Only eight Iraqi Jews left in Baghdad; Basra synagogue a warehouse

Only eight Iraqi Jews left in Baghdad; Basra synagogue a warehouse

A religion of tolerance and peace I think not

No "right of return" there: one of the remaining who was interviewed was pessimistic about prospects of Iraqi Jews returning even to visit: "saying that latent anti-Semitism within Iraqi society would prevent this from happening anytime soon."
It's "latent" because they've all but run out of Jews to expel. "Only eight Iraqi Jews in Baghdad in 2009: cable," from Agence France-Presse, September 2:

Baghdad's Jewish community numbered just eight people in late 2009, having fallen from 20 in 2003 due to deaths from old age and sectarian violence, and emigration, a leaked US diplomatic cable says.

A woman who spoke with a US embassy staff member in October 2009 said "there are now eight remaining members of the Iraqi Jewish community in Baghdad," including herself, according to the cable released by whistleblower website Wikileaks.

"She stated that the community had numbered 20 persons in 2003, but that the number has declined as a result of old age, emigration, and sectarian violence," according to the cable.

It said the woman, a dentist, was "one of the last remaining Jews in Iraq."

Her mother, she said, had died in the previous year, while her husband was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants in 2005, and was most likely murdered.

The woman expressed interest in emigrating to the Netherlands, where two of her brothers lived.

She said a synagogue and Jewish cemetery in Baghdad have been shut since 2004.

But another synagogue in the southern port city of Basra had been turned into a warehouse.

When asked about Iraqi Jews living abroad returning to visit or re-establish connections here, the woman "was pessimistic, saying that latent anti-Semitism within Iraqi society would prevent this from happening anytime soon."

There were about 150,000 Iraqi Jews before the 1948 creation of Israel. But between 1948 and 1951, nearly all of the country's 2,500-year-old Jewish community fled amid a region-wide outbreak of nationalist violence....

Posted by Marisol on September 2, 2011 9:10 AM

9/11 Launch of 'The Audacity of The Infidel'

 As a demonstration of steadfastness in the face of a cancellation for the July 2, first-ever transatlantic summit jointly organized by Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) and Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE), Pamela Geller, SIOA’s Executive Director, makes a ‘cat out of the bag’ announcement. After immediately learning that their demonstration and conference in Strasbourg was now being cancelled by the French police, Ms. Geller announced the formation of ‘The Freedom From Jihad flotilla,’ a comeback to the Freedom to Gaza ‘Audacity of Hope’ aid flotilla, to be launched from the closest NYC harbor to the ‘Ground Zero’ site as part of the 9/11 commemorative events. The announcement was originally to be made at the end of the summit, but was revealed to continue the public momentum against the repression of free speech and freedom of religious worship by the radical Islamists.

The SIOA/SIOE Freedom From Jihad aid flotilla, aptly named ‘Audacity of The Infidel,’ is getting ready for launching on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Ms. Geller explained that the SIOA/SIOE Freedom flotilla “is intended to be a direct response to the capitulation of French, European, and American authorities to Leftist and Islamic supremacist forces of oppression and injustice. It is set to launch after our national Rally for Freedom at Ground Zero on the tenth anniversary of the Islamic jihad attacks that murdered three thousand Americans."
The apparent use of the name ‘The Audacity of The Infidel,’ begs for a comparison to ‘The Audacity of Hope,’ the UStoGaza flotilla that is still being held at port by the Greek Government with aspirations of joining other ships attempting to break the coastal blockade of Gaza. It has become obvious that the primary goal of ‘The Hope,’ is to garner public sentiment against Israel’s so-called ‘occupation’ of Gaza by instigating and filming their confrontation with the IDF forces. In addition to the 36 activists, several crewmembers and 10 reporters, the ship is also carrying 3,000 letters from Americans showing their support for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. It is also rumored that the activists on board may also have plans of using chemical weapons against the Israeli forces. (Link: www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/democracy-collapses-in-europe-eu-cancels-sioasioe-free-speech-rally----freedom-from-jihad-flotilla-to-launch-on-911-124659753.html)
On the other hand, the mission of ‘The Infidel’ will be to call upon all freedom loving people, of all races and religions, to stand together, to help non-Muslims who are being persecuted for their faith in Muslim countries, and defend them against the intolerant ideology inherent in the Qu’ran and Islamic law. Ms. Geller claims that: “On board will be passengers who are freedom fighters from all over the world, united in defense of human rights and dignity against Islamic supremacist oppression.” In their call for the international community’s attention to the persecution of non-Muslims by Muslims, the SIOA/SIOE ‘Freedom From Jihad’ flotilla will travel to Egypt first, then on to Turkey, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand and other countries to offer aid to persecuted Christians, Hindus, and other non-Muslims seeking an escape from Islamic oppression.
SIOA has been the most outspoken organization in America dedicated to “defending human rights, religious liberty, and the freedom of speech against Islamic supremacist intimidation and attempts to bring elements of Sharia to the West.” Ms. Geller added: “Once again democracy is being denied in Europe. But we are not giving in. On the contrary: when our governing authorities are refusing to protect freedom, we have to do it ourselves. That’s the impetus for our Freedom From Jihad Flotilla.”