How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey Review

Muslim–Jewish relations have a long and complex history. However, notions that all Jews and Muslims are eternal enemies are proven wrong both historically and by today’s survey data. A comprehensive review of the available survey data from the last two decades provides a glimpse into the views of Mu...

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Main Author: Gunther Jikeli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/412
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author Gunther Jikeli
author_facet Gunther Jikeli
author_sort Gunther Jikeli
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description Muslim–Jewish relations have a long and complex history. However, notions that all Jews and Muslims are eternal enemies are proven wrong both historically and by today’s survey data. A comprehensive review of the available survey data from the last two decades provides a glimpse into the views of Muslims and Jews of each other in countries where both communities are a minority. It is based on 52 surveys from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. 39 surveys include samples of Muslim respondents (38,000 in total) and 18 surveys include samples of Jewish respondents (52,000 in total). Five of these surveys include both Muslim and Jewish subsamples. Many Muslims and Jews acknowledge that the other community suffers from discrimination, albeit to varying degrees. Jews often see Islam and Muslim extremists as a threat to Jews, but most Jews, more than society in general, seem to distinguish between Muslim extremists and Muslims in general. Antisemitic attitudes are significantly higher among Muslims than among the general population in all surveys, even though the majority of Muslims in most European countries and in the United States do not exhibit antisemitic attitudes. The differences in anti-Jewish attitudes between Muslims and non-Muslims do not disappear when controlling for sociodemographic factors.
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spelling doaj.art-1dc205262160432995a33e72b83f27452023-11-17T13:37:17ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-03-0114341210.3390/rel14030412How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey ReviewGunther Jikeli0College of Arts & Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USAMuslim–Jewish relations have a long and complex history. However, notions that all Jews and Muslims are eternal enemies are proven wrong both historically and by today’s survey data. A comprehensive review of the available survey data from the last two decades provides a glimpse into the views of Muslims and Jews of each other in countries where both communities are a minority. It is based on 52 surveys from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. 39 surveys include samples of Muslim respondents (38,000 in total) and 18 surveys include samples of Jewish respondents (52,000 in total). Five of these surveys include both Muslim and Jewish subsamples. Many Muslims and Jews acknowledge that the other community suffers from discrimination, albeit to varying degrees. Jews often see Islam and Muslim extremists as a threat to Jews, but most Jews, more than society in general, seem to distinguish between Muslim extremists and Muslims in general. Antisemitic attitudes are significantly higher among Muslims than among the general population in all surveys, even though the majority of Muslims in most European countries and in the United States do not exhibit antisemitic attitudes. The differences in anti-Jewish attitudes between Muslims and non-Muslims do not disappear when controlling for sociodemographic factors.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/412MuslimsJewsIslamophobiaantisemitismMuslim–Jewish relationsAbraham Accords
spellingShingle Gunther Jikeli
How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey Review
Religions
Muslims
Jews
Islamophobia
antisemitism
Muslim–Jewish relations
Abraham Accords
title How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey Review
title_full How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey Review
title_fullStr How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey Review
title_full_unstemmed How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey Review
title_short How Do Muslims and Jews in Christian Countries See Each Other Today? A Survey Review
title_sort how do muslims and jews in christian countries see each other today a survey review
topic Muslims
Jews
Islamophobia
antisemitism
Muslim–Jewish relations
Abraham Accords
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/412
work_keys_str_mv AT guntherjikeli howdomuslimsandjewsinchristiancountriesseeeachothertodayasurveyreview