Unfortunately, The  All Party Inquiry  into Anti-Semitism and the  Government's follow-up recommendations      fail to   recognise that   a multi-racial and multi-faith society ought to have a coordinated and consistent policy whereby no ethnic or, religious, group, should be considered in isolation from other such groups.  Thus,  an  inquiry into Anti-Semitism which singles out one particular religion may constitute an unwelcome precedent that may lead to undesirable, if not harmful, effects. Moreover,the follow-up   report   takes a dangerous step  by  stating that   rhetoric about Israel and Zionism, “from the far right to the far left and Islamic extremists alike, employs anti-Semitic motifs that are consistent with ancient forms of hatred towards Jews"

This seems to suggest that  peace organisations and   activists who criticize Israel  may  be under the  danger of being subjected to a witch  hunt reminiscent of McCarthyism   and the un-American activities campaign of the 50s  . ,

  In the course of my work with peace organisations in Britain I encountered , along with my colleagues, the phenomenon of "reversed Anti-Semitism"- namely, being  charged with the claim  of  being anti-Semite by Jewish groups and individuals who could not tolerate the fact that a Jew is prepared to criticize Israel's policies and its treatment of  the Palestinians.    
In the light of my experience I felt compelled to submit  an unsolicited submission to the All-Party Inquiry Into Anti-Semitism  which included the following points:

•  For historical reasons Anti-Semitism is referred solely to the Jewish race. Yet,  the definition of modern  day  Anti-Semitism  may have direct bearing on   other religious and ethnic groups (who may also be part of the Semitic race) . An inquiry into Anti-Semitism ought, therefore, to be concerned with the manifestations of hatred and abuse inflicted on all religious and ethnic groups  (e.g.   Muslims, Christians Sikhs, etc.)  , and consequently embrace a much wider agenda.
•  In light of the British Government's policy, and its strategy document - "Working together - Cooperation between Government and Faith Communities" - any working definition of Anti-Semitism should equally apply to other religious or ethnic groups. This will also correspond  with the British Government's plan to set up a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
•  The all-embracing definition of Anti-Semitism, as well as that of other religiously-motivated abuses, should be tightened up in order to prevent it being exploited as an emotional term which may trigger  an outrage and highly-charged statements by some interest groups (e.g. the Jewish community and Israel's lobbyists on one hand and Muslim groups on the the other hand). That is to say, that the definition of Anti-Semitism and of  religiously-motivated offences  ought to be closely related to the existing Race-Relations Act which has  long been  seen as an integral part of the British society and  of its legal and law-enforcement bodies
•  The monitoring of Anti-Semitism and of  religious  and  race - hate` incidents should be conducted in an objective and methodological way. Therefore, it has to be defined by precise categories referring to the type and severity of the abuse - e.g.  hatred-inciting public utterances as compared with, malicious damage, arson and violent attacks against   members of  different faith groups  . A public body should, therefore, be set up to monitor and record all religion-hatred abuses rather than to leave it to partisan groups which are set up by the community in question.  .Furthermore, religious-hatred incidents, such  as anti-Semitism, or Islamophobia, should be  compared and considered in relations to the rise in violence in society  as such rather than to   be regarded in isolation from the current  political, social and economic circumstances (e.g. hostility towards asylum-seekers  which  may ignite hatred towards Muslim refugees ,and the volatile situation in the Middle-East which triggers hostility towards both Muslims and Jewish people).

Sadly, the Inquiry Into Anti-Semitism  and its  subsequent   follow- up report did not seem to take notice of the above points.  This may jeopardize    community relations  as well as  endanger    harmony between different   faith and religious groups. The Muslim Community in Britain -  whose  size is   four  times larger than that of the Jewish community and is  ,yet,  disproportionately    represented in Government and Parliament  -  ought to request  a similar inquiry into the   prevalent phenomenon    of Islamophobia, and demand   that the  recommendations of the Inquiry into Anti-Semitism will equally apply to race-hate incidents against Muslims.  If the Government chooses to ignore these points   it  may face the danger of  engendering  a perilous  and inexcusable  rift  in  Britain's pluralist  society .  Such a policy    may stand in a stark contrast  to the Government's declared efforts of "wining the minds and hearts" of disaffected communities and their members .

Ruth Tenne was bought up in  Israel  by staunch Zionist parents who were among the founders of the socialist Kibbutzim's movement. Ruth served in the Israeli Army during the Sinai and Six days war, and after completing a BA and MSc degree, moved to London on a fellowship at the London School of Ecomonics. After retirement, she became  an active member of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Camden- Abu Dis Friendship Association (CADFA), and  Jews for Justice for Palestinians (JFJFP) working to achieve a just  and lasting  peace  for  the  Palestinians. The enclosed submission does not express the views of any of the bodies to which she is a member.