A New Antisemitic Myth in the Middle East Media: The September 11 Attacks Were Perpetrated by the Jews

Since September 11, the Arab media have claimed that Jews perpetrated the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. Promoting this new myth are high-ranking public officials and columnists in the government and nongovernment press of Arab countries.

In an attempt to deflect blame from the Arab-Muslim suspects in the attacks, the media have floated a number of ideas on the identities of the perpetrators. According to Arab perceptions, the attacks were carried out by those who stood to gain the most from them. Also examined was the question of who had the capability to carry out such an operation.

In the articles reviewed in this report, the conclusions point directly at the Jews. These conclusions are supported by various forms of "evidence," further buttressed by timeworn, long- "substantiated" antisemitic myths. Thus, the papers posit guilt, substantiate their accusations, convict, and, in one case, hand down a sentence - annihilation "as Hitler did."