Religion is also a useful pretext if you are a merchant competing with Jewish merchants. Religion is real enough if you are promoting one religion as the only

Religion is also a useful pretext if you are a merchant competing with Jewish merchants. Religion is real enough if you are promoting one religion as the only true way and there are people practicing another religion in the vicinity who seem to be going fine and undercut your claim of "the only true way." In that case you might find common cause with the merchants who want to get rid of the competition. Having an ignorant rabble hungry for loot at your disposal doesn't hurt either.