Why does anti-Semitic mean specifically anti-Jews and not include other Semitic races?

by Dremord

When did this begin and how?

[deleted]

However you define "semite", Jewish people are overwhelming accepted as semitic, and Jews were practically the only semitic people to have a large presence in Europe following the Spanish expulsion of the moors. It's now only recently that other groups considered semites (Mediterranean Arabs and others) have shown up again in Europe.