“Muslim extremists” drive anti-Semitic violence in Europe

Individuals of Muslim background stand out among perpetrators of anti-Semitic violence in Western Europe, according to a new report by the University of Oslo Center for Research on Extremism. The next highest offending group was found to be left wing extremists.

This report speaks of Western Europe, but this phenomenon likely goes far beyond this area. On November 23, 1937, Saudi Arabia’s King Ibn Saud summed up the history of the Jew-hatred of “Muslim extremists” when he told British Colonel H.R.P. Dickson:

“Our hatred for the Jews dates from God’s condemnation of them for their persecution and rejection of Isa (Jesus) and their subsequent rejection of His chosen Prophet.” He continued that “for a Muslim to kill a Jew, or for him to be killed by a Jew, ensures him an immediate entry into Heaven and into the august presence of God Almighty.”

When Hitler introduced the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, he received congratulatory telegrams from throughout the Arab world.

Jihadists have historically tried to obliterate the Jewish state, preceded by muscular attempts to block its existence in the first place. A key Arab Muslim figure — the grand mufti of Jerusalem — led the Arab revolt in Palestine (Ottoman South Syria) from 1936-1939, before moving on to Berlin and allying with Hitler to murder Jews during the Holocaust. Article 15 of the Hamas Covenant of August 1988 explains the religious imperative behind the zeal to destroy Israel:

The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In face of the Jews’ usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised.

The survey found that “antisemitism is particularly widespread among those most hostile to Israel,” and concluded “that Muslim extremists clearly lead the way followed by the political left.” The survey also “found that religion and anti-Israel sentiment combined to drive most attacks.”

“Report: Muslim Extremists Drive Anti-Semitic Violence in Europe”, by Simon Kent, Breitbart, June 27, 2017:

Individuals of Muslim background stand out among perpetrators of anti-Semitic violence in Western Europe, according to a new report by the University of Oslo Center for Research on Extremism. The next highest offending group was found to be left wing extremists.

The survey is titled Antisemitic Violence in Europe, 2005-2015, Exposure and Perpetrators in France, UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Russia. It looks at the rate of anti-Semitic attacks in a range of countries, finding Jews’ exposure to anti-Semitic violence appears to have been highest in France in the period surveyed, lower in Sweden and Germany, and lowest in the United Kingdom.

The survey found that “Russia clearly stands out with a very low number of incidents considering Russia’s relatively large Jewish population. Russia is also the only case in which there is little to indicate that Jews avoid displaying their identity in public.” It adds “attitude surveys do suggest that antisemitism is particularly widespread among those most hostile to Israel.”

As for who was behind the reported acts, the survey concluded that Muslim extremists clearly lead the way followed by the political left.

The survey examines the key drivers of anti-Semitic violence and found that religion and anti-Israel sentiment combined to drive most attacks. Attitude surveys corroborate this picture in so far as anti-Semitic attitudes are far more widespread among Muslims than among the general population in Western Europe. It ruled out any link between events in Europe and rising tensions in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict as causal effects. The report said:

“The number of reported attacks on Jews does not always increase when the conflict in the Middle East flares up… even though some attacks on Jews in Europe do occur in the wake of events in the Middle East, there is no direct causal link between Israeli government actions and subsequent attacks on Jews in Europe. Antisemitic attitudes and violence propensity are likely necessary conditions to trigger such attacks. In other words, events in the Middle East provide individuals in Western Europe who hold antisemitic views and are prone to violence with an occasion to attack Jews.”…