Saturday May 22, 2021
Combating Anti-Semitism
Now it depends on the Muslims!
By Konstantin Kuhle
The most important allies in the fight against Muslim anti-Semitism are the Muslims themselves. Unfortunately, those who speak up as Muslims in Germany in a differentiated manner about the Middle East conflict quickly become the target of hatred themselves.
The Middle East conflict between Israel and Hamas is having direct consequences for our coexistence in Germany these days. Anti-Semitic incidents occurred throughout Germany on the fringes of numerous pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli demonstrations. Israeli flags were lit in front of synagogues. Jewish institutions across the country are under increased police protection. At meetings, banners were shown that put the Holocaust into perspective.
After right-wing extremist attacks on Jewish life in recent years, for example through the attack on a synagogue in Halle, we are currently seeing an escalation in Muslim anti-Semitism in Germany. This shows that anti-Semitism comes in different guises – but above all as right-wing extremist, left-wing extremist and Muslim anti-Semitism. There is no point in the political right downplaying right-wing anti-Semitism by referring to Muslim anti-Semitism. And it doesn’t help if the political left or Muslims downplay anti-Semitism from the left or from Muslim communities with reference to anti-Semitism from the right. If the safety of Jews is a concern for society as a whole, then it must also be defended in society as a whole. The state must crack down on anti-Semitic actions at the latest when the requirements for meetings are violated or when criminal acts are committed.
Anti-Semitic clichés can be found in school books from Arab countries as well as in the television programs of Arabic-language television stations that can also be received in Germany. Individual events in the Middle East can trigger a wave of anti-Semitic hatred that is also directed against Jews and their institutions in Germany. Young Muslims in Germany are also sometimes carried away by this wave – because they reproduce anti-Semitic clichés that they encounter in their own community, and because they receive confirmation and recognition for precisely these positions in their peer group.
Hate for a tweet
When the actor Elyas M’Barek, himself a Catholic, but as the son of a Tunisian, a popular figure of identification for people with a migration background, the words last week “Stop anti-Semitism!” tweeted, met him with a wave of incomprehension and hatred. The same people who rightly attach importance to the fact that criticism of the Israeli government should not be equated with anti-Semitism sometimes understand the clear rejection of hatred of Jews as an attack on their Muslim identity. The outrage mechanisms in social media do the rest. Anyone who, especially as a Muslim, makes a differentiated statement in this debate will quickly become a target of hatred themselves.
But the most important allies in the fight against Muslim anti-Semitism are the Muslims themselves. There are German citizens of the Muslim faith who, as scientists, journalists, politicians and in many other roles, courageously address anti-Semitism in Muslim communities. You never tire of pointing out the difference between criticism of Israeli government policy and the anti-Semitic delegitimation of the State of Israel. They appeal to the self-reflection and personal responsibility of Muslims in Germany. They stimulate internal Muslim debates and clear statements by Muslim associations against anti-Semitism. You take on an important role in the fight against group-related enmity – and for this you are attacked hard. Foreign actors such as the Turkish government play a role in this, and through a close network of associations and media, they have a direct influence on opinion-forming in Turkish-Muslim communities in Germany. However, German Muslims also express themselves here, who see an overly reflective stance on anti-Semitic clichés in Muslim communities as a betrayal of their own group.
After the right-wing extremist terrorist act in Hanau in February 2020, many people with a migration background felt left alone by politics and society. Acts like those in Hanau or the series of murders by the so-called National Socialist Underground show that hatred against Muslims is real in German society. Exposing Muslim anti-Semitism has nothing to do with downplaying or playing down anti-Muslim racism. It also has nothing to do with not wanting to recognize the marginalization or exclusion that Muslims or people who are mistaken for Muslims are sometimes exposed in Germany, whether because of their name, appearance or religion. In a modern immigration country, it is important to defend Muslims against this discrimination. In the open and liberal society on which our Basic Law is based, however, the individual also has a responsibility of their own to reflect on mechanisms that cause radicalization in their environment. This is especially true if you belong to a group that has experienced its own exclusion and discrimination.
Konstantin Kuhle is the domestic political spokesman and spokesman for the young group of the FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. In weekly rotation with the left-wing politician Katja Kipping, he writes the column “Kipping or Kuhle” on ntv.de.
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