A Hamas-run children's TV program aired recently encouraging hatred of Denmark, the West and Israel. The show's star, a rabbit named Assud, threatens to "bite and eat" the Danish if they republish cartoons of Islam's founder, Mohammed.
"If they repeat it we will kill them," Assud explains to the young viewers. "I will bite them and eat them!"
The program focuses on the call to boycott Danish and Israeli products. "Denmark and the West are targeted because of the Mohammad cartoons in a Danish newspaper," Palestinian Media Watch Director Itamar Marcus points out in a recent dispatch. "Israel is targeted because it exists."
Saraa, the young TV hostess of the program, describes the publication of the Muhammad cartoons as "the West's attack against [Mohammed]." The program then features children phoning into the program to condemn the "cowardly infidels" and vow to fight them.
"The children's show, Tomorrow's Pioneers, has used its previous animal character co-hosts, the Mickey Mouse lookalike Farfur and the bee Nahul, to champion violence, promote hatred of Israel and preach about world Islamic supremacy," Marcus said. "To further reinforce its anti-Israel message, Hamas has killed off both characters and blamed Israel."
The following is PMW's transcript of the broadcast of Feb. 22, 2008 on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV:
Saraa: Did you see the West's attack against the Messenger [Muhammed]?
What do you have to say about this?
Amaani, 10 year old girl by phone: I say to the cowardly infidels...
Assud: Criminals.
Amaani: Criminals.
Assud: Do you boycott Israeli and Danish products?
Amaani: Yes
Assud: You don't eat them at all?
Amaan: I don't eat them at all.
Assud: Great! Keep it up!
Saraa: We will all boycott Danish products, and Israeli products first.
* * * * * *
Saraa: What can we do for the Messenger?
Inaas, 10 year old girl by phone: We can fight them because
they cursed Allah's Messenger.
Saraa: 'Tomorrow's Pioneers' army will redeem the Messenger,
with their possessions and their blood, Assud,
and will not let them repeat this attack.
Assud: If they repeat it we will kill them, by Allah.
Saraa: In His will.
Assud: I will bite them and eat them!