On the face of it, this looks like a reasonable demand. What does Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), ask after all?
“The MCB unhesitatingly and wholeheartedly supports the prime minister’s determination that the horrendous crimes against humanity committed during the Holocaust are never forgotten.”
But he added: “After the world vowed ‘never again’ at the end of the Second World War, though, we have seen the same barbarism again, against peoples in Vietnam, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Chechnya and recently in Darfur.
“So we said that our common humanity called upon us to also recognise the crimes perpetrated against other people, and we called for the establishment of an EU genocide memorial day.
“Such a day would help dispel the — frankly racist — notion that some people are to be regarded as being more equal than others.”
In other words, he's just saying that having a separate Holocaust Memorial Day is in itself racist. The UK, and Europe, should remember all racial genocides, wherever they are around the world.
The "uniqueness" of the Holocaust was not the fact that one nation was killed just for being members of that nation. It goes much deeper than that. The Nazis saw their war on two fronts - the Jewish People on the one hand, and conquering Europe/World on the other. Killing the Jews was even more important than winning the war. Even when defeat was eminent Jews were still being killed, despite it taking resources away from the war effort.
During WWII, Britain refused to allow Jewish refugees the ability to enter the British Mandate of Palestine (the Land of Israel). By that, they consigned many Jews to their fate. That is a good reason, why Britian should remember the Holocaust and make sure "it never happens again".
I hope the day comes soon when the MCB calls out against anti-semitism as quickly as it calls out against Islamophobia.
Source: European Jewish Press (English)
6 comments:
Hi nolabels,
I think Britain in particular has a reason to commemorate the deliberate murder of Jews in Europe during WWII, since by closing the doors to Palestine, they caused many to perish.
I will soon post another article to explain my thoughts on Muslims in Europe.
Esther
I have addressed this in a much earlier post on Nazi fashion in Asia. The thing is that in many parts of the world people are not interested in The Holocaust and the Nazis. If a European travels in Arab countries or meets Arabs in Israel pretending to be sympathetic to Nazism will make the people open up and tell all kinds of crazy propaganda and fairy tales. And in Asia people just do not care. You can not blame them for it.
The thing is that Muslims in Europe do not like the Jews. And so they do not like it that there are these WW2 memorial days and Holocaust day. Although I think this is a new thing, I never heard of a Holocaust day. In the Netherlands we have remembrance day on May the fourth (Dodenherdenking) when the Deaths of WW2 are remembered.
The Muslim spokesman mentions "Vietnam, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Chechnya and recently in Darfur" but with the exeption of Bosnia this has little to do with Europe.
Dutch Muslims do not want to celebrate remembrance Day. Muslim kids were even playing football with the wreaths that had been left in Amsterdam South were many Jews live. And Dutch teachers can not tell Islamic pupils about the persecution of the Jews under Nazi rule because the pupils scare and intimidate their teachers.
Also the Muslims are attacking the Jews in Amsterdam and Antwerp.
It is a big desaster. Still the Jewish leadership in The Netherlands is partly to blame. They were the biggest supporters of mass immigration in the past 30 years. Everybody who disagreed with them was attacked as a Nazi. They abused their power. Now their own people suffer the most, more than the Dutch. But these Jews like Ed van Thijn and Job Cohen are still lying through their teeth. From France I already heard that Jews are leaving to Canada and I suppose they also leave to Israel.
These are problems that could have been avoided.....
Esther:
"I think Britain in particular has a reason to commemorate the deliberate murder of Jews in Europe during WWII, since by closing the doors to Palestine, they caused many to perish."
Interesting thought. I had not thought of that. I know that some Jews fled from Odessa in Rumenia on the Black Sea took ships through the Dardanelles to Turkey and Palestine. It would seem that many could have escaped easily from Eastern Europe which was either occupied by or allied with Nazi-Germany. There was an Aliya Beth organisation. They could have smuggled many into Palestine overland and some over sea. Was this route used? It is such an excellent way of access from Israel. The British Navy could control the sea but controlling the land routes is much more difficult.
Also strange that the British could keep the Jews out of Palestine, but the Europeans can not keep the Third world out of Europe. The politicians are lying to us.
Snouck, as you yourself said - there was Aliyah Bet. That was illegal immigration to Israel. So yes, some Jews made it, most didn't. When Germany was accused of discrimminating against its Jews, they said to the world: if you want them, you can take them. Not many agreed. Ships of refugees were turned back. So, yes - I think Europe should remember the Holocaust, for which it was directly responsible.
I have nothing against "Genocide Day", but I think that there is a big difference between personal accountability and general horror at what humans can do.
As for having Holocaust Memorial Day at all... I do not think countries should be forced to have one, it's a matter for each nation to decide what they commemorate and what they don't. It's just that the UK, for whatever reason, decided that it should have such a day.
You say politicians are lying.. besides the obvious (they always do :-), what do you mean? Nobody is saying that all 3rd world citizens are being kept out of Europe.
Nolables, if the British Muslim council is really against all forms of genocide, can you give me their statements coming out against recent racist / anti-semitic etc attacks?
Hi nolabels,
I would be very surprised if Jewish groups don't categorically condemn violence and rascism of any kind. I will try to find you specific quotes, but it is very hard to do so when I don't have any specific case in mind. Do you have any?
In any case, I cannot think of any case in the UK or otherwise, where Jews were responsible for violence against Muslims. This is in complete contrast to the recurring anti-Jewish attacks by Muslims. Again, do you have such an example? When was the last time a leading Imam was attacked by Jews and cursed in public? There's a fundamental difference between condeming violence in general and upholding responsibility.
Esther,
what the politicians and the media are constantly saying is that it is not possible to stop immigration. But the British could stop Jewish immigration to Palestine in hte mandate period.
The lie is that the politicians are helpless with regards to immigration. They are not helpless, they can stop it for instance by not giving the hope to illigals that one day they will become citizens. By explaining to them that a part of the population is hostile to them and the rest is just indifferent. We are seeing now in Holland that prospective immigrants are losing their hope of receiving leagal status because of the treatment by Verdonk. So they stop coming to Holland.
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