How the Syrian Government Helped Create Islamic State
And kept it afloat by buying its oil.
July 23, 2021
The 7th-Century Massacre of Arabian Jews, and Its Legacy
“Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews.”
Two months ago, a crowd of protestors gathered in front of the Amsterdam Holocaust memorial, chanting an Arabic refrain, now familiar from such gatherings, that translates as “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews. The army of Mohammad is coming.” The reference is to a location in what is now Saudi Arabia, and to an oft-forgotten piece of Middle Eastern Jewish history. Lawrence Schiffman recounts this story, which begins in 622 CE, when the founder of Islam moved from Mecca to the city of Medina, which at the time was home to three large Jewish tribes.
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Login or SubscribeJuly 23, 2021
Calling Israel an “Apartheid State” Has Its Roots in Soviet-Style Disinformation Techniques
And Jewish groups have been duped.
How the Bible Gave the World the Idea of Human Equality
Why the Torah appropriates images from pagan Egypt in describing God’s revelation.
Saul Bellow, Cancel Culture, and the Dangers of Setting Limits on Imaginative Freedom
It’s a cop-out to explain away a novel’s improprieties on the grounds that they are of another age.
The 7th-Century Massacre of Arabian Jews, and Its Legacy
“Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews.”