(Jewish Group) Opinion: European anti-Semitism is not imported

[Behind the Aegis]

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

In Europe and in Germany there is currently a lot of talk about “imported anti-Semitism,” supposedly brought here by Muslims. Yet hatred of Jews is part of Christianity’s DNA, says Krsto Lazarevic.

There’s a causality in Germany’s Islam debate that merits a closer look. Whenever provincial Bavarian politicians proclaim that Islam does not belong to Germany, their speeches contain repeated references to the country’s "Judeo-Christian" character or tradition. There is, however, no mention of the fact that a substantial part of this Christian-Jewish tradition was Christians persecuting, expelling and murdering Jews. And when European households paint eggs for Easter, it should be pointed out that Christian anti-Judaism is based on the age-old accusation that the Jews were the ones who murdered Jesus.

Jews were driven from their homes by Christians for almost two thousand years. In 1492 the Alhambra Edict decreed that they should be expelled from what is now Spain, after living there under Muslim rule for centuries. Many of these Jews found refuge in the Ottoman Empire, at the invitation of Sultan Bayezid II. The Sultan is quoted as saying: “How foolish of the Spanish kings to expel their best citizens and leave them to their bitterest enemies."

Jewish life blossomed in Ottoman cities like Thessaloniki and Sarajevo for centuries, and lasted until the Nazis arrived. Those are historical facts one should perhaps be conscious of when speaking, on the one hand, of a “Judeo-Christian” tradition, and at the same time of Muslims who "import" anti-Semitism.

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However, most anti-Semitic crimes in Germany are committed by right-wing extremists. And when right-wingers blather on about "imported anti-Semitism" and put Muslims under general suspicion, the best option is still to show them the raised middle finger. But it’s also true that you can’t venture down Sonnenallee at night in a kippah. In Germany, 2018. We must finally do something about this.

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Good article. And, no, it doesn't let any other groups "off the hook", it talks about the problem of anti-Semitism in its entirety.