Journal for the Study of Antisemitism
Journal for the Study of Antisemitism
Journal for the Study of Antisemitism
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292 JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF ANTISEMITISM [ VOL. 1:289<br />
The only criticism <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> book is minor, in that it leaves <strong>the</strong> reader<br />
wanting more. Herf concludes that <strong>the</strong> link between Nazism and Islamist<br />
ideology “should be an important item on <strong>the</strong> agenda <strong>of</strong> scholars whose<br />
expertise lies in <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> Arab and Islamic politics.” 12<br />
But it never ended in <strong>the</strong> Middle East. During <strong>the</strong> 1950s, conspiracy<br />
<strong>the</strong>ories <strong>of</strong> al-Banna, Qutb, and <strong>the</strong> Muslim Bro<strong>the</strong>rhood-based Radio Berlin<br />
continued to infest <strong>the</strong> politics <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Arab nationalists. Nasser hired<br />
<strong>for</strong>mer Nazi propagandist Johann von Leers to work <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> Egyptian in<strong>for</strong>mation<br />
agencies. <strong>Antisemitism</strong> became <strong>the</strong> lubricant <strong>for</strong> any mechanical<br />
failure in <strong>the</strong> body politic.<br />
The Third Reich was short-lived, observes Herf. “Tragically, traces <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> ideological diffusion examined in <strong>the</strong>se pages have had a much longer<br />
life” (p. 266).<br />
The effects continue well into this day.<br />
12. Herf, 266.
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