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This episode’s guest is Mansour Ashkar, a former officer in a well-known unit who currently lives in Germany. Since the events of October 7, Ashkar has become a prominent activist in Israeli advocacy. In a conversation with Boris Gorelik, he discusses the motives that led him to engage in advocacy, analyzes the ideology of radical Islam, and describes the challenges facing Europe and Israel in the face of rising antisemitism and Islamism.
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The move to advocacy
According to Mansour Ashkar, until October 7 he worked as a security officer on cruise ships. When the attack occurred, he was in Texas, and the shock of the sights made him want to return to Israel and enlist in the reserves. After being told to wait, he decided he had to act. He foresaw a wave of antisemitism and denial in the Arab world, and knew he had to stand with his country. He began creating videos in English for an international audience, to refute the lies being spread about Israel. He also tried to create content in Arabic, but stopped due to the hateful responses and threats he received.
The ideology of radical Islam
Ashkar explains that Islam sees itself as the final and perfect religion. According to this view, Jews and Christians can live under Muslim rule as dhimmis, in a humiliated status and while paying heavy taxes. The return of the Jews to Israel and the establishment of an independent state constitute a theological problem and a deep insult to the Muslim world, since a small group of Jews has managed to defeat them repeatedly. According to him, radical Islam interprets Israeli success as a punishment for Muslims having strayed from the path of Islam’s “Golden Age.” They believe that once they succeed in wiping out the Jewish state, it will be proof of their return to the right path, and from there they can proceed to conquer the world.
Antisemitism in Europe and the liberal dilemma
Ashkar, who lives in Germany, sees that country as Europe’s last hope against Islamism. He argues that liberals in Europe, who fight against any sign of Nazism, are blind to a similar ideology growing under their noses. Boris Gorelik notes the liberal dilemma: the fear of restricting freedom of religion reminds them of the 1930s and 1940s. Ashkar replies that Europe is afraid to “call it by its name” and confront Islam. He recounts a trip in Jordan with a young German woman, where they encountered humiliating treatment of women from a Bedouin host. His travel companion had difficulty condemning the treatment, whereas if German men had behaved that way, they would have been arrested immediately. He claims that Europe gives “discounts” to Muslims and allows them to call for the destruction of Jews and demand Sharia law, instead of demanding that they meet European standards.
The rise of the right and the future of the continent
Ashkar believes that hatred of Jews in Europe is gradually being replaced by hatred of Arabs, due to the rise in crime and terrorism by immigrants. He describes how countries like France and the Netherlands are “lost” and will become European caliphates. According to him, he predicted 17 years ago that the liberal “open door” policy would lead to the rise of the far right. Ordinary German citizens, fed up with crime, are turning to parties like “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) out of a feeling that only these parties protect their values. Ironically, these voters tend to be more pro-Israel than the left. However, Ashkar is more concerned about the younger generation in Germany, the TikTok generation, which is tired of Holocaust studies and is becoming vulnerable to Islamist and communist propaganda that blames the Jews. He tells how he infiltrated pro-Palestinian demonstrations and heard calls in Arabic for the destruction of the Jewish people, alongside baseless conspiracy theories about Israeli plans to conquer the Middle East.
The way forward
According to Ashkar, the West is in a chess tournament while Islam is in a fencing tournament. He believes the Muslim empire never gave up on the idea of conquering the world, and Islamist activists openly say that within a few decades they will be the majority in Europe and will establish Sharia law there. The solution, in his opinion, is for the West to set clear standards for Muslims and enforce them without compromise. He positively notes countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which are trying to promote a more modern version of Islam. As for Israel, its role is to continue to preserve its democracy, to shine a spotlight on the dangers of radical Islam to warn the West, and above all, to continue to be strong.
The original episode, in Hebrew: שואה. גרמניה. איסלאם