We have printed the Role of Righteous Muslims, Muslims who saved Jews in the Holocaust, in German. The booklet has now been printed in Arabic, German and English and we have circulated over 8,000 booklets electronically and in hard copy form within the UK. We hope that the Role of Righteous Muslims booklet serves as an educational tool for schools that work with German speaking students.

The booklet is an educational tool which highlights stories of Muslims, in different Muslim majority countries, who stood for their neighbours, their friends and in some cases, people from neighbouring villages, against the genocidal activities of the Nazis. We also hope that if you download the booklet, you may inform us of how you have used the educational tool and the kinds of activities that you used the booklet within. Your feedback will be helpful and we hope that it adds to Holocaust education. (The booklet can be downloaded below).

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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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Fiyaz Mughal talking about the Righteous Muslims booklet on Sunrise Radio. Remember you can download and view the booklet by clicking here.

NEW YORK (JTA) — In April 1941, members of the Kavilio family of Sarajevo fled their house as Nazis rampaged through the city destroying Jewish homes. As they ran toward the mountainside, a Muslim friend of the family, Mustafa Hardaga, spotted them and offered shelter.

Shortly after, when Josef Kavilio thought the family could be moved to safety, the Kavilios relocated to Mostar, an area under Italian control, but Josef stayed behind. He was arrested by the Nazis and held captive in chains in the freezing snow.

Hardaga’s wife, Zejneba, found Kavilio and smuggled him food until she could help him escape to safety, where he stayed with the Hardaga family again. Kavilio later rejoined his family, but their relative security did not last. When the area fell under German control, the Kavilios again sought refuge with the Hardagas.

Decades later the Kavilios, by now living in Israel, petitioned the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem to recognize the Hardagas’ bravery and name them Righteous Gentiles.

To read more click here for the source: JTA By Lauren Greenberg, July 21, 2010

Earlier this week, the interfaith conflict-resolution organisation, Faith Matters, launched a booklet highlighting the overlooked actions of many Righteous Muslims who saved Jews in the Holocaust.

Termed “Righteous” by Yad Vashem, they gained nothing financially from their actions, yet they put themselves and their families at considerable risk by saving Jews and standing up against injustice and prejudice.

To read the rest of the article view source:The Jewish Chronicle

LONDON – A new publication highlighting Muslim acts of heroism during the Holocaust will be published on Wednesday, chronicling the role played by Muslims who defended Jews during World War II.

The 34-page booklet, titled “The Role of Righteous Muslim Persons,” was initiated by Faith Matters, a London-based interfaith organization that works toward reducing extremism and fostering social cohesion in the UK. The aim of the booklet is to inform religious communities and the general public about the little known stories of courageous Muslims who stood up against injustice, protecting Jews during the Holocaust.

Source: Jewish Post https://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=180647

For Publication Click Here: Righteous Muslim

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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