This opinion piece by Usama Hasan is reaction and commentary on Nazir Ahmed’s alleged ‘Jewish conspiracy’ comments in a Pakistani television interview in april. This in turn is the consequence of a toxic underlying legacy of misunderstanding between the Jewish and Muslim faiths the author argues.
The piece reports of cases of anti-Semitism and its perpetrators, with the increase in its occurrence resulting from a growing far-right, with an upsurge in neo-Nazi extremism across Europe that combines both vicious anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
The author argues that what is needed now is “zero tolerance of all anti-Semitism, racism and Islamophobia, whether it comes from the far-right or Islamist extremists. We need honest and open, constructive engagement between British Muslims and Jews, including on the subject of Israel and Palestine, for which there is an increasing appetite among our communities.”
The author then concludes by stating the following:
“It is time to ditch conspiracy theories that focus on blaming the other. Far better to conspire openly to promote mutual dialogue and understanding, in the best spirit of our common humanity.”
