The Jews - the universal paradigm of suffering. The weight of history bears down upon the Jews, the archetypal threatened, ousted, persecuted, despised, universal minority of humanity. Chased by pharoahs, overwhelmed by Romans, murdered by the Nazis, the Jews have never had it good, everyone knows that. But they tough it out, stay strong, hold togehter, survive, and then survive all over again. Everyone wants to be as strong, as determined, as tenacious as the Jews, but still the pity is palpable - the poor old long suffering Jews, who would want be like them? No one, unless you are a Muslim of course.
Apparently, the Muslims are the New Jews. According to Shahid Malik most British Muslims 'feel like the Jews of Europe' and have adopted the mantel of the long suffering Jews. 'I don't mean to equate that with with the Holocaust' he is quick to point out. But of course just by talking about the suffering of the Jews of Wurope, that is precisely what he means. The centuries of Jewish persecution in Europe was precursor to that almighty icon of man's inhumanity to man - the Holocaust. It seems everyone wants a piece of it.
There is a problem with Mr Malik's asserion that 'most' British Muslims feel like the Jews. Quite simply, most british Muslims have no idea what the Jews suffered, nor do they take the time and trouble to find out. Maybe he means that because he has taken the time and trouble to find out, he sees parallels in the lives of many of his maginalised and struggling constituents, that were they to really know what the Jews suffered and how they really felt, they would empathise in a whole new way. Of maybe he means that they feel like the Jews felt, even though they do not know it!
I rather fear Mr Malik is using the Jews, using the history of antisemitism, dare I say it, using the Holcoaust to make a point, which he understands, but few British Muslims understand at all. Most british Muslims equate Jews with a strong State of Israel, not with a persecuted European minority. Muslims live in a free and democratic country, where the governemnt upholds the principles of human rights. There is no state sponsored islamophobia as there was antisemitism for many years. Muslims are free to create their own community structres, organisations and places of religous worship. Their are no restrictions on travel, university entrance, religous practice, or citizenship. We can dismiss his complaint, his trivilisation of Jewish suffering and his spurious comparisons bought at the price of the memory of Europe's vanquished Jews. Or can we?
So maybe most Muslims do not know what the Jews suffered, does that mean that they are not bewlidered by the sense of isolation they feel at times? Maybe the intnetional reference to the Holocaust was a statement too far, but what does it take to make us sit up and listen. Mention the Holocaust and we atrat to listen alright, if only to rebutt the very idea that there is any comparrison at all. But listen we should. However we fear the coming together of muslims and Jews, come together they must.
The muslims fear the Jews. There is no reason, but they see a strong, coherent, homogenous, determined people. they simply do not know their Jewish neighbours well enough. In return many Jews fear Muslims, not that they will admit it. They are uncertain about the tenets of Islam, concerned about terrorism, they see them as a undermining, threatening force. Each knows that the other suffers. And yet the very thing which should bring them together - a sense of shared expereince on the margins of society - pushes them apart. Its understandable, there is an uncertain future.
So Mr Malik got it wrong on all fronts. That is unless we strip out the Holocaust link and uncover the fundamentals of his comment. I suspect what he is actually trying to articulate is that Muslims and Jews have something in common. Both understand what it means to be a minority. Both try to speak about the antisemitism and islamophobia which smoulders on the margins of their everyday existence. Both want to play their full role in British Society, but are rarely understood or appreciated by the majority for their efforts. Neither are certsain about their future as the rising If that is what he meant to say, then indeed the Muslims and the Jews have far more in common than either is yet to prepared to admit. We need to stpe beyond the past, beyond the fear, beyond the unknowing.
But then that is easy for me to say.
