228 · Rachel Maissy-Noy
from the Center for Oriental Studies of Cairo University and that of ̔Abd
al-Wahab al-Masiri, one of the most important experts who has done ex-
tensive research, especially for the encyclopedia on terms regarding Jews,
Judaism, and Zionism.
The Motivation for the Egyptian Research
The main claim of Egyptian historiography is that Zionist historiography
invented a history for the Jewish people and that it constructed religious,
cultural, historical, and military myths based on lies in order to prove the
rights of the Jews to the territory of Palestine. Egyptian historiography
focused its attack on the Zionist narrative according to which the Jews
are the descendants of an ancient nation chosen by God to inherit Pales-
tine but that historical circumstances forced them to be exiled from their
country for about two thousand years, during which time they never
stopped yearning for Zion. Their situation in the Diaspora was mostly
full of humiliation, suffering, oppression, and persecution, which led
to the creation of a national movement that gathered the dispersed and
brought them back to the land of their forefathers.
This narrative is interpreted by Egyptian historiography as imaginary
and as a means of taking control over Palestine. Thus, in their desire to
counter that narrative and their devotion to the Palestinian cause, Egyp-
tian researchers devote their research to refute what they called “Lies of
the Zionist Historiography.” Among those so-called lies they criticize the
genealogical link of the Jews to the biblical Children of Israel; the topic of
the chosen people and the Promised Land; the question of the authentic-
ity of the Bible as a historical source; the question of the nationality of
the Jews; and the question of the existence of a Jewish problem in the
Diaspora, especially in Islamic countries. They write mostly in Arabic
and aim their histories at Arab readers. The main reason for this is their
concern that Arab youth might accept the Zionist version as true.
It is, however, interesting to compare this hostile attitude with the tone
and ambiance of three publications written before 1967 by Christian Ar-
abs. The first is by the Egyptian historian Shahin Maqaryus, published
in 1904; the second is by Emil Zaydan, published in 1914 in the Egyptian
journal Al-Hilal; and the third is by the Iraqi historian Yusuf Rizq Alla
Abu Ghunayma, published in 1924.^1 These books are characterized by
a sympathetic approach to the history and culture of the Jewish people.