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July 21, 2008 | 9:43 pm

Quran’s description of Jews as ‘apes’ and ‘swine’

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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Ali Eteraz writes a really good blog. At least, he did. His Internet home went dark last month. He can still be found writing for Jewcy and has a new site under construction, but that is taking a back seat to his book, “Children of Dust,” which is about freedom and fundamentalism in Pakistan. Eteraz grew up there, and two years ago today he wrote an excellent post recalling his revulsion the first time he heard Jews described as “apes” and “swine.”

The words, I believe, were spoken by his Islamic tutor, a reference to two Quranic verses that have been a historic source of anti-Semitism. Before Eteraz’s blog went offline, I saved a portion of the post, viewable after the jump:

My mother tried to give the verses a spin but when I showed her the translations cited above, she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. A friend tried to point out that at least the animals the Jews were turned into (apes and pigs) were those with whom humans had the most genetic similarity. I appreciated his effort but this was not enough for me. It became compulsion and I decided that it was time that I stopped looking around for answers and read the Quran myself. So, instead of looking on the web for translations I went and purchased a copy of the translation of the Quran as performed by Leopold Weiss, a man who had been a Jew and then converted to Islam, eventually becoming the first citizen of Pakistan and the close friend of the late Kind Saud. Not only that, but I recalled that Leopold Weiss (Muhammad Asad as he was later called) stated in his biography that the biggest hurdle in his acceptance of Islam had been that he could not accept that Muhammad was divinely inspired. Until a few months ago, this had been my particular problem as well, and so I thought, surely a man who had the chutzpah to state openly his doubts in the Prophet and then found a way to resolve them, could be considered a serious scholar.

I started with verse 5:60 in his translation.

Say: “Shall I tell you who, in the sight of God, deserves a yet worse retribution than these? They whom God has rejected and whom He has condemned, and whom He has turned into apes and swine because they worshipped the powers of evil:” these are yet worse in station, and farther astray from the right path [than the mockers].

The first thing I noted, that I had missed the first time around when looking at this verse, was the fact that there was no mention of Jews. “They whom God has rejected and whom He has condemned” were the ones turned into apes and swine “because they worshipped the powers of evil.” Of course, that did not mean this verse didn’t refer to Jews; oh no, it did refer to them. Except, it turned out, that this verse not only referred to Jews, but also to Christians. A subsequent pharse refers to “Men of God” and “Rabbis” - with the Men of God being a reference to Christians (especially in light of the fact that in verse 66 the Gospel is mentioned explicitly). My headache wasn’t gone, but I felt a little better. A book that did not discriminate in its epithets seemed a lot more palatable than a book that seemed to single out the most persecuted group in the history of mankind. Of course, it was not exactly a relief because now I was confronted with the fact that even more people were being referred to as descendants of apes and swine!

The other two ape and swine verses were limited to Jews, but thankfully they offered a way of resolving the issue.

Here is how Asad had rendered the two verses:

7:166

and then, when they disdainfully persisted in doing what they had been forbidden to do, We said unto them: “Be as apes despicable!””‘

2:65

for you are well aware of those from among you who profaned the Sabbath, whereupon We said unto them, “Be as apes despicable!”

That “as” I knew quite well: “So am I as the rich, whose blessed key can bring him to his sweet locked up treasure” said Shakespeare. It was the “as” — the blessed “as” — of metaphor! I rejoiced a hundred times over. A metaphor means that the finality of language is absent. Being “as” something is not the same as being something. Could it be that the Quran was engaged in metaphor-making? If references to apes and swines were metaphors, it meant that the people being referred to had expressed the qualities of an “ape” and the qualities of a “pig.” Given the fact that in classical Arabic an ape was someone impulsive and a pig was someone stubborn, the metaphors seemed almost innocous (Especially since in all languages animals are used as referrants for certain qualities. Once we could learn what qualities classical Arabic invoked when referring to those animals, we could understand what the metaphor was referring to.

Before I got too excited I wanted to be certain this “as” was not a mere blip on the radar. I had too many feelings hurt to risk hurting them again. So I went and consulted another translation, this one by Shakir.

7:166

Therefore when they revoltingly persisted in what they had been forbidden, We said to them: Be (as) apes, despised and hated.

2:65

And certainly you have known those among you who exceeded the limits of the Sabbath, so We said to them: Be (as) apes, despised and hated.

Granted that the other two famous English translations (Yusuf Ali and Pickthall), did not have the metaphorical “as” in them the presence of the “as” in two of the more famous translations was enough to get my mind churning, and this time I was not reliant upon any authority except that of my God given reason. Suddenly I started to see patterns in the Quran that further cast light on these questionable (and certainly questionably used) verses.

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Well, you can’t hold the Qur’an to too high a standard on these matters. Here is a page by someone who has performed this kind of research on a large scale. He has other material, but this one is specifically about the Qur’an and Jews

http://www.observationdeck.org/weblogs/?p=579

Comment by Ben Plonie on 7/22/08 at 2:54 pm

Translation is always just another interpretation. I think more interesting is a film adaptation of the Qur’an: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D0I4VS/

Comment by Peter on 7/24/08 at 7:14 am

Here is the Editorial Review on that page:
Product Description
It’s 74 minutes and 16 seconds of a pure yellow screen. Without sound. Without change. Without dialogue. Without monologue. Just a crystal clear yellow screen. This is how director Nigel Tomm interprets the central religious text of Islam - the Qur’an. The first film adaptation of the Qur’an “deconstructs” and “breaks” a text into pure senses where the silent yellow screen discloses a space for inner interpretations. Extra ordinary? Naturally stunning? Primary cool? You choose.
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com’s standard return policy will apply.

Here is the trailer for the movie:
http://www.st-williams.demon.co.uk/blank_yellow_pg.htm

Just between us, did you actually read that page? But “There are no customer reviews yet.” since you find it interesting, put one up and I will read it. Here, I’ll help start you off:

“The Koran - the ultimate challenge… a billion people read it, study it, live it, worship by it. How to convey that text-based to non-verbal experience , left brain to right, text to real time? Director Nigel Tomm achieves the impossible for the first time in history in this holistic statement - an arrow straight and true aimed directly at the innermost psyche… MUAAHHHH! AIIIEEEEEAHHHH! HUNNNHHHH!

Every attempt to meet the challenge of conveying the essential Koran experience has been met by the Islamic ‘Ummah’ of believers with prescibed ritual stabbing, dismemberment, and beheading. Tomm lays his life on the line to bring that experience to the public while staying in strict keeping with the Shariah Law of the Koran and respecting the delicate sensitivities of its devoted and relentless followers.”

Comment by Ben Plonie on 7/24/08 at 11:01 am

The Quran describes jews and christians turned into apes and swine, why do they feel offended…
I think Darwin was more desgraceful when he disgraced the whole humanity as descendend of Apes!!
Darwin’s observation was correct but his deduction was wrong, it was DEVOLUTION rather then EVOLUTION man was not descended from ape, but ape was descended from man… and Quran verifies it 1400 years before Darwin

Comment by Nasar Usmani on 10/17/09 at 12:42 pm

I bet you are feeling pretty superior with your 1400 years. The Torah confirmed everything 2000 years before Muhammad.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 10/20/09 at 12:30 am

Ben, the noble Torah given to Moses is a valueable and valid to Muslims as the noble Quran. This not an issue of superiority. God sends His message to selective messengers/prophets through the ages.

Comment by Hanif on 11/19/09 at 6:22 am

I understand and appreciate the concept. However, there are certain irreconcilable differences between the noble Torah and the commonly accepted sense made of it by most Islamic scholars and teachers.

Here are two articles by someone (educated in Egypt and Saudi Arabia) who calls those views ‘radical pseudo-Islam’:

WHAT THE QUR’AN REALLY SAYS
http://www.templemount.org/quranland.html

and

The Islamists Have it Wrong
http://www.meforum.org/14/the-islamists-have-it-wrong

Comment by Ben Plonie on 11/19/09 at 7:22 am

Shalom, A salam alaikum, and hello. Greetings from the most high God there is only 1 Duet 6:4. Now that the pleasantries are over. It is a shame that a book such as the Quran has parted so far off from original text as it has done since it has been in circulation, being rewritten and narrated by certain Islamic chief figures. Now they are a nation of people yes and people of Avrahim yes but not of any other promise especially their own salvation. Saying this as Shaul or Paul ventured into arabia to present the gospel to a people who are proud and self-esteeming much like the rebellious trides of Yisrael unto the house of Dawid proud of Moshe and Avrahim, some could not even come to the fact that a man, son of mary as the quran states could be the son of God as scripture of Old and New state and proclaim. Muslims do not read what is not theirs so in doing so could not venture into what is known as truth, much like the pharisees held such a horrid presence in jewish culture that they could order death among who would believe and it was so. To say in Islam a prophet cannot lie and to consider Yeshua a prophet and not read His teachings or sayings, you people limit your knowledge of what the profit actually said. The gospel was perverted in arabia and misfigured was the Messiah, first by Abu Huraira then by every other man to put a spinning pen to the Apostle’s words.

Comment by Sukram To'relli on 11/25/09 at 11:02 am

Look at the bright side. At least you agree that the Pharisees held such a horrid presence in Jewish culture. You are united in ignorance.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 11/25/09 at 11:29 pm

in your faith i mean muslim people.who is sending the right message the ones who kill in the name of allah or the ones who say that islam is a peaceful religion.

Comment by joseph on 9/03/10 at 6:01 pm

“It was the ‘as’ — the blessed ‘as’ — of metaphor!”

1)  When you add the “as”, it becomes a simile.  There is a difference.
2)  Without the “as”, it could easily be metaphor, still. 

“I rejoiced a hundred times over. A metaphor means that the finality of language is absent.” 

No, it simply means that two things are being compared.  A simile would be a more distant comparison than a metaphor.

Comment by Rico on 9/06/11 at 3:14 am

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