Nazi holocaust

Iranian government sponsors
a Holocaust denial conference

A Holocaust cartoon competition and conference:

In mid-2006, the government of Iran launched a contest for Nazi Holocaust cartoons as a reaction to the Danish cartoons which had earlier satirized the Prophet Muhammad. This was followed up on 2006-DEC-11 by a two-day conference "Review of the Holocaust: Global View." It was attended by 67 assorted Holocaust deniers, minimalist Holocaust scholars, and white supremacists from a total of thirty countries. ₁ Ironically, the conference was held during International Human Rights Week, which renews the pledges of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Rasoul Mousavi, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Institute for Political and International Studies, gave a welcoming speech. He said that the conference provided an opportunity to discuss the Holocaust "away from Western taboos and the restriction imposed on them in Europe." The restriction apparently refers to laws in several European countries that make denial of the Holocaust a criminal act. It was intended to include participants who affirmed, denied, and minimized the reality of the Nazi Holocaust. However, the New York Times reported that:

"... none of the speeches collected in the ministry’s book or any of the exhibitions spoke of the reality of the Nazi killing. A CD with the stories of 12 Holocaust survivors was said to be available."

Associated with the conference was an exhibition of photographs showing:

Contributors to the conference:

"The Zionist regime will be wiped out soon the same way the Soviet Union was, and humanity will achieve freedom."

He called for elections among:

"Jews, Christians and Muslims so the population of Palestine can select their government and destiny for themselves in a democratic manner."

He referred to the Holocaust as a "myth" several times during his speech.

Comments during the conference:

"... an honest, direct man. ... We are forbidden to have such a conference in Germany. All my childhood, we waited for something like this."

Reactions to the conference:

Visit by Muslims to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum:

Muslims from the Washington DC area gathered on 2006-DEC-20 at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to honor the memory of Jews who were murdered during the Nazi Holocaust. Present were  American University professor Akbar Ahmed, museum director Sara Bloomfield, three Holocaust survivors, and representatives from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Arab American Institute.

Imam Mohamed Magid of ADAMS in Sterling, VA said that Muslims "have to learn from the lessons of history and to commit ourselves, never again." With an obvious reference to the conference of Holocaust deniers and minimalists, he said:

"No Muslim anywhere has the right to turn Holocaust denial into an Islamic cause. I applaud the Jewish community for making sure humanity never forgets how the Nazis murdered Jews, gypsies and disabled people, including more than 1 million children. They set an example for the rest of us on how to make people more aware of horrors like the genocide in Rwanda and slavery."

Museum director Sara Bloomfield said she was proud to be standing with her Muslim friends at an institution devoted to history and committed to confronting hatred. Ahmed agreed, but also emphasized that "hate is not only about hating Jews or anti-Semitism, but also about Islamophobia, the hatred of Islam."

CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, said that "misguided people" are wrong to question whether the Holocaust took place. He said:

"Belittling the suffering of any people contradicts Islamic teachings and the actions of the prophet Muhammad. It's a red line that no one should cross."

Holocaust survivor Halina Peabody, 74, of Bethesda said she was:

"overwhelmed with happiness. ... This makes me believe there are moderate Muslims, but I keep wondering if they are living under a cloud and are in danger of being assassinated." ₆

References used:

1. Nazila Fathi, "Iran Opens Conference on Holocaust," New York Times, 2006-DEC-12, at: http://www.nytimes.com/
2. "David Duke," Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/
3. David Duke, "Jewish Supremacism: My Awakening to the Jewish Question," Free Speech Press, (2003). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store.
4. "Iran: Israel will be 'wiped out'." CNN.com, 2006-DEC-12, at: http://www.cnn.com/
5. "KKK's David Duke Tells Iran Holocaust Conference That Gas Chambers Not Used to Kill Jews," Fox News, 2006-DEC-13, at: http://www.foxnews.com/
6. Andrea Barron, "Imam: Holocaust denial cannot be Islamic cause. Local Muslims visit Holocaust museum," Washington Jewish Week, 2006-DEC-29, at: http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com