Nonie Darwish has come a long way from the values that surrounded her during her childhood in Egypt.
In an interview with The Canadian Jewish News, she expanded on her presentation, discussing the personal turmoil she experienced as a young girl when her father was killed. In the early 1950s, her father, Lt.-Col. Mustafa Hafaz, was stationed in Gaza, where he led the Egyptian military campaign against Israel. Hafaz organized bands of Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated Israel and killed civilians.
In response, Israel set up a team that assassinated Hafaz in July 1956, when Darwish was eight years old.
Growing up in Cairo, it was easy to hate Jews. Egyptian culture was deeply immersed in antisemitism. It was all around. In the media, books, TV, movies. “I was brought up on anti-Semitism,” Darwish said.
She points to several life experiences that contributed to the changes in her attitude over time. After moving to the United States, “I befriended Jews, learned of their ethics, culture. I saw another side to the story.”
But that alone wasn’t enough for her to jettison her antisemitic attitudes.
In 1994, her brother in Gaza suffered a stroke. “All the Arabs around him decided whether to take him to a Gaza hospital or Hadassah Hospital [in Israel]. They all said, ‘If you want him to live, take him to Hadassah Hospital.’”
Despite the propaganda they live with, Arabs trust Jews “in times of trouble… I saw another side to Israel and learned they treat a lot of Arabs,” she said.
Still, the attitude toward Jews in the Middle East is toxic, she continued. After the 9/11 attacks, she felt devastated by the news that the ringleader was Mohamed Atta, an Egyptian. But when she phoned friends in Egypt she was told over and over again, “‘Arabs did not do that. Don’t you know it was a Jewish conspiracy?’
“I hung up the phone and started crying. I felt total disconnect with the culture of my origin.”
About a year after 9/11, she began writing columns critical of Islamic extremism. She founded a website,
Arabs for Israel
and is author of Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror.
Arabs for Israel
and is author of Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror.
By printing articles critical of Arab culture and the jihadist mindset of many Muslims – and by embracing Christianity – she has put her life in danger. Islamic law prescribes the death penalty for apostates like herself, she said.
Source: www.jewishtimes.com
