jaish Muhammad soufa yaʿoud!" (Arabic: خيبر خيبر يا يهود جيش محمد سوف يعود; lit. 'Khaybar, Khaybar, Oh Jews! The army of Muhammad will return!') is an Arabic-language rallying slogan referencing the Battle of Khaybar of 628 CE, which began after Muhammad marched with a large Muslim army and besieged Khaybar, an oasis in present-day Saudi Arabia that was home to a notable Jewish community.

The slogan is chanted primarily at public anti-Israel demonstrations, though it has been invoked during Islamist terrorist attacks as well.

The chant has been categorized as antisemitic by the American news broadcaster PBS[1] and the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel,[2] and by the British advocacy group Muslims Against Antisemitism[3] and the American advocacy group Anti-Defamation League.[4]

Background

The slogan was coined in the late 1980s during the First Intifada by Ahmed Yassin, founder of the militant Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas.[5][6][7][8]

Prevalence

Anti-Israel protests

The slogan has since been embraced more widely by Islamists,[9] Islamic extremists and anti-Israel militants.[10][11] It has been chanted at Islamic extremist and pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in Jerusalem,[12][13] Sweden,[14] England,[15][16][17] Austria,[18] Belgium,[19] the Netherlands,[20][21][22] and Australia.[23] The chant is employed more frequently during periods of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, like during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis and the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[24][25]

In Europe, those chanting it have faced criminal charges, including incitement to hatred.[26][27]

Shaima Dallali stepped down as president of the National Union of Students in 2022 after controversy surrounding allegations of antisemitism, including her previous use of the phrase "Khaybar Khaybar O Jews … Muhammad’s army will return Gaza."[28]

Terrorist attacks

Indonesian terrorist Amrozi, involved in the 2002 Bali bombings, shouted the slogan before being sentenced to death in 2003 in a Bali courtroom.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ Brabant, Malcolm (2023-11-13). "Tensions rise in U.K. amid large-scale protests over Israel-Hamas war". PBS. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  2. ^ Philpot, Robert (2023-11-18). "UK Jews say govt not protecting them from Islamic extremism amid Israel-Hamas war". Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Why We As Muslims Must Challenge Antisemitic Language Like This". Muslims Against Antisemitism. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Khaybar Khaybar ya yahud". Glossary of Extremism and Hate. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ Bartal, Shaul (2021), Upal, Muhammad Afzal; Cusack, Carole M. (eds.), "Ḥamās: The Islamic Resistance Movement", Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements, Brill, p. 381, ISBN 978-90-04-42525-5, JSTOR 10.1163/j.ctv1v7zbv8.23, retrieved 2023-11-17
  6. ^ Lawrence Rose, Paul (2014). "Muhammad, the Jews, and Khaybar: Fantasy and Emotion in Contemporary Islamic Political and Religious Antisemitism" (PDF). In Asher Small, Charles (ed.). Global Antisemitism: A Crisis of Modernity Volume IV: Islamism and the Arab World. ISGAP. p. 106.
  7. ^ Litvak, Meir (1998). "The Islamization of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: The Case of Hamas". Middle Eastern Studies. 34 (1): 157. ISSN 0026-3206. JSTOR 4283922.
  8. ^ Shrentzel, Israel (2018). "Verses and Reality: What the Koran Really Says about Jews". Jewish Political Studies Review. 29 (3/4): 27. ISSN 0792-335X. JSTOR 26500684.
  9. ^ Dziadosz, Alexander (2012-11-15). "Islamist leaders vow unity against Israel". Reuters. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  10. ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey (2001-01-21). "Arafat's Gift". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  11. ^ Friedman, Thomas L. (1984-05-27). "SOME FRIENDS TO FOES IN SOUTH LEBANON". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  12. ^ "Muslims chant about killing Jews outside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  13. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (2017-12-08). "Palestinian man killed, 300 wounded in West Bank and Gaza rioting over Trump Jerusalem move". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  14. ^ "At protest against far-right lawmaker, Swedish Muslims chant about killing Jews". The Times of Israel. 2 September 2020.
  15. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (2018-11-09). "London rally for Jews killed in Arab countries disrupted by men shouting in Arabic about killing Jews". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  16. ^ "Met Police detain hundreds as pro-Palestinian rally turns volatile". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  17. ^ "Police appeal for information over possible hate crime at demo". The Jewish Chronicle. October 29, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  18. ^ "Anti-Israel protesters in Vienna chant about a massacre of Jews". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  19. ^ "Dozens chant about an ancient massacre of Jews at pro-Palestinian rally in Brussels". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  20. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (2014-07-15). "Antwerp demonstration features calls to 'slaughter the Jews'". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  21. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (2014-07-07). "Hague Muslim protest features menacing calls about Jews". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  22. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (2017-08-31). "Protesters chant about killing Jews at Netherlands rally". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  23. ^ "Palestine activist Nasser Mashni accused of 'inciting hatred'". The Australian. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Death threat to Jews sung openly at rallies across the UK". The Jewish Chronicle. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  25. ^ "Antisemitism online directly increases real-world violence, study finds". The Jerusalem Post. 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  26. ^ "Two men charged with hate crime for 'Khaybar' chant at anti-Israel demo". The Jewish Chronicle. 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  27. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan (2017-01-27). "Belgians who chanted about Jewish massacre indicted". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  28. ^ Adams, Richard (2022-11-01). "NUS president ousted over antisemitism allegations". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  29. ^ Gilbert, Martin (2011). In Ishmael's House: A History of Jews in Muslim Lands. McClelland & Stewart. pp. xiii–xix. ISBN 9780771035692.