Interview: We Don’t Like to Hear That Here
Nonie Darwish is censored here and abroad.
An NRO Q&A
November 20, 2006 6:00 AM
Egyptian-born Nonie Darwish is “too controversial” to speak at Brown University, where her invitation to speak was just taken back. The title of her new book about says it all Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror . Good luck with that one. Here, where we’ve been attacked by jihadists, we don’t like to hear about the enemy we face.
Well, here on National Review Online, anyway, we’d like to hear from Darwish. What she has to say is important to dealing with the threat we face. She recently took some questions from NRO editor Kathryn Lopez.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: What were you taught about Jews?
Nonie Darwish: As Arab children, we were taught about Jews in schools, at home, in the media, at mosque sermons, and by politicians. No one can escape the overwhelming anti-Semitic propaganda and the venomous hatred that my culture of origin advocated against Jews. In Gaza elementary schools I learned hate, vengeance, and retaliation. Peace was never an option; it was considered a sign of defeat and weakness. Those who wanted peace and compromise were called traitors and cowards. When I asked “Why do we hate Jews?,” the answer was “Aren’t you a Muslim?” We were told “Don't take candy from strangers since it could be a Jew trying to poison you” or that Israeli soldiers would kill pregnant Arab women just for fun, place bets on whether she was carrying a boy or a girl, and cut her open to see who won the bet. My classmates would cry while reciting jihadist poetry daily, wishing to die as martyrs.
Lopez: How did you manage to eventually come to be part of the Zionist conspiracy?
Darwish: It took me many years to change, evolve, and realize that I was indoctrinated with a lot of propaganda and outright lies about Israel. I owe my change to America. I appreciated the tolerance, respect for minorities and equality under the law that America stands for. When I heard church and synagogue sermons I realized how different the message was from the hate speech, cursing, and incitement advocated in many mosques across the world. Many of us who immigrated to America thought we had escaped jihad, hateful propaganda, intimidation, and mind control, but we found that even in America, there are powerful radical Muslim forces who are trying to silence us. For the sin of criticizing terrorism — not Islam, just terrorism — we are threatened. Terrorism is like the elephant in the room that no one is supposed to talk about, especially if you are an Arab American. But when 9/11 happened, it was no longer about me or my culture of origin; it is about the safety and security of the country that I now call home; America. When I pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States I took this pledge to heart and I decided to speak out of respect for the 3,000 Americans who died on that day. I speak out of empathy for Israel; a country that has lived under severe terrorism, boycott, and war. Israel deserves our respect and not our hatred. I also speak out of love for my culture of origin in desperate need for reformation. I speak out. That is why to radical Muslims, I am now part of the Zionist conspiracy.
Lopez: When did you know there was something off about how you were raised?
Darwish: Several incidents during my childhood led me to question my beliefs and upbringing.
As Arab children we were not allowed to ask why or question any of the propaganda we were given. After my father’s death President Nasser vowed that all of Egypt would take revenge. My siblings and I were asked by top government officials: “Which one of you will avenge your father’s blood by killing Jews.” We were speechless; they made us feel that if we really loved our father we would kill Jews. I also witnessed what happens to the families of martyrs when I saw my mother suffer after my father’s death. My mother had to face life alone with five children in a culture that gave respect only to families headed by a man. Arab women are expected to sacrifice their family by giving up their husbands and sons to martyrdom. As a young woman, I visited a Christian friend in Cairo during the Friday prayers, and we both heard the verbal attacks on Christians and Jews from the loudspeakers outside the mosque. We heard “May God destroy the infidels and the Jews, the enemies of God. We are not to befriend them or make treaties with them.” We also heard the worshipers respond “Amen.” I heard such prayers many times before; and believe it or not if you grow up with prayers like that, it can sound and feel normal. My friend looked scared, and I was ashamed. It is not easy to be an infidel living in Muslim land. That was when I first realized that something was very wrong in the way my religion was taught and practiced.
Another incident that happened about eleven years ago also changed my outlook on Israel. My brother suffered a stroke while in Gaza, and was not expected to survive. The Egyptians around him asked, Where shall we take him now? Cairo hospitals or Hadassah hospital? They all agreed: If you want him to live, take him to Hadassah in Jerusalem! Why would they choose to get treatment in the hospitals of people they despise and call apes, pigs and enemies of God? In time of crisis Arabs trust Jews!
