Weaponizing "Anti-Semitism" to Silence Support for the Liberation of Palestine
(Translated)
News:
In recent days, there has been widespread debate in Britain suggesting a link between pro-Palestine demonstrations and the rise of anti-Semitism and attacks against Jews in the country. Ahead of the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on the Jewish entity on October 7, 2023, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged students not to join pro-Palestine protests on that day, warning of "rising anti-Semitism on our streets," and that "it is un-British to disrespect others" by holding demonstrations on this anniversary, adding that the protests may have been used by some as "a despicable excuse to attack British Jews." His official spokesman said that protesters "should show their humanity" and remember the attack on the Jewish entity on October 7, while Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also appealed to people not to protest on this anniversary, commenting: "Two years after October 7, I would just ask people to reflect and try to think about common humanity and our responsibility to each other." Some also blamed the pro-Palestine marches in the country for the attack on a Manchester synagogue on October 2 that resulted in the death of two Jewish men.
Comment:
It is clear that the British government, and a number of other politicians, and media commentators who support the Jewish entity, are exploiting the anti-Semitism card to try to silence the call for the liberation of Palestine from the Jews. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood also announced plans to give police broader powers to restrict repeat protests, following numerous pro-Palestine demonstrations, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting intends to update legislation banning anti-Semitic doctors and other health care workers from treating patients. Many in Western political and media circles view anti-Semitism as a call for the complete removal of the occupation from Palestine. Therefore, healthcare workers who express support for the complete liberation of Palestine risk losing their jobs under the guise of anti-Semitism.
The circulating narrative that links anti-Semitism to the call to end the brutal occupation and support the right of Palestinians to reclaim their land and homes that have been brutally looted by settlers, is a completely absurd narrative, as is conflating the actions of individuals who attack Jews in Britain with pro-Palestine protests. It is equivalent to blaming pro-Ukraine demonstrations for attacks on Russian individuals in Britain. It is a narrative clearly used to intimidate and silence those who demand an end to this brutal occupation and the complete liberation of Palestine.
Furthermore, the idea that protesting on the second anniversary of October 7 against the genocide in Gaza, while the occupation continues to bomb innocent Palestinians, is insensitive or shows a lack of common humanity, reflects the double standards of Western politicians towards the value of Palestinian lives compared to the lives of Jews living inside the entity. It is not the call for the complete liberation of Palestine that is driving anti-Semitism in the West, but rather this genocide committed by the Jewish entity, whose politicians and forces embrace the Zionist concept of Jewish supremacy, and exploit Judaism to justify their brutal actions and occupation of the blessed land. Moreover, it is not Islam that carries a history of systematic anti-Semitism and persecution of Jews, but rather the secular European countries. In fact, the creation of the Jewish entity itself is a result of the massacres of Jews in Europe, and the anti-Semitic sentiments within Britain that tried to prevent the influx of European Jews into the country through the 1905 Aliens Act.
In contrast, the Jews flourished under the Caliphate. For example, the British Jewish historian, Cecil Roth, mentions that the good treatment that the Jews received in the Ottoman Caliphate attracted them from all over Europe, and the land of Islam became a land of opportunity for them, where they prospered economically. Under the Caliphate, Jews were rescued and given safe haven when they were persecuted in other countries. For example, in 1492, Sultan Bayezid II sent his entire naval fleet to rescue 150,000 European Jews who were being persecuted by the Christian rulers of Spain, and settled them in the lands of the Caliphate. Furthermore, Jewish historian Avi Shlaim stated that anti-Semitism was transferred to the Arabs from Europe, arguing that indigenous anti-Semitism was virtually non-existent in the Arab region before the 20th century, and that European anti-Semitic literature had to be translated into Arabic for the region to know it. He also emphasized that Jews integrated well into Arab societies for centuries under Islamic rule, and that the modern form of anti-Semitism is a "European disease" that has been transferred to the Middle East.
Therefore, Muslims in the West must remain strong in the face of these false narratives and intimidating government policies that aim to silence them from calling for the complete liberation of Palestine. We must continue to call for the uprooting of this brutal and murderous occupation from the entire blessed land, as this is what Allah Almighty commands, and it is the only way to end the massacres and the continued enslavement of our nation there. We must draw inspiration from the actions of our dear brothers and sisters in Palestine who have shown us courage and resilience in the face of injustice, stemming from our faith as Muslims. Allah Almighty says: ﴿Indeed, those who have said, "Our Lord is Allah," and then remained on a right course - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], "Do not fear, nor grieve, but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised."﴾. And we must make it clear to those around us that the Islamic system applied by the Caliphate according to the method of Prophethood is the only one capable of creating peace, security, justice, and prosperity and securing the rights of all religions under its rule in Palestine and throughout the Islamic countries as it has done throughout history.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Asmaa Sadiq
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
