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Last Monday I had the uh… distinct pleasure of attending the opening ceremonies of the Muslim Student’s Association “Israel: Apartheid Resurrected” program at UC Irvine. This is basically the annual Naqba day party that takes place on or around May 15, the date on the Gregorian calendar that the State of Israel was established. The program opened with a prayer in Arabic, later translated into English, which praised the martyr who gives up his life in the name of Allah. This was followed by a keynote presentation by Imam Mohammad Al-Assi, a controversial Washington DC-based Imam who was kicked out of his own congregation for pissing off the Wahabis.

Al Assi regaled the crowd of about 100 students (30 muslim supporters, 30 Jews and assorted passerby) with the usual shenanigans. That the Zionists represent a 5th column in America, that he can’t wait for the day when a sizable portion of the Jewish community will admit that Zionism is not only not Judaism but is in opposition to it. He made use of the very au courrant description of Zionists as financiers using their wealth and economic clout to distort American foreign policy. While he made it a point to emphasize that he distinguishes between Jews and Zionists, he also admitted that the vast majority of Jews are supporters of Israel. Add to that the accusations of Apartheid resurrected in Israel, the unprecedented human suffering of the Palestinian people, the genocide and the humiliation and you have all the ingredients of a rootin’ tootin’ Naqba party!

their babesour babes

And what about the babes? Well, their babes were depicted carrying AK-47 assault rifles, while our babes were wearing messages of peace. Naqba is Arabic for disaster – and the real disaster isn’t the continued existence of the State of Israel on 27% of the Palestine Mandate. The real disaster is the continued whining, hatred and deification of death. Time to move on people! There’s civil war in Gaza, you’ve allowed the loons to take over and control your fates. Don’t you all want something better than this for your children?

Bla bla bla …

Man. Some things never change and I think everyone is getting bored of this annual dog and pony show. Even the Imam, who I am told is usually more bombastic, couldn’t get worked up for more than a minute or two. The crowd was polite and restrained, the Zionists smug but otherwise passive. Right now Rabbi Yo is on campus in a clown suit trying to get people excited. As for me? The liveliest conversation I had was with a Lebanese woman who spent last summer in Beirut (doh!). We both decided that what the Muslims and the Jews should do is have a hummus bake off. Obviously the Muslims will win, but at least much good hummus will be consumed and we can be gracious and let them win something, no?

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About the author

ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

16 Comments

  • “The real disaster is the continued whining” I don’t know if Jews are in a position to take a hard stand against that, nor do I think it belongs with the “continued hatred and death” part of the problem.

    “Obviously the Muslims will win, but at least much good hummus will be consumed”

    Always, always with the hummus.

  • Well if we challenged them to a knish bake off it would be neither sporting nor as yummy. So yes. Quality hummus it is, always and forever. Amen.

  • Palestine is a fraud created by the Arabs who want to destroy steal the Jewish homeland. It’s pathetic how the world believes that a Palestinian people actually exist.

  • Beleiev it or not, ck, it is possible for a knish to be quite good.

  • Now you’re talking crazy Ephraim!

    OK, I was kidding. Yes. It is entirely possible for a knish to be sublime under the right circumstances. Shoshi used to bring me some awesome LES knishes.

    But good hummus is always sublime. When we ate knishes, we were the oppressed, but when we appropriate traditional foods from those we have vanquished… well, at least we’re not the ones being oppressed and it makes everything so much sweeter.

  • If I bring my Hoummus they will say I stole it from them.
    If I bring my Zhough they will will sue me because of aggravated assault.

  • Mikha’el: It’s a figure of speech. Should I have said cook off instead? Mea culpa…

  • Hey. I like those Got Peace/Got Israel shirts. Where can they be purchased??

  • Did you say the Imam pissed off the Wasabis or that he was pissing wasabi?
    Sounds painful either way.

  • Wahabis – Saudi Arabians took over his congregation. Sheesh. For the last 27 years (!!!) he and his supporters have been davening outside in front of te mosque in DC

    Craaazy!

    But no wassabi.

  • “Wahabis – Saudi Arabians took over his congregation.”

    A similar fate afflicted many Young Israel synagogues.

  • ck said: “It’s a figure of speech. Should I have said cook off instead? Mea culpa…”

    I don’t cook my hummous either. (although I suppose the chickpeas and sesame was cooked at one point) I just grind it up in a blneder and add olive oil.