sententia

With great conviction, my half-sister cried: “It’s a lie! Jews have a way of blinding people. They were not killed, gassed or massacred. But I pray to Allah that one day all the Jews in the world will be destroyed.” (LA Times, December 16, 2006)

The above quote is from an eye-opening article entitled Why They Deny the Holocaust, written by a Somali immigrant and published in the LA Times. In the article, Ayaan Hirsi Ali records why it is that many people from predominently Muslim countries deny the Holocaust.

In Ali’s experience, it comes down to a combination of two very simple facts: they’re taught from birth that Jews are the “evil, the sworn enemies of Muslims, and that their only goal was to destroy Islam.” (Ali, Dec 2006) and they just plain haven’t heard of it.

Not Just Denial

As someone who goes out of my way to try to understand them from other perspectives, it really surprised me that in an age of global communication, such a thing could occur. With mass media so prevalent, it seems somehow impossible that there are those out there who simply have never heard of the Holocaust.

But when I thought about it more, I realized it’s not so much surprising to me as it is sad.  I suppose it just never occured to me that “Lest we forget” may not be a global phenomenon.

Now, for the record, this is not a universal phenomenon to be found amongst all Muslims. There are a great number of Muslims who grieve for the loss of life during the Holocaust — both Jewish and non-Jewish alike.

Though I have not seen any statistics, I would venture that those who deny the Holocaust simply because they have not heard of it would be in the minority. Or maybe, that’s just what I would hope to be the case.

Historic Differences

The belief that held by some that Jews are out to destroy Muslims (and that Muslims are out to destroy Jews), on the other hand, doesn’t surprise me as much. One need only turn on the news to see that tensions between Jews and Muslims are high, and that — to put it mildly — they don’t see eye to eye.

There is a long history behind this tension, and the views that each have of each other are deep seated. The antagonism runs deep, and in many cases, it is rooted in one’s self identity. In some places around the world, part of being Jewish means being non-Muslim, and part of being Muslim means being non-Jewish.

Now, again, this isn’t everyone. And it isn’t everywhere. If you talk to your neighbor, chances are, they won’t believe it, but they will acknowledge that such opinions are held by those of their faith group. Many will be saddened by this; Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s article suggests that she is an example of one such person.

Ignorance and Propaganda

According to Ali’s experience, the problem is one both of ignorance, and of propaganda. From the article,

For generations, the leaders of these so-called Muslim countries have been spoon-feeding their populations a constant diet of propaganda similar to the one that generations of Germans (and other Europeans) were fed — that Jews are vermin and should be dealt with as such? In Europe, the logical conclusion was the Holocaust. If [Iranian President] Ahmadinejad has his way, he shall not want for compliant Muslims ready to act on his wish.

But this is not something unique to Islam, nor to the Jewish-Muslim conflict.

Many North Americans believe that all Muslims are terrorists, just waiting to wage Holy War on Christians. In many cities, Sikh men are prohibited from carrying their Kirpaan (a ceremonial dagger of extreme religious significance) because it is seen as a weapon. Women are forbidden from wearing their head coverings because they might be shoplifting.

False prophets are condemned, cartoons are published and retracted, flags are burned. The problem of religious ignorance is not one that falls merely upon the Muslim community, upon the Jewish community, nor upon any one religious community at all.

What Is Your Understanding?

In an age where the “world is getting smaller” and “everyone is your neighbor”, understanding seems stuck at a stand-still, if not diminishing.

In the article, Ali asked,

Why is there no counter-conference in Riyadh, Cairo, Lahore, Khartoum or Jakarta condemning Ahmadinejad? Why are the 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference silent on this?

It’s a question that could well be asked with regard to many issues. It could be asked of many communities, both faith-based and non-faith based. It’s a question that could be asked of the religious and the non-religious.

Where does everyone disappear to when it comes to understanding each other, especially when religion is involved? How can we claim to tolerate when we often aren’t really even trying to communicate?

Ali says that “The world needs to be informed again and again about the Holocaust — not only in the interest of the Jews who survived and their offspring but in the interest of humanity.”

Yes, the world needs to be informed. And not just about the Holocaust.

Take some time today to consider: what are you ignorant of? What do you unknowingly deny because you don’t know? And what misinformation do you stand by and watch spread?

The responsibility has to be up to each of us. To learn, to share, and to grow.

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