required an end of division offered by dictatorship. This broadcast from Berlin made an implicit link between, on the one hand, the Nazis' totalitarian vision of the "people's community;" the Volksgemeinschaft, and, on the other hand, the association of strength with unity and faith stemming from passages in the Koran.
Partisanship for Arabs in Palestine also was present in these early broadcasts. It remained a central aspect of the Arabic-language broadcasts throughout the war. In "England's Betrayal of the Arabs in Palestine" of December 24, 1940, German radio declared that "from pre-Islamic times" to the outbreak of World War I, Palestine was an "undivided part of Arab land. Its inhabitant consisted of pure race Arabs [ reinrassigen Amber]." After "Islam defeated the Jews" they (the Jews) had no share in the country and finally had to leave it "to stir up disorder and harm elsewhere in the world." The broadcast attacked the Balfour Declaration and its support for establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. It described the declaration as being the product of Jewish money and support during World War I. "Arabs, remember again the rivers of blood that had to flow as a result of that Declaration and this promise [to the Jews]." With reference to what it described as "Arabs' futile sacrifices" during World War I, the text concluded with a verse from the Koran: "Memory serves the believers."43 As the Arabs, according to this narrative, were the real victims of contemporary history in 1940, it was a religious duty to keep the memory of this victimization alive.
The "religious weekly talks" often affirmed generally if not universally held values to be distinctive contributions of Islam. A broadcast of December 26, 1940, drew a sinister implication from the value of truth rather than falsehood. He who made false statements in order to "mislead or blind the people as today some newspaper people in the Orient do, is a hypocritical liar and a traitor to his fatherland and his people. At the same time, however, he violates the laws of his religion. These laws prescribe that such a man must be fought, yes he must be killed [ja getotet werden muss] because he is a harm to the nation and will slowly bring it to ruin." The text closed with: "Oh Muslims! Be truthful ... and think of God's word: `Oh believers, fear God and be among the truthful.... If you are truthful with God, it will be better for you. 11144 With religious arguments, it made the case not only for censorship but for murder of those who disagree.
The "cultural talk" of December 31,1940, "Truth and the Strength of Belief," used a famous story from the Koran to make a political point. An "enemy" of Mohammed tried to assure him that he actually had no hostile intentions. The son of this "hypocrite" told the Prophet that his father intended to kill Mohammed. If Mohammed wanted to kill the father, the son begged permission to do the deed himself because, as the Koran stated, he feared that Mohammed would order someone else to kill his father. In that case he would be forced to take revenge for his father's death and kill a believer for the sake of an unbeliever. The text continues: "What truthfulness and strength of belief, but also strength of sacrifice is expressed in these words! The love for his father was surpassed by the honor of his belief." Mohammed declined to kill the man and instead extended his pity. The son's religiously based willingness "to devote his private interests to the general welfare of Islam" was a great example of "loyalty and sincerity" and one all Arabs should remember.45 Here again the political and religiously grounded collectivist message was clear. The broadcast praised this devout believer because he placed the demands of religious belief ahead of the life of an individual, in this case, his own father.
The broadcast of January 8,1941, began with attacks on England and the Balfour Declaration and then introduced
Partisanship for Arabs in Palestine also was present in these early broadcasts. It remained a central aspect of the Arabic-language broadcasts throughout the war. In "England's Betrayal of the Arabs in Palestine" of December 24, 1940, German radio declared that "from pre-Islamic times" to the outbreak of World War I, Palestine was an "undivided part of Arab land. Its inhabitant consisted of pure race Arabs [ reinrassigen Amber]." After "Islam defeated the Jews" they (the Jews) had no share in the country and finally had to leave it "to stir up disorder and harm elsewhere in the world." The broadcast attacked the Balfour Declaration and its support for establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. It described the declaration as being the product of Jewish money and support during World War I. "Arabs, remember again the rivers of blood that had to flow as a result of that Declaration and this promise [to the Jews]." With reference to what it described as "Arabs' futile sacrifices" during World War I, the text concluded with a verse from the Koran: "Memory serves the believers."43 As the Arabs, according to this narrative, were the real victims of contemporary history in 1940, it was a religious duty to keep the memory of this victimization alive.
The "religious weekly talks" often affirmed generally if not universally held values to be distinctive contributions of Islam. A broadcast of December 26, 1940, drew a sinister implication from the value of truth rather than falsehood. He who made false statements in order to "mislead or blind the people as today some newspaper people in the Orient do, is a hypocritical liar and a traitor to his fatherland and his people. At the same time, however, he violates the laws of his religion. These laws prescribe that such a man must be fought, yes he must be killed [ja getotet werden muss] because he is a harm to the nation and will slowly bring it to ruin." The text closed with: "Oh Muslims! Be truthful ... and think of God's word: `Oh believers, fear God and be among the truthful.... If you are truthful with God, it will be better for you. 11144 With religious arguments, it made the case not only for censorship but for murder of those who disagree.
The "cultural talk" of December 31,1940, "Truth and the Strength of Belief," used a famous story from the Koran to make a political point. An "enemy" of Mohammed tried to assure him that he actually had no hostile intentions. The son of this "hypocrite" told the Prophet that his father intended to kill Mohammed. If Mohammed wanted to kill the father, the son begged permission to do the deed himself because, as the Koran stated, he feared that Mohammed would order someone else to kill his father. In that case he would be forced to take revenge for his father's death and kill a believer for the sake of an unbeliever. The text continues: "What truthfulness and strength of belief, but also strength of sacrifice is expressed in these words! The love for his father was surpassed by the honor of his belief." Mohammed declined to kill the man and instead extended his pity. The son's religiously based willingness "to devote his private interests to the general welfare of Islam" was a great example of "loyalty and sincerity" and one all Arabs should remember.45 Here again the political and religiously grounded collectivist message was clear. The broadcast praised this devout believer because he placed the demands of religious belief ahead of the life of an individual, in this case, his own father.
The broadcast of January 8,1941, began with attacks on England and the Balfour Declaration and then introduced
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