The father of Heaton Park Synagogue terrorist Jihad al-Shamie has shared a scathing anti-Israel post on social media, claiming that the Jewish state “built on the skulls” of Palestinians.
Dr Faraj al-Shamie, whose son launched a knife and car-ramming attack at the Manchester shul on Yom Kippur last year, leaving two people dead, took to Facebook to express his disdain for the Jewish state.
“Israel is a nation built on the skulls of our people in Palestine. It is a project of [sowing] strife disintegration and wars,” he wrote, before moving on to talk about the Holocaust.
Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born British surgeon who has worked for the Red Cross, wrote that Muslims granted Jewish people "security” and “safety” for years.
“The Jews lived with their Muslim cousins for hundreds of years in our region in peace and good neighbourliness, and Islam had granted them security, safety, and good treatment. Then Hitler came and committed his crimes against them,” he went on.
“Neither Muslims nor the people of Palestine had any role in the Holocaust that claimed the lives of millions of Jews in Europe, yet our people paid the price with their blood and [their children], and the convoys of martyrs went on simply because they lived on their land and in their homes.”
“But this newborn state insisted since its birth to kill, destroy and dispossess people.”
Al-Shamie then alluded to the ultimate downfall of Israel – something he believes will be at the hands of Allah.
“Look at history, gentlemen,” he wrote. “There is no tribe or group that has been built on killing, racism, destruction, and displacement of human beings and remained.
“The Lord’s ages do not leave the oppressor [standing]. Even if only a single child of the oppressed is left, even if he is thrown into a basket like Moses’s mother did, they [the oppressed] must prevail.
“Israel, gentlemen, will not be an exception to that history, however powerful it is, it will not be able to change the Lord’s ages.”
Soon after his son attacked Heaton Park, Faraj distanced the family from the atrocity, saying: “The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a... synagogue has been a profound shock to us.
“The al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.
“We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth. May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.”
However, the JC subsequently revealed that he had appeared to praise Hamas terrorists for the October 7 attacks.
“Men like these prove that they are men of God and regardless who leads them, they are the real compass of men who are confident of their victory,” he wrote on the day of the attacks.
He also appeared to urge the terrorists to “take good care of your weapons and aim them accurately”.
He signed off saying “May God protect Palestine and its heroic people, may God bless you”.
When approached by the JC for comment on his recent anti-Israeli outburst, Al-Shamie said via a Facebook post: “My analysis regarding the laws of history and the rise and fall of nations is a socio-political and philosophical reflection on the struggle between justice and oppression. History teaches us that any entity built upon dispossession and exclusion lacks long-term sustainability.
"This is an intellectual observation of historical patterns, not a call for violence.”
He continued: “I have consistently made a clear distinction between the Jewish faith and political Zionism. My posts explicitly highlight the long history of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and our ‘Jewish cousins"’ under Arab leadership and acknowledge the Holocaust as a major crime against humanity, one that the Palestinian people did not cause and should not be penalised for.
"To conflate the critique of a state’s military and political actions with ‘antisemitism’ is a transparent attempt to silence the Palestinian narrative and stifle free speech.”
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