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Giving Voice to Anti-Semitism

[The Australian] Frank Furedi - I have always criticized the tendency of some commentators to dismiss all criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. However, in recent years, especially since the eruption of the latest conflict in Gaza, anti-Israeli sentiments often mutate into anti-Jewish ones. Recent events indicate that in Europe the traditional distinction between anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish feelings has become confused and blurred. The most worrying development in Europe is not the visible signs of radical Muslim and far-right vitriol directed at Jews but the new culture of accommodation. What has emerged is a slightly embarrassed "see nothing, hear nothing" attitude that shows far too much understanding towards manifestations of anti-Semitism. Sometimes even politically correct adherents of diversity and anti-racism manage to switch off when confronted with an anti-Jewish comment. The writer is a professor of sociology at the University of Kent in England.
2009-01-16 06:00:00
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