Why the Pakistani defense minister’s anti-Israel rhetoric should alarm us all

I am disgusted—disgusted by the vile antisemitic hatred that Israel continues to face.

We are living in a post-Holocaust world, and yet antisemitism is still being openly expressed.

The latest outburst came from Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, as reported recently in All Israel News:

He called Israel a “curse for humanity,” spread the false narrative of genocide, described it as a “cancerous state,” and even expressed a desire that Israel should burn in hell.

This raises several questions:
Why is this man still in his position?
Why hasn’t the Pakistani prime minister removed him?
Does the prime minister agree with these views?

A simple search shows that there is no organized or recognized Jewish community in Pakistan today. Most Jews left after 1948 and moved to Israel. While a few individuals of Jewish descent may still live in Karachi, often hiding their identity, the community has effectively disappeared.

So, if the Jewish community once lived in Pakistan, would they be welcomed back today in light of such statements from a senior government official?

His words reveal something deeply troubling.

This is a man with power and influence. Pakistan has a population of approximately 259 million people. That is the scale of his potential influence. And with Pakistan currently involved in global discussions and peace talks, his voice carries even greater weight.

Sadly, such rhetoric will be echoed by those who already harbor hatred toward Jews. We are already seeing this on our streets. In London, for example, an Oxford student was heard shouting, “Put the Zios in the ground.”

Statements like these—especially coming from a defense minister—do not just express hatred; they risk fueling more of it, and potentially even encouraging violence.

There is a children’s rhyme that says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But that simply isn’t true.

In 1930s Germany, there was a systematic dehumanization of the Jewish people. The Nazis succeeded in part because society accepted the narrative that blamed the Jews. The result was the murder of six million Jews in one of history’s greatest atrocities.

Words have power. Words have consequences. As Proverbs 18:21 says: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Sadly, this kind of sentiment is not confined to politics—it can even be found within the Church.

Just last week, in a UK Methodist group, I saw a member refer to Israel as a “scum nation.” I don’t know this individual personally, but such antisemitism and racism must be called out.

Antisemitism within the Church is not new. History shows us that Martin Luther himself expressed deeply antisemitic views, even calling for synagogues and Jewish schools to be burned.

Today, we still see the consequences of such hatred, with attacks even targeting Jewish ambulances.

My prayer today is that God would turn these curses into blessings.

In the book of Numbers, King Balak asked the prophet Balaam to curse Israel—but Balaam could not curse what God had blessed. As it says in Numbers 24:9:
“Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.”

Lord, we pray today that every word spoken as a curse against Israel would be turned into a blessing. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name, Amen.