Denying the
Holocaust is Immoral and Un-Islamic
By Hussam Ayloush
Anaheim, CA
The Nazi Holocaust that took
the lives of millions of Jews, Gypsies, and others
is a historic fact. Denying it or playing politics
with it is immoral and serves not only to deprive
its victims of their humanity, but actually also
discredits those who engage in such denial.
It is even more serious of an issue when Muslims
engage in such practice because Allah clearly
commands us in the Qur’an not to let the
injustice of others against us make us sway from
justice. We always have to stand by truth and
justice as a principled stance, no matter how
others treat us. We should treat others the way
we would like to be treated, not as we might actually
be treated by some.
It is true that certain extremist Jewish groups
and individuals have manipulated the tragic memory
of the Holocaust to silence any criticism of Israeli
crimes against Palestinians. A good book to read
on this topic is the Holocaust Industry by Professor
Norman Finkelstein, a renowned scholar and academic
who is also the son of Holocaust surviving parents.
However, Muslims and those who sympathize with
the plight of the Palestinians should not link
that political conflict with the Holocaust. Debating
whether the Holocaust happened or not is not only
insensitive to the families of those who perished,
but is also counter-productive to the efforts
to help the just Palestinian cause, especially
when such arguments are raised by an Arab or a
Muslim. Moreover, those who deny or question the
Holocaust are not only fighting the Zionists,
but they are also insulting and hurting many fair
Jews who are vocally critical of Israeli policies
and who are our friends and allies.
We want and will achieve justice and peace in
that part of the world and especially for the
Palestinians who have taken the brunt of the suffering,
but not through unjust means. The end does not
justify the means. Good ends can only be achieved
by good means.
We all have a responsibility to debate the Middle
East conflict based on the real facts which involve
occupation, racism, brutality, and the violation
of international law. The conflict is not about
Jews, Christians, or Muslims.
If the memory of the Holocaust is to be brought
up, it should never be to deny it, but rather
to remind us all of how low human beings can become
in allowing such brutality and viciousness to
happen and to do all we can to prevent it from
ever happening again, to anyone.
Read more about the Holocaust at: http://www.holocaust-history.org/
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