Muslims Are the New Jews

This was going to be a post comparing that savior of American Christianity Glenn Beck to Father Charles Coughlin but you can't do this comparison without first noting how Radical Christian antisemitism has shifted from hating Jews to hating Muslims.

Original antisemitism began with blaming Jews for the death of Christ. It was enhanced by the blood libel that they had strange rituals including sacrificing Christian children. (An aside here, Christian churches do practice ritual cannibalism during their communion ceremony. Judaism has no practice remotely similar.)

The apocalypse theology rampant among Radical Christians since the 19th century requires a Jewish state in the Middle East as a condition for the Second Coming. No Israel, No Rapture. There is no love for Judaism here, only the belief that there needs to be a Jewish state for the Antichrist to destroy.

Islamophobia follows a similar path. For Christians, Islam has replaced Judaism as the enemy of Christ. There is the communal blame, the belief that all Muslims bear responsibility for all the world's evil. There is even a modern blood libel accusing Muslims of cannibalism.

Every aspect of antisemitism can be found reflected in current anti-Islamism. Every slander, every lie, every fear. We are even seeing the faint beginnings of pogroms.

So when I compare Glenn Beck to the antisemitic Father Coughlin I am on solid ground. If you doubt me, compare the antisemitic drawing at the top with the modern anti-Islam poster.