Pakistan has never historically shied from making a grand fool of itself. If considering themselves to be Arabs by blood and lineage was any less of a joke, the country’s foreign minister – Shah Mahmood Qureshi has now been thrashed for his brazen antisemitism. While speaking to CNN’s Bianna Golodryga on the issue of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, representing Pakistan, made anti-Jew remarks. What he did not know, however, was that the anchor asking the questions was herself a Jew.
Discussing Israel’s actions in Gaza, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Qureshi said Israel has “deep pockets” and “they control the media.” Yet, the Pakistani foreign minister said, “Israel is losing out. Despite their connections, they are losing the media war.” Almost immediately, the CNN anchor shot back by saying, “What connections?”
It was here when Shah Mahmood Qureshi made an antisemitic remark. Right before a Jewish anchor, the Pakistani foreign minister went off into a hideous fit of laughter, and remarked, “deep pockets”. What Qureshi meant was the Jews across the world, particularly in the West, with their “deep pockets” were trying to control the media. Golodryga, outraged by the casual antisemitism of one of Pakistan’s most senior ministers, said, “I would call that an antisemitic remark.”
Qureshi : Israel this, Israel that
CNN: What about Uyghurs, you don’t talk about them
SMQ: China is our friend. We don’t like to talk about Uyghurs in public
CNN: what about human rights of Uyghurs?
SMQ: We talk about the human rights of Palestinians, Kashmiris pic.twitter.com/L2ur4aUuZr
— Yusuf Unjhawala 🇮🇳 (@YusufDFI) May 21, 2021
When asked by the journalist what he meant when he said Israel “controls media”, Qureshi replied by saying, “They are influential people.” After being told that his remarks reeked of antisemitism, Qureshi tried to “Well, you see, the point is, they have a lot of influence, and they get a lot of coverage.” Qureshi then tried to justify his statements saying that they were not antisemitic.
I had planned to speak with Pakistan’s foreign minister about paths towards a peaceful resolution between Israel and Hamas. Instead, he began the interview by invoking an anti-Semitic slur. Here’s the full interview. https://t.co/W8cOsWotvq
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) May 20, 2021
However, the journalist made it a point to say how the Pakistani foreign minister’s very first comment itself was antisemitic in nature. Bianna Golodryga then said, “I am sorry, I am personally offended as a journalist, you started by suggesting that Israel has close and powerful friends in the media. That is an anti-Semitic trope.”
Qureshi, having been exposed for the anti-Semite that he is, tried to also shift focus to Kashmir. It must be remembered that Pakistan is a country which seeks the destruction of the Jewish nation of Israel. The statements made by Qureshi at CNN are only a small peak into the mindset of Jew-hatred which pervades in Pakistan. Yet, the thrashing received by Qureshi throughout the conversation with the Jewish journalist will be remembered by the man forever. As a mater of fact, when Qureshi said that a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine was the only option, Bianna Golodryga also pitched in by asking whether the solutions given by the Pakistani minister include antisemitism as well.