Anti-Semitism has plagued Jews for more than two thousand years, yet the term has only existed for about thirty years (Strack 594). Due to hateful accusations and those who did not understand their religion, the Jews, as a despised people, gradually became more exclusive and intolerant of other religions. Because of Judaism's strict adherence to its beliefs and unwillingness to consider any alternatives, Muslims and Christians have despised and persecuted Jews. First, the Muslim basis for anti-Judaism rests primarily on religious beliefs. Islam teaches that Allah, the Muslim god, requires a good Muslim to recite a ritual prayer five times a day, give a portion of his income to charity, and, if possible, make a pilgrimage to Mecca, his Holy City ("L 'rise and spread of Islam..."). “Muhammad himself was hostile to the Jews” (Rivkin 25) because he believed that Allah was the one true God and considered the Jewish doctrine of the Trinity to be polytheistic. The Jews, however, rejected all divine worship except their own. Additionally, Jews had certain laws and customs regarding food and circumcision that further separated them from Muslims. All these differences gave rise to mutual rejection between these two groups. As part of his rejection of the Jews, Muhammad abandoned some Jewish customs, for example, the Sabbath as a Muslim holy day and Jerusalem as a Muslim holy city (Davies 329). Conversion of a Muslim to any other religion was strictly prohibited and punishable by death. Jews were granted dhimmi status “in the sense that they did not deserve massacre and could maintain their religious practices in a limited form” (“The Spread of Islam in India…”). Just like slaves, Jews did not possess full legal rights (“The rise and spread of Islam…”). These dhimmis were simply tolerated and forced to pay special taxes and wear yellow badges as a means of public identification (Davies 329). Evidence presented by a Jew in court against a Muslim would not be accepted. Dhimmis had to obtain permission before building new places of worship or repairing old ones, and could never build cities of worship that overshadowed Muslim places of worship. Jews were also prohibited from carrying weapons, riding horses or camels, or inheriting from a Muslim ("The Rise and Spread of Islam..."). Furthermore, Jews only killed animals in… half of paper… work of 10th century Christians. Finally, Muslims and Christians detested the Jews because they were different from them. Anti-Semitism still exists in many countries today. In Syria, for example, the government denies Jews the right to vote and limits their emigration (Levanon 559). As Christians, it is our duty to refrain from slander and false accusations against Jews. Should we show love only to those who share our religious beliefs? Even pagans love those who love them. (Luke 6:32) Aren't we called to be different from the world and show God's love to all? Bibliography Davies, Alan. "Anti-Semitism." The Encyclopedia of Religion. vol. 1. New York: Macmillan, 1995. Levanon, Yosef. "Anti-Semitism." The World Book Encyclopedia. vol. 1. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1993. “The Rise and Spread of Islam, 570-1258.” http://galenet.gale.comRivkin, Ellis. "Jews". International Encyclopedia. vol. 10. Philippines: Lexicon Publications, 1980. “The Spread of Islam in India and Southeast Asia, 711-1400.” http://galenet.gale.comStrack, Hermann L. “Anti-Semitism.” Encyclopedia of religion and ethics. vol. 1. New York: Sons of Charles Scribner, [nd.]