In the chants of modern-day protests from London to Auckland, one ancient cry can sometimes be heard rising above the crowd:
“Khaybar, Khaybar ya Yahud, jaish Muhammad sa-ya’ud!”
Translation: “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.”
To the untrained ear, it may sound like just another slogan in a sea of political outrage. But this chant is anything but benign. It is a call to violence, a religiously charged threat, and a disturbing window into the deep-rooted antisemitism that continues to infect parts of the anti-Israel movement today.
What Was Khaybar?
Khaybar was an oasis in the Arabian Peninsula, home to several Jewish tribes, about 150 kilometers north of Medina. In 628 CE, the Muslim army led by the Prophet Muhammad besieged and defeated the Jewish communities living there. The Jewish residents, unable to defend their fortresses, surrendered and were allowed to remain — but only under subjugation, paying a portion of their agricultural yield to their conquerors in perpetuity.
In Islamic tradition, this battle is often recounted as a moment of triumph. But in modern usage, particularly by Islamist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, Khaybar has been weaponised as a metaphor for conquest and humiliation of the Jews — a precedent for future “victories” over Israel and the Jewish people.
The Khaybar Message in Modern Times
When protesters chant “Khaybar, Khaybar,” they are not calling for peaceful resolution or mutual recognition. They are invoking a battle cry from the 7th century to justify a violent vision for the 21st. This message is not a critique of Israeli policy, nor even of Zionism. It is a genocidal threat, targeted not just at Israelis, but at Jews as a people.
The phrase has been heard in:
- Pro-Hamas rallies in European capitals;
- Islamist sermons broadcast on satellite television;
- Antisemitic terror attacks—like the 2012 Toulouse school shooting in France, in which the attacker referenced Khaybar while murdering Jewish children;
- University protests, including on some New Zealand campuses, where rhetoric too often slides from political opposition to open racial hatred.
To chant “Khaybar” is to celebrate the conquest and degradation of Jews, to revel in historical domination, and to promise its return. It is the Middle Eastern equivalent of shouting “Heil Hitler” or “Back to the ovens.”
The Dangerous Mask of Anti-Zionism
Supporters of such rhetoric often claim it is a protest against Israel, not Jews. But this is a distinction without a difference. The Khaybar message does not concern borders, settlements, or diplomacy. It does not reference Gaza or the West Bank. It harkens back 1,400 years, to a time before Israel existed, and invokes a theology of permanent hostility. It is not about justice for Palestinians. It is about revenge against Jews.
Such messages undermine the credibility of the wider Palestinian solidarity movement, which claims to stand for human rights, yet tolerates or repeats chants calling for ethnic violence and religious war. When Western activists echo these slogans — knowingly or otherwise — they become accomplices in spreading an ancient hatred repackaged for modern political theatre.
New Zealand Must Draw a Line
In a democratic society like New Zealand, we pride ourselves on freedom of expression. But that freedom does not extend to incitement. If a protester invoked Christchurch to threaten Muslims, it would rightly be condemned. The same must apply to references like Khaybar — steeped in historical blood and resurrected as slogans of intimidation.
The Human Rights Commission, educational institutions, and political leaders must make clear: there is no place in New Zealand for antisemitic incitement, regardless of whether it is wrapped in Palestinian flags or delivered in Arabic chants.
Conclusion: Choose History or Hatred
The Khaybar chant is a mirror held up to the moral failure of parts of the pro-Palestinian movement. It reveals a worldview that does not seek coexistence, but conquest; not peace, but purification. It is a reminder that the fight against antisemitism must not be confined to the pages of history, but waged anew whenever ancient hatreds resurface.
At a time when genuine suffering demands moral clarity and courageous empathy, repeating the Khaybar chant is not activism. It is a declaration of hate, and it must be confronted as such.
