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| The elephant in the room in Labour’s antisemitism row | The elephant in the room in Labour’s antisemitism row |
| (4 months later) | |
| Hidden among the current controversy on antisemitism is an issue so big and so difficult that it is barely addressed. How, in diverse societies, is it possible to live peacefully alongside minorities whose views and political commitments we disagree with? | Hidden among the current controversy on antisemitism is an issue so big and so difficult that it is barely addressed. How, in diverse societies, is it possible to live peacefully alongside minorities whose views and political commitments we disagree with? |
| One of the common responses when accusations of antisemitism are made at anti-Zionists is to stress that Zionism and Judaism are two different things. Last Sunday, Malia Bouattia summed up this argument in her passionate defence of her anti-racist credentials: “I want to be clear, again, that in my view to take issue with Zionist politics is in no way me taking issue with being Jewish. In fact, Zionist politics are held by people from a variety of different backgrounds and faiths. It has been, and will always be, a political argument, not one of faith or ethnic identity. Zionism, religion and ethnicity must not be seen as one and the same.” | One of the common responses when accusations of antisemitism are made at anti-Zionists is to stress that Zionism and Judaism are two different things. Last Sunday, Malia Bouattia summed up this argument in her passionate defence of her anti-racist credentials: “I want to be clear, again, that in my view to take issue with Zionist politics is in no way me taking issue with being Jewish. In fact, Zionist politics are held by people from a variety of different backgrounds and faiths. It has been, and will always be, a political argument, not one of faith or ethnic identity. Zionism, religion and ethnicity must not be seen as one and the same.” |
| Zionism is a political ideology. Not all Jews are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jews. But we must recognise that the dividing lines between politics, religion and ethnicity are not neat, and for the majority of Jews to reject Zionism is to reject something they find essential to their Jewish identities. | Zionism is a political ideology. Not all Jews are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jews. But we must recognise that the dividing lines between politics, religion and ethnicity are not neat, and for the majority of Jews to reject Zionism is to reject something they find essential to their Jewish identities. |
| According to a 2010 survey 72% of British Jews categorise themselves as Zionists, and for 82% Israel plays a “central” or “important but not central” role in their Jewish identities. | According to a 2010 survey 72% of British Jews categorise themselves as Zionists, and for 82% Israel plays a “central” or “important but not central” role in their Jewish identities. |
| While for some anti-Zionism is always synonymous with antisemitism, it is more accurate to suggest that in at least some cases many anti-Zionists are naive to assume an absolute distinction between Jews and Zionism. The apparent sincerity of Naz Shah’s apologies and her apparent shock at finding herself in this mess are perhaps a clue to the wishful thinking that a distinction between Israel and the Jews can be made. | While for some anti-Zionism is always synonymous with antisemitism, it is more accurate to suggest that in at least some cases many anti-Zionists are naive to assume an absolute distinction between Jews and Zionism. The apparent sincerity of Naz Shah’s apologies and her apparent shock at finding herself in this mess are perhaps a clue to the wishful thinking that a distinction between Israel and the Jews can be made. |
| This separation is often bolstered in the minds of anti-Zionists by the existence of a significant minority of Jews sympathetic to that cause. Often abused by other Jews, they have been prominent in “fighting back” against what they see as smears directed at Bouattia and others caught in similar scandals. Anti-Zionists accused of antisemitism often point to their close relations with Jews who reject Zionism as proof of their opposition to antisemitism. | This separation is often bolstered in the minds of anti-Zionists by the existence of a significant minority of Jews sympathetic to that cause. Often abused by other Jews, they have been prominent in “fighting back” against what they see as smears directed at Bouattia and others caught in similar scandals. Anti-Zionists accused of antisemitism often point to their close relations with Jews who reject Zionism as proof of their opposition to antisemitism. |
| It’s also true that minorities need to find the confidence to live with critiques of their deeply-held commitments | It’s also true that minorities need to find the confidence to live with critiques of their deeply-held commitments |
| However, this diversity within the Jewish community does not close the issue. Just as it is naive to criticise Zionism without acknowledging the centrality of Zionism in the identities of the majority of Jews, so it is also naive to assume that one can simply pick and choose the Jews with whom one can enjoy civil relations. | However, this diversity within the Jewish community does not close the issue. Just as it is naive to criticise Zionism without acknowledging the centrality of Zionism in the identities of the majority of Jews, so it is also naive to assume that one can simply pick and choose the Jews with whom one can enjoy civil relations. |
| In the last decade or two, we have been waking up to the most complex aspects of multicultural societies. It has become clear that our diverse minorities are themselves diverse, often riven with internal conflict, with segments committed to political projects that are abhorrent to others both within and without those groupings. | In the last decade or two, we have been waking up to the most complex aspects of multicultural societies. It has become clear that our diverse minorities are themselves diverse, often riven with internal conflict, with segments committed to political projects that are abhorrent to others both within and without those groupings. |
| So far, the challenge of how to live cordially alongside minorities while also rejecting their political commitments has mostly been ducked. One response is to simply pretend it doesn’t exist. Critics of Islam dismiss the whole community while refusing to acknowledge the inevitably oppressive consequences. Conversely, some leftists have made alliances with Muslim groups with highly problematic agendas without any kind of acknowledgement of the dangers of bolstering some questionable (and decidedly non-leftwing) views. | So far, the challenge of how to live cordially alongside minorities while also rejecting their political commitments has mostly been ducked. One response is to simply pretend it doesn’t exist. Critics of Islam dismiss the whole community while refusing to acknowledge the inevitably oppressive consequences. Conversely, some leftists have made alliances with Muslim groups with highly problematic agendas without any kind of acknowledgement of the dangers of bolstering some questionable (and decidedly non-leftwing) views. |
| Picking and choosing which sections of minorities to support is simply another way of avoiding the problem. Those parts of minorities who hold views that one cannot abide are too often left to be condemned by prejudiced treatment. | Picking and choosing which sections of minorities to support is simply another way of avoiding the problem. Those parts of minorities who hold views that one cannot abide are too often left to be condemned by prejudiced treatment. |
| Somehow, we need to find a way to build decent minority relations in multicultural societies without, on the one hand, treating minority political and ideological commitments as beyond criticism, or, on the other hand, simply declaring open season on those who hold to politics and ideologies we don’t like. Pulling this off requires thoughtful communication and considerable sensitivity – skills at a premium amid today’s online-fuelled abusive political culture. | Somehow, we need to find a way to build decent minority relations in multicultural societies without, on the one hand, treating minority political and ideological commitments as beyond criticism, or, on the other hand, simply declaring open season on those who hold to politics and ideologies we don’t like. Pulling this off requires thoughtful communication and considerable sensitivity – skills at a premium amid today’s online-fuelled abusive political culture. |
| It’s also true that minorities need to find the confidence to live with critiques of their deeply held commitments. Many Jews are reluctant to acknowledge the political nature – and hence contestability – of Zionism. But this situation is unlikely to change when anti-Zionists are so frequently either unaware of the sensitivities involved or simply dismiss them as “bad faith” attempts to defend Israel from criticism – just as Ken Livingstone did on Thursday. | It’s also true that minorities need to find the confidence to live with critiques of their deeply held commitments. Many Jews are reluctant to acknowledge the political nature – and hence contestability – of Zionism. But this situation is unlikely to change when anti-Zionists are so frequently either unaware of the sensitivities involved or simply dismiss them as “bad faith” attempts to defend Israel from criticism – just as Ken Livingstone did on Thursday. |
| These antisemitism controversies aren’t just about antisemitism. They get to the root of how we are to live together in multicultural societies – and that’s why it’s so hard. | These antisemitism controversies aren’t just about antisemitism. They get to the root of how we are to live together in multicultural societies – and that’s why it’s so hard. |
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