Why Does the Term Anti-Semitism Only Apply to bigotry against Jews?

[Solomon]

Please correct me. But I was taught that Arabs, as well as Jews are "semitic" people. I get very confused when the charge of "anti-semitism" is made. Especially in the case of when it's made against an Arab, or a person who supports Palestinian rights.

Isn't bigotry against Arabs, anti-semitic as well?

[qwertyMike]

1. It's a family dispute

We shouldn't be involved

[Sandpiper]

2. It's more than a little Ironic that Israel

Accuses its Arabic neighbors of anti semitism, when your average Arab is far more semitic than your average Israeli.

[sir_captain]

6. Not really

because the word anti-semitism means anti-jewish bigotry, not anti-arab bigotry. See my post below.

edit: how is someone of Arab descent more semitic than your "average Israeli?" What is that supposed to mean?

[solinvictus]

12. Arabs more Semitic

Well, because European Jews aren't indigenous to the Middle East and Israel is heavily populated with European immigrants.

[sir_captain]

14. Incorrect

the word semitic most literally refers to descendents of the biblical "Shem" which includes the Hebrews, and hence, all Jews. Just because some Israelis are Ashkenazi does not make them any less semitic--they are still descendents of Middle Easterners.

[sir_captain]

3. This comes up in nearly every I/P discussion

Yes, Arabs are semitic people, but the word anti-semitic refers only to anti-jewish bigotry. It is a newish word, only around since the 1890s or so. It has always only meant anti-Jewish bigotry. Check this page out:

http://history1900s.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.holocaust.com.au%2Fjn%2Fantisemitism.htm

Honestly, I don't understand what the problem is. Everyone with a modicum of education knows that Arabs are Semitic people, and those same people also all know that anti-semitism means anti-Jewish bigotry. What's the point of (incorrectly) quibbling about semantics? To me, it just detracts from the actual discussion.

Here are technical definitions:

American Heritage dictionary:
an·ti-Sem·i·tism (nt-sm-tzm, nt-)
n.

1. Hostility toward or prejudice against Jews or Judaism.
2. Discrimination against Jews.

Oxford English Dictionary:

Theory, action, or practice directed against the Jews. Hence anti-Semite, one who is hostile or opposed to the Jews; anti-Semitic a.

[Nlighten1]

8. He has a point though...

Why is it, since Arabs are Semitic, that the term "anti-Semitic" only applies to jews?

[sir_captain]

10. First of all

I don't think that it really matters why. Words have meanings based on their usage, and this is just what anti-semitism means. It probably comes from the fact that throughout history the word "semite" was predominantly used as a synonym for "Jew"

The fact holds, though, that discussing this utterly trivial point ad nauseum in nearly every I/P thread detracts from more substantive discussion, though I realize the original poster clearly had no malicious intent.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

4. i often wonder the same thing

im glad somebody posted it, cause i always forget to.

[JohnLocke]

5. It's a bit of a quirky word; really interesting.

From Wikipedia:

Etymology and usage
The antisemitic political writer Wilhelm Marr is credited with coining the German word Antisemitismus in 1873, at a time when racial science was fashionable in Germany but religious hatred wasn't. This term was offered as an alternative to the older German word Judenhass, meaning "Jew-hating."
So far as can be ascertained, the word was first printed in 1880. In that year Marr published "Zwanglose Antisemitische Hefte," and Wilhelm Scherer used the term "Antisemiten" in the "Neue Freie Presse" of January. The related word semitism was coined around 1885.

[newscaster]

7. Anti-semitic semantics.

Yes you are correct that Arabs and Jews were both Semites at one time and there are many Jews that still are semitic. But over the years, the meaning of words change and the term anti-semitism lost its Arab meaning and pertained specifically to Jews. The term Islamic or Muslim came to describe the Arab. At the same time, Anti-semitism came to describe actions or thoughts against Jews regardless of their geographic background.
I am Jewish and was born in Brooklyn New York. If I am attacked because of my Jewishness, it is considered an act of anti-semitism even though my family tree has no known branches in the middle east.
To worry about the word and not the act is considered by some to be as bad as the act itself. That is not MY feeling. You can get your shorts in an uproar over use of the word "semitism" all you like but when someone tries acting out against me, they get an explanation that is not in any Thesaurus.

[Solomon]

9. Didn't mean to rankle any body. I really wanted to know.

I would never ever say that bigotry against a Jewish person is not anti-semitic. I merely raise the question because right now, aside from the Jewish issue, there is a lot of anti-Arab bigotry afoot, and to my mind, that's anti-semitism as well. When you consider the fact that right now, we are killing the shit out of a lot of Arab people, I'd say some fearful anti- something is going on, but what do you say? Anti-arabanism?

[sir_captain]

11. No worries...

[mom cat]

13. Bigotry against Arabs is also anti-semitic. You are correct but

it's hard to be heard over the roar of those who think that they are the only victims. Arabs are probably people too.

[sir_captain]

16. This has nothing to do with victimization

and is not a contest about who is more persecuted. Anti-Arab bigotry is just as terrible as anti-semitism. But the fact remains that you are wrong, and that anti-semitism refers only to anti-Jewish bigotry. There is nothing denegrating about Arabs to be aware of the definition and etymology of a word.

edit: correcting myself

[Solomon]

17. So you have arbitrarily assigned the term "anti-muslim" to the Arabs?

[sir_captain]

18. I'll edit my post

I should have put anti-arab...I apologize

[Darranar]

15. Because that's how it was coined...

language is rarely a logical thing.