Which States are Racist and Practice Apartheid?

1948 JEWISH POPULATION

140,000
575
77,000
140,000
???
???
12,000
37,000
???
260,000
???
???
???
???
???
22,000
75,000
???
???
50,000
813,575

2001 JEWISH POPULATION

0
36
100
200
???
0 (??)
100
0
0 (??)
5,230
0 (??)
0 (??)
0 (??)
0 (??)
0 (??)
100
1,000
0 (??)
0 (??)
200
6,966

     While not an Arab state, we can also look at Iran. It's Jewish poulation in 1948 was around 120,000. At the end of 2001, the Jewish population was estimated at 25,000. In today's environment, the number of Jews in Iran is cetainly much lower.

     While the Arab population of Israel was increasing from some 150,000 to 1.2 million, the Jewish population in Arab countries and Iran decreased from something close to 1.0 million in 1948 to around 30,000 or less in 2001. By far, most of the loss of Jewish population in Arab states and Iran has been involuntary.

     Now, let's take a snapshot of the political and religious environments in Israel and in some of the Arab countries and in Iran.

Israel - Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has laws specifically protecting every resident from discrimination regardless of the religion practiced or citizenship. In the Arab world, however, Jews are subject to the Dhimi laws, a set of laws that not only allow, but prescribe specific methods of discrimination against Jews. Many Arab Israelis live harmoniously in Israel, and Israel openly welcomes Israeli Arabs who want to live in peace. Israeli Arabs are even represented in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. In 2007, an Israeli Arab was appointed as a director of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which works to purchase land in Israel for Jewish settlement. (Ref. 1)

Arab countries - In Arab countries and in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority, Jews may not live per dictates of the Arabs. The fact remains that Israel welcomes members of all religions in its cities, but Arabs do not.

     Saudi Arabia - There is no freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia. All citizens must be Muslims, and only the Sunni branch of Islam can be practiced publicly. There is institutional discrimination against Shi’a Muslims. Religions other than Islam are tolerated if practiced discreetly; a number of Christians were deported in 2000 because they practiced “apostasy” in too public a manner. (Ref. 2)

     Jordan - Freedom of religion is for the most part respected in Jordan. While only the three “main monotheistic religions” (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) are officially ecognized by the government, all other religions are permitted to practice freely, and are given equal rights. The one exception to this rule is the Baha’i faith, members of which face official, systematic discrimination. They are, however, allowed to practice openly. (Ref. 2)

     Lebanon - Lebanon has been primarily controlled by Syria. Thus, although Lebanon is technically a parliamentary republic, neither citizens nor government officials have had much of a role in changing their government, because Syria has heavily influenced policy decisions and heavily influenced the elections. The Lebanese government and army do not respect human rights, and the several terrorist organizations that are headquartered in Lebanon commit abuses as well. Freedom of religion is generally respected, although some discrimination is built into the legal system: for example, certain government positions can only be held by certain types of Muslims. Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon have no rights, and cannot become citizens of the state.(Ref. 2)

     Syria - Technically, Syria is a parliamentary democracy in which officials are appointed through direct elections. In practice, President Bashar Assad wields virtually absolute power. Because of an emergency martial law that has been in place since 1963, powerful security services and militias operate independent of each other, and unimpeded by the government. Human rights are significantly restricted by the government and the security services commit serious abuses as well. Freedom of religion is generally respected, with two exceptions: Jews are systematically excluded from government involvement and lack many basic rights; extreme Islamic groups are frequently targeted for attacks and discrimination due to the numerous Islamic terrorist groups that oppose the government. Kurds are systematically oppressed by Syria: they cannot become citizens, they have few rights and the teaching of their language and culture is outlawed by the government.(Ref. 2)

     Iraq - Iraq is at war with itself. Shiites fight Sunnis. Shiites and Sunnis fight Kurds. In the past, Iraq’s record on human rights has been abysmal. Various militias continue to operate in the state. These militias are instrumental in maintaining an atmosphere of fear and repression. Freedom of religion is technically in place. Muslim religious and lay leaders are frequently assassinated or repressed. The small Christian community has been subjected to abuses as well. The Kurds that control the north of Iraq have been severely oppressed in the past and have been prohibited from living in Iraq proper, and those in the north have been subjected to atrocities by the Iraqi military. (Ref. 2)

     Egypt - The President of Egypt and his National Democratic Party control the political scene to such an extent that citizens do not have a meaningful ability to change their government. There has been an Emergency Law in effect since 1981, allowing the government to arbitrarily detain persons without charge, and to regularly deny legal rights to Egyptian citizens. (Ref. 2)

“[Egypt’s] autocratic regime, established a half-century ago under the banner of Arab nationalism and socialism, is politically exhausted and morally bankrupt. Mr. Mubarak, who checked Islamic extremists in Egypt only by torture and massacre, has no modern political program or vision of progress to offer his people as an alternative to Osama bin Laden's Muslim victimology. Those Egyptians who have tried to promote such a program...are unjustly imprisoned. Instead, Mr. Mubarak props himself up with $2 billion a year in U.S. aid, while allowing and even encouraging state-controlled clerics and media to promote the anti-Western, anti-modern and anti-Jewish propaganda of the Islamic extremists. The policy serves his purpose by deflecting popular frustration with the lack of political freedom or economic development in Egypt. It also explains why so many of Osama bin Laden's recruits are Egyptian.” (Ref. 3)

     Egypt guarantees freedom of religion, and the Jewish and Christian communities are generally treated well. Nevertheless, the Christian minority has reported that it is sometimes discriminated against, and there have been reports of forced conversions to Islam. Members of the Baha’i faith are categorically banned from practicing or living in Egypt.(Ref. 2)

     Palestinian territories -The Palestinian Authority's poor human rights record worsened after the onset of the "al-Aksa intifada." No PA law protects religious freedom; however, the PA generally respects freedom of religion. In past years, there were allegations that several converts from Islam to Christianity at times are subject to societal discrimination and harassment by PA officials. Bethlehem, prior to the Palestinian Authority taking control of the city, was almost entirely populated by Christians. Due to the discrimination under the Palestinian Authority, however, most Christians have moved out of the city and many Christian tourists visiting the Holy Land no longer go to Bethlehem for fear of being attacked. Bethlehem is now primarily an Arab city, and the few Christians remaining are directly associated with the church and live in fear. (Ref. 2)

     Based upon the facts just presented, the assertion that Israel is practicing apartheid is clearly false. BUT, the hatred of Jews by the Arabs is so bad that US soldiers in Iraq who happen to be Jewish have been mandated by the Pentagon to have their religious designation removed from their military ID cards as a safety precaution. Additionally, Christians who work in Saudi Arabia, for example, are forbidden to openly wear crosses or practice Christianity. The fact is that it is the Arabs who are discriminating against non-Muslims, especially Jews. Judge for yourself: Which states are racist and practice apartheid?