Most Muslims do not hate Jews, and hatred between any groups usually comes from specific historical, political, and social factors rather than religion itself. The idea that “Muslims hate Jews” is a harmful stereotype that erases both positive relations and internal diversity on both sides.
Religion versus prejudice
Islam’s core texts present Jews as “People of the Book,” a term that historically granted Jews a protected legal status under many Muslim empires, including rights to worship and operate communal institutions in return for a special tax. Across centuries, this produced many periods of coexistence and cooperation, especially in parts of the Middle East and North Africa, even though there were also times of discrimination and violence.
Modern antisemitism in some Muslim societies is shaped less by religion itself and more by imported European antisemitic ideas, conspiracy theories, and propaganda that spread in the 19th and 20th centuries. Scholars note that anti-Jewish hatred and anti-Muslim hatred today often share similar mechanisms: scapegoating, dehumanizing stereotypes, and blaming a whole group for political or economic problems.
Historical and political roots
Negative Muslim–Jewish attitudes in some contexts partly trace back to early conflicts between Muhammad’s community and certain Jewish tribes in 7th‑century Arabia, which later polemicists on both sides sometimes generalized far beyond their original local context. Over time, legal and social hierarchies in some Muslim societies placed Jews (and Christians) in a subordinate “protected” status, which could turn into harassment, forced conversions, or violence in particular periods and regions.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Arab–Israeli conflict and especially the Israeli–Palestinian dispute have become the single biggest driver of hostile rhetoric, with political anger against Israel sometimes wrongly generalized into hatred of all Jews. Media, some religious and political leaders, and extremist groups have amplified this by using dehumanizing language, Holocaust denial, and calls for violence, which fuels both antisemitism among some Muslims and anti-Muslim bigotry among some Jews and others.
Why the stereotype is harmful
Treating “Muslims” and “Jews” as if they are each one united bloc erases millions of people who actively oppose hatred, work together, and maintain friendships, interfaith projects, and shared civic life. Surveys in some countries show both positive and negative views across communities, indicating that attitudes are diverse and can be changed by contact, education, and fairer media portrayals.
Framing the issue as “Muslims hate Jews” makes it harder to address the real problems: specific extremist ideologies, state and non‑state violence, and systemic discrimination that harm both Jews and Muslims. A more accurate and constructive question is how to reduce antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice simultaneously, and how Jews and Muslims can work together for justice and safety for everyone.
