Muslim anti-Semitism is based in geopolitics

Re Behind rising anti-Semitism in Europe, Marmur, May 28

Rabbi Dow Marmur’s column mentions some of the horrendous violence by Muslims against Jews, especially in France. These acts are, sadly, well-known and have been loudly decried by most of the French political leadership. They led to support demonstrations in which French Jews were joined by non-Jewish citizens, including many Muslims.

Marmur’s intent is to go “behind” the rise of anti-Semitism to reveal that it is really due to Nazi-style anti-Semitism being “Islamized.” This is also a very well-known, though controversial, theory, and it is a half-truth at best.

Anti-Semitic Muslims are clearly misinterpreting both traditional and most modern Islam, but more importantly, they are misinterpreting the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which is the elephant in the room that Rabbi Marmur judiciously does not touch. It is this poisonous conflict that has not only introduced anti-Semitism among Muslims, but also Islamophobia among Jews. Certainly, there are Islamists, including imams, who have adapted anti-Semitic language to Islam, but there are proportionately no more of these than there are Jews, including rabbis, who have adapted Islamophobic language to Judaism. True, some anti-Semitic Muslims have been more violent in Europe, but that is probably because Muslims are far more likely to live in violent slums, where anger more easily bubbles up as overt aggression.

Anti-Semitism among Muslims should not be attributed to religion but to geopolitics. The same is true of Jewish Islamophobia. Neither are justified, both are appalling, and both are fed by the Israel/Palestine conflict. To be portrayed fairly, both need to be mentioned together.

Ivan Kalmar, anthropology professor, University of Toronto