Envoyer à un ami 
[*] Tohey, "Martin Luther King : « lettre à un ami antisioniste » ou « fausse lettre d'un ami sioniste » ?", sur le site Le Post, 1er février 2009: [**] CAMERA ALERT: Letter by Martin Luther King a Hoax; [***] "La prétendue 'Lettre à un ami antisioniste', de Martin Luther King, est un faux"; [****] Projet: Proposition de Loi appelée Loi Martin Luther King. Depuis, ils ont modifié leur propos et créé un blogue, auquel je conseille vivement de se référer : Loi contre l'antisionisme.org.
04/06/09
Texte anglais original : Camera Alert : Letter by Martin Luther King a Hoax, 22 janvier 2002
Traduction française : Menahem Macina pour upjf.org
[Toutes les mises en exergue typographiques sont le fait du traducteur.]
"Nous tenons à vous informer que la « Lettre à un Ami Antisioniste »... prétendument écrite par le Dr Martin Luther King Jr, est, selon toute vraisemblance, un faux,
bien que le message qui est à la base de la lettre ait été indéniablement exprimé par Martin Luther King Jr, lors d’une intervention de 1968, à Harvard, au cours de laquelle il a dit: « Quand les gens critiquent les Sionistes, ils parlent des juifs. Votre propos est antisémite ». [extrait de "The Socialism of Fools: The Left, the Jews and Israel" (Le Socialisme des imbéciles: la Gauche, les Juifs et Israël), by Seymour Martin Lipset; in Encounter magazine, December 1969, p. 24].A l’origine, nous avions de forts doutes concernant l’authenticité de la « Lettre à un Ami Antisioniste », parce que le style du premier paragraphe semblait presque un pastiche de celui du discours du Dr King, « J’ai fait un rêve… ». En outre, nous n’avons trouvé aucune référence à la lettre avant 1999, ce qui était bizarre, car ce texte est une dénonciation si sensationnelle de l’antisionisme, qu’il aurait dû être largement cité.
Mais, ensuite, nous avons trouvé la "lettre" dans le livre respectable de Rabbi Marc Schneier, publié en 1999 (« Shared Dreams » [Rêves partagés]), dont la préface était écrite par Martin Luther III. Etant donné que la famille King a la réputation d’être extrêmement attentive à l’héritage du Dr King, nous supposions qu’elle avait vérifié la fiabilité du livre avant de l’approuver.
En outre, nous avions découvert que des citations de la "lettre" avaient été faites, le 31 juillet 2001, par Michael Salberg, de l’Anti-Defamation League, lors d’un témoignage devant le sous-Comité des Opérations Internationales et des Droits de l’Homme de la Commission pour les Relations internationales de la Chambre des Représentants des Etats-Unis. La même "source" où il était question de cette "lettre" (Saturday Review, août 1967), mentionnée dans le livre de Schneier, était également citée dans le témoignage. Comme beaucoup de membres de l’Anti-Defamation League avaient effectivement collaboré avec Martin Luther King Jr dans la lutte pour les droits civils, nous avons à nouveau supposé qu’ils étaient très bien informés de l’ouvrage concernant King et qu’ils avaient vérifié de manière approfondie tout ce qu’ils avaient choisi d’exposer devant le Congrès.
Néanmoins, comme nous ne nous fions pas, en règle générale, aux recherches effectuées par quelqu’un d’autre, nous avons décidé de procéder à une contre-vérification, en examinant les anciens numéros de Saturday Review (le livre de Rabbi Schneier indiquait que la "lettre" avait été publiée dans l’édition d’août 1967 de la revue). Mais voilà, cette lettre ne figure pas dans les numéros d’août, outre que la page et le numéro de volume cités ne correspondent pas à ceux qu’utilise cette publication. CAMERA a également effectué une vérification auprès de l’Université de Boston, qui conserve les archives de l’œuvre du Dr King. Les archivistes ne sont pas davantage parvenus à localiser cette lettre. Force nous est de conclure que la lettre en question n’a pas été écrite par le Dr King. (Veuillez noter que nous ne suggérons pas que la "lettre" contrefaite soit l’œuvre de Rabbi Schneier.
Du fait que le message de la lettre (l’antisionisme est de l’antisémitisme) était bien celui qu’avait exprimé Martin Luther King Jr, nous pouvons comprendre que la famille de King et l’anti-Defamation League, n’aient pas éprouvé le besoin de vérifier la « Lettre à un ami antisioniste ». Cet épisode nous rappelle qu’il est important de vérifier l’authenticité et l’exactitude des sources, même quand elles semblent solides.
Ci-après, une libre opinion, en date du 21 janvier 2002, du député républicain John Lewis, qui a travaillé en contact étroit avec le Dr King. Dans son article, il partage le point de vue du Dr King sur Israël, insistant sur la nature démocratique d’Israël et son besoin de sécurité. Il rapporte également que le Dr King a dit : « Quand les gens critiquent les Sionistes, ils veulent dire les Juifs, votre propos est antisémite. »
Cette citation a été confirmée, si bien que vous devez vous sentir rassurés sur le fait que vous pouvez utiliser cette citation dans des lettres. Veillez seulement à mentionner qu’elle provient d’une intervention du Dr King à Harvard en 1968, en sorte que personne ne puisse penser qu’elle provient de la "lettre" dont l’authenticité a été réfutée."
© CAMERA
Bref extrait de l’article du député Lewis (faute de temps je me suis limité à traduire le passage qui éclaire les circonstances dans lesquelles Martin Luther King a émis les propos que d’aucuns, profitant de la lettre apocryphe qui a voulu en faire un discours en soi, s’efforcent de révoquer en doute.]
"Durant une intervention à l’Université de Harvard, peu de temps avant sa mort, un étudiant se leva pour interroger King sur le problème du sionisme. La question était à l’évidence hostile. King répondit : « Quand des gens critiquent les sionistes ils veulent parler des Juifs. Votre propos est de l’antisémitisme »."
During an appearance at
| CAMERA ALERT: Letter by Martin Luther King a Hoax | |
| http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=8&x_article=369 We must inform you that “Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend” (see at bottom of alert), allegedly written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is apparently a hoax, although the basic message of the letter was indeed, without question, spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. in a 1968 appearance at Harvard, where he said: “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You are talking anti-Semitism.” [ from “The Socialism of Fools: The Left, the Jews and Israel” by Seymour Martin Lipset; in Encounter magazine, December 1969, p. 24. ]. We were initially doubtful of the authenticity of the “Letter to an anti-Zionist Friend" because the language in the first paragraph seemed almost a parody of language used in Dr. King's “I have a dream” speech. Additionally, we could find no reference to the “letter” prior to 1999, which was odd because the text is such a dramatic denunciation of anti-Zionism — one that would have been cited widely. However, we then found the “letter” in a reputable 1999 book (“Shared Dreams,” by Rabbi Marc Shneier) whose preface was written by Martin Luther King III. Since the King family is known to be extremely careful with Dr. King's legacy, we assumed they must have verified the accuracy of the book before endorsing it. Additionally, we found that quotations from the “letter” were used on July 31, 2001, by the Anti-Defamation League's Michael Salberg in testimony before the U.S. House of Representative's International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights. The same “source” (Saturday Review, August 1967) for the “letter” that was mentioned in the Schneier book was also cited in the testimony. Since many in the Anti-Defamation League had actually worked with Martin Luther King, Jr in the civil rights struggle, we assumed again they would be very knowledgeable about King's work and would have thoroughly checked anything they chose to read before Congress. However, because we do not ordinarily rely on anyone else's research, we decided to double-check, by searching back issues of Saturday Review (Rabbi Shneier's book had referenced the “letter” as being published in the August 1967 Saturday Review). Lo and behold, there is no such letter in any of the August issues, nor do the page and volume numbers cited conform to those actually used by that publication. CAMERA also checked with Boston University, where Dr. King's work is archived. The archivists too were unable to locate any such letter. We can only conclude that no such letter was written by Dr. King. (Please note we are not implying that the apparently bogus “letter” originated with Rabbi Schneier.) Since the message of the letter (anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism) was one Martin Luther King, Jr. had indeed articulated, we can understand why the King family and the ADL did not feel the need to verify the “Letter to an anti-Zionist friend.” This episode is a reminder of the importance of verifying the authenticity and accuracy of sources, even when they appear to be solid. Below is a January 21, 2002 op-ed by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who worked closely with Dr. King. In the op-ed, he shares Dr. King's views on Israel, views which stressed Israel's democratic nature and Israel's need for security. And he also relates that Dr. King said, “When people criticize Zionists they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism.” This quotation has been confirmed, so you should feel assured that you can use the quotation in letters. Just be sure to mention that it came from Dr. King's 1968 Harvard University appearance, so that no one will think it is from the debunked “letter.” The op-ed by Congressman Lewis appears below, and the hoax letter follows. Monday, January 21, 2002 (San Francisco Chronicle) THE REV. MARTIN Luther King Jr. understood the meaning of discrimination and oppression. He sought ways to achieve liberation and peace, and he thus understood that a special relationship exists between African Americans and American Jews. This message was true in his time and is true today. He knew that both peoples were uprooted involuntarily from their homelands. He knew that both peoples were shaped by the tragic experience of slavery. He knew that both peoples were forced to live in ghettoes, victims of segregation.He knew that both peoples were subject to laws passed with the particular intent of oppressing them simply because they were Jewish or black. He knew that both peoples have been subjected to oppression and genocide on a level unprecedented in history. King understood how important it is not to stand by in the face of injustice. He understood the cry, “Let my people go.” Long before the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union was on the front pages, he raised his voice. “I cannot stand idly by, even though I happen to live in the United States and even though I happen to be an American Negro and not be concerned about what happens to the Jews in Soviet Russia. For what happens to them happens to me and you, and we must be concerned.” During his lifetime King witnessed the birth of Israel and the continuing struggle to build a nation. He consistently reiterated his stand on the Israel — Arab conflict, stating “Israel's right to exist as a state in security is uncontestable.” It was no accident that King emphasized “security” in his statements on the Middle East, On March 25, 1968, less than two weeks before his tragic death, he spoke out with clarity and directness stating, “peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.” During the recent U.N. Conference on Racism held in Durban, South Africa, we were all shocked by the attacks on Jews, Israel and Zionism. The United States of America stood up against these vicious attacks. Once again, the words of King ran through my memory, “I solemnly pledge to do my utmost to uphold the fair name of the Jews — because bigotry in any form is an affront to us all.” During an appearance at Harvard University shortly before his death, a student stood up and asked King to address himself to the issue of Zionism. The question was clearly hostile. King responded, “When people criticize Zionists they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism.” King taught us many lessons. As turbulence continues to grip the Middle East, his words should continue to serve as our guide. I am convinced that were he alive today he would speak clearly calling for an end to the violence between Israelis and Arabs. He would call upon his fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner, Yasser Arafat, to fulfill the dream of peace and do all that is within his power to stop the violence. He would urge continuing negotiations to reduce tensions and bring about the first steps toward genuine peace. King had a dream of an “oasis of brotherhood and democracy” in the Middle East. As we celebrate his life and legacy, let us work for the day when Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, will be able to sit in peace “under his vine and fig tree and none shall make him afraid.” *** U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat, represents the 5th Congressional District of Georgia and worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement. ------------------------------------------ The following letter is a fabrication/hoax: “Letter to an anti-Zionist friend”
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