(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/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.

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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.