The Muslim Obsession with Jews

The Muslim Obsession with Jews

 In their daily conversations, Muslims around the world blame a ‘Jewish conspiracy’ being responsible for all their internal and external conflicts.  It is unfortunate that these conspiracy theorists include even the educated Muslims.

Muslim media, especially the media in Arab countries, routinely declare Jews as their enemies. People believing in some Jewish conspiracy, also propagate that the only solution of Palestinian conflict is the destruction of Israel. They argue, Israelis have no right to live in the land of Palestine.

Those Muslim who deny Israelis the right to live in Palestine, forget the injunctions of The Quran (5:20-21), where God specifically ordered Moses and the ‘children of Israel’ to enter the ‘Holy Land’ and settle there. When the Jews resisted because of their fear of the rulers of those lands at that time, God admonished them. Finally, the ‘bani Israel’ conquered Palestine under Joshua.

Nearly all the modern experts of Quranic exegesis including, Syed Maudoodi, Yusuf Ali, and Waheeduddin Khan agree that the ‘Holy Land’ mentioned in Quran for the Jews is what is today roughly the State of Israel. This proves that the Israelis have the divine right to live in the Holy lands. Any Muslim believer, who denies the right of Israelis in what was once Biblical Palestine, does in fact refute the command of Allah.

Some extremist Muslims maintain that according to Quranic teachings, God later withdrew the privileges granted to Jews and therefore they lost their rights to live in the environs of Jerusalem. However, the Quran is silent about such revocation, and it will always be a debatable issue in Islam. Jews by definition do not have to accept any Quranic injunctions and instead they will always rely upon The Old Testament to interpret their perceived divine rights.

Muslims who perceive Jewish conspiracies either willfully or naively ignore the objective history of the Jewish people.  They base their perception of conspiracies upon the Jewish ascendancy in the matters of finance, sciences, learning, and other fields of industry, including their influence on the global spheres of power. Such perceptions have also strengthened due to Muslims’ own decline and the establishment of Israel.

An objective review of Jewish history clearly informs us that the Jews have been in the Diaspora from about 600 BC until the creation of the State of Israel under the Zionist movement. During this period they have been severely persecuted by Babylonians, Pagans, Romans, and Christians. They were periodically uprooted and their temples were destroyed including the Temple of Solomon, the site of Bait al Maqdis (Dome of the Rock), the Muslim Holy Site, in Jerusalem.

During their various exiles, a large number of Jews settled in various European countries where they faced extreme anti-Semitism that led to The Holocaust, the worst genocide of Jews in human history. The Holocaust as a crime against humanity is universally accepted; though anti-Semites deny it and some Muslim extremists also adopt this denial. Even those Jews who settled in the US faced persecution and anti Semitism, which still exists in various forms.

To overcome their persecution, and to survive, Jews worked hard to excel in the fields of learning, sciences, medicine, trade, financial businesses including banking, and other material fields.

Despite their excellence in various fields of knowledge, Jews have been stereo-typically labelled as bloodthirsty usurers. Such stereotypes emanate from biblical stories of Jesus throwing out the money lenders from the temple, as well as through literature like Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.

Due to their dedication to excellence in various fields, Jews have been able to influence the ruling classes and establishments in various countries, in order to insure their own survival and existence.

They have also established charitable institutions including hospitals, centres of education, and other fields of learning. They have also strived to promote the development of laws protecting Universal Human Rights that benefit all minorities, including Muslims. These laws include the laws protecting Freedom of Expression based on the principles of US constitution, and UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Their difficulties with Muslims began due to their conflict with the Prophet of Islam and they were exiled from Medina. In the later Muslim empires Jews had an ambivalent relationship with the Muslim rulers where they enjoyed privilege as well as suffered persecution, and biases, under various extremist Muslim rulers whether in Baghdad, in Spain, or under the Ottoman rulers. In the Muslim empires Jews were employed in the centres of learning in Baghdad and Spain and contributed in transfer and preservation of knowledge.

It is an established fact that Muslims and their rulers benefit from all the excellent medical facilities in the West. No one has ever complained that Jews have prescribed harmful medicines or injection for Muslims under some vicious schemes. They have also not denied Muslims admissions to various institutes of higher learning.

Jewish promotion of knowledge, charitable work, their work in the human rights, and their promotion of freedom of expression, further strengthens their influence in the West and elsewhere.

It is this influence that Muslims deem as The Jewish Conspiracy.

They also criticize the West and the US for their support of Freedom of Expression– that allows ordinary citizens to insult Islam and its Holy personalities — and for their support of declaring the denial of Holocaust as a crime in various countries.

The fact is that under the US Constitution and Canadian Charter of Rights, it is not a crime to deny the Holocaust. Muslim anti-Semites also ignore that Holocaust Denial is a crime in many European countries because this is where the Jews suffered the worst atrocities in human history. There is always a fear in these countries that due to various strains of antisemitism, some atrocities may again arise and these should be preempted.

The real problem between Jews and Muslims is the issue of Palestine. The creation of Israel has affected the lives of Palestinians who gave been living there for at least a thousand years under various Muslim rules.

After the end of World War II, British Palestine was divided by the UN into constitute two states–one Arab and the other Jewish with the Jerusalem under UN control. This led to the war of 1948 between Israel and its Arab neighbours. The Arab league joined the conflict that resulted in the occupation of the West Bank by Jordan and the Gaza Strip by Egypt. Israel got the rest of the land that was granted to it under the UN mandate.

It is this conflict that continues till today and the West’s support of Israel’s right of existence further strengthens the perception of a Jewish Conspiracy in naïve Muslim minds. A real two-state solution is not on the horizon, and both Muslims and Israel blame each other for this impasse.

Muslims will be better off if they strive for excellence in all the fields that Jews have excelled in and seriously work for a two-state solution of the Palestinian conflict. They need to banish the idea of some Jewish Conspiracy from their minds, and forget any notions of the destruction of Israel.

At the same time Israel should also show seriousness about a two-state solution, and stop building new settlements in the Palestinian areas. Only this will insure mutual coexistence and world peace.

6 thoughts on “The Muslim Obsession with Jews

  1. We don’t know what happened and antisemeti ideas flourished among Muslims .We are taught in Quran repeatedly to have relations with people of Book .They as compare to many other like Hindus .sikhs, Budhas ,atheists are more close to us .It is good write up .I appreciate the human motives behind it .Sami Sahib keep on writing more on it .

  2. Bani Israel are seen in Sura Al Baqara as privileged nation and mentioned twice in the same context verse 2:47 and 2:122 but this not an exception it happens with other verses as well (5:69,, 2:62)—(55:21,,5:25) one wonders why the repetition.

    Many Muslim argue the privilege extends to people in the context of one Umma that includes all people of the book but this is a minority opinion otherwise the Jews and Christians are considered as people who have strayed from divine path as in Al Fatiha by many, in terms of promised homeland, I don’t think there can be a disagreement be it rivers of milk and honey in paradise or levant and it should really not matter if the promise is to descendents of Abraham through Isaac or Ishmael these are theological argument also used unfortunately by orthodox Jews to continue illegal occupation and disfranchisement of Palestinian people, It is time Muslim recognize Jews not simply as outsiders but people prophet Muhammad pbuh himself recognized as believers, people of the book and not blame Jews for their problems, irrespective of the argument I refuse to recognize the illegal occupation and treatment of Palestinian people this injustice must end. UN has failed these people giving also rise to unwarranted political conspiracy theories . Otherwise a great article Munir saheb.

  3. Hi Munir,

    The flight of your argument took air from Quran, sailed on old testament, enjoyed the winds of Jewish science, industry, wealth and power, followed the flight manual of US constitution and Canadian Charter of Rights, but alas, it crashed on the bed rock of Palestinian issue. My dear, when flight crashes some one has to go; it could be the structure of your arguments.

    Every age has its own spirits, like the time when Christianity was the resistance against the Roman Empire, when Communism was against the Industrial Revolution and so on. Today it is a sea change against Capitalism in favour of Faiths. Your much praised Jews are the symbol of that materialism with all their banking and corporate wealth, while the rag tag Muslims are representing faiths. Whatever Muslims are saying like “Jewish conspiracies,” or whatever Jews are saying like “Muslim Jihadies,” It is all reflections of that changing times.

    I am that “educated”, “naive” and so-called “extremist Muslim” (thank you for the honours) who once was standing on your side of Liberalism, Freedom of Expression, Science and Technology bla, bla, bla. Find out what happened to me and millions like me, the answer will tell you why you are on the wrong side of this sea change.

    Iffat Zehra
    A life long learner of International Politics, Relations, and Law.
    From Cambodia

  4. Yet again, a masterpiece Munir Sahib., as FARAZ has said,

    Yahi Kaha Thha Meri AAnkh Dekh Sakti Hai
    To Mujh Per Toot Parra Sara Shehhr Nabeena

    How many of us so called Muslims have Read The Quran? and as I say time and time again:

    Buraee Ger Manzoor e Khudae Ko Jerr Se Ukhaarrni Hoti
    Kya Khuda e Aalam Ko IBLEES Ki Manzoor Pedaish Hoti?

    Munir Sahib, Hum sub ko apne mukalmo se mehzooz kerte rehiya.

  5. Thanks for an objective presentation of the case. As you may guess, I am a Hindu Indian and born to the highest caste, which sytem afflicts our own society. Our caste grip so pervasive even after conversion to Islam or Christianity or even Buddhism , their caste tail does not leave them . so I empathise with all the opressed anywhere and my knowledge of histroy is better than Religion. There are poltical angles which are responsible for the presetn imbroglio.

    Iran , the shia state might be using the Isreli card to claim its leadership for the entire muslim world. At the same time US while helping Isrel to exist, is aiming for a strong foothold inside west Asia and amongst Muslim nations . The craetion under UN mandate is too simplisitc. They had the power, they did it for their own ulterior intention. This is not say Isreli’s dont have any claim for a state for themselves. In the thirties , after Balfour declaration, the then Minsiter Beveridge rights they are committed to provide a mass of land to Jews somehwere..could be in canada, Australia like that and never mentions the present location . So after the second world war , it is after thought by the West lead by US to locate it here. It is lso supposed to be a fulfilment of the promise in the Biblical literature.

    It is the christian world which harassed them and it is for them to have born their burden as atonement ,not at the expense of hapless Palestinians. I a even ten agreeaable that Isrel could exist but the west had the responsiblity to establish a composite state not two states. The West went on a spree dividng nations after the WW II in Korea, Pakistan, Vietnman , Plaestine so on ..every where, haunted as they were by the spectre of Communism, they went on establsihing encircling footholds.. so any study should see that in the process mulsims have been vctimised for no fault of theirs and poor Isreli commoners are also suffering.

    Solution lies in withdrawal of western military from middle east , discussion amongst all the aprties including Isrel without out side influence and agree on a single or two state, draw fresh covennats and honor them. The Islam world to learn not quarrel amonsgt themselves on shis-sunni and so may other differences.

    I do not want to write more in a simple comment.

  6. A very good article of faith of the two communities of God: the Israelites and Muslims. I have been highlighted about the issue and believe that both the communities can live in peace if they co-exist with each other. Thanks.

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