Albanese said Jews in camps were called Muslims — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese said in an interview with the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean State Workers that Jews who were led to gas chambers in Nazi concentration camps were allegedly called “Muslims.” This was reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Albanese used this claim in her argument about the origin of the term “antisemitism.” She claimed that the concept initially allegedly referred to a broader group of Semitic peoples and later came to denote hostility specifically toward Jews.

The rapporteur also said that hatred of Jews as Jews exists and is extremely serious. At the same time, she said, it should not be equated with criticism of the state of Israel.

The meaning of the term in concentration camps

According to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, the word Muselmann, which means “Muslim” in German, was used in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps to refer to prisoners in a state of extreme exhaustion or with severe symptoms of starvation. The origin of this term has not been conclusively established.

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The memorial notes that Muselmann was not a Nazi racial classification equating Jews with Muslims. Prisoners who were called this often died shortly afterward or were selected for execution.

The origin of the concept of antisemitism

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance notes that the word “antisemitism” was introduced in 1879 by German journalist Wilhelm Marr to refer to anti-Jewish campaigns. According to the alliance, from the outset the term referred to prejudice against Jews.

The word “Semitic” is connected to a group of languages that includes, among others, Hebrew and Arabic. The non-governmental organization UN Watch criticized Albanese’s comments in the interview.