A poll published this week and reported in Palestinian newspapers found that 65% of Palestinians "support Al-Qaeda actions in the USA and Europe." Religiously-motivated Al-Qaeda attacks against those referred to as "Infidels" have killed thousands of Americans and Europeans. Why would the Palestinian population so overwhelmingly support the murder of Christians?

For years, the Palestinian Authority religious leadership has been presenting its war against Israel´s existence as merely one part of its global Islamic war being fought against the Christian-Jewish West. Just last month, a PA TV religious leader, during a televised sermon, included this prayer for the killing of all Infidels:

... "Destroy the Infidels and the Polytheists! Your [i.e. Allah´s] enemies are the enemies of the religion…! Count them and kill them to the last one, and don´t leave even one."
[Suleiman Satari, PA TV, November 18, 2005]

This prayer - clear incitement to the genocide of "Infidels," a term that includes the Christian West - is common from PA religious leaders. Prayers to annihilate all Infidels have been included in Friday prayers on PA TV at least six times in recent months.

Presenting the destruction of the Christian-Jewish West as part of Allah´s plan comes even from the highest religious powers, and receives the passive sanction of the highest political powers. Two of these sermons were delivered by Yusuf Jum´a Salamah, PA Minister of the Waqf and Religion - the most important religious office in the PA. Even though PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas was present on at least one of these occasions, similar prayers for genocide continued on the PA-owned and controlled TV in subsequent weeks.

The Palestinian Authority religious leaders for years have routinely applied the term "Infidel" to the US and other countries with primarily Christian populations. The following are some recent and past examples:

... "The Infidel countries - first and foremost, the USA - have succeeded greatly in tearing our Islamic world apart…"
[Yusuf Abu Sneina, Voice of Palestine, September 2, 2005]

"America, Britain and Spain ... are uniting to strike at the people of truth [i.e. Muslims] in their homeland. This is the Infidels´ way, O Muslims...

... "The United Nations, to our regret, has become Dar al-Nadwa [literally ´House of Assembly,´ the term for the pre-Islamic meeting place in Mecca], because that is where the Infidels meet."
[Ibrahim Mudayris, PA TV, February 28, 2003]

View an excerpt of this sermon online here

"The Infidel countries under the leadership of the US made up an excuse and justification to wage their dirty war [post 9-11 war in Afghanistan] against Islam and the Muslims.... Britain forgot that it is the height of terror and the height of hatred against Islam and Moslems."
[Yusuf Abu Sneina, Iman of Al-Aqsa Mosque, PA Radio, December 28, 2001]

Hear an excerpt of this sermon online here

The following are recent dates of prayers for genocide against all Infidels on PA TV:

November 18, 2005
September 30, 2005
August 26, 2005
July 15, 2005
July 8, 2005
June 24, 2005

The PA political leadership is careful to exclude this religious hate ideology from its presentations to foreign media. But in their Arabic sermons to the Palestinian population, PA religious leaders have been praying for years for the destruction of Western countries
[See examples below].

This week´s European-sponsored poll, showing an overwhelming majority of Palestinians supporting the murder of Christians by Al- Qaeda, comes at a time when US and European financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority is very high and widespread. It seems that if Palestinians have to choose between appreciating the financial and political support of the US and Europe, or hating them because of religion, religion will win.

This commitment to religious teachings among the Palestinian population is consistent with recent findings. In a poll this year, 79.9% of Palestinians want the PA to follow the Shari´a - Islamic religious law (68.6% wanted only Shari´a, while 11.3% wanted both Shari´a and laws of the PA Legislature).
[Palestinian Center for Research and Cultural Dialogue, March 3, 2005]

What is striking, though, is the willingness of Palestinians to turn against even the Western countries upon whom they are so totally dependent in order to progress. The poll underscores what Palestinian Media Watch has been documenting for years - the profoundly negative impact hate education has had on PA society. And whereas some in Western governments have tried to minimize the impact of the hate incitement, choosing to blame PA hatred solely on the ongoing conflict, this poll underscores the independent dangers of hate education. Palestinians are not in direct conflict with the US, and certainly have counted on the Europeans as active allies. And yet an overwhelming majority desire to see Europeans and Americans killed by a religion-based terror organization.

This religious hatred seems to have nullified the potential positive impact of the hundreds of millions of dollars in US and European aid sent to the Palestinians, including substantial new grants this year. These results should serve as a warning to all those who have categorized PA religion-based incitement to hatred and genocide as "mere rhetoric." It seems that for religious populations like the Palestinians, religious teachings, seen as the word of Allah, are ultimately what determine attitudes and policy.

[The poll was conducted by ´Fafo - a Norwegian-based NGO - among the Palestinian population "in order to assess political feelings after Israel´s voluntary withdrawal from Gaza in late-summer 2005" and reported in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, December 23, 2005]

From PMW Archives: Past calls to destroy Christian/Western countries

Dr. Ikrime Sabri, Mufti of Jerusalem, highest-ranking Islamic figure in the Palestinian Authority, weeks before the September 11 attacks:

"O Allah, destroy America and its supporters and collaborators. O Allah, destroy Britain and its supporters and collaborators."
[Ikrime Sabri, PA Radio, August 24, 2001]

Hear an excerpt of this sermon online here

Similarly Muhammad Ibrahim Maadi:

... "It is our obligation to prepare for the soldiers of Allah who are advancing in the will of Allah, glorified and praised... Allah willing... the oppressive country America will disappear. The oppressive country Britain will disappear..."
[Muhammad Ibrahim Maadi, PA TV, June 8, 2001]

View an excerpt of this sermon online here

This enmity is neither time nor event dependent, but is presented as part of Allah´s plan. Indeed, the ultimate victory of Islam over the Christian-West is said to be predetermined:

... "The Palestinian nation is the strongest on earth... We [Muslims] have ruled the world and a day will come, by Allah, and we shall rule the world [again]. The day will come and we shall rule America. The day will come and we shall rule Britain."
[Ibrahim Mudayris, PA TV, May 13, 2005]

View an excerpt of this sermon online here