Producer Allen Funt turned his “Candid Camera” show where unsuspecting people were filmed while being subjected to pranks into a television institution that lasted for decades. It spawned modern, and often less gentle successors, such as “Punk’d” as well as foreign imitations. But, as Memri.org reveals, the Egyptian version of this genre found a way of freaking out their victims that seems to be straight out of a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. Al-Nahar TV tricked three Egyptian celebrities into coming in for an Arabic-language interview that they were told was for German television. But once the cameras were rolling, the interviewer and the staff on the set let it slip that they were really Israelis. As they say in the world of comedy, complications ensued.
All three of the prominent victims of this stunt were outraged at the thought of even being in the same room with people they presumed to be Jews, let alone appearing on an Israeli program. Two grew violent, with one burly male even assaulting the young female interviewer. The prank speaks volumes not only about the level of hatred for Jews and Israelis in Egyptian popular culture but about what is considered acceptable behavior in the Muslim world.
Viewing the invective about Jews and Israel being spewed on the show by three apparently prominent members of the Egyptian arts community is damning by itself. It says a lot that the show’s producers thought one of the most outrageous things they could do to Egyptians was to trick them into sitting down with Jews. Nor is it surprising that the response generated hate speech about the character of the Jewish people and the authenticity of the Holocaust.
But the punch lines of each segment in which the subjects are informed they are on a candid camera show, which was required in two cases to avert more violence if not bloodshed, is also illustrative. There were no reproaches from the hosts for the violent behavior that followed when the guests were told they were on Israeli TV. It was only when they were pretending to be Israelis that they tried to push back against the slanders. Once they were back in their own identities, all was forgiven. The host only had praise for her dupes — even the one who slugged her — for demonstrating what she described as “patriotism” by their anger about being set up to talk with Jews.
To be fair to the Egyptian actors who were subjected to this prank, had they really been tricked into appearing on Israeli TV, there would have been serious consequences for their careers. Egyptians who appear to be friendly with Israel or with Jews are often blacklisted from their professions.
Nevertheless, the show tells us all we need to know about the depth of Egyptian and Muslim anti-Semitism. Those who believe peace with the Arab world can be bought by territory or by Israeli concessions continue to ignore the current of hatred that runs through the political and arts culture of the Muslim world, even in a country supposedly at peace with the Jewish state.
"To see the world in a grain of sand…" n nTobin is right that this show tells us all we need to know about the depth of Egyptian and Muslim anti Semitism and the naive foolishness of people who may mean well (many don't) but should know better who see peace coming through Israeli concessions. It also speaks to a strategic rationale for Israel's settlement policy, among others.. Why should anything come easy to irredentist rejectionists whose agenda is all too clear? Let them know that to get anything substantial, they must give something substantial and that they have something to lose in the meantime.
This, of course, is not at all untypical of statements from Muslim politicians regarding Jews and Israel — but it raises for the millionth or so time, how can Obama and Carter and many Democrats (I swear I don't believe it's a majority of Democrats, but it certainly is more prevalent among Democrats) think all will be well if Israel makes concessions? What do they imagine will happen then? n nI do not understand.
Here is a section of the 1979 Camp David Agreement: n nSignatories shall establish among themselves relationships normal to states at peace with one another. To this end, they should undertake to abide by all the provisions of the U.N. Charter. Steps to be taken in this respect include: nfull recognition; nabolishing economic boycotts; nguaranteeing that under their jurisdiction the citizens of the other parties shall enjoy the protection of the due process of law. n nEgypt never fully recognized Israel even though it established diplomatic relations. Economic boycotts existed. Anti-Israel propaganda continued. nIf Israel had made a fuss about what Egypt was doing, would Egyptians have been less subject to propaganda and less anti-Israel today? We can never know. We do know, however, that Israel is more hated today, in Egypt and in most of the world, than ever before.
Yes. It has at least two reasons. First, Israel is a vibrant western liberal democracy with faults and an economy based on innovation and application. A sharp reflection on the inability of any Muslim country to copy. Second. Israel is 'living' in stability and relative while all around, Muslim countries are in social strife of one form or another. Arabs are aware that the loss of a single Israeli life will have consequences. n nThey wish that their own countries could be so.
And once they kill all the Jews, Christians and Hindus will be next. n nDear God! Isn't it time the world woke up to the dangers of Islamic Supremecism? John Stewart? nHillary Clinton? Barack Obama?
yet the haters will ignore this, or set it aside along with items like the scandalous textbooks UNRWA hands out with the state of Israel missing. n nthe more outrageous the proof of Jew hatred, the more the Left has to equivocate and pretend that it doesn't matter. it's either a) they're not really serious, b) you can't judge a whole people by the actions of a few, c) we don't understand their "culture," in which this kind of invective doesn't mean the same as it does to us, or, the all-purpose answer: d) "Yeah but McVeigh–"
Hoiw is this deemed acceptable by many liberals? n nHard bigotry of zero expectations. n n(much easier when the objects of the hatred are the most detested ethnic group on the face of the planet)
I remember watching a show called something like “Candid Camera Around the World” about 10 years ago. I still remember the Egyptian contribution: r nr nThe host (prankster?) is walking on a nearly empty sidewalk with a briefcase. As he reaches the other person, he puts the briefcase down and starts running like hell.r nr nFunny, funny guys in Egypt.
Well. The behavior of the interviewees does expose with clarity Muslim hatred of Jews. No question about that. And the absence of anger control amongst Muslims too. n nHowever, I am not happy with the interviewees being invited under false pretenses. They could say that their extreme reaction was because of the subterfuge and not that the station was 'Israeli'.
Jews hate muslims and muslims hate jews. What else is new.
I'm a Jew and i don't hate muslims. Most Jews don't hate muslims except those that hate them.
I confess, I do not like Muslims as Muslims. I do not like Nazis as Nazis. n nIs it possible to like people who raise families, work hard, are nice to animals? Of course. n nIs it possible to like people who raise families, work hard, are nice to animals, support the extermination of Jews, the violent conquest of the Infidel, the oppression of women and the killing of anyone who speaks ill of their sociopath Prophet? No way! n nIn fact, insofar as I hate Nazis — and it's OK to hate Nazis, right? — and insofar as the difference between Nazism and Islam is negligible, I hate Muslims, too. Not because Muslims hate me, but because of what they DO as Muslims. In fact, the degree a professed Muslim is not a barbarian is the degree he's not an authentic Muslim. n nIt's rich to hear academics and pundits glibly admit to the existence of evil. But when it comes to specifics — and Islam is about as patent an evil as there is in this world — they all become relativists. I find that rather contemptible.
If they were upset about being interviewed by Jews, they could have just walked out to show their opposition! nBut why do that when you can score brownie points by being a violent racist?
It is all in the Qur'an, Sharia and Hadith. It is man-made catastrophe (Napolitano) repeated more than a billion times and each time a Muslim newborn set the foot on this planet.
Telling them it was German TV was the only way they would have shown up . If such an incident took place in the West,the actor would be charged assault,and would probably never work again. This really gives an insight into Egyptian Jew hatred and it`s treatment of women.