Survey by Group That Fights Prejudice Aims to Quantify Anti-Jewish Bias to Better Counter It
By
About a quarter of the
world's population agrees that a number of negative statements about
Jews are "probably true," according to a poll aimed at providing a
statistical underpinning to the question of how widespread anti-Semitism
is globally.
In the survey to be released Tuesday, which
covered 101 countries plus the Palestinian territories, 26% of
respondents agreed with at least six of 11 negative statements—what its
sponsor called stereotypes—about Jews. The questions included "Jews are
more loyal to Israel than [their home] country," and "Jews have too much
power in the business world."
The poll was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation
League, a leading organization for fighting anti-Semitism and other
prejudice, and funded by New York business leader and philanthropist
Leonard Stern. The pollster, First International Resources, conducted
53,100 interviews in 96 languages, and its sponsors said it was the most
extensive survey ever on anti-Semitism.
The
League said its goal was to create a snapshot of anti-Semitic views in
all parts of the world, to find ways to combat it, and to allow future
surveys to measure whether, and where, the prejudice is rising or
falling.
Abraham Foxman, the League's
national director, said he was taken aback that anti-Semitism remained
so prevalent.
"You would think—I would think—that 70 years
after the Holocaust, with all the marvels of communication, of greater
openness…that it would be low," said Mr. Foxman, who has worked for the
New York-based League since 1965 and headed the group since 1987. "So
it's maybe not shocking, but it's sobering."
The only religious group with a higher
unfavorability rating in the survey than Jews was Muslims. While 38%
rated Jews favorably and 21% unfavorably, both numbers were higher for
Muslims, with 47% rating them favorably and 24% unfavorably. In
comparison, 62% rated Christians favorably and just 15% unfavorably, the
survey found.
Countries in the Middle East and North
Africa, which generally have a contentious relationship with Israel,
have by far the highest proportion of people responding with
anti-Semitic views, with an average of 74%, the survey found.
Outside that region, Greece had the highest
percentage, with 69% of the people surveyed affirming six or more of the
anti-Semitic statements. Anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice
tend to rise during times of economic hardship, and Greece has been
struggling with a downturn. The extremist party Golden Dawn, which has
blamed Jews and other minorities for the country's woes, has made
significant inroads there.
2 comments:
Humm, actually your sarcastic comment about Islamophobia is contradicted by the very research you posted from the ADL. Indeed, Muslims are the only people seen thru a more negative lens than Jews.
"The only religious group with a higher unfavorability rating in the survey than Jews was Muslims. While 38% rated Jews favorably and 21% unfavorably, both numbers were higher for Muslims, with 47% rating them favorably and 24% unfavorably. "
Missed my point and missed the data
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