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From: jho@ihlpa.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Arab tolerance
Message-ID: <905@ihlpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Nov-85 01:41:16 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlpa.905
Posted: Fri Nov 29 01:41:16 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 29-Nov-85 21:13:55 EST
References: <460@mhuxm.UUCP> <740@whuxl.UUCP> <10822@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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Xref: lsuc net.politics:2211 net.religion.jewish:1626

>                            the Arab conquerors at the height of their conquests
> allowed the practice of religions other than their own, as opposed to, say,
> the Catholic Church which consolidated and centralized its power through the
> prevention of religious liberty.
> 
> I believe that Jews in Spain fared better under the Moors than they did under
> the Inquisition, ...                                               
> 
> Peter Berke

There is no doubt that in the past the Arabs exhibited more tolerance
towards the Jews  than the Christian world.  However, in the 20th
century, with the advent of Arab nationalism, oppression and intolerance
against Jews grew.  An indication of this intolerance is the drastic
reduction in the number of Jews living in the Arab world.  Prior to
1984 close to one million Jews lived in countries members of the Arab
league.  Most of these Jews fled their homes in the Arab countries
and came to Israel as refugees.  Presently, only Morocco has a 
significant Jewish community, app 40,000.  There are also about 4000
Jews in Syria. These Jews are eager to leave that country. Yet, the
Syrian government refuses to let them go.  The Jews are not the only
oppressed minorities under Arab rule.  Examples of such minorities are
the Kurds (remember the Kurdish uprise in Iraq), the Assyrians, the
black Christians of the Sudan.  It is quite clear that the Arab 
nationalism of today has very little tolerance towards non-Arab minorities.

-- 
Yosi Hoshen, AT&T Bell Laboratories
Naperville, Illinois,  Mail: ihnp4!ihlpa!jho