In the landscape of global democracy, the rise of radical Islamist ideology presents a significant challenge.
Amid demonstrations supporting Hamas and a worrying uptick in antisemitism in the West, nations are divided in their responses. Some countries, like Lithuania and Latvia, are actively working to counteract these extremist influences and support fellow democracies.
Latvia’s president, Edgars Rinkēvičs, notably condemned Hamas’ attacks on Israel, expressing a personal resonance with the Jewish state’s plight. On the other hand, Belarus stands out as a stark example of an anti-democratic regime in Eastern Europe. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko notably congratulated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on November 29, which marks International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People.
In an exclusive conversation with The Media Line, Emanuelis Zingeris, the sole Jewish member of Lithuania’s parliament, emphasized the importance of a thorough understanding and condemnation of radical Islamic ideology. He criticized the international community’s past inaction, particularly during the rise of ISIS, for not adequately addressing the ideology of fundamentalist Islam.
“It was a huge mistake that during the evolution of ISIS and its attacks just a few years ago, the ideology of fundamental Islam was not analyzed or evaluated by international courts in The Hague. We will pay for this mistake of not having a crystal-clear evaluation of what fundamentalist Islam is,” he told The Media Line.
Jewish MP speaks out
Zingeris leads Lithuania’s delegation to the Council of Europe, an international organization, headquartered in Strasbourg, France, dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers comprises the foreign ministers of the council’s 46 member states. The chairmanship of the committee rotates among the member states every six months. Lithuania will hold the chairmanship from mid-May until mid-November.
As Lithuania prepares to lead the Committee of Ministers, Zingeris advocates for a united front of democracies to combat extremism, enlisting Israel’s assistance in this critical endeavor. He envisions a coalition that includes Eastern and Central European countries that share a pro-Israel stance and a history of liberation from Soviet control, such as Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Poland.
Israel, he says, should play a larger and more active role in helping this democratic front in pushing back fundamentalist Islamic terrorism, assisting beleaguered and threatened countries such as Ukraine and Taiwan, and supporting Belarusian and Russian democrats in exile and Chinese dissidents.
Zingeris’ personal connection to Jewish history and Lithuania’s Jewish community adds depth to his commitment to combating antisemitism and supporting Israel. He proudly revealed his deep ties to Jewish history through his mother, Polina Tatarskaya, a survivor of the Kovno ghetto and concentration camp, who recently died at age 102. His brother, a renowned poet and prose writer who passed away two months ago, contributed significantly to the literary exploration of Jewish life in Lithuania.
Highlighting the linguistic duality in his identity, Zingeris says, “I have two mother tongues—Lithuanian and Yiddish.” Lithuania, he says, is currently home to around 4,500 Jews. Around 1,000 of these have roots in Lithuania that predate World War II, while the others mainly arrived during the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. It is estimated that around 240,000 Jews lived in Lithuania in the early 20th century, before the Holocaust.
Zingeris proposes leveraging Lithuania’s upcoming chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers to prioritize passing a resolution that recognizes not only Hamas but also Hizbullah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organizations.
The global democratic landscape, Zingeris argues, is shrinking under the pressure of authoritarian regimes allied with extremist movements. At the same time, he said, dictatorships become more effective and visible, noting, “Now we see how dictatorships are united among themselves—Russia behind Iran, China, North Korea. Our democratic world is becoming smaller, and dictatorships are becoming more effective.”
He calls for a departure from isolationist national policies in favor of collective action and solidarity among democratic nations. “We should stop saying America first, Poland first, Lithuania first, Israel first.” This solidarity, he believes, is essential in confronting not just Hamas but the broader challenge posed by totalitarian and fundamentalist ideologies.
Unity among democracies
Zingeris highlighted the extremist perspective that seeks to replace civil society with what he termed an “Allah society,” stripping away rights from women, the LGBTQ+ community, and those with differing opinions. He drew attention to the situation in Gaza since 2007, expressing concern about the disappearance of opposition parties and the ideological monopoly imposed by Hamas, particularly in schools.
“Hamas monopolized all Gaza and brainwashed the schools with murderous ideology,” he said.
Zingeris’ vision extends to protecting civil rights within Europe and linking financial support to the defense against radical ideologies. He reflects on his role in Lithuania’s democratic revolution and emphasizes the importance of civil rights and freedom of expression in the fight against dictatorship and extremism.
“I was a teacher at Vilnius University, and I joined our revolution against the Soviet dictatorship in 1988,” he said with visible pride. “We won, and we were the first of the 15 Soviet republics to declare independence. I’m a signatory to the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, which means I’m part of our democratic revolution.”
Shifting the conversation, the Lithuanian MP told The Media Line about the absence of student demonstrations at universities in Middle Europe, specifically in Prague, Vilnius, Warsaw, Riga, and Tallinn, against the right of Israel to defend itself and the Jewish people.
At the beginning of March, the Israel Allies Foundation hosted the Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference, bringing together over 20 parliamentarians from various countries actively promoting pro-Israel legislation. Zingeris was one of the notable attendees. His participation in the conference highlights his active role in promoting pro-Israel legislation and condemning Hamas’ actions on an international stage.
Freedom of opinion
“We are based in Europe on civil rights. France, Lithuania, and Great Britain based on civil constitutions and civil rights to believe or not to believe. We should defend here in Israel the rights for the people, all citizens of Israel, to have not only freedom from the attacks but to have the right to have other opinions,” he said. “We should be here fighting against dictatorial ideology, and Hamas is a part of it,” he added.
Zingeris stressed his role as the author of the world’s first resolution condemning Hamas for the atrocities it perpetrated in Israel on October 7. Parliament unanimously approved the resolution on October 10. Central to the resolution was the firm stance that Iran should not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons. This bold, unanimous declaration from the Lithuanian parliament reflects members’ strong commitment to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region.
“Can you imagine Iran with nuclear weapons? It means there is the possibility to press and manipulate,” he said, adding that the resolution reflected widespread solidarity with Israel among Lithuania’s parliamentarians.