The idea of the Land of Israel – the homeland of the Jewish People – is that we are witnesses to God’s presence. It is where we are connected to a specific land which God promised to the Jewish People, the place where we are commanded to build and rebuild a Jewish civilization based on Torah.
Most Muslims and many Christians, including influential leaders, however, deny this and express their hatred of Jews and, since 1948, of the State of Israel. For centuries, Jews have been depicted as demonic and evil. It was taught in schools and institutions; it became part of European culture and was used to foment persecutions and pogroms.
Such expressions of Jew-hatred, although contrary to what religions are supposed to teach, are found in the basic documents of Christianity and Islam. Such notions are antithetical to the notion of One God, monotheism, the values of humanism, and ethical behavior. They are, in fact, a denial of God and godliness, and therefore, they are a form of paganism.
This explains why, despite Israel’s military achievements in the war with Iran and its proxies, it has provoked criticism and condemnation around the world. The stronger the State of Israel becomes, the stronger the hatred of Jews and hatred of Israel becomes. This explains why some people support Iran and its proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah – as well as Islamism and Palestinianism.
Hatred of Jews and Israel, therefore, is a way of understanding what this means, even when such views are expressed by people who identify as Christians and Muslims, and even some Jews. Paradoxically, such hatred is precisely what identifies them as pagans.
Empires sought to destroy Israel
This explains why pagan empires, such as Assyria, Babylonia, Roman, and others, sought to slaughter Jews and destroy what they had built in the Land of Israel and throughout Europe for the last 2,000 years. This is why Jews were persecuted and expelled from European countries. It is why Nazis perpetrated the Holocaust and why many deny that it happened.
It is why Muslims are willing to sacrifice themselves in terrorist attacks, as during the Second Intifada (2001-2004), and why they launched their atrocity on October 7, 2023. It’s why so many support them and accuse Israel of genocide and crimes against humanity.
It explains why, today, so many are opposed to the State of Israel and Jewish sovereignty. It explains why Communist regimes and international organizations are opposed to Israel’s existence. It explains why the war with Iran and its proxies, and support for Islamic terrorism and Islamic organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood, are a threat to Western civilization.
Opposing the State of Israel is a convenient way of attacking Jews and the Jewish people while making it seem justified and legitimate. The goal, however, is not only to eradicate Jews physically but to destroy what Jews and Judaism represent. And that’s why they are considered pagans.
The writer is a PhD historian, writer, and journalist.
Source:
www.jpost.com
