Religious Hatred: Prejudice, Islamophobia, and Antisemitism in Global Context

Description

Why does religion inspire hatred? Why do people in one religion sometimes hate people of another religion, and also why do some religions inspire hatred from others? This book shows how scholarly studies of prejudice, identity formation, and genocide studies can shed light on global examples of religious hatred. The book is divided into four parts, focusing respectively on: theories of prejudice and violence; historical developments of Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and race; contemporary Western Antisemitism and Islamophobia; and, prejudices beyond the West in the Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions. Each part ends with a special focus section. Key features include: - A compelling synthesis of theories of prejudice, identity, and hatred to explain Islamophobia and Antisemitism. - An innovative theory of human violence and genocide which explains the link to prejudice. - Case studies of both Western Antisemitism and Islamophobia in history and today, alongside global studies of Islamic Antisemitism and Hindu and Buddhist Islamophobia - Integrates discussion of race and racialisation as aspects of Islamophobic and Antisemitic prejudice in relation to their framing in religious discourses. - Accessible for general readers and students, it can be employed as a textbook for students or read with benefit by scholars for its novel synthesis and theories. The book focuses on Antisemitism and Islamophobia, both in the West and beyond, including examples of prejudices and hatred in the Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions. Drawing on examples from Europe, North America, MENA, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa, Paul Hedges points to common patterns, while identifying the specifics of local context. Religious Hatred is an essential guide for understanding the historical origins of religious hatred, the manifestations of this hatred across diverse religious and cultural contexts, and the strategies employed by activists and peacemakers to overcome this hatred. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements A Brief Note on Style Introduction: Untheorizing and unpacking Section I Why do we hate? Chapter One Dehumanizing humans: Prejudice, identity, and othering Chapter Two The hatred unto death: When prejudice becomes killing and genocide Interlude 1 What is religious hatred? Section II Bridges from the past Chapter Three The oldest prejudice? Christian antisemitism from the Gospels to the ghettoes Chapter Four Kafir and Turks: Christians and Muslims through history Chapter Fiver Religious hatred as racial hatred: Enlightenment, citizenship, and racialization Interlude 2 Why did the Holocaust happen? Section III Contemporary Western hatreds Chapter Six The West’s eternal Jewish question? Politics, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial Chapter Seven ‘Why do they hate us?’ and ‘Why do we hate them?’: Contemporary Western Islamophobias Interlude 3 Are antisemitism and Islamophobia connected? Section IV Prejudice beyond the West Chapter Eight From People of the Book to enemies of Islam: Islamic antisemitism and Palestine–Israel Chapter Nine Killing for the Buddha: Islamophobia in the Buddhist world Chapter Ten Hindutva as hatred: Hindus, Muslims, and the fatherland Interlude 4 Can we regulate religious hatred? Epilogue: The good news: Dialogue, civil rights, and peacebuilding Notes Further Reading Index