• The Community Security Trust (CST) in the United Kingdom, which monitors antisemitic abuse and attacks, has revealed some alarming data following Hamas’s pogrom in Gaza. They recorded a total of 1,330 anti-Jewish incidents in the UK just in October, with the majority committed by offenders described as non-white.
• The hatred of the Jew is prevalent in Muslim societies, and with millions of Muslims moving to Europe and North America, their attitudes toward the Jews continue to be part of their mindsets. My former London-Doha journalist colleagues at Qatari media outlets and Al Jazeera vigorously deny they are antisemites, but rather they are anti-Zionists, for whom, Israel, the only Jewish state, has no right to exist.
• In reality, the words “Jews,” “Zionists,” and “Israelis” are used interchangeably, imputing what they conceive as the evil of the one to the nature of the other.
• Since the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera has lost considerable credibility among Arab audiences in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf monarchies, and among Sunni Arabs in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, with many accusing the channel of being a mouthpiece of Iran’s ayatollahs and its army of proxies, e.g., Hamas and Hizbullah.
• Since October 7, I have had numerous discussions with young UK-based Muslims, who sing praises of Hamas and the so-called “heroic resistance,” yet in the same sentence, they deny their “heroes” were rapists, murderers, and kidnappers of babies and elderly. The level of historical distortion and ignorance is beyond a pandemic.
• The United Kingdom has seen a drastic surge in antisemitic incidents, and the Henry Jackson Society’s 50-page detailed report, “British Muslims and General Public Attitudes Polling,” shows that “old” antisemitic tropes are widespread among British Muslims. One of the most alarming findings is the legitimizing of Hamas’s cruel brutality against Israeli civilians on October 7. Politicians, like journalists and civil society activists, are frightened to “touch” the subject for fear of being labeled as racist or Islamophobic.

Antisemitism in the United Kingdom is a pandemic. The findings come on the six-month anniversary of Hamas’s brutal invasion of Jewish communities in southern Israel when Hamas turned civilian homes into slaughterhouses and a musical festival into a bloodbath. On October 7, 2024, Hamas terrorists butchered in cold blood 1,200 people, including babies, women, and elderly, injured more than 3,300, and took hundreds of civilians hostage in Gaza, including a 9-month-old baby.

The Community Security Trust (CST) in the United Kingdom, which monitors antisemitic abuse and attacks, has revealed some alarming data following Hamas’s pogrom. They recorded a total of 1,330 anti-Jewish incidents in the UK just in October, with the majority committed by offenders described as non-white. As if this was not disturbing enough, a new opinion poll commissioned by The Henry Jackson Society was recently released. It found a series of shocking results and a broader gap in attitudes and values between UK Muslims and the general public on domestic politics. The Society’s report, “Hamas, Israel, and Antisemitism,” also pointed out that 80% of the general public is concerned about extremist beliefs in the UK, with Islamist extremism ranked as the biggest threat.

Indeed, antisemitism has existed for millennia and continues to exist. It has been expressed in numerous ways over the centuries, ranging from the claims that Jews killed Jesus to the blood libel, to the Jews’ world domination. The hateful myths, stereotypes, and conspiracy theories charged against the Jews over centuries continued even after the world pledged “Never Again.”

With the birth of the State of Israel in 1948, the “old” antisemitism persisted and became prominent within left-wing political orientation and Islamist circles. The “old” and contemporary antisemitism share the same DNA and are unified by a core factor, namely, the portrayal of the Jewish people as evil that poses a threat. Under the disguise of anti-Zionism, anti-imperialism, and anti-capitalism, the radical left and political Islam have united in their antisemitism on a global level.

In 1933, Paul Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, declared, “The JEWS ARE TO BLAME.”¹ And indeed, “They are to blame”– this is what I was taught in my early teens studying in Damascus. The use of the term “Yahudi,” the Arabic word for a Jew, is derogatory. We were taught to aspire to be the new Dalal Al-Mughrabi, who, according to our teachers, killed many evil Jews.

The hatred of the Jew is prevalent in Muslim societies, and with millions of Muslims moving to Europe and North America, their attitudes toward the Jews continue to be part of their mindsets. But, of course, like my former London-Doha journalist colleagues at Qatari media outlets and Al Jazeera’s former Managing Director Yasser Abu Hilala, they vigorously deny they are antisemites, but rather they are anti-Zionists, for whom, Israel, the only Jewish state, has no right to exist.

In reality, the words “Jews,” “Zionists,” and “Israelis” are used interchangeably, imputing what they conceive as the evil of the one to the nature of the other. Take, for example, Yass Abu Hilala, who spent more than 16 years at the Qatari Al Jazeera; his fame and prominence were launched from a platform of hating the Zionist enemy.

On August 13, 2022, Abu Hilala posted on his Twitter account a picture of the Virgin Mary cradling a dead Jesus and a Palestinian woman in a similar pose with the body of her young son. The image had the following text: “After 2000 years & it’s the same killer…”²

On November 5, 2023, roughly one month after Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7, Abu Hilala posted an image of him proudly holding a rifle, criticizing the Saudi media giant Al-Arabiya for allegedly being pro-Israeli in its coverage of the war in Gaza.

Since the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera has lost considerable credibility among Arab audiences in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf monarchies, and among Sunni Arabs in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, with many accusing the channel of being a mouthpiece of Iran’s ayatollahs and its army of proxies, e.g., Hamas and Hizbullah. But Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English are prominent among diaspora Muslim communities. The Saudi journalist Matar Al-Ahmadi, the former editor of the Al-Arabiya website, referred to Al Jazeera as “The channel of Nasrallah, Khamenei, and Bin Laden; I acknowledge that Al Jazeera is far more successful than Al-Arabiya at throwing invective, whining, and riling up the simple people. But in time, its audience will swap it with TikTok videos. Al-Arabiya shapes public awareness, while Al Jazeera is nothing but a tool for creating chaos and anarchy. The proof is in the results. It lost all its media and ideological campaigns aimed at marketing Hizbullah, Al Qaeda, and the Spring of Anarchy (referring to the Arab Spring).”³

Gigantic Media Presence = Wide Audience Leading to a Greater Influence

Qatar invests heavily in its media sector; most Qatari media are owned by the state or by individuals closely connected to the Qatari Royal Family. Many of its media outlets broadcast in Arabic, English, Urdu, and French. Most, if not all, Qatari media are sympathetic to Islamist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Hizbullah, and members of these groups have substantial power within these media organizations. The CEO, the management, and the editorial board are often staffed by people who are affiliated with these groups. In most cases, the CEOs are either Palestinian (like Yasser Abu Hilala) or Azzam Al-Tamimi, the CEO of the London-based Al Hiwar TV, or, like the case of Al-Araby TV, one of its first CEOs was Eslam Shalaby, a close ally to Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, later replaced by a Lebanese Shia who had close ties to Hizbullah. A Palestinian then replaced him.

The State of Mind of UK Muslims

Since October 7, I have had numerous discussions with young UK-based Muslims, who sing praises of Hamas and the so-called “heroic resistance,” yet in the same sentence, they deny their “heroes” were rapists, murderers, and kidnappers of babies and elderly. The level of historical distortion and ignorance is beyond a pandemic, with some of them being “university-educated.” Therefore, I was not surprised when the Henry Jackson Society released its grim report in March titled “British Muslims and General Public Attitudes Polling.” It found that extreme views were generally more likely to be found among young British-born Muslims, 18-34 years old, as opposed to older and foreign-born Muslims. Youth in this category view Hamas positively, a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK. Nearly 30% of them would back the removal of a democratically elected British MP if they took a different position on the Israel-Palestine conflict to theirs.⁴ In addition, 26% of British Muslims see the Israel-Palestine conflict as the second most crucial election issue compared to just 3% of the wider British public.⁵ This indicates that British integration policy is flawed and needs urgent review.

Hamas’s Pogroms of October 7 Against Israelis Led to Burgeoning Attacks Against British Jews

In 2023, the UK saw the highest figure of antisemitic incidents in decades! Incidents hit the roof in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s heinous massacres of Israeli civilians – even before the Israeli military retaliation.

CST’s Antisemitic Incidents Report 2023, a 56-page detailed document, lists a total of 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish hate cases. Before October 7, precisely between January and October 6, 2023, an average of 130-170 cases of anti-Jewish abuse was recorded per month. Following the Hamas terrorist attack, a total of 2,699 (66%) anti-Jewish incidents took place between October 7 to December 31. October saw an unprecedented volume of antisemitism, with 1,330 incidents.⁶ The first one was recorded hours after Hamas Oct 7, precisely at 12:55 GMT, when a vehicle drove past a synagogue in Hertfordshire with a Palestinian flag and an occupant shaking his fist in the air to the synagogue visitors. On October 9, a “Free Palestine” graffiti was sprayed on a bridge in Golders Green, home to one of London’s largest Jewish communities.⁷

Of the 4,103 incidents, 3,328 were abusive behavior and slurs, e.g., “Hitler was right about the Jews,” “Jews are the scums of the earth,” etc., The abuse included 266 physical attacks and 182 damage and desecration of Jewish sites and properties.⁸

Following Hamas’s terrorist attack, we can also see an evident change in the offender profile; CST’s records from the year 2022 showed that of antisemitic incidents, 51% were committed by perpetrators who were described as White (excluding white North and South Europe), and 18% of the perpetrators were described as Arab-looking (Arabs from North Africa included in this category). In 2023, from January to October 6, again, most offenders were described as white – 53%; the figure for the Arab-looking category stood at 18%. However, between October 7 and December 31, 41% of offenders were described as Arab. For transparency, the offender profile for the remaining categories for October-December 2023 was as follows: White 30%, Northern European white 2%, South European white 11%, Black 15%, and Southeast Asia 1%.⁹

Some Muslims celebrated Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attacks in the UK as “heroic and beautiful resistance.” The Israeli military response against Hamas in Gaza also led to the “explosion of stickers,” swastikas, and other anti-Jewish/anti-Israel messages, which were widely distributed, especially in major cities like London and Manchester. The hate posters, stickers, and graffiti were posted in the London transport system, streets, shopping malls, small businesses, private properties, synagogues, etc. Hostage posters were defaced, ripped down, or scrawled with antisemitic abuse. The poster of Baby Kfir, the 9-month-old who was taken hostage alongside his mother and 4-year-old brother, was defaced with swastikas. Major British cities like London and Manchester are now hubs of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment. Pro-Palestinian mobs have stormed businesses like Zara, Lidl, McDonald’s, and Starbucks, intimidating shoppers and urging them to boycott Israel. In reality, what they are demanding is, “Don’t do business with Jews.”

Following October 7, almost every Saturday, London comes to a standstill because of the “Pro-Palestine” marches, where anti-Jewish and anti-Israel slogans, placards, and leaflets are widely circulated. Some of the placards compare Israel to the Nazis, portraying the Israeli Prime Minister as Hitler. Other placards are nothing but an insult to the memory of the Holocaust, e.g., “Stop doing what Hitler did to you.” Controversial chants calling for “Globalize the Intifada,” or “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” (a blunt call for the destruction of Israel), have been repeatedly denounced by leading politicians, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, yet the police stand powerless.

The Correlation between Antisemitism and British Muslims Attitudes toward Jews and Israel

The United Kingdom has seen a drastic surge in antisemitic incidents, and the Henry Jackson Society’s 50-page detailed report “British Muslims and General Public Attitudes Polling” shows that “old” antisemitic tropes are widespread among British Muslims. Indeed, many would deny they are antisemites, but rather they are anti-Israel. Close analyses of the data show their hatred or opposition to Israel tends to underpin antisemitism. The report also reveals the vast divide in opinions and attitudes between the general British public and British Muslims – on politics, British society, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and antisemitism.

One of the most alarming findings is the legitimizing of Hamas’s cruel brutality against Israeli civilians on October 7. Fifty-two percent believe Hamas’s intention was not to kill Jews but rather “Hamas wanted to forward the Palestinian cause.” The number is even higher among the most educated Muslims; here, 62% say Oct 7 was about “forwarding the Palestinian cause.” Thirty-nine percent responded that Hamas did not commit rape and murder in Israel on October 7. The number was much higher for younger Muslims aged 18-34; 46% of them said they didn’t believe Hamas committed those atrocities. And over half of them, 53%, tend to be sympathetic to Hamas. But, when it came to Israel, 80% said Israel is committing Genocide against Palestinians; 72% said Israel is a racist endeavor, and almost half of them said Israel doesn’t have the right to exist as a Jewish homeland.¹⁰

On antisemitic tropes – the report revealed that almost half of British Muslims believe Jews have too much power when it comes to UK government policy (46%) and U.S. foreign policy (47%). The figures for Jewish control over the UK media industry and the UK financial system are very close – 39% and 41%. About 30-32% of them think Jews have too much power in the global music and pharmaceutical industry.¹¹

The UK, like most major European countries, has a significant Muslim population. It’s home to 3.9 million Muslims, or 6.5 of the total population of the United Kingdom, which is about 60 million.¹² The population is predicted to increase drastically to 17.2 percent by 2050. Whereas the majority of British Muslims are law-obeying people who live in peace and coexistence with their fellow citizens, one cannot overlook there is an inherent antisemitism within Muslim communities across Britain.

In an email from the Henry Jackson Society, dated April 9, 2024, they wrote:

The purpose of flagging this issue now is to begin a national conversation about what can be done about the attitudes uncovered, which will ultimately threaten the social fabric of the British nation should they be left to fester unchecked in the coming years. Clearly, something has gone badly wrong with UK integration policy to end up with such sharply divergent results, and the British state will have to be at the forefront of solutions, together with those of whatever race and religion who wish to see greater harmony rather than discord.

For years, not only the UK but also major European countries have been suffering from serious problems with Islamist extremism. But politicians, like journalists and civil society activists, are frightened to “touch” the subject for fear of being labeled as racist or Islamophobic. The discourse has been sugar-coated due to the rise of “The Woke Culture.” People in the UK are genuinely concerned about the woke mob. As the Henry Jackson Society wrote, this led to a social issue that will “fester unchecked in the coming years.” It also has suppressed the voice of moderate Muslims, Muslims who totally reject Jewish hatred but are scared to speak out in public forums.

British and European politicians tend to blame the far-right for the rise of antisemitism, overlooking that, in fact, the far-left with Islamists playing a major role in the upsurge of contemporary antisemitism. During his speech on the 79^th anniversary of the Holocaust, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz overlooked the threat coming from the far-left and Islamists. He said, “’ Never again’ is every day,” and he talked about the threat posed by far-right populists in Germany and across the Western world. They are responsible for “stirring up fears and sowing hatred.”¹³

“The Western World is the Most Antisemitic Place on Earth”¹⁴

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs interviewed Itai Reuveni, the Director of Communications at NGO Monitor and an expert on Antisemitism and Terrorism. Reuveni said the sharp rise of antisemitism seen in the UK, Europe, and the United States is a direct result of years of neglect to combat antisemitism. He said that Western leaders are indirectly complicit: “Yes, on the one hand, they denounce antisemitism, and, on the other hand, they show a lot of tolerance toward antisemites and towards those NGOs who spread blunt lies about Israel.” He explained, “Hamas committed the most monstrous crimes against Israeli children and women, yet our victims were not listened to; our victims were pushed aside. Suddenly, Israel became the news, and people started marching in London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Sydney, and the United States, not for the Israeli victims but for the perpetrator, Hamas. People were chanting hatred toward Israel and calling for its destruction, e.g., “From the river to sea Palestine will be free,” “Resistance by any means,” and “Gas the Jews!”

Reuveni also spoke about how some Western leaders repeated the lies of the UN, Amnesty International, and other NGOs who launched a dehumanization campaign against Israel by spreading lies that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that the IDF is blocking aid to starve women and children in Gaza. Western leaders, by urging the Israeli government to take precautions to protect Gazans and ensure assistance is delivered, became complicit by these assumptions.

Reuveni emphasized that to tackle antisemitism, it must be understood in the current context. He rejected the idea that the far right’s political orientation is behind the rise of antisemitism. When asked, “Who or what are the contemporary sources fuelling antisemitism?” he said, “The most dangerous manifestation of antisemitism since World War II came from the Liberal Progressive camp, which went into alliance with the Islamists.”

Echoing Reuveni, Alan Mendoza, the Henry Jackson Society’s Executive Director, said we see “the failure of counter-extremism policy over the years.” He added, “What is probably going wrong is an unwillingness to tackle this kind of extremism for fear of being labeled Islamophobic or racist. The findings confirm that a lot of work needs to be done to inform, challenge, and address old anti-Semitic tropes that are still circulating among some of my co-religionists.”¹⁵

Reuveni argued, “the solution lies in the problem,” explaining the Western world needs to stop its reluctance and must call out the behavior of the Progressives and their Islamist friends.

Reuveni also proposed adopting “The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA)” when it’s not legally binding. He explained that 31 nations, including the UK government, have formally adopted IHRA and argues that making it legally binding will be a huge deterrent.

Reuveni said October 7, and the rise of hate crimes against Jews in Germany, the UK, France, the United States, and other parts of the Western world has shown us it is no longer about anti-Zionism or opposing the policy of the state of Israel. But, “it’s actually about Jews, about Jew-hatred.”

The horror of October 7 has shown Jews and Israelis who their real friends and enemies are, who are real allies in combatting antisemitism, and those who support it. As the interview drew to an end, Itai Reuveni told me, “The West talks a lot about our ‘Shared values’ – yet right now, the Western world is the most antisemitic place on earth. As a Jew, I don’t feel safe walking in London wearing the Star of David or Kippah, but in Dubai, I do.”¹⁶

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Notes