New York, NY, August 16, 2012 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed concern over an Apple Inc. app of the notorious anti-Semitic text “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,” which was recently made available in Arabic by an Egyptian developer.
“Although we have no indication that the app is being presented in a malicious, exploitative or distorted manner, we remain concerned that it will function solely as a vehicle to spread anti-Semitism,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “That concern is only heightened by the availability of the app in places like Egypt where anti-Semitic themed cartoons are daily fare in the print media and variations on The Protocols’ global Jewish conspiracy myth are woven into the highly watched television shows aired during Ramadan. In that environment, easier access to this vile forgery through an app only provides reinforcement for hatred of Jews.”
Mr. Foxman added, “The Protocols is among the most virulently anti-Semitic documents in modern times and this app creates a new opportunity for it to be exploited, further entrenching anti-Semitic attitudes, particularly in Egypt and Turkey where print editions of the Protocols are sold widely and is regularly glorified in television programs and movies.”
The booklet's 24 sections, which represent the most notorious political forgery of modern times, spell out the alleged secret plans of Jewish leaders seeking to attain world domination. Although thoroughly discredited, the document continues to be used to stir up anti-Semitic hatred.
Most recently, ADL spoke out when ‘The Protocols’ were featured in Egypt, Turkey and other countries on Ramadan television programs that are rife with anti-Semitism.
The app, an Arabic translation of the Protocols, contains a disclaimer from the Egyptian developer that notes its origins as a propaganda tool in Czarist Russia that was found to be a hoax after a 1921 investigation, but was widely promoted in the 1930s and used in Russia after the Communist Revolution to encourage anti-Semitism. While this message is similar to disclaimers appearing on other websites primarily in Western Europe and the U.S. where the book is sold, which ADL has supported, it is not likely to be an effective tool for educating users of the app in places like Egypt.