In a December 1, 2011 interview on Egypt's Al-Faraeen TV, Egyptian presidential candidate Tawfiq Okasha, who owns the channel, denied he was an antisemite after antisemitic statements he had made previously on the channel were released by MEMRI.
His denial came after he was criticized on Canada's Sun News Network by program host Michael Coren, who quoted extensively from the previous MEMRI TV clip (to read the report and view the clip, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 4321,"Egyptian Presidential Candidate Tawfiq Okasha: Jews Run U.S. Economic Policy, To Subordinate It To Global Freemasonry; They 'Created the Various Christian Denominations'; Only 60% of Jews Are Evil" November 29, 2011, Egyptian Presidential Candidate Tawfiq Okasha: Jews Run U.S. Economic Policy, To Subordinate It To Global Freemasonry; They 'Created the Various Christian Denominations'; Only 60% of Jews Are Evil).
In the December 1 interview, Okasha accused "MEMRI, that piece of crap" of sending its report to Coren, and stated that MEMRI "monitors every word I say... they send this to the leading media outlets in the U.S. and Europe." He added, "People should be proud of Tawfiq Okasha, the terror of the Jews."
Okasha: "How Can [Someone] Be an Antisemite If He Says That 60% Of [Jews] Are Very Good People?... Coren Is a Freemason"
Interviewer: "I would like to ask you a very important question about the famous American TV host Michael Coren, who dedicated a large part of his show to an attack on you. Can you elaborate on this?"
[...]
Tawfiq Okasha: "The American TV host Michael Coren is a freemason."
[...]
"I said to the Americans, the Israelis, and the Jews: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. I am a human being, and you are human beings. We were all created the same way. It is not that you were born of a white duck, while I was born of a black duck.
"It is not shameful to be poor. The fact that we in Egypt are poor does not mean that we should be servants, subordinate to the Americans and the Jews.
[...]
"I said that 40% of the Jews are not nice, and 60% are good, ordinary people, just like us. They didn't like what I said. How come? Because they do not know how to deal with such things. They are used to people who make generalizations about all the Jews, but what can they possibly say about someone who divides them into 60:40? That he is an antisemite? How can he be an antisemite if he says that 60% of them are very good people? Get it?"
[...]
Interviewer: "Let's watch the video together.
Footage of "The Arena" show on Canadian Sun TV with TV host Michael Coren:
Michael Coren: "Cornucopia, the end bit of the show. Now I'm going to read something to you, it's not me speaking, it's a long quotation. Here we go...
"'Not all the Jews in the world are evil. You may ask: Tawfiq, what is the ratio? The ratio is 60:40. 60% are evil to varying degrees, all the way to a level that words cannot describe, while 40% are not evil.
"'They, however, are divided into three categories: One group consists of the non-evil, another group consists of the non-evil to a lesser degree, and the third group consists of the non-evil to an even lesser degree. Might there be anyone who stands out among them? It's very rare. Maybe one in a million.
"'But what does this classification mean? It means that you can coexist normally with approximately 40% of the Jews – they do not betray, conspire, extort, or view others as Gentiles. They believe in the concept of Gentiles, but this belief does not affect their conduct.'
"Okay, a crazy mad person on the street? No, it's Egyptian presidential candidate Tawfiq Okasha. By the way, he's the owner of Al-Faraeen TV, one of the most influential TV stations in all of Egypt.
"I want compromise, I want us to coexist and get along together – but how do you dialogue, how do you compromise with people who are completely insane like this? I don't know.
"Until Monday, have a great weekend, take care, God bless. Goodbye." [...]
MEMRI "Monitors Every Word I Say... They Send This To the Leading Media Outlets in the U.S. and Europe... So They Sent It To [Coren]... MEMRI, That Piece of Crap"
Tawfiq Okasha: "The reason for what Michael Coren said about this on American TV is clear. They conduct public opinion polls, so they know that yours truly is influential in the Arab world, not only in Egypt, and that people have faith in what he says.
"In addition, yours truly has opened up the issue of freemasonry, and so, he must be fought. I am not scared of anyone. My words are clear. I say to brother Michael Coren... Let me tell you how all this came to be.
"There is the American Middle East Media Research Institute. This institute monitors every word I say. This institute operates electronically, in some cases. Its job is to take what is said about the Americans and the Jews, and to send it directly – after editing the material, so that people can't hear too much... All this is done automatically. They send this to the leading media outlets in the US and Europe.
"The American Middle East Media Research Institute sent them... Michael Coren appears on the leading channel in America, and his show is one of the most famous in America. Get it? So they sent it to him...
Interviewer: "I would like to inform you that this video was on the MEMRI website, which you attacked last week."
Tawfiq Okasha: "I know."
Interviewer: "[Coren] took it from there".
Tawfiq Okasha: "I know. After all, I was awarded my Ph.D. by these [Americans]. Didn't I undergo training there? This is entirely normal. I told MEMORY... that MEMRI, that piece of crap... I told them that the student has surpassed the master.
"This is entirely normal. Dr. Farouq Al-Baz surpassed his masters in America. Ahmad Zweil surpassed his masters in America. They do not care about all this. They only care when a politician or a journalist surpasses them. This is what bothers them."
"I Am At War With AIPAC and With Global Freemasonry... People Should Be Proud Of Tawfiq Okasha, the Terror Of The Jews"
Interviewer: "Because he influences public opinion..."
Tawfiq Okasha: "Exactly. You got it.
"What makes one even sadder... I am not sad. On the contrary, I'm happy, because I'm familiar with all the ins and outs of the battle I'm waging.
I am at war with AIPAC and with global freemasonry.
[...]
"[In the days of Mubarak,] the Egyptian media became an animal to be ridden by global freemasonry. Freemasonry used to ride it. People weren't thinking of the ramifications.
"People should be proud of Tawfiq Okasha, the terror of the Jews." [...]
