Holocaust
Discussion
By Naveed Khan
San Jose, CA
Two letters in the opinion section of your paper
surprise me. While questioning the rationale of
debating the Holocaust the writers call Iran’s
President immoral, racist and bigoted. Why a discussion
on the Holocaust is so sacrosanct? How intellectually
dishonest both the writers sound when they brandish
the Iran government as racist and bigoted. They
have every right to challenge the veracity of
what was presented by the speakers at the conference,
but the tactic they have chosen is very similar
to the one used for defending tactics against
the Palestinian people.
Any criticism of Israel is equated with anti-Semitism
or hatred against the Jews. Both the gentlemen
are wrong, an open and honest debate about the
Holocaust and all the actions of Israel are needed.
We should welcome open and candid views about
Israel ’s policies and its rather shallow
justification because Jews suffered at the hands
of Nazis. Instead of calling Iran and the conference
participants names the two writers must welcome
freedom of speech and counter Iran by cogent and
substantive historical facts.
I had the opportunity of discussing the Second
World War and the role of Nazis in the persecution
of Jews and Gypsies with many well-placed Germans.
I have yet to come across a single German who
would agree with the extent of killings as portrayed
by the media and the Germans invariably resent
that their views about this aspect of German history
are stifled by their government.
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