I think it is foolhardy to attempt to redefine "anti-semitism" to include Arabs, or to question use of the word because Arabs are also considered to be "Semites." The term was coined in the late 19th century, to describe anti-Jewish prejudice that was rampant in Europe and the U.S. at the time, and the term has become part of our language. Arabs were not part of the equation at all at the time the phrase was coined. You'll find an intertesting (and contentious) discussion of the meaning of the word "anti-semitism" here (click).

Still, it has become difficult to determine what is objectionably anti-semitic, what what is a legitimate political statement against Israeli policy. I think that some anti-semites try to legitimize their prejudice by masking it under an objection to Israeli policy. Some pro-Israelis do the opposite, labeling all objections to Israel as anti-semitic.

There HAS been some nasty anti-semitism posted here at Mudcat, and we don't want to cater to that sort of bigotry in any way - so, we generally delete it as soon as we see it. We don't want to interfere with legitimate discussion of legitimate issues, but sometimes it's difficult to distinguish what's bigotry and what's discussion - especially when threads get long and contentious. Sometimes, we may make mistakes in what we close or delete, but we try to do the best we can. I do think it would be helpful if people where more careful in how they express their ideas on the Arab-Israeli conflict, so that their opinions are not perceived as racisim. I also think it would be helpful if people would give other people the benefit of the doubt. Most of the truly racist statements made here are made anonymously, not by our regular participants.

The "anti-semitism" thread that was closed (click) had very little to do with a discussion of anti-semitism. It was just another personal squabble that got out of hand, and the time came for it to be closed. It was closed because of personal attacks, not because of anti-semitism. If you wish to discuss personal-attack censorship at Mudcat, perhaps it would be more appropriate to discuss it in the Censorship thread.

-Joe Offer-