Judaism has a long, long history of persecution which has seen a dramatic growth since the start of the third millennium.
With the main focus of the media on Islam and terrorism and the fall of paedophilic priests, few people could imagine that the main object of religious hatred is the Jews. Across the world, Judaism is the silent focus of a rising hatred against one of the world’s major religious groups which is ignored by the mass media and the international politicians.
The History of Judaism
From the enslavery of the Jews in the time of Moses, their struggle in the wilderness and the more modern problems of the Holocaust and trouble centering around Israel, it seems as though the Jews are really stuck in a rut.
Between all this, Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or tortured and killed, they were blamed for diseases and plagues across Europe and singled out for ridicule as they were spread across the globe and pushed out of their homeland.
Even though Judaism is the religious parent of both Christianity and Islam, it’s struggled to keep up with both of them in the popularity stakes.
The Problem
Between 2004 and 2005, the number of attacks on Jews in Britain nearly doubled from a previous highest figure which was set in 2004. Not only were there reports of vicious attacks against Jews themselves, but graffiti depicting racist slogans and graves were also desecrated.
This was mirrored across Europe with similar patterns in the US and other developed countries. For some reason, the hatred against the Jews which had been simmering under the surface for years suddenly burst on to the scene in the most dramatic figure. Yet it didn’t manage to make the headlines that comparable attacks and discrimination did.
The Reasons for the Persecution
Various reasons have been proposed for this discrimination.
Firstly, the continuing problems in Israel and the Middle East have been blamed for fuelling strong feelings against the Jews. The struggle of the community who want to reclaim their homeland appears to have backfired as they refuse to concede the territory, but are willing to fight to the bitter end for what they believe is rightfully theirs.
Linked to this, the media can also be responsible for their coverage of these problems. It’s this biased coverage which helps to misrepresent Jews and encourage the violence and hatred to be directed towards them.
What Makes Jews an Easier Target than other Religious Groups?
Jews are fundamentally different to other religious groups due to their approach to life and their view of their own religion.
Jews are a downtrodden religion because, like the quiet pupil sitting at the back of the class, they don’t speak up for themselves. Other religions – such as Muslims and to some extent, Christians – will voice the problems they have and ensure they get into the media. Jews just don’t ensure they get this coverage.
Secondly, they have historically held good positions in society and business which has been used against them, most notably by the Nazis. For some reason, this view’s stuck.
Yet quite why Judaism still remains the top of the religious hit list, even above Islam in some areas, is still something of a mystery.
