Deputy Leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel Kamal Khatib: America Was Put to Shame by Hurricane Baghdad before Hurricane Katrina

Following are excerpts from a speech by Sheik Kamal Khatib, deputy leader of the Islamic movement in Israel, which was aired by Iqra TV on November 2, 2005.

Sheik Kamal Khatib: When the Plague spread through Europe between 1251 and 1351... In other words, for about one hundred years, the Bubonic plague, tuberculosis, and malaria spread there.

When these diseases were spreading, what would the Europeans say? They would say this was caused by the bad luck brought by the Jews, and they would massacre the Jews of Europe, who were innocent. A disease broke out - how is this their fault?

Oh Jews, oh Israelites, where did you flee to? When the people of Britain killed you in the well-known massacre 1351, when the people of Austria and of the Lowlands killed you in 1253, where did you flee to? Where to?! You came to us, to Andalusia. Our country and borders were open to you. Our homes were open to you. In no other place could you feel that your property and dignity were safe, except for Arab and Muslim countries.

Why are you so ungrateful? Why? Was it us who carried out the massacres in Germany and elsewhere? By Allah, we had nothing to do with them.

I am not saying this to arouse their sympathy. No! By no means. I'm just reminding them of history, and saying to them: "We give these days to men by turns."

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The people and government that were put to shame by Katrina, Ophelia, and Maria... How could they not be put to shame? when they were previously put to shame by a hurricane called Baghdad - a hurricane called Baghdad!

Will this America, which is disgracing itself today, put itself to shame by Hurricane Damascus, Hurricane Mecca, or Hurricane Cairo? I cannot imagine it would do so.