One of my relatives (born at 1933) said to me two days ago, that there were many Jews in Iraq before their departure to Palestine at 1948 under the influence of Zionism.
He said: They were good neighbors and friends: they came frequently to visit his family. He said: they called us as children to kindle the fire (for tea or for warming the food) for them on the Sabbath (because they considered it unlawful to kindle fire on the Sabbath!)
He said also that once there was a sedition in the country, and about 20 Jewish families came to the house of his family; these Jews had shelter there with his family until the danger was over.
Generally speaking, these Jews were rich: they captured the economy of the market, with their known intelligence in trade, and they made the Muslim merchant lose and break down; they did not cooperate with the common poor people, and did not help the needy: some of them were rancorous --> so in general they were disliked by common people.
My mother, peace be to her soul, said to me once, that they heard a Jewish woman mourn her husband and say: "Why shouldn't he go to Paradise? he had never been loyal to any Muslim [: i.e. he did not do any good to any Muslim all his life!] "
My uncle (an elderly man in the eighties of his age) said to me:
Once there were two students with him in the secondary school; they failed two successive years: so they had to be fired out of the school, and would go to the military compulsive service which is disliked by people generally every where.
So in their last chance in the second terminal exam. the Jewish teacher failed them in the exam. so they captured him in the street after the end of the school time, and beat the teacher.
Now by chance there was a street sweeper there; he came and said: Why do you beat this poor guy?
The students said: "He is a Jew!"
The sweeper said: "Akh, a Jew!?" and he came with the students to beat that teacher.
This incident explains how people were hurt by these Jews who sucked the blood of the poor and needy to increase their wealth, and who were not sincere to Muslims, but were rancorous --> so people disliked them.
This was in general; but not all Jews were bad, and some of them on the contrary were kind, educated, good neighbors and friends who were respected by the community.
Some of them even converted and became Muslims, like the well-known Dr. Ahmed Soosa who belonged to a rich Jewish family in Hilla.
He said: They were good neighbors and friends: they came frequently to visit his family. He said: they called us as children to kindle the fire (for tea or for warming the food) for them on the Sabbath (because they considered it unlawful to kindle fire on the Sabbath!)
He said also that once there was a sedition in the country, and about 20 Jewish families came to the house of his family; these Jews had shelter there with his family until the danger was over.
Generally speaking, these Jews were rich: they captured the economy of the market, with their known intelligence in trade, and they made the Muslim merchant lose and break down; they did not cooperate with the common poor people, and did not help the needy: some of them were rancorous --> so in general they were disliked by common people.
My mother, peace be to her soul, said to me once, that they heard a Jewish woman mourn her husband and say: "Why shouldn't he go to Paradise? he had never been loyal to any Muslim [: i.e. he did not do any good to any Muslim all his life!] "
My uncle (an elderly man in the eighties of his age) said to me:
Once there were two students with him in the secondary school; they failed two successive years: so they had to be fired out of the school, and would go to the military compulsive service which is disliked by people generally every where.
So in their last chance in the second terminal exam. the Jewish teacher failed them in the exam. so they captured him in the street after the end of the school time, and beat the teacher.
Now by chance there was a street sweeper there; he came and said: Why do you beat this poor guy?
The students said: "He is a Jew!"
The sweeper said: "Akh, a Jew!?" and he came with the students to beat that teacher.
This incident explains how people were hurt by these Jews who sucked the blood of the poor and needy to increase their wealth, and who were not sincere to Muslims, but were rancorous --> so people disliked them.
This was in general; but not all Jews were bad, and some of them on the contrary were kind, educated, good neighbors and friends who were respected by the community.
Some of them even converted and became Muslims, like the well-known Dr. Ahmed Soosa who belonged to a rich Jewish family in Hilla.
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