SPOTLIGHT
To understand the topic at hand , it is important to have background information about how the relations between Muslims and Jews developed into what we see today .
MUSLIM-JEWISH RELATIONS : AN ANALYSIS
There is very little religious text in Islam that could be taken to support anti-Semitism ; nevertheless , today it is rife in the Muslim community . Islam and Judaism are both Abrahamic faiths that originated from the Middle East and various religious customs are closely linked to the lands in which each was founded .
For many in the Muslim community who are biased against the Jews , their discrimination is a reaction to Zionism , political Islam and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . Most Arab and Muslim states in the Middle East do not have good relations with Israel . Several Muslims believe the political ambitions of Israel to be representative of the agenda of all Jews . A majority of Muslim states in the Middle East have expressed moral support for the Palestinian Muslims .
From a political viewpoint , Muslim countries ’ support of Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has caused many Jews to see the Muslims in a negative light . They understand that Israel is a state surrounded by enemies who want to destroy it ; they often equate Arab nationalism with Islam and the agenda of Arab countries with the so-called Islamic agenda . On a religious level , some ultra-conservatives view Islam as an illegitimate religion that came from the lineage of Prophet Abraham ’ s ‘ lesser ’ son , Ishmael ( who was born to a concubine and
6 THE TRUE MEHDI • ISSUE 02 • FEB 2017