By Lilah Hosni –
From childhood, Rawan Osman was taught to hate the Jews, Israelis, Zionists (she says there’s no difference in the meaning of the words).
“I learned that the Jews were our enemies,” Osman said. “We were intensively indoctrinated.”
Osman saw the horrors of her hatred when she moved Europe. She’s now an activist who speaks out against antisemitism, and the activism provokes threats on her life from the Islamists.
Rawan Osman was born in Damascus, Syria, and grew up in Lebanon, where there were Muslims, Christians and people of other religions. But everybody agreed to hate the Jews (kind of like how African Americans find themselves on the bottom of the racist totem poll).
The words Jews, Zionists and Israelis were used interchangeably, as almost perfect synonyms, she says. Nowadays, people are hiding behind their antisemitism by saying they are ONLY against the political/nationalist “Zionist” term.
As a young girl, Osman heard that Israel wanted to take more and more land from the Arabs. But the successive wars led by Arabs against Israel were all started by Arabs. When Israel took land as a result of their subsequent victories, they returned it for peace treaties, as they did with the Sinai Peninsula when Egypt recognized Israel’s right to exist.
Only when she moved to Europe in 2011 did Osman get a different perspective. She learned Jewish people have historical ties to the land of Israel that pre-date Palestinian claims.
As she watched the conflagration unfold in Gaza, she read past the headlines and realized that the Palestinian people have suffered because of decisions made by their leaders Hamas.
“The Palestinians are the ones who paid the highest price for that abuse,” Osman says.
She believes children should not be taught to hate people because of their religion or background. She also argued that the internet and social media can help people learn different perspectives, although she worries that some children are still being taught antisemitic beliefs.
Osman said speaking publicly about her changed views has cost her friendships and relationships with family members. She has received death threats.
However, she believes speaking out is important because she wants people to question hatred instead of accepting it.
“What did I lose?” Osman said, comparing her personal losses with the suffering experienced by people affected by the conflict.
Related content: Does antisemite Roy Singham care about issues or just try to spread instability? Can Harvard shake off antisemitism? How a convert to Islam learned to hate Jews. Sources: Sky News Australia.
