Religious Hatred: Prejudice, Islamophobia and Antisemitism in Global Context

Paul Hedges

Hardback, 312 pages

9781350162860

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.

Contents

Part 1: Why do we Hate?

1: Race, Religion, Rhetoric: Theories of Prejudice and Othering

2: The Hatred unto Death: When Prejudice Becomes Killing and Genocide

Special Focus: What is Religious Hatred?

Part 2: Bridges from the Past

3: The Oldest Prejudice? Christian Anti-Semitism from the Gospels to Luther

4: Kafir and Turks: Christians and Muslims through History

5: Enlightenment, Citizenship, and Race: The Modern Hatred of Jews, Muslims and People of Colour

Special Focus: Why did the Holocaust happen?

Part 3: Contemporary Western Hatreds

6: The West's Eternal Jewish Question? Politics, Anti-Semitism, and Holocaust Denial

7: “Why do they hate us?” and Why do we hate them? Contemporary Western Islamophobias

Special Focus: Are Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia Connected?

Part 4: Prejudice Beyond the West

8: From People of the Book to Enemies of Islam: Islamic Anti-Semitism and Palestine-Israel 

9: Killing for the Buddha: Islamophobia in the Buddhist World

10: Hindus and the Fatherland: Hindutva as Hatred

Special Focus: Can we Regulate Against Religious Hatred?

Epilogue: The Good News: Dialogue, Civil Rights, and Peacebuilding