Every time the imposed silence on the topic of Zionism is broken, a lot of noise is made. Little wonder then, that an Arab TV series which touches upon the most taboo of all political issues is subjected to the usual barrage of accusations from Israel and its defenders.
However, the TV series Al-Shattat, or The Diaspora, is perceived by many in the Arab world as a bold step in the right direction: that of digging deep into Zionist history to better understand the tragic situation the region now finds itself in, and to bring to the attention of sleeping minds the thoughts and plots of Zionism.
The film highlights important stages of the Zionist movement, from 1812 to 1948, when major Jewish personalities such as Theodore Hertzl, Amshel Rothschild and Alfred Dreyfus contributed to the birth to Israel. The 30-part Syrian production series aired on Al-Manar satellite channel has been acclaimed as the biggest Arab-produced historical drama to reveal the true face of Zionism, devoid of any fabrications.
The series is based on over 250 authentic historic sources and well-known Zionist documents, and has nothing to do with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Sources include: the Torah, the Talmud, the memoirs of Hertzl and his book, The Jewish State, the books The First Israelis, as well as The New Israelis and A Letter to the Pagans.
The Syrian scriptwriter, Fathallah Omar, said: “What viewers will see on TV is purely Jewish history. We did not intervene in the cause of events.”
Nevertheless, this did not prevent the TV production from being targeted by an intensive US-Israeli campaign accusing it of anti-Semitism. Washington went as far as to warn Arab countries not to air the program, with US Ambassador to Lebanon Vincent Battle calling on the Lebanese government several times to stop the airing of the series, only to be told that Al-Manar is a private TV station which enjoys press freedom.
“What would they say if we tried to interfere with the way Fox News portrays Arabs, Muslims, or Palestinians?” a Lebanese official asked. US intervention again portrays political hypocrisy, one easily turned into intellectual terrorism by a state that boasts freedom of speech and democracy.
Why is former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad not allowed to speak aloud of Jewish influence on world politics? Why is a German deputy (Martin Hohman) not allowed to remind his fellows of the role Jews played in the Bolshevik revolution of 1917? And why is a top German general (Reinhard Gunzel) sacked from the army for praising Hohman’s statements? Why is French philosopher Roger Garroudi not permitted to question details of the Holocaust? Why is it that every time a Western politician or journalist dares to denounce Israeli terrorism he/she is accused of anti-Semitism? Why should an EU poll showing that the majority of Europeans perceive Israel as the No. 1 threat to world peace be denounced as baseless and unbalanced? And why are the Arab and Islamic worlds pressured to ban any work that unveils the true face of Zionism?
The image of Israel and the movement that brought it to life should remain as pristine and untarnished as possible, contrary to the reality that has led Europeans to change their mind. And Jewish-Zionists have proven to be masters in putting world leaders, intellectuals and film-makers on the defensive by accusing them of anti-Semitism. They have cunningly used the Holocaust as a tool to increase their power and influence.
The rebellious Jew Norman Finkelstein best describes this state of affairs in his book The Holocaust Industry, in which he writes that “the Holocaust has proven to be an indispensable ideological weapon. Through its deployment, one of the world’s most formidable military powers with a horrendous human rights record has cast itself as a ‘victim’ state, and the most successful ethnic group in the US has likewise acquired victim status. Considerable dividends accrue from this specious victimhood ­ in particular, immunity to criticism, however justified.”
Zionism has also bombarded the world with lies such as Israel being established on a land without people for a people without land. This propaganda was brought to shame by the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people.
It is now rather Israel, the US, and their massive media machines that are on the defensive, fighting against freedom of speech while claiming to defend it, and waging wars while claiming to champion peace.
American peace activists recently complained of being subjected to harassment by the FBI, which blacklisted many of them for protesting the war on Iraq. A group of anti-war demonstrators filed lawsuits against the US police for having a shot at and wounding them during a peaceful protest. The United States is on the defensive for becoming increasingly intolerant of different views and works that reveal Zionism.
Al-Shattat is not anti-Semitic. It is not anti-Jewish. The film differentiates between Judaism as a religion and Zionism as a political movement, and it boldly tells how dangerous Zionism is and has been to the region and the world. By breaking the silence and surviving the US-Israeli campaign waged against it, this TV production has paved the way for remedying the serious imbalance in the media reporting on the conflict, not by exaggeration but by shedding light on its many facets and issues.

Tamara Mattar, co-chief editor of the English news bulletin at Al-Manar TV, wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR