Located in Cairo, Egypt, Arabs Against Discrimination (AAD) is a non-governmental Arab organization working against all forms of racism and discrimination. Focusing on the Israeli practices “including those against sections of that society itself (Israeli Arabs, Oriental Jews, blacks, women, etc.), or against other peoples and/or religious groups.” AAD also confronts the false campaigns launched by Israeli and Zionist organizations against Arabs. To know more about the AAD, I invite you to visit the organization’s web site: http://www.aad-online.org/

It is hard to ignore this organization with such a strong start and challenging work; that is why it was essential to interview Dr Emad Gad the Executive Director of the organization.

IOL: First, we would like to know when the organization was established and which institution is responsible for its establishment and management

Dr Emad Gad: Actually, the emergence of the organization formally is one thing and starting the activity is another thing. Work on the organization started more than a year and a half ago. It was Mr. Ibrahim Nafie’s [1] idea. He noticed that after the events of September 11, attacks against Arabs and Muslims and accusing them of racism and terrorism increased. The activity of the Zionist organizations increased and they widened their scope by accusing many Arab and Muslim writers and officials—including Mr. Ibrahim Nafie—of being anti-Semitic. Hence, it was agreed that there was a necessity to establish an organization that works according to scientific and objective bases; monitoring and following up accurately all that is published in the Israeli media, in the Zionist media and in the right-wing media by making translations into different languages. We started working on this a year and a half ago, and the first activity of the organization, which is its Web site, was launched on January 1, 2004 , in Arabic, English and French, in addition to the Hebrew originals.

It was decided from the beginning that this organization would be an Arab one, not solely Egyptian, because this matter concerns all the Arabs. There is no other institution responsible for establishing and managing the organization. It is a civil organization based on private contributions and, accordingly, supported by a group of Arab and Egyptian businessmen. Mr. Ibrahim Nafie presides over the organization personally; it is not related to the Al-Ahram institution.[2]

IOL: So, do you think that the events of September 11 were the turning point that—as they changed the world—led to establishing the organization?

Dr Emad Gad: Surely! It is a group of accumulated factors and September 11 was the peak. While the September 11 events launched a campaign against Arabs and Muslims, they also motivated some Arabs and Muslims to learn the right method to address international public opinion. As a rule, we used to address ourselves! We used to respond to the Zionist assaults against us using our newspapers and addressing our public opinion. It is always said, regarding the Palestinian cause as well as others, that the Arabs have just causes but they do not know how to present them to the world.

IOL: Has the information technology revolution, the development of means of communication and the spread of the Internet played a role?

Dr Emad Gad: Certainly! Now we have several channels. The primary channel for addressing international public opinion is launching an Internet site, as it does not cost anything for the recipient. We address people through a dynamic Web site that is updated daily. We used to update the site weekly, but now, because we have hot issues, we update it daily.

There is no doubt that the organization has benefited from the information technology revolution and this is an important point, because  western public opinion—as a result of the Israeli Zionist campaigns of distortion—used to view the Arab world as a backward world that can’t use modern technology. However, the Web site of this organization, and its different activities, are produced by Egyptian youth who are fresh graduates. This is a message in itself.

We would like to know about the preparation and the efforts exerted to give birth to it.

Preparation started with Mr. Ibrahim Nafie’s efforts to provide the funds needed for its establishment. Launching an independent Web site, securing, and protecting it are expensive.

We started to form this office and we now have a team composed of more than 25 people who translate from Hebrew; most of them are youth. They are presided over by a university professor, but more than 80% are under 30 years of age. We also have supervisors for the English and French sections. We started to work full time on July 1, 2003 .  We received this office, prepared and ready, and then we started to buy the technological equipment needed for the Web site. At the same time, we started the monitoring and follow-up of various Israeli newspapers, Web sites, broadcasts and prominent TV channels on a 24-hour basis.

IOL: What are the sources of financing the organization?

Dr Emad Gad: The source of financing for the organization is a group of Egyptian and Arab businessmen. The sources are limited until now and we placed the organization’s bank account on our Web site so that people can support us. Two Egyptian businessmen support the organization: Naguib Saweras and Mohammad Abu El-Enein. This is in addition to certain Arab businessmen who were directly contacted by Mr. Ibrahim Nafie

Mr. Ibrahim Hegazy, in his writings in Al-Ahram, asked the youth to support us. On our Web site we ask the people to support us. We need people’s support rather than that of governments or businessmen. The support of businessmen was essential at the start, but after a while, popular support for financing becomes the best means, because we do not want to be attached to anyone or any direction. If each Arab family paid a dollar, the organization would be secure and would have external branches.

IOL: Are you monitoring only the Israeli media or also the International media?

Dr Emad Gad: In the current stage, we are monitoring only Israeli media because the international level requires more expenses and a bigger team. Accordingly, in the current stage we focus on the Israeli media, because the main source for attacking Arabs and Muslims in the most recent period is Zionist organizations. That is why we focus on Israeli Zionist media in order to launch a counter campaign or competition for international public opinion. They feed international public opinion with harmful material against Arabs and Muslims and we reply by two means:

1.Asserting that Israel is a racist fanatic extremist state that does not work for peace.

2.Replying back to the false media campaigns against Arabs and Muslims by providing those who launch such campaigns with material that reflects the true image, and by placing such material on our Web site.

IOL: What are the achievements of the organization until now?

Dr Emad Gad: We started less than 40 days ago. As soon as we started, we received many insulting e-mails from Israel .  However, we also got a large number of e-mails from individuals and organizations all over the world, not only from Arabs and from Muslims, but we received e-mails from Americans, Canadians, French and English. They supported us and our work saying that they were shocked at the Israeli society.

We also concluded a study which we called “Twisting Facts” about their main organization “Memri” and how it omits sentences from contexts. This study shows that “Memri” works with no objectivity. A man from Bangladesh mentioned that for the first time we are working in a positive way, not only defending but attacking as well.

In addition, we thought that as soon as we launched our web site it could be hacked— although we secured it to the highest degree—because technologically they are more developed than us. However, no hacking trials that occurred influenced the site, which gave us increased self-confidence that we can fight in such a battle involving modern technology. This gives self-confidence to the Arab youth and belief in our ability to present our cases to international public opinion.

The output is enormous and it is just a matter of a month and a half. It is enough that we gained the confidence that we can perform such a task.

IOL: Is there material or moral support from well-known Arab or international personalities or institutions?

Dr Emad Gad: There is moral support from many institutions. For example, the UN Radio announced the emergence of the organization and mentioned that it’s a new organization that works in accordance with the UN charter. Many Arab and Islamic organizations announced their support; all the Arab human rights organizations, the Arab press syndicates, the Union of Arab Lawyers and the Arab Journalists Union. However, these organizations already receive financial aid so all they can do is to send experts, documents…etc.

IOL: Is there any Israeli reaction against the organization?

Dr Emad Gad: Of course! We received e-mails containing insults. We received threats. Some people said that we are selective. A Web site was launched to reply to the organization. Moreover, the Israeli Foreign Ministry established an Arabic language Web site, which they said they have been working on for two years.

IOL: Are the e-mails that contained insults from institutions or individuals?

Dr Emad Gad: Institutions do not implicate themselves in such matters. They are individuals, but some of them seem to be organized.

IOL: Did you receive any requests regarding adding other languages to the Web site? Did anyone offer help with this?

Dr Emad Gad: We were directly requested by visitors to add Spanish. A large number of youth offered to volunteer. We receive many such offers daily.

We haven’t yet received support from any international personalities, but we are still at the stage of correspondence, and we have written to many. We expect this matter to improve if we make a large international conference, either in Egypt or abroad.

IOL: There are a large number of youth working in the organization. Is there a certain philosophy behind that?

Dr Emad Gad: Of course there is. For example, we can depend on University professors and professionals to translate from Hebrew to Arabic. But we have a young team who is being trained by a senior one. We have a group who revises after and trains the youth, because this is the generation that is going to be the organization’s pillar.

In order to guarantee continuity, we must have the three generations: seniors, middle aged and youth, depending mainly on youth who will be promoted and given higher responsibilities, so achieving continuity

We would like to know more about the legal department in the AAD and whether it has already started performing its tasks.

Not yet. This department comprises a group of International Egyptian legal professionals. We provide them with all what we monitor so that they decide on what warrants a lawsuit. When we decide to file suit we have to be sure that it is a real case. We have to have all the documents and all the means. We won’t file an unsuccessful lawsuit. Accordingly, we take these matters slowly.

IOL: Have you started addressing decision-makers around the world? Is there any response?

Dr Emad Gad: Yes, but we can’t expect a response from the first moment. We are addressing parliaments, executives, members of governments, media people and incumbents; i.e. we are addressing key personalities around the world. So far, we have received thanks, and some people—two members of congress—asked us to stop e-mailing them.

IOL: So, was it only thanks? Wasn’t there a practical response?

Dr Emad Gad: We can’t expect such a response now. We expect responses in a year or two. We understand totally that we are planting in a non-fertile land and that we cannot harvest the next day. It may take months and it may take years. We are working with full patience, believing that at the right time we will collect the harvest.

IOL: Although it has just been launched, the Web site of the organization surpassed the famous Israeli Web site “Memri”.[3]  What is your comment and what does this indicate?

Dr Emad Gad: It indicates that international public opinion is eager to know the Arab and Muslim point of view. Israel and the Zionist organizations were dominant, the Arab point of view was never demonstrated to international public opinion and now it is; hence, international public opinion cares to know it. In addition, we do not present only the cases of Arabs and Muslims; we monitor Zionist racist practices against Christianity, against the West...etc. We have a chart for our visitors; it shows that there are people from Israel , USA , Canada , Norway , and Hong Kong .

The other point is that we have a huge audience. The site is launched in three different languages. Muslims who don’t know Arabic know English or French. Therefore, our primary audience is composed of more than one billion people.

IOL: We would like to have a brief idea about the way of working on the Web site and whether it presents only materials chosen from the Israeli media or are there editorial tasks?

Dr Emad Gad: Our Hebrew team monitors the Israeli media. They collect everything and show it to the editorial staff. This is submitted on Saturday, read during Saturday and Sunday, and then a meeting is held at Sunday noon . We choose the material that we will update the site with, and we keep the rest in a database. The chosen materials are translated and checked seven times in order to assure that there are no mistakes. Then they are submitted to the Arabic language reviser who makes the necessary corrections. After that they are sent to both the English and French translators. The French site supervisor is a native Frenchman who believes in the organization’s mission and the English site supervisor is a native American woman who has the same belief. After the translation there is another reading then the materials are sent to the IT team to update the site.

IOL: So do you only present the chosen materials without commenting on them?

Dr Emad Gad: In the current stage, we only present them, but, according to the budget, we are supposed to add our own input starting from next June. We have just concluded a study called “Twisting facts”. It is about “Memri” and it shows its selectivity.

We have a research unit concerned with Israel . It is preparing a huge database and later we will conclude studies that we will publish in magazines and put on our Web site. 

IOL: The Web site presents discrimination cases that occur within the Arab states; don’t you think that this may distort the image of Arabs, which contradicts the targets of the organization?

Dr Emad Gad: This is essential in order to gain credibility; we will not be taken seriously unless we do that. We hope that all forms of discrimination in the Arab world will disappear; in fact, we are against discrimination in general. We confess that there are some forms of discrimination in the Arab world that are alien to Arab civilization and Arab traditions of tolerance.

IOL: Did the organization try to benefit from any other previous experiences, such as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), for example?

Dr Emad Gad: From the first moment, we planned to benefit from two institutions, the “ADC” and “CAIR” in Washington . However, as I told you, we only started around 40 days ago.

We have already contacted “CAIR” through e-mail and they are willing to cooperate, but this needs a visit so that they know more about us to plan ways we can cooperate. It is in our plan to take practical steps in order to coordinate with them.

IOL: On Friday, 16 January 2004 , in his article in Al-Ahram newspaper, Mr. Ibrahim Hegazy requested all the Arab youth to support the organization and become part of it. In steps, how can this be done?

Dr Emad Gad: The first step is to follow up the Web site and benefit from its information, ideas and facts. After that, they should keep watching the site because, after a while, the organization may make a call for sending petitions. This way they can be the organization’s striking force serving its activities. I think this is the main mission that the youth can carry out. We cannot demand them to finance the organization; however, they can give symbolic donations. Half a dollar, for example, is not much.

Finally, in a short message Dr Emad Gad said:

“Establishing the organization made the shift from the level of reacting to the level of positive acting and gave us self confidence. Our cases are just but our problem is that we can’t present them to the world. We always used to address the internal arena. For the first time, the organization addressed the external arena. If the international public opinion gets to know what we know about our cases, many stances will change.

The organization will achieve a great success. Its Web site is influential.

We hope that the AAD will always stay strong and that this will be the outset for establishing a chain of organizations. We hope that the organization will be supported by the citizens.”

Mai Hamdy is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University . She was the Editor-in-Chief for the newsletter of the Model Arab League (MAL) 2003 organized by the faculty. She was a member in Teen Stuff Magazine poetry club. She has contributed to Islamonline.net and other magazines. You can contact her at: maihamdy@islam-online.net

* Based on an interview with Dr. Emad Gad by Mai Hamdy on the 9th of February 2004 .