ABSTRACT
Christian antisemitism has had a characteristic that distinguishes it from the other great example of antisemitism, that of the Islamic world. This is the belief in the high extent of Jewish power. For most of history, the saving grace of Islamic antisemitism has been its large component of contempt, which has exempted the Muslims from the fantasy of a takeover of Islam by Jewish power. Again, one should avoid the error of misunderstanding the word ‘antisemitism’ by taking it too literally as a contempt for people of Semitic descent. If this mistake is made, antisemitism can be understood as including an opposition of Christians to Muslims, rather than as an opposition confined to Jews. As explained previously in this book, the term ‘antisemitism’ was invented late in history by Christians as a useful misnomer for their long historical opposition to Jews. This misleading term has never impeded the recruiting and enlisting of non-Jewish Muslims, that is, people of far purer Semitic descent than the Jews, as helpers in the fight or campaign of certain Christians against Jews.
