Ibrahim Al-'Ajlouni, a Jordanian intellectual and author who works for Jordan's Culture Ministry, was formerly the culture editor of the government daily Al-Rai and today writes a regular column for the paper. In his April 19, 2017 column, titled "Palestinian Blood for the Zionist Matzah," Al-'Ajlouni repeated the Damascus blood libel, according to which Jews killed a Christian monk in Damascus in 1840 and used his blood to make Passover matzahs. Al-'Ajlouni said he was mentioning this affair in light of "the blood of Arabs and Palestinians that is being shed in all parts of Palestine" and in light of the Zionists' great influence on Western countries and their governments, influence that causes the Arab ummah to be in a state of weakness and frustration. He predicted, however, that this situation will end sooner or later, and called on the Arabs to recognize their enemies as such even if they pretend to be otherwise, and to rely on their own strength to oppose their enemies and improve their situation.
The article in Al-Rai
The following are excerpts from the article:[1]
"A well-known historical event from 1840 was [the incident in which] a group of Jews killed a French Christian priest in Damascus along with his Syrian bodyguard and distilled their blood to make matzahs for a Talmudic [i.e., Jewish] festival. The criminals were caught and sentenced to death. But the sentence was never carried out due to the intervention of French politicians whom Muhammad Ali Pasha, the governor of Egypt [who also ruled Damascus], wished to appease... The people who [intervened] with the Egyptian governor [on behalf of the criminals] demanded to retry the criminals who had confessed to their crime. Muhammad Ali Pasha did not just try to appease [the French] but actually issued a decree pardoning [the criminals].
"Despite this, documents indicate that the Zionist leaders refused to allow the pardon to appear in the Egyptian governors' decree. They demanded to strike it from the record, because its appearance constituted proof that the crime had taken place, and they were determined that no trace of it should remain and that history should overlook it.
"What is even stranger is that the Zionists tracked down a book [in French that had been written] about this affair and purchased [every] copy of it available in the markets.[2] But Allah allowed an Egyptian Copt [to find a copy of it], and he translated it [into Arabic]. A well-known Syrian scholar, Mustafa Al-Zarqa, wrote an introduction to the book[3] in which he pointed to the Talmudic tradition of shedding the blood of 'goyim,' especially of Christians, for the purpose of preparing this strange matzah that the Sons of Jehova [i.e., the Jews] find unpalatable unless it is [flavored] with the blood of non-Jews, especially blood of the followers of Jesus.
"I say this in light of the blood of Arabs and Palestinians that has always been shed or spilled in all parts of Palestine for the sake of a Zionist matzah whose dimensions are the dimensions of the occupied land. I also say this in light of the great influence that the Zionists wield in Western countries, [countries] that claim to be Christian but actually conceal a belief in the Talmud, and in light of the impact this has on our Arab and Islamic Mashreq [the countries of the eastern Mediterranean Basin]. I say it especially in light of the [Arabs'] tendency to submit and to be deceived, [a tendency] that afflicts our nation with weakness, frustration, embarrassment and confusion.
"Zionism has managed to portray [itself not as] a wolf but as an innocent and victimized lamb, and has gained so much strength that it now holds the reins of power in many Eastern and Western governments. But all this will end sooner or later. The moment the Arab nation attains mental and spiritual health, all this will disappear. Some intelligent people, even among the Jews themselves, understand what we understand and predict that the Zionists' attempted assault on our countries will end before the middle of this century or at the end of this century, at the very latest. Whether these intelligent Jews believe that the Kingdom of Jerusalem exists in Heaven and not on earth, or whether they believe that Jews must join the nations [of the world and embrace] the values of brotherhood and equality – discarding [their] arrogance and racism – [these intelligent Jews] represent a reality that we Arabs and Muslims must use to our advantage. But this [will only happen] if we manage to shake off the disastrous confusion that kills our minds, [confusion] that has almost plunged our cultural and political reality into darkness and made the entire ummah weak and dependent in every way in the face of its enemies who lie in wait for it.
"The implications of these facts point in two directions. First, they lead us to clearly realize who our enemies are, even if they pretend [to be otherwise]. Second, they lead us to seek our own strength and sources of free will so as to shake off this [helplessness] and drive off those who intensify it, [causing them to withdraw] in humiliation."
[1] Al-Rai (Jordan), April 19, 2017.
[2] The reference is to the book Relation historique des affaires de Syrie by Achille Laurent (1946), which mentions the Damascus blood libel affair.
[3] The book Al-Kanz Al-Marsoud fi Qawaid Al-Talmud ("The Treasure Hidden in the Principles of the Talmud"), translated by Dr. Yousuf Nasrallah, an Egyptian Copt, was published in Egypt in 1899. It includes a translation of Laurent's book along with another French book dealing with Jews. In 1968 the book was reprinted with an introduction by prominent Syrian cleric and jurist Mustafa Al-Zarqa. Al-Zarqa authored many books on Islamic jurisprudence and taught in Shari'a faculties in Syrian, Jordan and the Gulf. He also worked for the Kuwaiti Endowments Ministry and was a member of the Syrian parliament.
