"Uh, no, they're saying "Boo-urns, Boo-urns"

A student who spoke out in Arabic during protests against a speech by an Israeli minister at the Oxford Union has denied he called out the words: "Slaughter the Jews".

Not too terribly convincingly, mind...

A statement issued by the office of Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, on Wednesday said that a student protester had uttered the words in question as Mr Ayalon faced protests over his appearance at the Union on Monday night.

But the Oxford Student newspaper yesterday quoted second year St Edmund Hall student Noor Rashid as saying he was in fact using the words of a classical Arabic chant commemorating a seventh-century battle between Arabs and Jews at Khayber, in the Arabian Peninsula.

So, what is he now claiming he said?

The statement from Mr Ayalon's office maintained that a student had called out "Itbah Al Yahud" which translates as a call to slaughter Jews.

But Mr Rashid said that he had in fact said: "Khaybar ya Yahod." A Jewish Chronicle report yesterday said this referred to a seventh century attack by the Prophet Mohammed on the Jewish community in Khaybar in which the Jews were defeated and made to pay half their income to the Muslim victors.

Oh, well, that's totally different. Not.

Still, Mr Rashid was given some rope, and proceeded to enthusiastically fashion a noose out of it for himself:

Mr Rashid told Oxford Student: "My version went: 'Khaybar, O Jews, we will win'. This is in classical, Qur’anic Arabic and I doubt that apart from picking up on the word 'Jew', that even the Arabic speakers in the room would have understood the phrase.

"As you can see, I made no reference to killing Jews." he said, adding that 'Jew' and 'Israel' were interchangeable terms.

/facepalm.

What is someone that dim doing at university?

"I express the deepest regret if my remarks were misunderstood or misheard to mean anything that even comes close to encouraging the slaughter of innocents. I will be writing letters to all my Jewish friends to express my sincere apologies, and also to clarify my remarks."

...

Yah, OK, if you say so.

As 'Harry's Place' points out:

So, let’s get this straight.

Noor Rashid was heard to shout “Kill the Jews”

No no no, responds Noor Rashid. He merely wished to remind Jews of the way that Muslims, led by Mohammed, used to conquer, kill and dominate Jews.

Whether the word was “Khaybar” or “Itbah”, the meaning was essentially the same.

Except the “Khaybar” version brings in Mohammed to endorse the killing and enslavement of Jews by Muslims.

In other words, Noor Rashid has admitted to shouting something even worse than “Kill the Jews”.

He's a real bright spark, isn't he?

What Noor Rashid did was the equivalent of the fascists who taunt black students and Professors with nooses. It was a reminder of past murder and subjection, wrapped up in a promise that it will be revisited on Jews.

Where, can I ask, are the anti-racist groups?

Where is Unite Against Fascism, for example? Surely the Socialist Workers’ Party is even now planning a mass demonstration of solidarity?

*crickets*