The New Ground Research Foundation drafted this document as part of a multi- year project comprising extensive consultations with an inclusive grouping of thought leaders, policymakers, community practitioners, and scholars focused on Islamophobia and antisemitism. The last round of consultations, held in April 2025 in Granada, Spain, resulted in the draft Declaration of Principles for Combatting Islamophobia and Antisemitism.

 

Preamble

The Granada Declaration on Combatting Islamophobia and Antisemitism positions the fight against Islamophobia and antisemitism as integral to combatting racism and racial discrimination in all its forms. Viewing Islamophobia and antisemitism solely as religious bigotry fails to recognize their manifestation as distinct forms of racism, whereby false racial hierarchies are constructed, leading to exclusion and hostility.

The Granada Declaration provides a set of principles to confront both forms of racism together, rather than addressing Islamophobia and antisemitism in isolation or as competing concerns. It also provides guidelines for identifying and countering these twin challenges while recognizing their interconnected nature in the broader struggle for human dignity. 

 

To utilize the Principles of the Granada Declaration, a set of guidelines will be developed through engagements and workshops. These guidelines will inform ongoing initiatives across different areas of policy and action within governmental, inter-governmental, and non-governmental organizations. Key areas of engagement include, but are not limited to: Human Rights and Equality, Public Policy, Education and Awareness, Legal and Institutional policy, Media, Community Empowerment, Culture and Arts, Corporate and Business, and Global Responsibility. We invite all actors to leverage the Granada Declaration of Principles to develop their own guidelines and programs to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia, and to participate in New Ground Research workshops and engagements to further strengthen these efforts.

 

 

 

The Principles of the Granada Declaration

 

1. Islamophobia and antisemitism are forms of racism that are not only harmful to Muslims and Jews respectively but can cause significant harm to wider society and the world.

2. Like other forms of racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism operate across multiple levels, including the structural, institutional, cultural and interpersonal. They are perpetrated by states, organizations and individuals; they can result from actions and policies, irrespective of intent.

3. Islamophobia and antisemitism marginalize, discriminate against and dehumanize Muslim and Jewish individuals and communities. Manifestations of antisemitism and Islamophobia can include abuse, vandalism, intimidation, bullying, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, repression, violence, forced displacement, crimes against humanity and genocide.

4. Islamophobia and antisemitism can manifest in specifically gendered forms. Efforts to combat Islamophobia and antisemitism should recognize their gender-based manifestations and roots.

5. Islamophobia and antisemitism must both be combatted, even when they differ in nature, severity and consequences; they must not be pitted against each other.

6. Criticism targeting the actions, policies, or decisions of states, governments, political parties or institutional actors remains distinct from Islamophobia and antisemitism, unless such criticism invokes or perpetuates harmful cultural stereotypes or racial tropes about Muslims or Jews. 

7. It is antisemitic to hold Jews collectively responsible for the actions of states or other entities predominantly associated with Jews, just as it is Islamophobic to hold Muslims collectively responsible for the actions of states or other entities predominantly associated with Muslims.

8. It is Islamophobic to require individuals or communities or organizations to condemn the actions of any state or other entity based solely on their Muslim identity, just as it is antisemitic to require individuals, by virtue of being Jewish, to condemn the actions of any state or other entity.

9. Islamophobia and antisemitism must not be weaponized to promote other forms of bigotry and oppression, or for any other purpose. 

10. False or weaponized claims of Islamophobia and antisemitism undermine efforts to combat these forms of racism and threaten individual rights and just societies.