Dr. Sayyed is editor-in-chief of two California-based weekly newspapers, Pakistan Today and Moslem World Today; in addition he is the President of the Council for Tolerance and an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute. Dr. Sayyed's analyses as a respected historian and a current affairs expert have been instrumental in shaping policy in the Middle East today.
"People don’t recognize that whatever trouble the world is confronted with today is because of anti-Semitism. People hide anti-Semitism under different guises or title. Some call it anti-Zionism, some call it anti-Americanism, some say we are leftists, liberals, Moslems...but the crux of the matter is that they are anti-Semites. Anti-Semitism is a disease, an affliction that has troubled the mind of this world for the last 2,500 years," Sayyed stated.
Sayyed believes that supporting Israel and ridding the Islamic world of its anti-Semitic ideologies is the only way to save Islam from being overrun by the forces of evil. "As a Moslem, I am concerned for the welfare of my community for the future of my children. I do not want Moslems to continue living in the bottomless epic of darkness and evil. I found the symbol that I can hold onto in order to liberate the Moslem community from the hold of evil is that of Israel. Israel, after coming into existence in 1948, has been something that refuses to submit to evil and darkness," said Sayyed.
Sayyed says that he was predisposed to anti-Semitism as a result of his earliest educational experiences in the framework of religious Moslem institutions. "I was born an anti-Semite. Like most children from traditional communities, I was taken to a religious school at the age of four or five years old. The first word I learned from a cleric, like the ABC's, in my mother tongue was Allah, The Moslem God. The cleric defined that Allah stands for justice; he does not stand for disobedience to divine power. The people Allah is most angry with are the Jews; they betrayed him, they betrayed his prophet, they are evil people," Dr. Sayyed explained.
According to Dr. Sayyed he was able to overcome his initial anti-Semitic ideology because of his search for truth, fueled by a love of reading and exposure to a more enlightened philosophy. "I was not faced with an anti-Semite in my family; my father was a very enlightened person. He kept telling me do not believe anything unless you hear the other side. I am not a physically tall or strong person and was not welcomed into groups that were good at games; I remained in the confines of my house. Instead of being bitter about these circumstances I fell in love with books. I have found Jews to be people who love books, love reading and researching," said Sayyed, adding, "I used to wonder who these people are? What's wrong with them? Why do people hate them? That gave me a passion, a desire that I have to find reasons. I got confused: on the one hand, I had my Moslem sociology. On the other hand, I had the ideas from these books challenging all the standing theories that I had been depending on."
Sayyed was critical of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies, including the recent disengagement and the potential creation of a Palestinian state. "As Prime Minister today, Sharon is under so much pressure that he is destroying the very dream that will keep Israel intact," said Sayyed.
Sayyed described his first visit to Israel as a pilgrimage, and voiced his unconditional support for the Jewish State. "The State of Israel is an incarnation of the original truth. I hope to keep visiting this holy land. If Israel is not secured, then the world will not be secure," he stated in conclusion.