UAE Islamic Scholar Waseem Yousef: Israel Is Not Responsible For The Sectarian Wars And Massacres In Arab Countries – We Arabs Are

On September 16, 2020, Emirati Islamic scholar Waseem Yousef posted a video to his YouTube channel in which he criticized Arabs who are speaking out against normalization with Israel. He said that Arabs, and not Israel, are responsible for sectarian strife, wars, bombings of mosques and churches, harboring of terrorists, and the spread of ISIS throughout the Arab world. Addressing Arabs, Yousef said: "Take a look at yourselves while you point weapons at each other… You had better just shut up."

Waseem Yousef: "It was not Israel that burned Iraq and tore it apart. It was not Israel that divided Iraq into Sunnis and Shi'ites, where one side kills for the sake of Al-Hussein and the other kills for the sake of Abu Bakr and Omar. It was not Israel that dropped barrel bombs on the people of Syria, and divided them into the Alawites, Sunnis and Shi'ites. It was not Israel that dug out the graves of the righteous and exhumed their bones. It was not Israel that incited against the people of Egypt, and drove Egyptians to kill their compatriots. It was not Israel that bombed and divided Libya. It was not Israel that harbored Hizbullah within (Lebanon), and divided Lebanon into religious sects, tearing the country apart. It was not Israel that welcomed the Muslim Brotherhood, which amassed weapons, and incited against their compatriots and their countries, launching accursed revolutions to burn their countries down. People, let us be frank. It was not Israel that blew up mosques. It was not Israel that incited the Shi'ites against the Sunnis, and bombed the churches of our Copt Arab brothers in Egypt. It was not Israel that gave rise to ISIS and its sister organizations. We gave rise to these organizations. We the Arabs – except those spared by Allah – have accused each other of heresy. We are the ones who created the division between Sunnis and Shi'ites, and are still fighting over a 1,400 year-old rivalry among the Prophet's companions.

[...]

"Take a look at yourselves before you look at Israel. Take a look at yourselves before you slander peace. Take a look at yourselves, while pointing weapons at one another. You have burned Syria, blown up Iraq, and torn Libya apart. You have divided Lebanon into groups that fight against one another. In Syria, [you dropped] barrel bombs on the heads of children. You are the ones who blew up mosques in which the name Allah is mentioned. What religion are you talking about? You had better just shut up. We are sick and tired of your empty slogans. They live in Europe and talk about honor and the Palestinian cause. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Even the devil washes his hands of your actions."