The story of Muslims in the Holocaust is deliberately and mischeviously being re-written post 9/11 as though Muslims supported the efforts of the Nazis. The vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims supported the war efforts against the Nazis and fought for the liberation of France, for England and King and Country and in the battlefields of Burma, South East Asia and Italy. There were those in the minority who misguidedly supported the Nazis who won their support by manipulating local tensions and issues. The Bosnian brigades are an example of this and these elements cannot be written out, nor should they be. Localised tensions and ethnic divides were used to manipulate groups to join the Nazi effort and 60 years later, many Bosnian Muslims were they themselves persecuted and killed in a genocide by Serbs who created death camps and who used rape as a weapon of war against many Bosnian women.

We also take this opportunity to honour those, regarded as ‘Righteous’ by Yad Vashem, who were Muslim and who have been honoured for risking their lives and the lives of their families in protecting the lives of persecuted Jews. These are their names. May their names and the names of others live on in history and be a source of pride for Muslims and people who believe in the value of life.

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THE ROLE OF RIGHTEOUS MUSLIMS: HEROES SAVING LIVES IN THE HOLOCAUST

This booklet, (the Role of Righteous Muslims), is aimed at broadening knowledge and awareness of the roles that some Muslims took during the Holocaust and whose stories show the moral and physical courage of these individuals who believed in doing what was right.

Today, unfortunately, xenophobia and fear ‘of the other’ still continue to plague societies and the United Kingdom is not immune to these issues. The caricaturing of communities continues in some quarters and the lessons of history are not learnt.  Yet,  history  should  teach  us  and  guide  us  so  that  we  preserve  the  stories  of our  common  humanity and social links which should not be forgotten. Furthermore, these  stories  should  not  be  physically  or  mentally  shelved  as  though  they  have  no significance in the modern world. If anything, they have a greater significance today then they would have had 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

The Righteous Muslims booklet shows us that there are many stories of positive Muslim and Jewish interaction, even at the darkest moments in history. It shows a common bond and a link between people of two faiths who believe in the compassion of God and in the sanctity of life. Whilst the politics of the Middle East may block such stories out of the public narrative, there is a duty on us all to ensure that they get their rightful place in our social and educational narratives.

Other possible reading materials on the subject of the Righteous can be found at:
https://www.agnesgrunwaldspier.com/
https://www.mohammedamin.com/Reviews/The-other-Schindlers.html

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