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The Shared Struggle Against Antisemitism And Islamophobia

The Shared Struggle Against Antisemitism And Islamophobia

Last updated on: August 3, 2026 at 1:07 am by Henry Karlson

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The Shared Struggle Against Antisemitism And Islamophobia 2026-08-03T01:07:43-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Alisdare Hickson: Saturday 14 July 2018 A Stand Up To Racism Rally Which Rejects Antisemitism And Islamophobia / Wikimedia Commons

I have written many times against antisemitism and Islamophobia, explaining why both of them must be rejected – not only by secular society, but by Christians. Often, the arguments used to promote antisemitism or Islamophobia are the same, or similar, with the only difference being the object of derision. Someone, a Jew or a Muslim, will do something bad, and what they do will be falsely claimed to be done by them as a representing the normative beliefs and practices of their faith. This is one of the ways the clarion cry of xenophobia gets its power; it uses unjust generalizations to promote extreme hate, if not actual war, against Jews, Muslims, or both. Sometimes, it is subtle. Someone will claim they know antisemitism and Islamophobia are wrong, but then, when engaging something bad a Jew or a Muslim has done, they will do so through antisemitic or Islamophobic tropes. Thus, they prove that they have not completely cut themselves off from the siren of hate, that they have accepted the same biases and prejudices, generalizations which serve to create antisemitism or Islamophobia. Because they know that overt antisemitism or Islamophobia is wrong, their engagement of such tropes might make them more, not less, culpable, for the injustices which end up being promoted.

When I defend Jews against antisemitism, I have seen many try to encourage me to embrace Islamophobia, suggesting antisemitism is itself a feature of Islam. While many Muslims do embrace antisemitism, it is not a feature of Islam itself: indeed, Islam views Jews as People of the Book, to be treated with respect, not contempt. Similarly, when I criticize Islamophobia, I see many people who agree with the problem try to put the blame on the Jews and engage some form of antisemitism. Once again, while there are many Jews who are hostile to Muslims, many Jews who have embraced the worst form of nationalism, they do not represent Judaism and its proper take on Islam. We must be able to see that Judaism and Islam, just like Christianity, or any religion, or even secularism, has adherents of all kinds; we must not confuse bad members of any faith tradition as representing the fullness of the faith in question. We must not treat those Muslims who are antisemitic as proof that Islam is antisemitic, just as we must not treat those Jews who are Islamophobic as proof Judaism is Islamophobic. We certainly must not allow our defense of innocents, Jews and Muslims alike, be taken over by bad takes. We can criticize someone like Netanyahu without being antisemitic, indeed, but when we do so, we must criticize him in such a manner that we do not accept or employ anti-Jewish tropes to do so. Similarly, we can criticize someone similar to him, coming from the Muslim faith, such as Saddam Hussein or Ali Khamenei, but we must not use anti-Islamic tropes to do so. Such xenophobia and hate-mongering undermines the pursuit of peace and justice in the world.

This is why, when I see the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the world, I keep pointing to the great works of peace and justice promoted by both traditions (and also, other Middle Eastern faiths, including Zoroastrianism, Mandaeism, and Christianity, who also suffer injustices at the hand of such grave generalizations). While there are many Jews (and even Christians) who follow after and embrace Netanyahu, he does not represent Judaism; many Jews are horrified by what he has done and have sought to have him indicted for them. While there were many Muslims (and even Christians) who followed Saddam Hussein or Khamenei, once again, study of Islam will show that the injustices they promoted go against the spirit of Islam (and its teachings).

It is important for everyone to know the diversity of beliefs and practices within each religious tradition because, when they do so, they will not be so easily led to accept the biases and prejudices which promote antisemitism and Islamophobia. To do so, many will have to cast aside what they think they know, and learn from each other, listening to each other about their experiences and what they believe. When I taught a class, Ways of Peace In World Religions, I had my class read Thich Nhat Hahn’s Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other. Hahn was a Vietnamese Buddhist who had long worked to promote peace in the world. While he was active in anti-war protests, after the war, he showed he was concerned with everyone, from all sides of the war, which is why he helped many soldiers who suffered PTSD from their engagement in the Vietnam War. The book explained how he brought Jews and Palestinians together so that they could listen to each other and overcome the biases they had which led them to hate or fear each other. It showed the positive fruit of those meetings, where Jews and Muslims came together and saw they could recognize themselves in each other, to come to know and embrace each other, overcoming whatever fear or hate they might have had. They learned what we all need to learn, that we must put aside our prejudices and assumptions of the others, so that we are truly ready to listen to each other, engaging the kinds of dialogue which will helps work together for the common good. It is also what Vatican II told Christians they must do:

The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men. [1]

I have, as a Christian, found it important to promote and support Jews and Muslims, to learn from them, to study from their sages. My faith has been challenged and developed and made better because I have done so. I find myself more at home with Abraham Isaac Kook, who had a more universal approach to faith and sought to show the positive value of Islam (even if his son who turned away from his father’s universalistic approach towards nationalism) and Badshah Khan than with many Christians who have failed to listen to Christ and the church and do what Christ said, which is to love their neighbor and avoid any such hate-mongering. And, while there is a great amount of antisemitism in the world, and it rising, and I find many Muslims end up embracing such antisemitism, I know Islam as a whole teaches respect for the Jews and many Muslims do what they can to protect the Jews from such hate. Similarly, I see many Jews protecting Muslims from Islamophobia. In the United States, antisemitism certainly is becoming an ever-worsening problem; I find myself constantly having to write about it and condemn it, as I find I cannot be silent. But it is not just antisemitism. I constantly find myself having to speak out against Islamophobia (or any phobia against Middle Easterners, or any foreigner) in the United States. Both antisemitism and Islamophobia are major concerns. Sadly, the rhetoric I see coming from the so-called “right” in the United States concerning Islam scares me the most because it is the rhetoric the Nazis used against the Jews. I know where it leads if not stopped. When Nancy Mace on twitter writes, “Not all muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are muslims,” we have a problem. Likewise, when Brandon Gill said, “Perhaps it was a mistake for Germany to import ‘Islamic circles’ into their country in the first place,” I can’t but think of how that was said about the Jews (who were also accused of being terrorists) before Hitler got in power (helping him attain power, and then use it to reinforce that message).

It is important for everyone, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Native American, Bon, atheist, et. al., to stand against xenophobia, to stand against religious persecution, even as they must come together to work for and promote the common good. Religions can work together to establish some level of peace and justice in the world. They can do this in part by exhorting their members to overturn any prejudices or biases they have against others. We must make sure no member of any particular faith who does some wrong is turned into an example representing the whole of their faith. No person should be used to turn any particular religion into a scapegoat for real world problems. If we can’t come together, if we can’t stop the hate, the hate will grow, and from it, we will see many injustices emerge on the world scene. Those who suffer at the hands of such hate will want to respond in kind, creating a cycle of hate and violence. That cycle can only end in one of two ways, either by those who have been led to hate see through it and cast it aside, or else, someone will use to to suggest a “final solution” to remove and kill those they hate. Even if the “final solution” is not successful, it will lead to a great number of people suffering needlessly, if not executed, and no matter how many of them suffer in this fashion, those in positions of power promoting such abuses will never be satisfied. Even if they got what they wished, and they committed genocide, the seeds of hate remain in them and will be turned against someone else. They will prove to be cruel tyrants, going after innocent after innocent, so long as they have power. It is best not to get to this stage. There is time for people of good will to come together and to combat the hate which is growing, and to do so in a just fashion, that is, not by embracing some form of hate themselves. Antisemitism and Islamophobia go together, and everyone fighting against one should fight against the other. We can make for a better, if not perfect, world, and that is what we must aim for, but so long as hate, xenophobia, and religious persecution remain in the world, we have a long way to go.

[1] Nostra Aetate. Vatican translation. ¶2

* This Is Another Post From My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series

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N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

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