Non-Muslims have a moral duty to fight Islamophobia when we hear it

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— 
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— 
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Those are the words of the German Protestant pastor Martin Niemoller, who spent seven years in Nazi concentration camps for his outspoken views on Adolf Hitler.

What I find inspirational about Niemoller is that he comes not from any kind of ‘holier than thou wet liberal’ perspective; rather – he was a prominent nationalist and right winger for most of his days.

Fast forward to 2015. The Jews have survived. We have our own state in Israel and while anti-Semitism remains a problem in the West, we have fought back and won against the Nazis’ ethnic cleansing.

Nazism is the result of bigotry, and in particular, the power of populism to galvanise the undercurrents of xenophobic tribalism in the general public. In the last week, Republican hopeful Donald Trump remarked that Muslims should be banned from entering his country until his country’s representatives have “sorted it out”… the “it” in this instance being the problem of Islam. More under the radar, because of the sensationalist rhetoric aforementioned, he is also firmly of the belief that Muslims should be compelled to carry special IDs.

This rings as an uneasy echo for me as a Jew. It was Hitler who forced Jews to wear a yellow star so as they could be easily identified. It was Hitler who signposted all Jewish-owned shops with ‘Jude’ so that consumers were aware of their filth and greed. Substitute the word ‘Muslim’ for ‘Jew’ in Trump’s own rhetoric and you essentially have a twenty-first century Hitler… except this Hitler is topping the polls in the Republican nomination to be the leader of the free world… leader of the very country that the international community has tasked with protecting us from the scourge of another world war.

And it’s easy for us to mock Trump and his legion of uneducated cheerleaders. But even in the UK, one in four of us has Islamophobic tendencies, according to the Pew Research centre – one of the highest rates in Europe. It is only because of our highly disproportionate electoral system that these voices are marginalised from the political mainstream – though to be fair, even Mr Farage condemned Mr Trump… surely that’s when you know you’ve gone too far.

But it is one thing to silently and grudgingly shake our heads in disbelief and contempt at Islamophobic rants by our more bigoted friends. But is that really enough? One of the lessons of the Holocaust was “never again” – yet Islamophobia is allowed to prevail in the West largely because the silent majority among us are reluctant to challenge it.

The petition to ban Mr Trump from entering the UK is the most popular one ever conducted but I haven’t signed it – not because I don’t hold this pathetic excuse for a politician and businessman in total contempt, but because provided we allow him to go unchallenged on his views, we allow those who actually agree with him who live among us, to carry on believing that the mainstream sentiment is out to marginalise and demonise them.

To not do so, is to allow the powerful forces of xenophobia and bigotry to extend its grip over national sentiment… and this ended horrifically for 6 million Jews in the middle of the last century.

So I’m not uncomfortable with Islamophobia just because I am a Jew… and I’m not only asking Jews to join me in combatting it. I’m uncomfortable with Islamophobia because I am a human being… and like our good friend Niemoller, I have a moral duty to ensure that “never again” really means NEVER…. AGAIN.