Testaments of Hate
Violence and the New Anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism is on the increase internationally but, as this book shows, the problems of contemporary Anti-Semitism lie much deeper than terrorism or politics - in the mythical identities and animosities which religious communities create over centuries. Critically, the quarrel between Israel and the Arabs is not just territorial; it is rooted in two texts, the Bible and the Koran, which are sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, but which, Ruthven argues, have been turned into 'testaments of hate' by all sides and used to fuel the conflict. This book confronts the mythical origins of the claims and counter-claims which bedevil Middle Eastern politics head-on - claims which are now beginning to be voiced increasingly stridently in Europe and America, too. Ruthven argues forcefully that rise of the 'new' anti-semitism is a direct consequence of centuries of religious indoctrination, and until politicians and commentators tackle this issue there is little chance of finding a lasting resolution.