Omar Kamil's New Book Traces Political and Historical Roots of Muslim Antisemitism

Historian and political scientist Omar Kamil challenges simplistic explanations of antisemitism in his new book "Muslimischer Antisemitismus," tracing the political and historical sources of global Jew-hatred. The book responds to a 2025 statement by Friedrich Merz, who spoke of "a kind of imported antisemitism" when asked about sharply rising antisemitic crimes in Germany, attributing it to "the large number of migrants" from Arab and Muslim countries. Crime statistics, however, show that far-right antisemitism remains the most virulent form. Merz also recently described antisemitism as "the most perfidious form of xenophobia," an ignorance that raises fears he could harbor prejudices not only against Muslims but also against Jews. Merz did not invent the term "imported antisemitism": it has circulated since the 2000s. Kamil's intervention counters the notion that antisemitism is an essential feature of Islam, instead examining its political and historical origins. The full text appears in the current issue of Der Freitag.