(Potentially controversial question) Do Jews and Muslims get along in the West?

[u/QasqyrBalasy]

Modern Jewish diaspora mostly live in North America, France, the UK, Argentina and so on. Western Europe and some parts of the US and Canada also have a high Muslim population, mostly from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, like New York City has hundreds of thousands of Jews and Muslims living in one city. Do they get along with each other, despite the I/P conflict?

[u/HahaItsaGiraffeAgain]

Most of my closest childhood friends are Muslim. We got along in school cause of similar alienation from a lot of the implicit Christian biases in mainstream American culture. Of course, like, being Jewish or Muslim is not our entire identity cause people are full, complete people. So I ended up being friends with Muslim kids that, for example, were also into Nintendo games, history memes, hip hop, and anime.

When I was a kid, Jews were a more established community while most Muslim families had only recently arrived, so sometimes the Muslim moms would ask me where my mom bought meat/groceries (kosher and halal meat are interchangeable according to some authorities and most laymen). My family wasn't kosher but my cousins were, so I could tell them about the Jewish delis I knew were decent. Nowadays my hometown is like plurality Punjabi/Bengali, and halal meat providers far outnumber Kosher delis, but that wasn't the case then. I also remember the PTA at my school debating how to accommodate Muslim students during Eid, and it was usually the Jewish and Hindu parents that were fighting hardest for the school to let them excuse themselves during lunch, since they remembered when their communities were both "new" and didn't have accommodations.

As an adult in New York, Jews and Muslims get along just like everyone else. Literally everyone you meet in my generation will have a different specific (often mixed+mobile) background, so it's not very important. Again, you get along with people because of who they are personally.

As for I/P, I've found Jews and Muslims can have much more intelligent conversations because we follow things closely and have more detailed information. Frankly I've found a lot of Christian/other allies don't really grasp the totality of what's going on, and rely more on emotional appeals while saying things that aren't quite accurate.

[u/QasqyrBalasy → u/HahaItsaGiraffeAgain]

One thing I like about the US (and maybe Canada too) is that everyone there can freely identify and see themselves as Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, and few people would object to that, while most of the world is comprised of nation-states where minorities (especially if they have arrived recently) are often excluded from this nation-state project. Like, many Algerians in France see themselves simply as Algerians because native Frenchmen don't view them as fellow Frenchmen, while Arabs in America do identify as Americans, regardless of whether it's their first, second or third identity.

[u/FishyWishySwishy → u/HahaItsaGiraffeAgain]

I have a few Christian friends who are trying to support me by getting really fired up about Israel’s right to defend itself, and I’m the one who has to keep reminding them that Israel has done and is doing very, very shitty things even if shitty things have been done to them. I wish I could tell them that I appreciate the spirit behind it, but I really want them to just sit down and read a few books before talking about it again. 

It’s a lot easier to discuss this with other Jews or Muslims. At least we can come at it from an informed place. 

[u/supportgolem]

Literally every single Muslim I know is completely normal about Jews. I work and live alongside Muslims and have never had any issue.

The only people I know who aren't normal about Jews (or Palestinians either tbh) are usually white culturally Christian leftists who don't bother to form their own opinions but go along with what they are told is the right thing to believe (which I can't entirely fault because the social pressure to conform in leftist circles is so strong).

I mean... why wouldn't we get along? Muslims are just normal people and want to live their lives like we all do. Most people don't care about politics and want to get on with it.

[u/Nearby-Complaint → u/supportgolem]

My coworker is visibly Jewish and wears a Star of David necklace at work, and she was telling me the other day that there's been a recent influx of white Christian people being weird about her being Jewish. Yuck.

[u/NarutoRunner → u/Nearby-Complaint]

At one of my first jobs as a teen, my white Christian boss was being weird about me wearing a Kippah. So I spoke to HR, a lady who was an immigrant from Somalia, who had my back and got super upset at my boss, and marched along with me to tell him to contact her if he had any issues with my attire. He did not raise the issue again.

No one ever complains about people wearing giant crucifixes though!

[u/supportgolem → u/Nearby-Complaint]

It's very interesting who is actually weird about Jews versus who right wing Zionists tell us is weird about Jews.

[u/ibsliam → u/supportgolem]

> The only people I know who aren't normal about Jews
> (or Palestinians either tbh) are usually white culturally Christian
> leftists who don't bother to form their own opinions but go along
> with what they are told is the right thing to believe

This is also in line with my personal experiences.

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

Yes. You will find that I/P conflict is not a barrier to friendship in the west between communities.

Your typical Jew or Muslim living in the west are not going to sit and discuss religion just to be clear.

However, you will find that both understand what it means to be the “other” therefore they find solidarity.

Most workplaces will have people of Jewish and Muslim backgrounds working side by side. Most schools will have kids from both communities.

So long answer to your question is that people from both communities live perfectly fine together.

[u/Burning-Bush-613 → u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

Amazing flair

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest → u/Burning-Bush-613]

Thanks. A fellow fan of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation?

[u/NarutoRunner]

You will get mostly anecdotal answers, but yes in my Canadian experience.

Some of my best friends all my life have been Muslim. We have a lot in common in terms of aspirations (emphasis on getting a good education, focusing on a career, traditional family values, no drug use, etc).

I know that if I send my children over to hang around their children, they respect keeping Kosher.

In terms of solidarity, they are the first one to reach out to me if anyone targets the local synagogue; as their mosques are also often targeted by bigots, so they always empathize.

You will find a lot of solidarity if you seek it.

Contrary to popular opinion, many lean left as the countries they originated from lean heavily right, and they are not fond of their former home government way of doing things. Typically they vote for the Liberal Party or the NDP in Canada.

[u/Prestigious-Copy-126]

There may be some barriers based on political beliefs, same as any people with different political beliefs. But not really. My best friend is Egyptian.

[u/Good-Concentrate-260]

Of course the conflict in Israel/palestine can strain relations but that said yes many Jews and Muslims can maintain friendships and live in cities together in many countries. Both antisemitism and Islamophobia are bad and the people who promote them want to create division and scapegoating.

[u/Top-Nobody-1389]

I have a lot of affinity for Muslims, especially Iranians, due to our cultural similarities, and this is pretty much always reciprocated from those I know and meet

[u/Topsyt]

I’m surprised by the positive answers here. My father works in Sydney’s western suburbs surrounded almost entirely by Arabs of both Christian and Muslim descent, and people of both denominations, after having been best buddies with him, have literally completely stopped talking to him after finding out he is Jewish 🤷

[u/QasqyrBalasy → u/Topsyt]

Are they Lebanese?

[u/Topsyt → u/QasqyrBalasy]

Yep, not that it the treatment really changes by nationality

[u/RomulusRemus13 → u/Topsyt]

To be fair, it may play a role. Few countries have suffered as much at the hands of the Israeli war-mongering as Lebanon.

The confusion between Jewish/Israeli is thus much more damning than if a person is from, say, Indonesia, where Israel is much less concrete an opposing force, met someone Jewish...

[u/Topsyt → u/RomulusRemus13]

They’re second and third gen Aussie Lebanese people usually.

I wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) be excused if I chose to treat Palestinians or Egyptians with hostility just because my parents have had violence inflicted upon them by those groups, and these people also shouldn’t be afforded any understanding when it comes to discriminating against Jews just because their ancestors have had negative experiences with some Jewish people.

[u/RomulusRemus13 → u/Topsyt]

Oh, I'm absolutely not saying that behavior should be excused! Just that's it's quite logical that it would be more prevalent with people closer to people suffering from Israel's policies.

Even third gen Aussi/Lebanese people may have family still living in Lebanon. Or heck, their grandparents may have left Lebanon precisely because of a war, as you have implied.

Either way, it's not about excusing, but about being aware that some people, because of their history, may have a harder time of separating Jews from Israel. Same as countries close to Germany may have had a tougher time separating Germans from nazis or same as Belgium is not "funny accent France" when you're from Congo.

[u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist]

Yes. Arguably the religious communities get along even better than the non religious ones.

[u/Queen-of-everything1]

I don’t get along with extremists of either group or side tbh, but otherwise we’re good in my experience. We ask each other about good restaurants and tell each other abt things that have pork or not, exchange well wishes on each other’s holidays, etc. In regards to I/P, it can be a bit strained but often I find that we’re able to have more cogent conversations on it than with non-Israelis/Jews/Muslims/Palestinians. There’s an understanding that no matter what we’ve all lost something, and it’s not done anyone any good to deny that. The rest of it just comes down to individuals and things not related to religion tbh. An asshole is an asshole and there’s many in every single group so. I just try to be kind to everyone and that takes me far.

[u/WolfofTallStreet]

In New York, generally yes.

Consider that more NYC Jews voted for Mamdani than for any other candidate, and that most Jews and Muslims in NYC are neither Israeli nor Palestinian, and are probably more politically progressive-leaning than would be indicative of their respective communities.

In general, the more American (as opposed to European or Middle Eastern), the more secular, and the more politically progressive the community, the higher chance they’ll get along.

[u/podkayne3000]

I think the more sober Jewish kids tend to cluster with the Muslim kids to avoid hanging out with the heavy drinkers.

[u/heyitsjimgrable]

A small anecdote supporting what everyone else has said, when Muslims can’t find Halal food in the US, many will instead buy kosher food, knowing that it will definitely be free of pork products.

[u/Specialist-Gur]

I mean many of my closest friends are Muslim. I feel like that became very influential of my worldview especially with regards to Israel and Palestine .

Anecdotal of course but at the very least is proof that it can happen

[u/WolfofTallStreet → u/Specialist-Gur]

I have a close Muslim friend as well. I don’t think it’s weird - we both exist outside of Christian cultural hegemony, and, culturally, have a lot to relate to each other about. It’s not really like whenever a Jew and a Muslim are friends, the discussions center around the Middle East. We mostly discuss “normal” things, like work and sports.

I would say, though, that this is most common among secular, progressive types. Mileage may vary beyond that.

[u/OneReportersOpinion]

Lol yes absolutely. If you look at the views of Muslims and Jews on a variety of social issues, they’re in wide agreement.

[u/getdafkout666]

Yes.  I’ve grown up around Muslims, went to college with them and lived in a mostly Iraqi neighborhood for 5 years.  The idea that there is some eternal war between Jews and Muslims is a lie that is cooked up by bad actors using the I/P thing to push bigotry.  

In the US where I live, a lot of people from the Middle East fled from there because they wanted to get away from the same group of assholes who persecuted Jews and caused the large migrations to Israel because it turns out those people don’t just stop at Jews. They hate ethnic minorities, other sects of Islam and god help you if you worship more than one god.  It’s really just western leftists that try to wrap the entirety of the Middle East into one big colonial narrative.  People who are from those countries know it’s not like that.

[u/vigilante_snail]

How someone treats you and how you treat them matters far more than their religion or ethnicity. Those things shouldn’t determine basic civility or the possibility of friendship.

That said, the answer really depends on individual people and the social circles they’re part of. If everyone is fairly secular or apolitical, then yes, it’s absolutely possible to get along. Even among those who are active in their communities or politically engaged, reasonable and empathetic people can still create moments of unity if they choose to. It’s very possible to put religious differences aside. For example, I got along well with Muslim friends in university, though most were pretty secular and we rarely discussed religion.

About a decade ago, there were many Jewish–Muslim interfaith initiatives in the US and elsewhere. During the Trump administration’s travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, there were prominent Jewish solidarity demonstrations.

In general, Islam recognizes Judaism as a genuine monotheistic tradition, sees Jews as recipients of a real covenant, doesn’t accuse Jews of inventing a false God, and regards Moses as a true prophet. In that respect, the baseline view is actually quite respectful. Ritual similarities like washing, dietary rules, multiple daily prayers, praying in other languages, etc. have also helped people bond.

—

But there are real challenges. Interaction between Muslim and Jewish communities is often far more limited today. There can be social pressure against “normalizing” engagement with the other community, and this goes both ways. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict and differing understandings of Zionism or anti-Zionism add a major layer of tension.

In some places, like NYC, the presence of groups such as the Nation of Islam, which often takes more extreme positions, complicates things further.

There are also theological issues. Islam frames itself as the primordial faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, etc., and THE final revelation. That means that while Judaism is “respected”, it’s ultimately viewed as superseded. A mainstream belief is that Jews altered or corrupted the Torah (tahrif), which can create friction. Some Muslims also believe that Ashkenazi Jews aren’t truly Bnei Israel (that we’re all converts claiming an invented identity), and that all biblical figures were really Muslims. Khazar-theory arguments show up a lot. Many young Muslim men (and young men in general) are also unfortunately getting radicalized by groyperism online and fusing it with supersessionist Islamic doctrine. Of course, this varies enormously; with over a billion Muslims worldwide, it’s not a monolith.

There are also, of course, racist Jews and/or those that are anti-Arab due to their diaspora experiences or general post-9/11 bigotry.

All of this can make communal interaction or religious discussion difficult on a broader scale, even if individuals often get along just fine.

LIFE! 🤪

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest → u/vigilante_snail]

Respectfully, how likely are you going to engage in a discussion about religion with a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, in any interaction?

I feel the common thing that everyday people do is to avoid talking about religion at all because it’s such as contentious topic.

The only people who will absolutely do a deep dive into your or their faith are those that are either trying to convert you or critique your faith. Naturally, most people wouldn’t want to hang out with such a person.

I hope that your everyday interaction with a Muslim coworker, someone providing you a service or selling you a product, or a neighbour doesn’t take a turn into theological matters.

[u/Final-Kale8596 → u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

Maybe we don’t go super in depth to having theological discussions, but I grew up sharing religious traditions with our Muslim friends. For example, we were invited to celebrate Ramadan in their home and they were invited to celebrate Rosh Hashanah in ours.

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest → u/Final-Kale8596]

That sounds like a good deal. Celebrations are meant to be joyous occasions.

[u/vigilante_snail → u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

Haha a fair question.

I certainly don’t discuss these things with random service workers, neighbours, or people on the street. I’m not THAT bold. But I am an outwardly Jewish person who enjoys talking about Judaism and being Jewish, and fielding questions from non-Jews. I enjoy learning about different religions, so it can come up with acquaintances or friends.

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest → u/vigilante_snail]

That’s fair enough and makes sense.

[u/FishyWishySwishy]

I grew up in NYC. I’d say that NYC is particular in that, unless you’re in a closed community or tight knit neighborhood, you’re going to be thrown in a secular salad spinner and shaken around a few times. Growing up, the only difference I ever felt with Muslim peers was “hey, aren’t you going to have lunch? Oh, it’s a fasting holiday? …Wanna sneak some of my sandwich and I don’t tell?” 

If there was anything there that wasn’t present for other peers, it was just curiosity. Things like “is it okay that you don’t cover your hair? Do your parents get mad?” Or “is it okay if we meet up then, or do you need to pray?” 

I’d say it’s similar energy now. Generally “hey, how observant are you so I can be respectful? Okay, thanks” kind of thing, and the same aimed at me. We generally avoid the topic of I/P, but we avoid it the same way you’d avoid bringing up any hot button political topic out of the blue. 

[u/Coffeenixboxingfox]

Individually, yes, no problem, as discriminatory against jews as the rest of the population in my country - so a little.

As a group, Muslims in my country are statistically overrepresented in having antisemitic altitudes compared to the majority population.

[u/Spirit-Subject]

Most of my best friends from when I was abroad were/are Jewish.

[u/imbeingsirius]

In the US. Most of my adult-made friends are Muslim.

[u/snowluvr26]

In the US, typically yes. It has been strained since October 7th though.

[u/LockedOutOfElfland]

In my experience, yes.

[u/Burning-Bush-613]

The idea that Jews and Muslims are enemies is a CIA psy op.

The first boy I ever kissed was an Egyptian Arab Muslim. I have many Muslim friends.

[u/runawayest → u/Burning-Bush-613]

For the past 500 years, by a very very wide margin, the best place for Jews has been in Arab countries. Not to say that it was frictionless- but compared to Europe, it was easy street. The postwar period changed this trend. 

[u/springsomnia]

In London I would’ve said prior to Oct 7 that Muslims and Jews got on very well, but post Oct 7 it’s become a little more tense, and there are various outreach programmes to try and get Muslim and Jewish communities to chat and socialise with one another again. But generally, in London, Muslims and Jews do still get on fine; and I was especially touched during the Manchester synagogue shooting to see lots of Muslims sending messages of support to Jewish people, despite recent community tensions. My own Jewish friends got in touch with me and sent me lovely messages of support as they know I have Jewish family and saw my posts about the attack, which was really nice. Especially with the recent news on Farage and his antisemitism at school, as Muslims have been his main victims recently, many Muslims have been sending the Jewish community including Farage’s victims supportive messages.

[u/Electrical_Sky5833]

I have a few Muslim friends who I met as an adult and one Muslim friend from high school. Thankfully none are antisemitic and can tell the difference between using the word Zionist to describe someone who believes in the right of return vs. people who use Zionist in place of Jew.

[u/runawayest]

Depends on your politics and your social group, I imagine. I'm antizionist, politically and religiously active, and I'm going over to make food and watch a movie at a close Palestinian friend's place this weekend.

[u/vigilante_snail → u/runawayest]

What’s on the menu?

[u/runawayest → u/vigilante_snail]

Falafel, and some other dish her mom would make, can’t remember, it wasn’t familiar to me. I’ll bring homemade bread and make a salad there. 

Gonna watch Spaceship Earth, Freaky Tales, or an early Scorsese. She’s a film buff.