France: Sharp rise in antisemitism among the Muslim population

A survey revealed that while the French are concerned about antisemitism, hatred of Jews is increasingly permeating one sector of French society: young people, mainly Muslims.

The poll, conducted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and two French organizations: the Foundation for Political Innovation (FONDAPOL) and the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP), indicated that 76% of the citizens of the country are very concerned about the rise of antisemitism and consider it a problem that concerns the whole nation.

The survey added that only 9% of the French respondents maintained that antisemitism is a problem that only concerns Jews.

Another encouraging finding of the survey is that the vast majority of citizens call for more forceful policies to fight antisemitism. In fact, 80% believe that the judicial system does not punish those who commit hate crimes against Jews firmly enough.

However, the survey revealed that despite these positive points, as mentioned, young French people, particularly those of Muslim religion or culture, show a different view, as many of them are contaminated by antisemitism.

According to the poll, the increase in Jewish hate among this sector of the population occurred especially amidst the conflict between Israel and Islamic terrorist organizations, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, among others.

Cultural antisemitism that ignores history

The authors of the survey explained that this cultural antisemitism either ignores, does not want to know or rejects history, to the point that outrageous and revisionist judgments are abundant on social media.

Forty percent of those under 35 said Israel treats Palestinians the same way the Nazis treated Jews, a significantly higher percentage than all French respondents (32%) and those over 65 (31%).

While this is a high number, the figure reaches 67% among French Muslims and 65% among members of this group under the age of 35.

Moreover, 29% of young people said that the creation of the State of Israel was the result of racism, compared to 16% of all French people and 12% of those over 65 years of age.

Among French Muslims, however, that figure reaches 45%, and 46% among those under 35 years of age among this population.

Worrying support for Hamas among French Muslims

The poll also revealed that 22% of French Muslims support the terrorist group Hamas, and the figure rises to 27% among French Muslims under 35.

Support for the Palestinian terrorist group drops significantly among the general population under 35 (14%) and even more among those over 65 (2%).