Behind rising anti-Semitism in Europe
“European anti-Semitism, in both its theological and racist versions, was essentially alien to Islamic traditions, culture, and modes of thought. But to an astonishing degree, the ideas, the literature, even the crudest inventions of the Nazis and their predecessors have been internalized and Islamized.”
So wrote Bernard Lewis, a professor emeritus at Princeton and arguably the most influential expert on Islam in the Western world, some 20 years ago. He died last week at age 101. Since then, largely due to the influx of immigrants from the Middle East, Muslim antiSemitism has become not only a threat to Jewish communities in Europe and beyond but also to the stability of many Western states.
Scandalous Muslim anti-Semitic distortions include describing the Bible as a version corrupted by the Jews to show that they’re the chosen people. The century-old Russian forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, is viewed by Muslim anti-Semites as “proof” that the Jews aspire to run the world.
Many Muslims have also embraced Holocaust denial, saying that it never happened and, if it did, the Zionists were the collaborators of, and are now the successors to, the Nazis. The latest false and offensive statement to that effect was made earlier this month by the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.
Radical militant Islamists lap up these blatant lies. They see them as justifications for attacks on Jews who’ve been particularly exposed in France where they’re said to be 25 times more likely to be attacked than Muslims. Some 50,000 of the half-million Jews living in France have been forced to move. Many have left the country.
Eleven French Jews have been assassinated in recent years, among them an 85-year-old wheelchair-bound Holocaust survivor. She was stabbed and set alight by a Muslim neighbour.
However, of late, efforts have been made to stem this tide of hatred. Last month, some 250 French public figures signed a manifesto denouncing Muslim anti-Semitism.
In support, 30 Muslim religious leaders in the country have called upon their colleagues to help stem antiSemitism among their flocks. The imams are reported to have deplored that their faith has fallen into the hands of “an ignorant, disrupted, and idle youth.”
Germany, which after the Holocaust tried very hard to welcome back Jews, has in recent years seen many manifestations of anti-Semitism, not only by neo-Nazis but also by Muslims immigrants.
Recently, a 19-year-old Syrian refugee in Berlin attacked two men wearing skullcaps in the manner of many religious Jew. Ironically, one of the victims was a Palestinian Muslim who wanted to find out if it was really dangerous to be identified as a Jew in Berlin.
Here too the response by the non-Jewish public, including some Muslims, has been heartwarming. For example, as manifestations of solidarity, thousands of Berliners have donned skullcaps. A mass rally in support of the Jewish community was attended by the mayor of Berlin.
Perhaps the most significant efforts have been made by Muslim and Jewish leaders in joint public actions. For example, 20 per cent of the population of Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, is Muslim. As a result, the small Jewish community there has been subjected to many attacks. Their synagogue was torched.
In response, one of the local imams, together with the rabbi of the Jewish community, have formed an organization dedicated to Muslim-Jewish cooperation.
They’ve attracted supporters among local residents. Together they hope to help turn the tide.
While vehemently deploring the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and other countries, including Canada, it behooves us to acknowledge the efforts not only by the civic authorities but also by Muslim leaders determined to celebrate coexistence and co-operation.