German study: No link between Muslim immigration and anti-Semitism
Report by federal body branded selective and flawed after it claims Jew-hatred in Europe, is not affected by immigration by those of the Islamic faith
A study published by a German federal entity said that anti-Semitism in Europe is unaffected by recent Muslim immigration, prompting a prominent critic to call the report selective and flawed.
The claim appeared in a study published this month by the Berlin-based EVZ foundation featuring research by the University of London’s Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism.
It sought to measure how the arrival of more than 2 million people from the Middle East and Africa since 2011 has affected expressions of anti-Semitism in five Western European countries.
“Neither the analysis of existing data nor of the interviews undertaken for this report suggests a significant connection” between the immigrants’ arrival and “the extent and character of antisemitism in Western Europe,” the researchers wrote in the report titled “Antisemitism and Immigration in Western Europe Today, Is there a connection?”
Claims that the newcomers’ arrival to Europe could pose a threat to Jews appears to be based “on the perceptions of Jewish individuals and communities rather than the objective threat carried by immigrants,” the report states.
The report singles out for criticism Rabbi Andrew Baker, director of international affairs for the American Jewish Committee and the point man on anti-Semitism of the OSCE intergovernmental organisation. Baker is among the individuals who “expressed the idea that recent refugees bring dangers for Jews in Europe,” allegedly without proof, the study says.
Concerns on the same matter expressed by Ron van der Wieken, the chairman of the Central Jewish Board of the Netherlands, also were listed in the study.
In the Netherlands, the CIDI monitor estimated that “foreigners” are responsible for 70 percent of anti-Semitic incidents. In December, a Syrian refugee smashed the windows of a kosher restaurant in Amsterdam while waving a Palestinian flag.
And in France, the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism said this year that people with Muslim background are responsible for nearly all anti-Semitic violence in that country.
“Instead of confronting these results,” Baker wrote,” the researchers “take pains to discount them.” He added: “Burying your head in the sand is rarely good advice, even if it comes in a fifty-page package with footnotes.”
The study’s researchers wrote that there is evidence that people from Muslim societies may be likelier to harbor anti-Semitic sentiments than Europeans, but that this does not necessarily translate into action.
Muslim minorities have a “sense of grievance and injustice which is well grounded,” the authors wrote, adding this “prompts the question whether there is any connection between these experiences of discrimination, disadvantage” by Muslims and “the persistence of antisemitism.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
