u/444oo

I’ve noticed that online, some people argue that antisemitism cannot specifically mean hatred toward Jews because Arabic is also a Semitic language and Arabs are also considered Semitic peoples. Their argument is basically that someone who hates Jews but not Arabs is “not technically antisemitic.”

From what I understand, the word “antisemitism” was historically coined and used specifically to describe hostility toward Jews, especially in Europe, and later became heavily associated with Nazi ideology and anti-Jewish persecution. It seems like some people today are trying to weaken or blur that historical meaning by turning the term into a purely linguistic category instead of a historical and political one.

How do Jewish people generally respond to this argument? Is there historical context about the origin and usage of the term that people online often ignore or misunderstand?