Some biases never die. They just mutate to take on toxic new forms.
As public protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and violence in the West Bank grow larger, condemnations – even from some of Israel’s strongest EU allies – get louder, and Israel kills even more Palestinians, including children, doctors and journalists, a new(ish) spin on an age-old Islamophobic trope has resurfaced in Europe.
Here’s the short version: EU governments which are showing even mild shock at Israel’s horrific almost two-year old devastation of Gaza, following the October 7 terror attack, are “caving” under pressure from their Hamas-loving 26 million Muslim citizens who are being brainwashed in mosques and have now more or less colonised Europe.
The supposed “solution” to this latest version of the “Muslim problem”? Simple. Dip into the much-used Islamophobic playbook and blame Muslims for Europe’s mood shift on Israel and Gaza. Shut down mosques and “remove” all Muslims from Europe.
All of this is not new, of course, as it is lifted straight from the racist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory so loved by Europe’s far right which is now – surprise, surprise – best friends with Israel. It is now being adapted to new realities.
Alternate universe
In this alternative universe, we are being asked to forget Europe’s centuries-long persecution of Jews culminating in the Holocaust, shrug off repeated warnings from the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency about persistent Europe-wide antisemitism and dismiss Jewish voices, like Joshua Shanes of the College of Charleston, who cautioned against equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism
Above all, we are being asked to forget that it is Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the rising violence and dispossession of Palestinian land in the West Bank, and the blatant cruelty of Israeli politicians and soldiers which is responsible for this changed mood across Europe and many other parts of the world.
Shada Islam