Discussion:
[Marxism] Anti-Semitism is a misnomer
D OC
2006-07-31 16:27:21 UTC
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A chairde,

After the Nazis, the greatest anti-semites are the Zionists. They have
killed more people of semitic origin than any other group.

The problem is that many people assume that the only Semites are the Jews.
Of course, Semites include all those who are claimed to descend from the
biblical character Shem - this includes all the Arabic people also. In the
old racial theories, there were semetic features shared by people living
from West Africa to the Punjab. It's there for all to see.

Indeed, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all been termed Semitic
religions because of their origins (although many other refer to them now as
the Abrahamic religions no doubt in deference to the Zionist lobby).

We often hear US commentators talking about anti-semitism. This is usually
challenged in European media by muslims who have always viewed themselves as
semetic. It is a shame to see left-wing commentators peddling this
inaccurate and unfortunate term. If the Zionists want to come out and call
people anti-Jewish let them come out and say it. We shouldn't misuse terms
though.

There is rampant anti-semitism out there. It takes the form of 'Islam'
bashing when it's clear it's not so much the islamic faith as the outrage
caused by non-whites not just sitting and taking the treatment given out
(and suffered quietly) by others. Of course, there are a few relatively
harmless, right-wing dinosaurs who still hate Jews despite the fact that the
Zionists are a key component of modern-day imperialism.

The problem is that Zionists want to identify the issue as a racial one -
they are a different race, rather than a different religion. Of course, this
is nonsense. There is no such thing as a Jewish race - anymore than any
other race. The Zionists don't stand for Jewishness either - there are many
Jews who oppose what they're at from a religious perspective.

My rant's over.

I just saw Syriana. It's a great movie. The line ' we're only here talking
like this because of corruption' (or some such) is beautiful. I suspect that
racism and chauvinism are so far gone that movies like Syriana can be made
and they only just reinforce the pitiless greed that justifies mass death in
the cause of defence of the Western (standard) way of life. The debt for
such a culture of political immorality is having to live with the crude
striving for equality which can be expected of the rest of the world. In any
case, Clooney has done his Irish ancestry proud by that film.

Le meas,
DoC.
Danielle Ni Dhighe
2006-08-01 04:14:00 UTC
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Post by D OC
It is a shame to see left-wing commentators peddling
this inaccurate and unfortunate term. If the Zionists
want to come out and call people anti-Jewish let them
come out and say it. We shouldn't misuse terms though.
The term 'antisemitic' wasn't invented by the Zionists. It
originated as the opposite of 'Semitic' in 19th century Germany,
which was used by Germans to refer to Jews.

Danielle Ni Dhighe
Coordinating Committee Member
Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
danielle at irsm.org - http://www.irsm.org/irsm.html
Lüko Willms
2006-08-01 07:22:01 UTC
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Post by D OC
The problem is that many people assume that the
only Semites are the Jews. Of course, Semites
include all those who are claimed to descend
from the biblical character Shem - this includes
all the Arabic people also.
The term "antisemitism" was coined by the antisemites, and did not
refer to Semitic peoples in general, but to Jews in the capitalist
societies of Europe.
Post by D OC
After the Nazis, the greatest anti-semites
are the Zionists. They have killed more people
of semitic origin than any other group.
But there is a difference between general racism, directed towards
"inferior" people, and the antisemitism coming out of the capitalist
society of Europe.

The colonizer has racist contempt for the people he has subjugated to
his will by conquering his land, or by making him a slave.

Antisemitism arose against a body of people who had constitued sort of
a caste in the feudal society, where people had their place because of
being born into it. In the christian-germanic feudal society of Europe,
Jews represented the element of money and capital, forming a separated
but intimately linked people-class, as Abraham Leon explained in his
book.

This caste or guild, being a people-class, somewhat ethincally
distinct, had more problems dissolving into the capitalist class society
than the "regular" guilds of, say, carpenters, shoemakers, smiths,
peasants, etc. This exposed position made them vulnerable for attacks
which were a diversion from the attacks which should have been directed
at the capitalists. Antisemitism has always also a feeling of
inferiority and envy for the superior material or intellectual position
attributed to Jews. One would not find the phantasy that Blacks are in
reality directing society by some secret societies hidden behind the
normal instutions (I once had debated a fool who proclaimed that the US
Federal Reserve system is owned and directed by "the Jews" via the
British Rothschild bank, the US presidency being just a pawn in their
hands).

So, while antisemitism is certainly a form of racism -- "they" are
different from "us", and "we" have to push "our" interests against
"them" -- it has its own particular traits which one should be aware of,
and one shold not dilute the fight against antisemitism in a general
struggle against racism.

On the other hand, it is of course nonsense to reproach "antisemitism"
to the resistance against the colonial settler state Israel, even if
some people borrow from European antisemitic phantasies to find an
understanding for what is happening to them.

Antisemitism opposes a phantasy of Jewish power and rule, while the
Arabs in Palestine and beyond are really oppressed.

It is rather antisemitic to claim an identity of interests between the
colonial settler state Israel and Jews. The interests are rather
opposed. Explanation of this fact should be an important part of a fight
against Israeli colonial racism.


Yours,
L?ko Willms
Frankfurt, Germany
--------------------------------
visit http://www.mlwerke.de Marx, Engels, Luxemburg, Lenin, Trotzki in
German
Ian Pace
2006-08-01 09:18:39 UTC
Permalink
From: "L?ko Willms" <lueko.willms at t-online.de>
Post by Lüko Willms
It is rather antisemitic to claim an identity of interests between the
colonial settler state Israel and Jews.
But that is something a *lot* of Jewish people will claim (that there is an
identity of interests).
Post by Lüko Willms
The interests are rather opposed.
How would you prove that, considering that, at the very least, the expressed
view you would get would suggest the opposite? All down to false
consciousness? Try and convince people of that one.
Post by Lüko Willms
Explanation of this fact should be an important part of a fight
against Israeli colonial racism.
Need to know how you propose that could be done.

Solidarity,
Ian

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