Egyptian singer’s Israel hate clip

Egyptian singer Amr El Masry might claim to love Israel in his hit single “Baheb Israel,” but a Jewish human rights organization called for the catchy tune’s removal from YouTube on Friday, calling it hate speech.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned El Masry’s song for actively promoting the destruction of Israel. Although he sings “I love Israel,” El Masry implores “May it disappear from the universe. God, please have it banished.”

“Given the current reality on the ground in Egypt with growing calls to destroy their Jewish neighbors, this posting of a popular artist’s song goes beyond the boundaries of ‘speech,'” Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper said.

Another lyric also evoked the group’s ire: “May [Israel] dangle from the noose. May I get to see it burning, Amen. I will pour petrol on it.” Cooper wrote that such statements are “not an abstract but a threat.”

“Please have your team review the facts on the ground in Egypt which elevate this song from mere ‘speech’ to a real threat against real people in the real world,” he petitioned YouTube.