About Muslims Against Antisemitism
We are a not for profit organisation made up of British Muslims who believe it is the duty of everyone to challenge antisemitism in all its guises.
We are here to show that Muslims and Jews are not enemies.
The return of antisemitism
We are aware that the monster of antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred, resurfaces at times of crisis, political upheavals and the rise of populist leaders who have a history of scapegoating Jews.
We are particularly concerned about the growth in antisemitism in part caused by social media where social media trolls will frequently target Jews for abuse. We also see the growth of anti-Muslim Hatred and other forms of hate. We will always speak out against all forms of hatred online.
We also realise that sadly physical abuse against Jews as well as Muslims has risen in recent years. Indeed, statistics from the Community Security Trust (CST), who record antisemitic incidents in the UK, showed that between January-June 2019 there 892 antisemitic incidents, the highest ever recorded number of antisemitic incidents CST has ever recorded in this 6 month period.
Why Muslims should be in solidarity with Jews
The rise in antisemitism is a stain on the shared humanity Jews and Muslims share, particularly as Jews and Muslims have so much in common.
It is our duty as British Muslims to speak out against hatred towards our Jewish Brothers and sisters, no less than anti-Muslim hatred. When one community in the UK is under threat, it threatens all of us who want to live in a country free of hate.
Their fears are our fears, their safety our safety and their tears our tears.
Antisemitism in Muslim communities
Heartbreakingly, we must acknowledge that antisemitism within small sections of Muslim communities has become entrenched and goes unchallenged. For far too long, many have turned a blind eye. This is something as Muslims we cannot do and we need a zero-tolerance approach towards antisemitism in Muslim communities.
We have to challenge and counter this antisemitism often built on conspiracies against Jews that hijacks international causes like that of an independent State of Palestine. If we do nothing relations between Muslims and Jews will be poisoned.
That is why we can no longer allowed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be bought to the streets of the UK, in ways which target Jews and spread antisemitic tropes.
Our commitment
We are committed to educating Muslims and non-Muslims about the dangers of antisemitism and give a voice to the many Muslim voices against antisemitism through our activities, campaigns, events, projects and research.
Muslims Against Antisemitism is a collective group of British Muslims who believe that antisemitism within Muslim communities has gone on for far too long.
We acknowledge that the vast majority of Muslims do not promote or condone antisemitism and we know how much social capital these sets of communities lever into our country for the common good. Through their charity giving and deep sense of morality, Muslim communities are an asset to our country.
However, we also admit and have to be honest that there is a substantial set of people within Muslim communities who circulate anti-Semitic tropes and who use the Palestinians and their quest for statehood, as a means of targeting Jewish communities. This is not acceptable, nor is it acceptable to target Jewish men and women or intimidate them online. Nor is it acceptable to promote antisemitism by repeatedly using the term ‘Zionism’ when targeted at Jews or those who work with, assist or stand with Jewish communities.
We therefore are making a stand, driven by a strong sense of social justice that comes from our Islamic faith, to counter antisemitism within Muslim communities through educational programmes in schools and community centres, by challenging Islamist extremism which fuels antisemitism and through directed online campaigns that reaches out to wider audiences. We will also be undertaking activities around promoting stories and personal experiences around the Holocaust and how Muslims were involved in countering antisemitism through the Holocaust. This does not detract from the fact that there are historical events around Muslims supporting the Reich, though in the totality of Muslim engagement in the Second World War, the majority of Muslim communities supported the Allied efforts.
We regularly run talks and lectures with faith communities – in particular the Muslim community, on helping to tackle antisemitism. We also develop, implement and manage innovative social change projects in order to bridge any divides between both the Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK and internationally.
Such education programmes do make a difference and we believe that by tackling this issue, that relations between Jews and Muslims can be improved.
If you believe that co-existence is possible between Muslims and Jews both in the UK and externally and that antisemitism needs to be tackled, then we would like to hear from you. Only by understanding one another and developing an empathy, can we expect others to defend us against the scourge of anti-Muslim hatred.