New York, NY, June 16, 2003 … The specter of the bearded, hook-nosed, all powerful and conspiratorial Jew is no stranger to readers of one of Qatar's leading newspapers. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called the repeated use of this age-old anti-Semitic stereotype in Qatar's Al Watan newspaper "rampant" and "shocking."

Read the Report Anti-Semitic Cartoons in Qatar's Al-Watan

"Qatar aims to promote its image abroad as a modern Arab society with a newly adopted constitution, but that image is tarnished by the rampant anti-Semitism in their press," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "Qatar appears to share the same problem as other Arab and Muslim nations whose official news media regularly turn out ugly and hateful images of Jews and Israel."

Vicious Anti-Semitic Cartoons

Over the course of the war in Iraq and its aftermath, vicious anti-Semitic cartoons demonizing Jews as dirty, hook nosed, money hungry world dominators appeared regularly in Al-Watan, a leading Arabic-language newspaper based in Doha. The worst of these anti-Semitic images from March - June 2003 have been compiled in a new ADL report, Anti-Semitic Cartoons in Qatar's Al-Watan, which is available online

"What was shocking to us was the intensity of the anti-Jewish hatred of these images," said Mr. Foxman. "Jews are shown with long beards and grossly exaggerated features. The Jews are conspiratorial, plotting to dominate the Muslim world by controlling the thoughts and actions of world leaders, especially those in the United States."

Owned by Prominent Qataris

"We were greatly disturbed to find anti-Semitic incitement coming from a newspaper owned and headed by prominent Qataris," Mr. Foxman said. "We hope that Qatar's leadership will denounce these and all further manifestations of anti-Semitism in Qatar."

Al-Watan's chairman, Hamad bin Sahim al Thani, is a member of Qatar's royal family, and the newspaper is partly owned by Qatar's Foreign Minister, Hamed bin Jasem bin Jaber al Thani. Al Watan is widely read by Muslims and Arabs across the Middle East and is available around the world to anyone with Internet access.

In one of the images featured in ADL's report, a snickering Jew with long beard, black coat and a Star of David on his hat is controlling U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell as a hand puppet. Another image shows a demonic, hook-nosed Jew scrawling ideas about bringing "sanctions on Syria" into the minds of Powell, President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.