Page "Islam and antisemitism" Paragraph 48

The Quran associates Jews above all with rejection of God's prophets including Jesus and Muhammad, thus explaining their resistance to him personally.

( Cf.

Surah 2: 87 – 91 ; 5: 59, 61, 70, and 82.

) It states that they are, together with outright idolators, the worst and most inveterate enemies of Islam, and thus will not only suffer eternally in Hell but in this world will be the most degraded of the Peoples of the Book, below even Christians, everywhere.

( Cf.

Surah 5: 82 ; 3: 54 – 56.

) It also asserts that Jews believe that they are the sole children of God ( Surah 5: 18 ), and that only they will achieve salvation ( Surah 2: 111 ).

According to the Quran, Jews blasphemously claim that Ezra is the son of God, as Christians claim Jesus is, ( Surah 9: 30 ) and that God's hand is fettered ( Surah 5: 64 – i. e., that they can freely defy God ).

Some of those who are Jews, " pervert words from their meanings ", ( Surah 4: 44 ), and because they have committed wrongdoing, God has " forbidden some good things that were previously permitted them ", thus explaining Jewish commandments regarding food, Sabbath restrictions on work, and other rulings as a punishment from God ( Surah 4: 160 ).

They listen for the sake of mendacity ( Surah 5: 41 ), twisting the truth, and practice forbidden usury, and therefore they will receive " a painful doom " ( Surah 4: 161 ).

The Quran gives credence to the Christian claim of Jews scheming against Jesus, "... but God also schemed, and God is the best of schemers "( Surah 3: 54 ).

In the Muslim view, the crucifixion of Jesus was an illusion, and thus the supposed Jewish plots against him ended in complete failure.

In numerous verses ( Surah 3: 63, 71 ; 4: 46, 160 – 161 ; 5: 41 – 44, 63 – 64, 82 ; 6: 92 ) the Quran accuses Jews of deliberately obscuring and perverting scripture.