Muslims vs. Jews (part one)

Until recently, I didn’t have a substantial appreciation for the complexity of the situation that exists in the Middle East with respect to the conflict between Arabs and Jews. Truth in fact, the conflict, as I’ve discovered, would be better characterized as Muslims versus Jews.

As I’ve trudged my way through “From Time Immemorial…”, I’ve learned some very important distinctions. First of all, many Israeli Jews are, in fact, Arab-born. Second, the so-called “refugee problem” in the area is attributable to the Diaspora as much as it is Palestinians displaced after Israeli statehood in 1948. Third, not only have Arab countries refused to aid the Palestinian refugees over the last 50 years, but they’ve contributed to the problem by both expelling Jews in their countries and using the plight of the Palestinians as a political lever to sustain the conflict between Islam and Zionism.

The Usual Suspects

Since 1948 and the establishment of the Jewish state (of Israel), hundreds of thousands of Arab-born Jews have been expelled from their homes and their countries, separated from their possessions and their heritage at the whim of the predominantly Islamic regimes. The numbers listed herein compare the estimated Jewish populations before 1948 with those as of the early 1980s. (Source: “From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine.”) I must admit that I had to take a moment to re-read this table several times to let the information sink in. The Jewish migration was literally orders of magnitude… The abatement of the Jews in these countries wasn’t an overnight phenomenon and not entirely due to emigration; a portion of the population attrition can be attributed to a number of pogroms.

Touted as one of the more “moderate” countries toward the Jews, Morocco currently has the most Jews of the listed Arab countries (18,000 as of 1982). In 1948, however, there were more than 265,000 Jews in Morocco. The second largest attrition of Jews was found in Algeria. Before 1948, the population was estimated between 130,000 and 140,000. By 1982, that number was between 300 and 400. Iraq went from approximately130,000 Jews to 200-300 in 35 years. Current estimates put the Jewish population in Iraq at about 20. In Egypt, the Jewish population was attrited from 75K to 250. Tunisia diminished its numbers from 105,000 to less than 4,000 (a liberal estimate). Libya has all but eradicated its Jewish community, reducing it from 38,000 to a paltry 15-20. These numbers don’t get any easier to follow, so let me simply summarize.

The total estimated number of Jews in Arab countries prior to 1948 was approximately 836,000. By 1982, that total was slashed to just over 29,000. Thirty-five years of Diaspora (Jewish emigration) and pogroms (massacres) have changed the face of the Middle East. Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Aden, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Libya have all contributed to the modern-day version of the Jewish Exodus. While not specifically mentioned, there are other Arab countries with culpability. In 1948, there were no Jews living in Jordan. In addition, Saudi Arabia cannot be charged with exiling or massacring Jews; they aren’t allowed into the country. There have been rare, notable exceptions, to include U.S. State Department officials who were granted access, but even foreign journalists have been denied visas due to their religious affiliations.

What’s the deal?

So, naturally the question arises, “Why is there such enmity between the Muslims and Jews?” Certainly, Islamic fundamentalists would cite passages from the qur`An (Koran) that specifically moralizes the persecution of the Jews. Furthermore, many Muslims point to the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” as though it was a Jewish manifesto for world domination.

I believe most Muslims today would cite the Damascus blood libel of 1840. And while a number of authorities have exposed the blood libel for the fabrication that it was, some lore is impossible to excise from a culture. To this day, Syria is the harshest Arab country toward its Jewish population, denying them the right to leave their country…a fundamental human right recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

At this point in my education, I am of the opinion that the “cradle of civilization” hasn’t matured beyond puberty. You know what I’m talking about…the pubescent adolescent who is angry at everyone and everything. In a constant condition of the “world revolves around me”, their quasi-paranoid perceptions lead them to believe that “everyone is out to ruin their lives”. Their tenuous grip on reality is threatened by those who are stronger, smarter, and more emotionally stable. In defense, they shelter themselves, and attack anyone who might even resemble a threat to their fragile stability.

In an interview in 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat acknowledged that “seventy percent of this Arab-Israeli conflict is a psychological problem – it has only thirty percent substance.” Not only do I agree with Sadat’s assessment, – albeit oversimplified – but I would take it a step further and assert that their progress as a civilization is impeded by the same challenges.

The hallmark of a civilized society is not the sophistication of its technology. The hallmark of a civilized society is higher-ordered thinking and behavior that reflects it.