All I know is that I don't know nothin'

[cyrano]

More white privelege. I'm reading a lot about 'the new antisemitism' where arabs hate jews. (It doesn't sound that new, does it?) But my question here is, aren't arabs also semites? (As well as Egyptians, I think.) And, in fact, aren't most converted jews likely to *not* be from semitic stock?

Comments

[carabosse.livejournal.com]

Most Arabs are Semites, but the term 'antisemitic' has never referred to them. Most of the time that I hear about the new antisemitism, it has to do with comments about Israel. That since it's not acceptable to complain about "the Jews", people will hide their feelings in with remarks about Israel and Palestine. A messy topic. :-)

[evilmagnus]

There's nothing new with Arabs hating Jews. It's probably new that the Western media is picking up on what the Arab media say on a daily basis, though. And yes, you're right about some arabs also being semites. No-one said the smart people were the bigots. ;-p

( The whole "Death, Death, Death to Israel!" song that was in the Egyptian top ten for weeks a few years back springs rapidly to mind. )

[cerulean-me.livejournal.com]

Yup yup yup. I always thought the decendents of Shem (Noah's son, possible first, maybe second- depending on who you talk to, but largely accepted at the eldest) who went on a populated the middle east. Semetic languages are Maltese, Amharic, Hebrew, Arabic and others that I can't remember now...

In any case, I'm guessing around WWII when the term "anti-semetic" becase popular it just stuck to the Jews, and ignorance led to people thinking it was limited to Jews.

[tnalpgge.livejournal.com]

"New anti-semitism" sounds about as new as hating someone because they're different than you, or because they have something you don't.

Given the number of Jews who have gone back to Israel from various parts of Europe, even Israeli-born Jews aren't very Semitic nowadays.