The Judeo-Christian category is a mid-twentieth-century construct that erases Islam from the West

Evidence

Unlike the positioning of Christianity as the religion of civilization discussed above, this coupling of Jewish and Christian traditions is a later product that is much more visible and operative from shortly before the start of World War II onwards. In this formation of a singular, contiguous, religious tradition, the long history of persecution and racial othering of Jews by Christians is neatly obscured. Also obscured, in favor of a European history, is the longstanding historical co-existence of Jews, Christians, and Muslims and their shared histories in the Near East and the Indian subcontinent. Finally, Islam’s foundational contributions to Western civilization in science, architecture, philosophy, and mathematics, without which there would simply be no Enlightenment, is entirely erased in the process of expelling Islam from the West. — Cyra Akila Choudhury, Racecraft and Identity in the Emergence…, 229

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘Judeo-Christianity’ as a strategic post-1930s construct rather than a timeless pairing.
• XREF: Connects to the book’s ch21 point that Christianity was the non-negotiable core of civilized status; this shows the later narrowing to Judeo-Christian in antitrust exposure. — connects to: American Orientalism justifies therapeutic violence against Arabs as civilizing mission — Cyra Akila Choudhury, Racecraft and Identity in the Emergence…, 235; Expanding the Judeo-Christian label to include Islam re-emphasises rather than defuses its Christian bias — James Renton, Ben Gidley (eds.), Antisemitism and Islamophobia in…, 888; The West is framed as having surpassed religion while Islam remains mired in it — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam: How the Media and the…, 123 (+7 more)
• QUESTION: Worth verifying the dating claim that ‘Judeo-Christianity’ as a common formulation only becomes operative shortly before WWII.

Broader Connections

• The Judeo-Christian pair constitutes itself by excluding Islam from neighborly love. #qualifies (0.85) — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 496
• America’s postwar Judeo-Christian identity excluded Black Americans and Muslims #expands (0.80)
• Expanding the Judeo-Christian label to include Islam re-emphasises rather than defuses its Christian bias #qualifies (0.75) — James Renton, Ben Gidley (eds.), Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe, 888
• He then quotes a Palestinian fighter in Afghanistan to show his definition of jihad holy war against the West and violence against ‘Jews and infidels.’ Such a simplistic and superficial definition… #exemplifies (0.75)
• The West is framed as having surpassed religion while Islam remains mired in it #expands (0.72) — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 123
• The reified notion of Islam has hindered rather than helped understanding of Muslim societies #corroborates (0.72) — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 83
• Assimilationist Muslims seek to expand US national identity from Judeo-Christian to Abrahamic #qualifies (0.72) — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 974