Author Description

States that there is no indication of Egyptian hostility to Jews between World War I and the outbreak of the Arab revolt in Palestine in 1936. Blood libel accusations were made by Christian minorities, and a limited number by Muslims. A change in the attitude to Jews occurred in the late 1930s-40s due to the Palestine issue, the identification of "Jews" with "Zionists", and general anti-foreign tendencies. The Jewish reaction was to remain inconspicuous. A complex image of the Jew as enemy developed. Points out that Jews were discriminated against for political reasons rather than religious or racial; however, one must examine economic and cultural tensions in order to understand the deterioration of Jewish-Muslim relations. Refutes the assumption that Islam is inherently antisemitic through evidence of the economic and social success of Egyptian Jewry.