Mustafa Yusuf al-Lidawi (Facebook)

March 3, 2020

B'nai Brith Canada

TORONTO – An Arabic-language newspaper in the Greater Toronto Area has published an article by a Hamas figure , praising terrorism, peddling outlandish conspiracy theories and blaming Israel’s supposed faults on Judaism itself.

Hamas is the radical Islamist ruling party in the Gaza Strip, responsible for more than a decade of constant rocket attacks on Israeli cities, vicious kidnappings and murders of Jewish children, the construction of terror tunnels under schools, and the violent repression of its own Arab civilian population. The group, whose charter calls for the genocide of Jews worldwide, is a federally listed terrorist organization in Canada.

The Feb. 28 edition of al-Meshwar, published by Holocaust denier Nazih Khatatba, dedicates a half-page (page 17) to “The Abuse of the Martyrs and the Manipulation of Their Bodies Are Jewish Commandments and Israeli Directives” by Dr. Mustafa Yusuf al-Lidawi. According to al-Lidawi’s Facebook page, he formerly represented the Hamas terrorist group in Syria and Lebanon and now serves as a member of the organization’s Department of Arab and Islamic Relations.

In the article, al-Lidawi praises the “martyrdom” of Muhammad al-Na’im, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another designated terrorist entity in Canada, who was killed while trying to plant a bomb on the Israel-Gaza border. The piece concludes by lionizing slain Palestinian terrorists: “Blessed is their martyrdom, and congratulations to them on their dwelling [in heaven], and hail to them in the highest Paradise.”

Al-Lidawi also falsely accuses Israel of burying prisoners alive and stealing their organs, a practice he blames on Israel’s “ancient malice, and Talmudic and Torah commandments.”

B’nai Brith Canada has reached out to Toronto Police in order to file a complaint.

“It is unacceptable that Canadian publications, in any language, continue to demonize Jews and glorify terrorism,” said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada. “These relentless and baseless attacks on our community undermine inter-communal relations and increase the risk to our safety.”

On Feb. 26, Statistics Canada released its final report on police-reported hate crime in 2018, showing that the Jewish community continued to be the most targeted group in Toronto and across Canada.

Both al-Lidawi and al-Meshwar have a history of promoting Jew-hatred. In 2018, al-Lidawi invoked the infamous antisemitic “blood libel” trope, claiming that Jews use non-Jewish blood to prepare pastry for the Jewish holiday of Purim, and that this justified the Medieval expulsion of Jews from many European countries. The blood libel is one of the oldest and most despicable antisemitic tropes in history. It originates from medieval Europe, where it was used for centuries to incite anti-Jewish attacks.

Over the years, articles in al-Meshwar have praised a 2014 massacre at a Jerusalem synagogue, called Judaism a “terrorist religion,” blamed Jews for the Holocaust and glorified suicide bombings.

Recently, B'nai Brith drew attention to Hamas' cruel exploitation of Gazan children as soldiers during Palestinian Child Soldiers Week.