The father of Jihad al-Shami, the terrorist who murdered two Jews at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur last year, posted an inciting and antisemitic message on his Facebook account in which he likened the Palestinians to the basket in which Moses was placed.
The father, Faraj al-Shami, is a surgeon who previously worked for several nongovernmental organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, and operated in various conflict zones, including South Sudan, Afghanistan and Mali.
In the post, al-Shami wrote: “Israel is a state that grew on the skulls of our people in Palestine. It is a project of wars.” He also wrote that “Jews and their Muslim cousins lived in peace and harmony for hundreds of years, and Islam granted them security and good treatment — until Hitler came and did what they deserved.”
He went on to claim that “Muslims or Palestinians had no role whatsoever in the Holocaust, in which millions of Jews were murdered in Europe, and yet our people paid the price with their blood and the blood of their children.” According to al-Shami, “the state that was born has, since its establishment, insisted on killing, destroying and uprooting people.”
Al-Shami added: “Look at history — no people or group has survived after building its life on murder, racism, destruction and displacement. No oppressor remains. The oppressed will inevitably prevail, even if only one child remains, even if he is cast into a river as the mother of Moses did. Israel will not be an exception to this history, and no matter how strong it becomes, it will not be able to change the laws.”
The post stands in contrast to a statement al-Shami issued after the deadly attack carried out by his son, when he published an apology following harsh public criticism directed at the family. A statement released at the time on behalf of the extended family said relatives sought to disassociate themselves from the attack, in which two Jews were killed and three others were seriously wounded.
The rally in Manchester
(Photo: Tamar Sebok)
However, shortly after the attack, Britain’s Daily Mail reported that the father had praised Hamas for the October 7 massacre and celebrated it. Faraj al-Shami, who arrived in Britain from Syria in the 1990s, attempted to distance the family from the attack in a Facebook post, writing: “We disassociate ourselves from this attack and express our shock and deep sorrow over what happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families. The family strongly condemns the despicable act against peaceful and innocent civilians.”
But over the past two years, he has expressed support for Hamas’ actions in the war in Gaza and also took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration. On the day of the massacre, al-Shami wrote: “The scenes broadcast by Hamas prove that Israel will ultimately be destroyed. Such men prove that they are men of God. Guard your weapons well and aim them precisely. May God protect Palestine and the heroic people.”