Bernard Lewis argued, in Semites and Anti-Semites (1986), that the Muslim attitude toward Jews underwent a major change as it came under Western influence in the nineteenth century. By contrast, Nettler stresses the continuity in attitude from the origins of Islam to the present. He traces the recent outpouring of anti-Semitism in the Middle East to a combination of long-standing Islamic dogmas and current exigency. The result is a "fine edge of unprecedented hatred" which deepens, transcends, and informs the conflict with Israel.
Nettler considers the Egyptian thinker Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) the key to the fusion of archaic and modern; thus, in addition to analyzing Qutb's writings, Past Trials includes a translation of his essay, "Our Struggle With the Jews." The wealth of knowledge and insight Nettler packs into this brief study ensures its lasting importance in the discussion of Muslim Jewish relations.
