From the New York Post:
A children’s book titled “P is for Palestine” is infuriating some New York Jewish mothers — who charge that it’s nothing but anti-Semitic propaganda disguised as a kids’ alphabet book.“Omg. Crazy. I’m livid at this,’’ one woman wrote on Facebook. “I can’t believe it’s real and in NYC!”
Another post reads, “You have gall advertising your incredibly politically insensitive book on this site.
“You must have known you would be igniting a political firestorm by posting that in the hopes of drumming up sales for your ridiculous book . . .It’s disgraceful.’’
And still another Facebook user wrote, “A children’s book on Palestine that doesn’t recognized the state of Israel . . . is very sad.’’
But the author, Golbarg Bashi, a Pace history professor and former Rutgers Iranian-studies instructor, told an audience at a bookstore reading Saturday, that she “came up with the idea for this book after I couldn’t find a book about Palestine for children.’’
The book says, “I is for Intifada, Intifada is Arabic for rising up/for what is right, if you are a kid or grownup!”
Yes, killing Jews in buses and pizza shops is “rising up for what is right.”
Nothing offensive there.
But there have been other children’s books about Palestine and Palestinian Arabs. For example, this second-grade lesson from The Children’s Friend, Volume 2, 1903:
There are passenger as well as freight caravans; that is, persons traveling often go in bands. This is on account of the fear of robbers along the way. When we missionaries used to go about, the Turkish government always furnished us a soldier for protection. The government treats all foreigners thus. But as the natives have no such care, they go in groups for self-protection.
The robbers there are not so select in their choice as are our kind, ours want only money or jewelry, but those in Palestine take everything they can get, even stripping their victim of his clothes.
Or this 1920 book about the natives of Palestine:
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