Anti-Semitism

In my last post I mentioned the anti-semitic remarks Mel Gibson made while being arrested.

Mel allegedly asked the arresting officer if he was Jewish and accused Jews of starting all the wars in the world. Were Mel Gibson's remarks insensitive? Yes. Were they anti-semitic? Yes.

But...I could probably be accused of anti-semitism, of a sort.

I don't like the government of Israel. I don't agree with the way it was founded as a country. I don't agree with what Israel is currently doing to the Palestinian people.

Is this anti-semitism? I say no but many people would say yes. In my opinion, equating anti-Zionism with anti-semitism is designed to stifle criticism of Israel. I don't see how criticising the Likud party or Ariel Sharon is an attack on Judaism--even if Israel is a Jewish country. That's the same thing as saying that criticising the Queen of England is an attack on the Anglican Church.

Of course, anti-Zionism can serve as a cover for anti-semitism. Sure. But not always. We need to be able to speak freely without being accused of bigotry. How can we hold an honest dialog about the Middle East otherwise?