Antisemitism in Pakistan

Last updated

Antisemitism in Pakistan is the presence of hostility and discrimination against Jews in Pakistan based on prejudices against the Jewish people and/or the religion of Judaism. Alongside the prevalence of general stereotypes, Jews are commonly subjected to negative views, feelings and rhetoric in Pakistan, most of which overlap with and are directly related to the antisemitic views prevalent throughout the Islamic world. Widely regarded as miserly within Pakistani Muslim circles, [1] Jews residing in Pakistan have also faced periodic intolerance by the state, which has intensified since the Islamization period of the 1980s under Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who propelled Pakistan towards the adoption of strict and highly-conservative Islamic practices and laws. [2] The Jewish population of Pakistan has rapidly decreased since the state's founding and separation from neighbouring India in August 1947, and as of 2019 estimates, stands at less than 200 people amidst Pakistan's total population of over 200 million, the majority of whom are Muslims. [3]

Contents

Historical presence

The Jewish community of the Indian subcontinent (known as the Bene Israel) lived in stable conditions and did not face widespread persecution when the region was under British rule. [4] At the time of the Partition of India in 1947, which saw Pakistan carved out of British India as an independent Muslim-majority dominion, the territory comprising the new state had more than 3,000 Jews, most of whom resided in Karachi. However, shortly after the independence of Pakistan, Karachi's Magain Shalome Synagogue as well as individual Jews across the country were subject to pogroms by Muslim mobs. Hostility towards Jews intensified following the State of Israel's Declaration of Independence in May 1948; synagogues across Pakistan were frequently attacked and largely closed. The continued persecution of Pakistani Jews by Pakistani Muslims resulted in their exodus from the country; the majority of Jews fleeing persecution in Pakistan settled in India, while a significant portion also migrated to Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries. [5] The majority of Pakistani Jews who migrated to Israel settled in the city of Ramla in Israel's Central District (see Pakistani Jews in Israel). [4] Despite the exodus, remnants of a strong historical Jewish presence in the country remain; several prominent buildings, such as the Khaliq Dina Hall, Quaid-e-Azam House, Edward House, Mules Mansion, and the BVS Parsi High School—all located in Karachi—were designed by Moses Somake, a British Jewish architect of mixed Sephardi (from Spain) and Mizrahi (from Iraq) origin. Karachi is also home to the Bani Israel Graveyard, which serves as the only remaining Jewish cemetery in Pakistan. [6]

Prevalence and reception in Pakistani society

In 1996, the marriage of Pakistani cricket icon and politician Imran Khan to Jemima Goldsmith, an Englishwoman of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, caused furor in Pakistan, and Khan consequently faced frequent accusations of catering to the Israeli state by Islamist Pakistani conservatives. Egyptian newspapers published in Pakistan accused Khan of having received large sums of money from the Jewish lobby to finance his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf political party and run in Pakistan's federal elections; after Khan confronted these allegations and complained, the stories were retracted. [5]

The United States Department of State's first "Report on Global Anti-Semitism" highlighted a continuing increase in antisemitism within Pakistan: [7]

"For example, in Pakistan, a country without a Jewish community, antisemitic sentiment fanned by antisemitic articles in the press is widespread. This reflects the more recent phenomenon of antisemitism appearing in countries where historically or currently there are few or even no Jews. Antisemitism is not an issue of any significance in India, nor in the smaller South Asian countries, specifically Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Bhutan." [8] [9]

Sociopolitical impact

India–Pakistan relations have been extremely poor since the Partition of India in 1947, largely owing to the Kashmir dispute over which both countries have fought multiple wars; the Indian government's establishment of full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992 led to a greater spike in expressions of antisemitism in both Pakistani media as well as within Pakistani Muslim social circles. India–Israel relations have led to the common referral to India as a "Zionist Threat" within Pakistani society. [10] Pakistan refused to establish diplomatic relations with Israel following the latter's independence in 1948, and in line with its pro-Palestinian policies in regard to the Arab–Israeli conflict, does not recognize Israel as a legitimate state. [11]

In counter-insurgency operations during the War in North-West Pakistan, the Pakistani military has reportedly flown and dropped leaflets containing antisemitic and Hinduphobic rhetoric over the turbulent tribal region of Waziristan, which warned tribesmen to "beware of foreigners and their local supporters who had allied themselves with the Yahood Aur Hanood (lit. 'Jews and Hindus ')". Locals who read the leaflets were allegedly questioning the use of these terms by Pakistani forces to describe the Tehrik-i-Taliban, an Islamist terrorist organization that operates against the Pakistani state in the region. [12]

Pakistan-based militant groups

Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist group, has also expressed antisemitic views. The organization declares the Jewish people to be "Enemies of Islam" and designates Israel as an "Enemy of Pakistan". [13]

The Hasidic Jewish religious movement Chabad Lubavich had a religious centre in Mumbai that was hit by Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba militants during the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India. The sole surviving perpetrator of the attack, Ajmal Kasab, was eventually captured by Indian security forces. [14] [15] Antisemitic views were evident from the testimonies of Kasab following his arrest and trial. [16]

Anti-Jewish conspiracies

A substantial number of people in Pakistan believe that the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York were a secret Jewish conspiracy organized by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. The same beliefs are prevalent in regard to the 7 July 2005 London bombings, which are alleged to have been perpetrated by Jews in order to discredit Muslims worldwide and promote Islamophobia. A prominent Pakistani political commentator and journalist, Zaid Hamid, claimed that Indian Jews were responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks; [17] [18] such allegations are widespread and echo traditional antisemitic theories circulated in the Muslim world. [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against, Jews. This sentiment is a form of racism, and a person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Primarily, antisemitic tendencies may be motivated by negative sentiment towards Jews as a people or by negative sentiment towards Jews with regard to Judaism. In the former case, usually presented as racial antisemitism, a person's hostility is driven by the belief that Jews constitute a distinct race with inherent traits or characteristics that are repulsive or inferior to the preferred traits or characteristics within that person's society. In the latter case, known as religious antisemitism, a person's hostility is driven by their religion's perception of Jews and Judaism, typically encompassing doctrines of supersession that expect or demand Jews to turn away from Judaism and submit to the religion presenting itself as Judaism's successor faith—this is a common theme within the other Abrahamic religions. The development of racial and religious antisemitism has historically been encouraged by the concept of anti-Judaism, which is distinct from antisemitism itself.

Antisemitism has increased greatly in the Arab world since the beginning of the 20th century, for several reasons: the dissolution and breakdown of the Ottoman Empire and traditional Islamic society; European influence, brought about by Western imperialism and Arab Christians; Nazi propaganda and relations between Nazi Germany and the Arab world; resentment over Jewish nationalism; the rise of Arab nationalism; and the widespread proliferation of anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories.

Scholars have studied and debated Muslim attitudes towards Jews, as well as the treatment of Jews in Islamic thought and societies throughout the history of Islam. Parts of the Islamic literary sources give mention to certain Jewish groups present in the past or present, which has led to debates. Some of this overlaps with Islamic remarks on non-Muslim religious groups in general.

The history of antisemitism, defined as hostile actions or discrimination against Jews as a religious or ethnic group, goes back many centuries, with antisemitism being called "the longest hatred". Jerome Chanes identifies six stages in the historical development of antisemitism:

  1. Pre-Christian anti-Judaism in Ancient Greece and Rome that was primarily ethnic in nature
  2. Christian antisemitism in antiquity and the Middle Ages that was religious in nature and has extended into modern times
  3. Muslim antisemitism that was—at least in its classical form—nuanced, in that Jews were a protected class
  4. Political, social, and economic antisemitism during the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment Europe that laid the groundwork for racial antisemitism
  5. Racial antisemitism that arose in the 19th century and culminated in Nazism
  6. Contemporary antisemitism, which has been labeled by some as the new antisemitism
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lashkar-e-Taiba</span> Pakistani Islamist and militant organization

Lashkar-e-Taiba is a terrorist group formed in Pakistan, and a militant and Islamist Salafi jihadist organisation. Described as one of Pakistan's "most powerful jihadi groups", it is most infamous outside Pakistan. The organisation's primary stated objective is to merge the whole of Kashmir with Pakistan. It was founded in 1985–1986 by Hafiz Saeed, Zafar Iqbal Shehbaz Abdullah Azzam and several other Islamist mujahideen with funding from Osama bin Laden during the Soviet–Afghan War. It has been designated a terrorist group by numerous countries.

New antisemitism is the concept that a new form of antisemitism developed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, typically manifesting itself as anti-Zionism. The concept is included in some definitions of antisemitism, such as the working definition of antisemitism and the 3D test of antisemitism. The concept dates to the early 1970s.

This is a list of countries where antisemitic sentiment has been experienced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Pakistan</span>

History of the Jews in Pakistan goes back to 1839 when Pakistan was part of British India. Various estimates suggest that there were about 50,000 to 60,000 Jews living in Karachi at the beginning of the 20th century, mostly comprising Iranian Jews and Bene Israel ; a substantial Jewish community lived in Rawalpindi, and a smaller community also lived in Peshawar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Pakistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

The State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have never had formal diplomatic relations. In 1947, Pakistan voted against the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, and currently does not recognize Israeli sovereignty. Despite the Pakistani position on the Arab–Israeli conflict, there have been multiple instances of the two countries closely cooperating during events such as the Soviet–Afghan War and the Black September conflict. With regard to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Pakistan supports the Palestinian Arabs and endorses the two-state solution. The Pakistani government has maintained that it will not pursue a normalized relationship with Israel until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as the Palestinians' capital city. Nevertheless, with Turkey serving as their middle ground, Israel and Pakistan have used their embassies and consulates-general in the cities of Ankara and Istanbul to communicate and exchange necessary information with each other. In 2010, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, following up on reports received in Washington, had gone through Ankara to pass on newly discovered information to Israel's Mossad about an upcoming terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, where a Jewish cultural centre was listed as a major target; this information first surfaced on WikiLeaks one year after the 2008 Mumbai attacks were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based terrorist organization.

Antisemitism—prejudice, hatred of, or discrimination against Jews—has experienced a long history of expression since the days of ancient civilizations, with most of it having originated in the Christian and pre-Christian civilizations of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Mumbai attacks</span> Terrorist attacks in India

The 2008 Mumbai attacks were a series of cooridnated terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out 12 shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai. The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on Wednesday 26 November and lasted until Saturday 29 November 2008. A total of 175 people died, including nine of the attackers, with more than 300 injured.

Attribution of the 2008 Mumbai attacks were first made by the Indian authorities who said that the Mumbai attacks were directed by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants inside Pakistan. American intelligence agencies also agree with this attribution. Pakistan initially contested this attribution, but agreed this was the case on 7 January 2009. To back up its accusations, the Indian government supplied a dossier to Pakistan's high commission in Delhi. The Pakistan government dismissed the dossier as "not evidence," but also announced that it had detained over a hundred members of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity linked with Lashkar-e-Taiba. In February 2009, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik agreed that "some part of the conspiracy" did take place in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajmal Kasab</span> Pakistani militant and member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (1987–2012)

Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was a Pakistani terrorist and a member of the Islamist terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba through which he took part in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks in Maharashtra, India. Kasab, alongside fellow Lashkar-e-Taiba recruit Ismail Khan, killed 72 people during the attacks, most of them at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Kasab was the only attacker who was apprehended alive by the police.

Antisemitic incidents escalated worldwide in frequency and intensity during the Gaza War, and were widely considered to be a wave of reprisal attacks in response to the conflict.

The Jewish community in Sweden has been prevalent since the 18th century. Today Sweden has a Jewish community of around 20,000, which makes it the 7th largest in the European Union. Antisemitism in historical Sweden primarily manifested as the confiscation of property, restrictions on movement and employment, and forced conversion to Christianity. Antisemitism in present-day Sweden is mainly perpetrated by far-right politicians, neo-Nazis, and Islamists.

Antisemitism in France has become heightened since the late 20th century and into the 21st century. In the early 21st century, most Jews in France, like most Muslims in France, are of North African origin. France has the largest population of Jews in the diaspora after the United States—an estimated 500,000–600,000 persons. Paris has the highest population, followed by Marseilles, which has 70,000 Jews. Expressions of antisemitism were seen to rise during the Six-Day War of 1967 and the French anti-Zionist campaign of the 1970s and 1980s. Following the electoral successes achieved by the extreme right-wing National Front and an increasing denial of the Holocaust among some persons in the 1990s, surveys showed an increase in stereotypical antisemitic beliefs among the general French population.

Sayed Zabiuddin Ansaria.k.a.Abu Hamza or Abu Jundal is an Indian Islamic militant belonging to Indian Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is accused of being involved in 2008 Mumbai attacks. Zabiuddin Ansari 's name was listed in the list of "50 most wanted criminals sheltered in Pakistan" released by India on 21 May 2011. He served as the handler of the 10 LeT terrorists during 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), intelligence agency of Pakistan has been involved in running military intelligence programs in India, with one of the subsections of its Joint Intelligence Bureau (JIB) department devoted to perform various operations in India. The Joint Signal Intelligence Bureau (JSIB) department has also been involved in providing communications support to Pakistani agents operating in Indian-administered Kashmir. The Joint Intelligence North section of the Joint Counter-Intelligence Bureau (JCIB) wing deals particularly with India. In the 1950s the ISI's Covert Action Division was alleged for supplied arms to insurgents in Northeast India.

Antisemitism is a growing problem in 21st-century Germany.

The Pakistan Armed Forces have been criticized for eroding democratic processes in Pakistan, for being the largest business conglomeration in the country and for excessive control over the domestic and foreign policies of Pakistan. Critics of the Pakistan Army, such as human rights activist Manzoor Pashteen, have been jailed while like-minded Pakistani citizens are warned against criticizing the military establishment. In Pakistan, the military is considered a part of what is known as The Establishment; they control the state through a backdoor and are a part of a working deep state.

References

  1. ↑ Why are the Jews ‘kanjoos’? —Khaled Ahmed’s Review of the Urdu press,Daily times (Pakistan)
  2. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Pakistan's 'last Jew' Fishel Benkhald complains of anti-Semitism | DW | 22.11.2017". DW.COM. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Pakistan's Jews struggle to maintain their community". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Pakistan Virtual Jewish History Tour". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 Jewish Virtual Library: Pakistan Accessed 8 October 2006
  6. ↑ "Pakistan's Jews struggle to maintain their community". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Global Antisemitism Report - 01.05.2005 Archived 5 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 8 October 2006
  8. ↑ Report on Global Anti-Semitism Accessed 8 October 2006
  9. ↑ "Report on Global Anti-Semitism". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. ↑ Pakistan Archived 5 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 8 October 2006
  11. ↑ Musharraf says Pakistan not to recognize Israel Accessed 8 October 2006
  12. ↑ "Military drops leaflets in Waziristan". The News International . Pakistan. 24 March 2006. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007.
  13. ↑ Lashkar-e-Toiba: Spreading the jehad [usurped] Accessed 8 October 2006
  14. ↑ "Gunman in Mumbai Siege a Pakistani", New York Times, 7 January 2009
  15. ↑ "Surviving gunman's identity established as Pakistani". Dawn. 7 January 2009. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  16. ↑ Rubenstein, Richard L. (16 May 2011). Jihad and Genocide. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 181–182. ISBN   978-0-7425-6203-5 . Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  17. ↑ Ludovica Iaccino (1 July 2015). "Saudi Arabia: Pakistan's controversial Zaid Hamid faces 1,000 lashes and 8 years in jail for criticising kingdom". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  18. ↑ Sengupta, Nandita (2 December 2008). "Pak TV channel says 26/11 hatched by Hindu Zionists - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Pakistan and Israel - new friends?, BBC News.
  20. ↑ Pakistan: In the Land of Conspiracy Theories,PBS.org
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.