Egypt’s Jewish Studies Doyen Looks Back
A Career in Academia Born of Desire To Know ‘The Enemy’ Leads to Acclaim and Visits From Fellow Scholars
By Jacob Bender
“What’s a nice professor of Jewish studies doing teaching in a place like this?”
For those unfamiliar with contemporary Egyptian intellectual life, this might be the first question that comes to mind upon meeting Mohamed Hawary, a professor of Hebrew studies and Jewish thought at Ain Shams University in Cairo, a teeming school of some 180,000 students.
Hawary, 59, is considered to be the doyen of Jewish studies in Egypt. A world-renowned scholar of Judaism, the author of numerous books and articles on a wide range of Jewish subjects, Hawary is also a practicing Muslim and a proud and patriotic Egyptian. The Forward recently interviewed Hawary in Cairo, where both he and this reporter were attending an interfaith conference at Al-Azhar University.
“I first developed an interest in Judaism and Israel because of the many verses in the Holy Quran pertaining to Jews,” Hawary recalled. “This led me to want to know more about Jews, the historical relationship between Judaism and Islam, but also to learn about Israel.”
It was, Hawary said, the 1967 Six Day War with Israel that ultimately moved him to turn his budding interest into a career. “Israel was the enemy, of course, of Egypt and the Arabs. But I thought it was important to know who this enemy was.”
Motivated to pursue Hebrew language and Jewish studies, Hawary received his Bachelor of Arts in 1971 at Cairo University and completed his doctorate at Ain Shams. There, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on “The Divinity of the Children of Israel, From Moses to the Babylonian Exile.”
“When I started out in the field,” Hawary said, “there were very few of us. Hebrew was not a separate department, but was studied as part of Arabic and Semitic languages.” Today, thanks to the efforts of Hawary and his colleagues, more than half of the 18 institutions of higher learning in Egypt have departments of Hebrew and Jewish studies.
At Ain Shams, around 400 students take Hebrew and Jewish studies courses. Some of these students aim for academic appointments. Many eventually find their way into positions in Egypt’s diplomatic corps, the military and, of course, intelligence work. Not surprisingly, the Arab-Israeli conflict looms large in Egypt over the entire discourse of Arab-Jewish and Muslim-Jewish relations.
Hawary said he started visiting Israel in the early 1980s, not long after Egypt’s Camp David peace agreement with Israel. At the time, he was strongly attacked in the Egyptian press for his visits. Nevertheless, he said, “Inside of me, I wanted to improve relations with Israeli academics, to help make contacts, to support the peace process.”
But now, decades after these first attempts at normalization, Hawary no longer will visit the Jewish state. “I am extremely disappointed in the policy of Israel all this time,” he explained, referring particularly to its continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. “I had great hopes for the peace process. I am still receiving invitations to go to Israel, but I am refusing now. It is simply not logical to continue to visit Israel as if its occupation of Palestinian lands and the Israeli settlement policy was not continuing all the time.”
There can be no warm peace between Egypt and Israel, Hawary explained, “nor should there be,” until there is a solution to the Palestinian problem.
Asked how the Arab-Israeli conflict affects his students, Hawary said, “I teach my students that they need to make a distinction between the policies of the government of Israel and Jews around the world. When we speak about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we need to make sure that this is not understood as a religious conflict. I know many Jews, in Israel, in America, in Europe, who support the right of the Palestinian people to an independent state, and I tell my students about this. It is simply not permissible to put all Jews in one bag.”
Pressed about antisemitism in the Egyptian media, such as the television serialization of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” Hawary said that both sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict have made use of negative and racist stereotypes, and all such prejudices should be condemned.
Hawary himself continues to maintain excellent relations with Jewish scholars around the world. Over the years, he has invited three such professors — who are also rabbis — to lecture to his students at Ain Shams: Mark R. Cohen of Princeton University, Raymond P. Scheindlin of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Reuven Firestone of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Cohen recalled his visit to Cairo, where more than 200 of Hawary’s students attended his lecture, given in Hebrew at the students’ request.
“I was astonished at the students’ grasp of Hebrew,” Cohen said. “Hawary is performing an incredibly important service by publishing works in Arabic that bring to life the entwined relationship between Muslims and Jews in medieval Egypt.”
Cohen explained that Hawary is a leading expert on the Cairo Genizah, the hidden cache of thousands of manuscripts, and manuscript fragments, written in Arabic, Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew, discovered in the late 19th century in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo. They are a trove of information about the religious, cultural and economic life of the Jewish communities of the medieval Arab world.
Hawary was also a senior Fulbright Fellow at the JTS and was the first Arab-Muslim scholar to hold a fellowship at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies.
“Mohamed Hawary is a great scholar of Judaism,” Firestone said. “He is really fascinated by the historical and religious relationship between Judaism and Islam. More than this, he eschews polemics in his scholarship, is a true bridge-builder and a real mensch.”
Contact Jacob Bender at feedback@forward.com
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So what does Hawary say about the EGYPTIAN occupation of "Palestinian lands" from 1949-1967? Or is that too challenging for such a "scholar" to justify?
real bridge builders do not burn bridges.
I am an admirer of Egyptian culture, but unfortunately Egyptian culture died out with the Pharoahs. Egypt has produced nothing of value in the past 500 years. I will not visit Egypt until it stops persecuting Egyptian Coptic Christians, restores confiscated Jewish property to Jews, and stops its siege of Gaza
Whatever his scholarly credentials may be, Mr. Hawary has appears to refuse or fail to recognize that his own country bears a large measure of responsibility for the plight of the Arab refugees from Palestine (note that there was no such thing as a "Palestinian" Arab until after 1967 and that such terminology is merely an attempt by Arab historical revisionists to rewrite history). It was, after all, Egypt who broadcasted to Arabs living in pre-Independence Israel to leave their homes for a few days while their armies swept through to liquidate the Jews, and when this failed to happen, a refugee problem was created. An obvious part of the solution would be for Egypt to take in some of those descendants of refugees.
If Hawary had really assimilated his Jewish studies, he would recognize and admit that today's Arabs from Palestine have adopted for themselves the Jewish ethos of a Right of Return to Zion, when in fact their real Right of Return is to Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and all the other countries of the Arab world from whence they came. Mr. Hawary may have studied Jewish studies and values, but he understandably he has not adopted those values as his own and so finds himself, in a manner of speaking, straddling two worlds. Or as my late Bubbe z"l would have put it, "Er iz arein gefallen vie a Yovon in Sukkah" (he's as much at home in a Jewish milieu - having fallen in - as a Greek is in a Sukkah).
Whatever possesses The Forward to seek confirmation in its own discomfort with modern Israel in the phony "openness" of Egyptian "academics." Is your correspondent incapable of cringing when he hears this "scholar" ooze anti-Israel animus? In perpetuating the "Israeli occupation" myth after Israel's withdrawals from Lebanon, Sinai, Gaza, and West Bank, Hawari merely spouts the usual and tiresome Arab rejectionist line. Istead of being so thrilled by the usual Arab "moderation", why didn't Jacob Bender call him on his racism?
The myth of "Israeli occupation"... withdrawals from ... West Bank... A pity that nobody else knew these good news.
The Breaking the Silence Testimonies Booklet is Available for Downloading
http://www.shovrimshtika.org/oferet/ENGLISH_oferet.pdf
The condemnations of Hawary in the comments seem misguided to me.
This is a great article and Hawary seems like a decent modern man.
It would be nice if he was still comfortable in Israel but the settlements are a real issue.
Does he recognize that Egypt didn't give independence to Gaza? We are not told. Does he recognize that Palestinian terrorism and Hamas' opposition to reconciliation are holding back peace? We are not told.
But the tenor of the piece suggests that he does. After all, he went to Israel in the face of opposition at home because he was interested in peace. And he continues to maintain warm relations with Jewish scholars and clergy in spite of his disappointment with the settlements.
It would of been better for Jacob Bender if he was born with the desire that G-D desires for all of us.
Psalms 51 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:(heart and mind) and in the hidden part (the true temple) thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Please, some one tell Jacob Bender, our enemy in every nation is sin.
Psalm 101 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. A froward heart shall depart form me: I will not know a wicked person. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall mot dwell within my house: he that elleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.
So tell me what does the Egyptians and Arabs and the Jewish people say about each other. Do they desire the desire of G-D's truth on there inward parts? Only G-D knows the truth and knows their hearts and minds. The desire of G-D unifies the Holy Name with our mouth, our heart and our soul. to link all together like a flame with fire. It is written in a verse of Isaiah 10. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame;......
The Problem is not Juadism nor is it Islam the problem is Zionism and it will continue to breed instability in the Middle East look at the past 61 years there have been nothing but wars in Middle East the only solution to the Israel/Palestine question is one state with all citizens as equals to change the name to Canaan otherwise the conflict will continue and Zionists know this very well I am just baffled by there arrogance the entire Middle East does not need to continue to suffer because of crimes commited by Europeans. The Middle Easterners had nothing to do with the Holocaust my grandparents came from hungary to the Middle East and worked for arabs with never any difficulties which was not the case in Europe where they were discriminated against because of their beliefs not unfornately the Israelis today are doing to Palestinians similiar things that were done to them which is very unfortunate.
Mr. Rosenberg you are either ignorant of the facts or deliberately fearmongering for perverted agenda you know very well your comment is loaded with racism you cannot label an entire religion as racist political cult I advise you to read Léon Poliakov ( A renowned Russian Jew) to see how Jews really lived under Muslim Rule during the Middle Ages which this Era is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age of Jewish culture which Jews were able to make great advances in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, chemistry and philology. Under Muslim Rule.
Thank goodness for the people on all sides of this conflict who respond to the word "enemy" by striving to learn.
The above comments reveal an unfortunate level of ignorance and bias among some readers of this article. The attacks on Muslims are, simply put, a "schande." Equally disturbing is the inability to realize that Mohamed Hawary is, in the cosmic order of things, a good guy, someone who combats the misunderstanding and outright anti-Semitism of Egyptians through his courses on Hebrew and Jewish studies. He happens to be a person of great personal integrity without a biased bone in his body--which is more than can be said for some of the respondents.
It is outrageous that those with self-give rights to make a stance, deny Mr. Hawary the same!
Mr Hawary is a "moderate" Egyptian intellect; he simply must be heard. It is only through "bridges" like Hawary, peace will have a real chance to cross over.
After reading through this article, I'm appalled to see anything but positive, encouraging, and thankful comments!! For those who wrote such disrespectful remarks, How could you completely overlook all the positive and inspirational points Dr. Hawary mentioned and allow your self-induced negativity to take over and portray your ignorance? Who are you to judge and attack, while his own JEWISH colleagues praise him? You should be ashamed of yourselves for you have nothing to add but hate and ego to this conflict that plagues our world. And you talk of peace? I doubt you readers have such desires, for it is merely an abstract word you come across in your daily efforts to destructively criticize those who truly fight for it.
Bender's article was insightful. But the comments are what makes Prof. Hawary's position stand out as that of an ethical, astute professor. Ever since meeting Professor Hawary in Germany, I have been impressed, and continue to be impressed, by his approach to the study of Judaism and his pointing out the difference between Judaism and Zionism. WOuld that he had more of his ilk among his fellow Egyptians and co-religionists. And would that many would think before seeking to consider every anti-Israeli statement as anti-semitic. At least Professor Hawary is courageous enough to say and do what is right even in the most hostile environment. Such a man is rare and rather than seek to find fault, we should all be thankful to the Holy One for blessing us with him.
As one of the Jewish professors who have enjoyed the hospitality of Ain Shams University thanks to an invitation by Professor Al-Hawary, it behooves me to comment on some of the intemperate remarks that have appeared on this site in response to the profile of him that appeared last week.
No one should be surprised that a kindly Egyptian intellectual who has had a lifelong fascination with Hebrew and things Jewish should view the Israeli-Arab conflict from the Arab point of view. I am a kindly Jewish intellectual and Hebrew scholar who has had a lifelong fascination with things Arabic and who views the conflict from the Israeli side (which doesn’t necessarily mean I always agree with the policies of any given Israeli government). Mohamed Al-Hawary and I are positioned symmetrically.
I think I can understand Mohamed’s position because I am not hostile to Islam but fascinated with it, though I view the political world from the Jewish side. Similarly, Professor Al-Hawary sees the political world from the Arab side, while cherishing a fascination with things Hebrew and Jewish. We are both children of our respective people, members of our respective tribes.
I imagine, therefore, that Mohamed’s mind works like my own. It is precisely because of my Jewish commitments that I became interested in Arabic literature and the Islamic world. Call it a desire to know your enemy if you will, but I honestly don’t think that such a utilitarian explanation reflects my motivation. I think that the proclivity for this kind of thinking runs deeper than utilitarianism; it reflects a certain personality type. In all conflicts, there will be those who are eager to understand why the other side sees things so differently. We who share this proclivity regard it as the best part of ourselves, the part that has the potential to put conflict in perspective and ultimately achieve a climate in which resolution—or at least, accommodation—is conceivable. There will be others who see conflict only from the perspective of their own side. This proclivity leads them to compare their own best parts with the enemy’s worst and enables them to say, with the prayer book: צדיקים אנחנו ולא פשענו—which I may loosely translate “we are righteous and have never sinned.” This attitude rules out resolution.
As a professor in a university position funded by an authoritarian Islamic state, Mohamed Al-Hawary has taken professional risks in pursuing intellectual exchange with Israeli and Jewish scholars worldwide and in aggressively promoting the study of Hebrew and Judaism in Egypt. To reflexively denounce such a champion of humanism, as some writers on this site have done, because he quite naturally views Israel from the perspective of his own people is to fail in a most elementary challenge of human relations.
The responses to Jacob Bender’s interview with Mohamed Hawary are predictably saddening. As a Jewish historian of Jewish-Muslim relations in the Middle Ages (when Jews and Muslims got along much better than they do today), I know Mohamed well as a colleague. We both work on the same medieval Jewish documents from the Cairo Geniza. I was his guest at his university in Cairo, where I learned first hand what kind of a person he is and what he has accomplished for Jewish studies in Egypt. Rather than excoriating him for political statements that parallel ones that people on “the other side,” the Jewish side, regularly make about Arabs and Arab states, he should be commended for his courage in promoting good relations between Israelis and Egyptians. Some of the respondents seem not to have read Hawary’s comments very carefully. A statement like “I am extremely disappointed in the policy of Israel all this time” could easily have been made (and is made) by many an Israeli or Jewish non-Israeli in the current climate. Hawary has been one of the most enthusiastic promoters of the “normalization” of relations between Egypt and Israel. If that normalization is currently problematic, for him as it is for many Israelis and non-Israeli Jews on the “other side,” he should not be criticized for pursuing the worthy intellectual cause to which he has devoted so much of his career.
Dr Hawary said the 1967 Six Day War with Israel that ultimately moved him to turn his budding interest into a career. “Israel was the enemy, of course, of Egypt and the Arabs. But I thought it was important to know who this enemy was.”
your opinion is right
i also attended the same conference with dr. hawary and mr. bender. hello, my name is omer salem and i am an engineer and a businessman. my family lived in america for 30 years and am a citizen USA and egpt. i am proud of my identity as Egyptian-American, Arab and Muslim. Here is what i have to say:
i do not like to view people living in israel as jews. i prefer to view them as israelites. there is a differnce between the two identities. arabs- because of their muslim identity- will never make true peace or accept the jews as equal. however, there is enough sacred text to suggest that muslim-arabs will accept israelites and make peace with them.
jews have done injustice to themselves by calling themseves jews instead of their true name and identitity as childern of israel. the history of diaspora, pograms, inquisition and holocaust was all directed twards jews and it speaks loudly as to why jews should consider de-emphasising judaism and emphasising being "children of israel"
God bless the children of Israel, for they brought light and guidence to a chaotic world.
O, well, phuck him, big deal so he studied Hebrew. People in Cairo should first learn to clean up themselves and their environment it smells like the world's biggest, foulest toilet.
anyone who has read torah, bible, and quran cld have easily drawn the conclusion that each 'religion' rejects strongly the others. methinks, a "religion" to merit the label "religion", must not only tolerate ?all or most religions but actually gladhand them. if a 'religion' does not do that, then, such a 'religion' is a mere cult because it promotes eterne discord, rancor. and ab. what? Ab. apriori 'knowledge' or, to me, ab. mere gusses!
of course, mein kampf also had a lot of wise things to say. So do mosheic laws, jesusic laws, koranic laws. but much of what the three books talk ab. is condemnations, personal wishes, etc. they contain innumerable commands and 'promises'. And i evaluate all 'promises', but clero-political ones especially so, as lies. we are also notorious for not learning from commands. Dogs do but few people learn from or obey commandments. add to this analyses the fact [yes, fact!] that any writ is interpretative and we have much confusion, acrimony, anger, fear, etc.
and who interprets, let's say, bible? Priests do that! And how? As the mad priest who wrote the three accursed books wanted their writings to be interpreted. how is it that priest also go to a doctor or hospital when sick? Why don't they go to their god[s]? tnx
I can't believe that we who are in the middle of the conflict and despite that we are offering peace and stile there are people that are against us just because we are Muslims. DR hawary is an amazing professor and he deserves every respect he gets from us. Dr hawary as one of your students in ain shams university I'm telling you that we are so proud of you. Being so courageous to discus such a problem that seems to last for ever is enough to know that you are a great man wants to solve it from both sides and only negative people who reject that and blames us for that conflict are the reason of not having a solution till now
I am really disappointed from the comments which reflect hatred and racism against Dr Hawary, as an Arabic Muslim professor.
thanks to all my Professors, specially the great Dr Mohammad Hawary who teaches me how to accept others and the ethics of difference and dialogue, before teaching me the Hebrew alphabet.
At least from reading the comments above, we can clearly see who preaches hate, who does not. No need to say more. Muhammad al Hawary: Stand strong. And keep the flag flying for you bring honor not only to Muslims, but to humanity as a whole. And for those of you who hate: by accusing an innocent, you confessed to guilt. nuff said.
I have heard all the views expresseed above and am not intereseted to add mine. The real problem is with the political system both in Israel and its neighbors. The politicians always come up with problems which cannot be solved: refugees right of return;Jerusalem; Jewish settlements etc.all are solluble with a bit of common sense and good will.
Open letter to the Editor
Any body read Jacob Bender's interview with me and readers' comments can figure out that most of the comments to the article were rather stupid, full of abuses and beyond the limits of decency and politeness. I was forced to write a long comment to express my opinion, and to help those who attacked me and insult me to know my points of view.
I am so sorry to inform you that my comment has been deleted after almost eight hours. I didn't ask any body to agree with me in all my pinions, and I never expected that such idea could be realized. Really, I was very surprised to see that my comment was removed, and, in the same time, all the commets of those who expressed the racist opinions, and who attacked me were not removed !!!.
Now, I am asking for clarification: is this the policy of FORWARD which is published in a country of Freedom of Speech? Is it logic to allow one-sided opinion to be heard and to delet or hide the other opinion? Is this a new kind of justice to let your readers comment as they wish, insulting others, attacking them, using unpolite words in their comments, and in the same time, you prevent those who have been attacked and insulted to clarify some points and defend my opinions?
Any way, I decided to post my comment again, and it is up to you, if you would like to remove it. I would like to be sure if we can express our opinion in the FORWARD according to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution that protects the freedom of expression, or we have to seek this freedom out the States.
Best regards, Mohamed Hawary
Actually, I'm not too interested in historical debates. The Palestinians may say their ancestors were there first, and the Israelis came from many countries in the world and stole their land. But any historical argument from the Israelis today is essentially the converse. Now, I'm not in any real position to judge the validity of these claims. The important thing is to look to the future. What do we ultimately want to have in the Middle East? I think we all know the answer: we want a stable region where people can live in peace without killing, maiming or abusing one another.
I am so sorry for those who wrote comments reflect the hatred and rejection of the other, although they claim that they live in a country that teaches the whole world great values such as freedom of opinion, freedom of speech and democracy, but it seems to me they learnt nothing and they are really only empty minded.
On the other hand, I would like to express my thanks to all respectable readers who commented on the Jacob Bender’s interview with me. I want to make it clear that I am not a politician, but I am an academic researcher in the field of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, who believes that he has to do his best to help the people in both sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict to understand each other, and to accept the other.
As a professor of Religious Jewish Thought and Comparative Religions, I deal with the Holy Bible in my academic researches and in the classes. I write and talk about the Bible in a very respectable manner, and my students, Christians before Muslems, bear witnesses to this. My Jewish friends do know how much I respect the Jewish sacred books in my works, as well as in my talks. I am impressed by those who ridicule, insult and mock the Quran, Islam and Muslims. However, they attacked, condemned me, and considered me as a racist, just because I am a Muslim. I think that it is very easy for anybody reading such comments to know who is the racist, me or them.
I would like to inform you that I have visited Israel several times after Israeli full wisdrowal from Sinai, and I was the first scholar in the Egyptian universities who visited Israel, traveling directly from Cairo. At that time, this first visit was very early, and it was not accepted among many friends and colleagues, who didn't welcome my efforts at that time. I was strongly attacked in the Egyptian newspapers for that visit and next visits, putting me in the black list, asking the university clubs, Egyptian universities and institutions, and all colleagues not to deal with me. I suffered a lot because of my relationships with Israelites and Israeli universities and institutions, and Israeli Academic Center in Cairo. All my Israeli friends and Colleagues know that. I didn't do that to obtain Nobel peace prize, nor any other prize from Israel, I didn't do that to let Israelis or Jews call me a Hero, nor to ask them to build a statue of Mohamed Hawary in Tel Aviv. I did what I did for our children in both sides and for our Middle East. I did what I did because I thought that Israel seeks a true kind of peace for the whole area.
It should be noted, however, I am not regretful about any effort I did in this direction, Today, I have a large number of friends in all Israeli universities, as well as many respectable Jewish friends in Europe and America, and I am proud of their friendship and their relationship, and I think they feel the same sense towards me. It is human relations, based on love and mutual respect, free of hostility, hatred, war and bloodshed.
Israel wants to creat great relationships with all Arab countries without solving the Palestinian Question.
More than thirty years passed since President Sadat has visited Israel (1977) and delivered his historical speech in the Knesset in Jerusalem. It was the first time ever that an Arab leader had openly visited Israel. Sadat's visit and speech gave Israelis confidence that the peace offer was genuine, and formed the basis of public pressure in Israel to make the needed concessions.
In 2002, when King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz was a Crown Prince, he floated the Arab Peace Initiative which simply suggested that the Arab world would normalize relations with Israel if the Israelis withdrew to their 1967 borders. The plan called for Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza Strip and recognize an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. Additionally, Israel was to grant Palestinians the full right of return. In exchange, Abdullah offered unprecedented concessions, including the ending of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a peace treaty with Israel, recognition of the state of Israel, and the establishment of "normal relations" between Arab states and Israel.
But what all Israeli governments offered throughout these 32 years? Israel attacked Baghdad, Tunisia, Beirut and other Lebanese towns and villages several times, and occupied south of Lebanon in June 1982. Israel attacked Jenin refugee camp, arrested civilians, and destroyed buildings on the inhabitants. Israel attacked Gaza several times, the last Israel's attack on Gaza on December 27, 2008 was barbaric and inhuman war. The number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails reached up to 9600, including 345 children and 85 women. Many of these Palestinians prisoners are often arrested by the Israeli army or police from their houses in the middle of the night without a warrant. Israel destroyed thousands of houses, in Gaza and West Bank, on the heads of its civilian inhabitants. Many Palestinian families were killed in unlimited operations by the Israeli occupation army.
Israel built the racist separation wall on Palestinian lands within the West Bank, not along the Green Line as Israel alleges. Israel claims that this wall was erected for security reasons, but the reality says that it is built to expropriate more Palestinian lands and evacuate its indigenous residents. We can not deny that all Israeli governments continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel has launched unlimited deadliest attacks on Palestinian territories since Arabs declared that they want peace.
We must recognize, and say it loudly with a very strong pressure by all means, that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal and unjust and Israel cannot claim self-defense when Palestinians struggle by legitimate means to end the occupation. (In the same way, Japanese troops couldn't claim self-defense when they were attacked by guerrillas in occupied China or the occupied Philippines during World War II.) The proper Israeli response to such Palestinian actions is not "self-defense," but full withdrawal from the occupied territories.
The previous Israeli Government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had negotiated, but only for the sake of negotiations. No Palestinian State had been established by the end of 2008, as had been hoped and promised internationally. Instead, Israeli settlement activities had increased and there had been a war in Gaza. Now, there is a new Government and a parliamentary majority for a rightist coalition, which rejected the two-State solution and a freeze on settlement activities. The Israeli government has any intention whatsoever of allowing the Palestinians to establish their own state. That means, of course, that there will be no end to the conflict in the Middle East no matter what we do. A peaceful, stable Middle East is an utter impossibility without justice for the Palestinians
For these reasons I have mentioned above, and many reasons I didn't mention, I said in the Jacob Bender’s interview with me: “I am extremely disappointed in the policy of Israel all this time. I had great hopes for the peace process. It is simply not logical to continue to visit Israel as if its occupation of Palestinian lands and the Israeli settlement policy was not continuing all the time.” For all these reasons and more, I said that there can be no warm peace between Egypt and Israel until there is a solution to the Palestinian problem, this solution should be based on justice and equality among human beings. It is very important to state that I didn't say what I said because I am Egyptian, Arab, and Muslim, non Jew, and non Israeli. I do know many Israeli and Jewish friends who totally agree with me in such opinions.
Our generation must do something good for the next generation, for our children who will blame us, but they will curse us, because we did nothing for them in this direction of peace. They will throw a lot of stones on our tombs, and throw mud at their fathers and grandfathers, because we didn't change the future to let them live in better world. The problem is how the people in both sides are thinking. Israel thinks that she is a super power in this world, and can do whatever she wants in this world, in this time. Israel does not believe that this status could be changed in the very near future. No body knows what will happen tomorrow. "Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27:1).
As Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of London I haver known Professor Hawary for many many years and we have worked together on various projects. He is probably unique in the Arab world - a Hebrew and Jewish studies professor - and one who is totally dedicated to dialogue. He is a man of immense personal courage, integrity and human decency and I feel deeply upset by these unworthy attacks on him. For all who wish for peace in the Middle East Muhammad Hawary is a man to be admired. He has often put himself on the line - his job and even his personal safety - even his life - for the sake of what he believes. He is not a tall man, yet he is a giant. In order to understand quite how great he is it is necessary to have some knowledge of attitudes and discourses in contemporary Egypt something which some of the contributors to Forwards understandably may not have. Take it from me my friends Hawary is a great, brave man. If there were more like him peace in Jerusalem would be more than a dream.
Tudor Parfitt
Why all this attack on Dr. Hawwari! Is it a Muslim. With that said I am not a politician and I do not seek to build a statue, or to obtain p and with the other winners each offer much the same risk and put his name on the blacklist in the Egyptian press immediately after his visit to Israel, why offer the same risk, then? Introduced himself to the risk in order to achieve its objective and goal of every Arab and Muslim non-Arab and non-Muslim which is to achieve peace in the Middle East
After reading through this article, I am really disappointed from the comments which reflect hatred and racism against Dr Hawary, as an Arabic Muslim professor.i can say that dr. hawary Introduced himself to the risk in order to achieve its objective and goal of every Arab and Muslim non-Arab and non-Muslim which is to achieve peace in the Middle East,and all arabs are so proud of him. Being so courageous to discus such a problem that seems to last for ever is enough to know that he is a great man wants to solve it from both sides and only negative people who reject that and blames us for that conflict are the reason of not having a solution till now.
I am terribly disappointed in my fellow Jews who posted such scurrilous and intolerant remarks about Dr. Hawary, and proud of those Jews who appreciated him for what he is and is doing. He is a learned, courageous, tolerant man who wants only peace and justice. We Jews should honor him for his interest in Judaism, not attack him. We should be grateful that such a fine person and scholar exists. All honor to him! Thank you for your work and your views, Dr. Hawary!!
Stand strong Dr Hawary you make us proud and please do not pay attention to the ignorants and comments above. They have absolutely nothing interesting to say at all unless trying to bring you down, hating on you wont make their lives better but will truly make them feel guilty
If ever nation, would realize that this world is to pass away and a new world will be given, the kingdom of G-D is not united below yet.
The kingdom of G-D can be obtained now while on earth, all of mankind should be making war on sin that keeps them from entering in and turning. They are like a seed in a woman that does not make it to their birth into life.
It is written ......Job 33 The Spirit of G-D made me,(flesh) but the breath of the Almighty gives me life.(spirit)
Remember this....Dust to dust, ashes to ashes and Spirit to spirit. Flesh does not live forever. Almighty breath is the eternal breath, that gives life.
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