What about other examples of religious discrimination?
Donald Trump’s recent proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States has been justifiably and widely condemned all over the world. But the world has been silent in the face of a similar ban based on religion. Since the founding of Israel in 1948, Jews have been banned from many Arab countries.
Examples of the anti-Jewish ban abound. After 1948, 850,000 Jews were forcibly evicted from Arab countries. Jews were expelled or forced to leave due to violence and draconian anti-Semitic government policies. With few exceptions, these Jews were never able to return home or reclaim their government-confiscated property.
Today, Saudi Arabia prohibits Israelis from entering the country. By law, the Palestinian Authority denies Israelis the right to citizenship and land purchase (even though Jews had lived in PA areas for three millennia until the 1948-1949 expulsion).
Why haven’t our leaders — who have spoken forcefully against Trump’s proposed Muslim ban — never condemned the Arab ban on Jews?
Ray Berger, San Luis Obispo
This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 2:02 PM with the headline "What about other examples of religious discrimination?."