When it comes to the MENA region, there are plenty of myths that continue to be amplified without pause, such as: Israel is a Western colony; Mizrahim were duped into coming to Israel by Ashkenazim; Jews are not indigenous to the region; and Muslims and Jews lived in perfect harmony in the MENA region, until Israel was established. Each of these theories aims to distract from the oppression, inequality, and massacres that were part of Jewish life under more than 1,300 years of Islamic rule. Though there were periods of flourishing Jewish life and plenty of stories abound of Jews living in peace with neighbors and maintaining good relations, this should not draw focus away from the fact that the relationship was always marred by Islamic dominance. In other words, harmony conditioned by a carefully constructed hierarchy.

But, in November 2025, a new narrative was shared by UC Berkeley’s very own Hatem Bazian, a professor who specializes in Near Eastern Studies and Islamic law and theology. You learn something new every day.

Jews and Muslims are victims of nefarious Westerners

A clip shows Bazian passionately arguing at a convention organized by American Muslims for Palestine that the Shoah was created by the Western world, not Muslims. We all know that it originated there, but it was created by Nazi Germany, not the entire Western world. However, Bazian feels it is necessary to remind Jews of their own history. The reason for this becomes clear soon enough.

He then proceeds to argue that the two victims from the eighteenth century onwards were Jews through Western antisemitism and Muslims through Islamophobia. The solution follows, by Bazian calling for Jewish-Islamic solidarity against the Westerners who are responsible for a long history of Jewish genocide. Moreover, the liberation of Palestine will mean liberation for Jews, too. In fact, Bazian cannot wait to celebrate this with his Jewish “brothers and sisters.” In conclusion, the Western world will not save them, but the Global South will do it, as always.

Well, here are my thoughts.

Was it better for Jews under Islamic rule?

There is no question that Jewish life in Europe was subjected to discrimination, persecution, forced conversions, expulsions, and massacres and pogroms. It is why many argue that life for Mizrahi Jews was actually better in the Islamic world, by pointing to respect for the Ahl al-Kitab (People of the Book), which ensured protection for Jews and Christians. Moreover, there is evidence of Jews enjoying considerable social mobility and even forging important relationships with Islamic elites, as in the case of Maimonides. But, history is complex and some nuance should be applied.

For instance, historical research has shown that in the nineteenth century the status of Jews in parts of Western Europe improved considerably, caused by the rise of Enlightenment values. And in the United States antisemitism was less common, than it was in Europe. Furthermore, it was in this period that Jewish organizations based in France and the United Kingdom started reaching out to Jews in the MENA region, for instance by setting up schools in Iraq, Morocco or Algeria as was done by the Alliance Israélite Universelle. Moreover, as historian Georges Bensoussan argues in his book Jews in Arab Countries, these organizations were concerned with stimulating Jewish emancipation and not motivated by facilitating a return to the Jewish homeland. But why would they think that these Jews would be in need of emancipation? Well, because it was well documented that the rights of Jews were severely restricted – in some Muslim countries more than in others – and that most of them suffered from........

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