Muslims treated Jews much worse than they treated Christians. One of the reasons for this was the Koran’s contemptuous tone regarding the Jews. That’s where the Muslim Arabs found their precedents for confiscating Jewish property. Relations between Mohammed and the Jews were not pleasant. They refused to recognize him as a prophet, mocked him and argued with him. Neither did their economic superiority help gain sympathy for them (Page 148).
Arab families felt threatened by the fact that the Jews lived like they did, as equals, on the same land – which made them choose to perform acts of violence against Jews (Page 174).
As can be seen in the testimony of a Muslim charged with theft in Hebron in 1858, he had a habit of entering Jewish homes to collect tax or donations at any time, without being accountable for his actions, considering them a natural right in accordance with tradition (Page 175).
The Jews survived the massacres carried out by Arabs in Israel, but were forced to deal with Muslim solidarity throughout the Arab world, which was unified in its hatred for them and supported those who sought to do them harm (Page 176).
Jews had to clear the way and get off the sidewalk so that Arabs could pass, and naturally take care not to touch them accidentally; a touch would lead to a violent response on behalf of the Arab (Page 178).
Jews were prevented from displaying any religious ritual behavior, and were only allowed to hold prayers in synagogues, in humble and hidden locations (Page 179).
Jewish communities that were considered infidels (to Islam) were enslaved by Muslims. When Sultan Murad III, the “First Enemy of the Jews” came to power, their situation took a turn for the worse; Murad decreed that all Jews in his kingdom be executed for being “too well dressed.” The verdict was lessened to a prohibition on Jews wearing silk clothing, and forcing them to wear special hats (Page 178).
In the 16th Century, Safed, a Halachic center, had some 15,000 Jews, who spoke Arabic and Hebrew (Page 179).
In 1576 Murad II ordered that a thousand wealthy Jews from Safed be exiled to Cyprus (Page 179).
In the early 17th Century, a Christian couple visited Safed. This is what they said about Jewish life: “Life here is unimaginably poor and squalid” (Page 183).
And in Jerusalem, in 1586, the remaining synagogue was seized – one that had been in use since the RAMBAN. As a result, most Jerusalem quickly fled to Hebron Gaza and Tiberias (Page 180).
In the 1730s, Egyptians ruled the Land of Israel, and Jews suffered from cruel persecution throughout the country (182).
They became the victims not only of native Arabs, but also of Egyptian soldiers (Page 183).
That year, the Jews of Hebron were massacred by Egyptian soldiers. Jews of Safed were attacked once more by Muslims and Druze (Page 184).
The following decades, from 1818 to 1878, saw dozens of incidents of violence against Jews, including extortion. Many reports from the British consular document this (Page 190).
The country’s Arab leadership despised the Jews coming to settle in the country and demanding equal treatments (Pahe 174).
