*Originally posted (01-11-2001) by Girl from Quraysh: *
Thanks for your responses guys, I found them well umm pretty interesting…honest. Some were objective, though the majority were biased and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, except that one should not close one’s eyes–one’s mind to everything ‘but’, what I mean to say is that whichever way you lean you should not depend so heavily on the wall, don’t forget your own conscience, your own sense of being, some were self-righteous, some pathetic, some knowledgeable, some ignorant, some sympathetic, some indignant…and it goes on, but the most important thing is that most of your responses were genuine.
Many of you repeatedly mentioned Hitler’s aptitude, his proficiency, his expertise as a leader. Like I said in my previous post, I am in no way denying hitler’s competence as a leader, sure he had the skills, the knowledge, and the charisma and he used them, with pretty amazing results that can and, perhaps, should be admired from a political standpoint.
But that does not in any way make him a good man. A good politician, a skillful leader, sure…but not a good man.
Now, some of you brought up the point of ‘goodness’, how can it be defined, how can it be measured, etc.,etc.,etc.. Obviously as with most other descriptive terms the meaning is relative. However, to discuss that here seems pointless and even useless, I mean we are all knowledgeable enough to capture the gist, the essence of what was meant by the word.
Another point that came up was the fact of jewish propaganda. It’s a valid point, there’s no denying it. Every where you turn you can find yourself constantly reminded of those 6 million or so jews that died in WWII. But I don’t see how that takes away from the truth—Jews were put in concentration camps, tortured, killed, that is the truth, that can’t be denied. What I mean to say is that why should the jewish propaganda, their exploitation of the holocaust, make the tragedy any less in your eyes. The holocaust did happen, there is no denying it, some of you commented on the figure of six million. What does it matter if it was 3 million, 5 million, 6 million, the facts are that millions of jews were killed, that has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Another argument, another validation, or perhaps justification given, for condoning Hitler’s actions, was that, ‘He was the enemy of my enemy’, as one person succinctly put it. To me that is not only shallow and superficial, but truly pathetic in the sense that the pursuit of that idea–that conviction is ignorant, thoughtless and vain.
Why is it that for some of you the life of Muslim is more precious than that of a Jew?
Allah swt has created us all has he not? He, in his limitless benevolence and mercy has placed us on this earth, each and everyone one of us. Whether we grow as Jews, Christians, or Muslims. Someone said, and I quote that, ‘Hitler killed six million people that were(and still are) on the wrong path, i don’t blame him.’ I’m sorry but frankly speaking that disgusts me, how can one justify the death of one let alone millions by saying that they were on the wrong path. I question this logic, a Jew is not necessarily a Jew for life and neither is a Christian. Who is to say whether or not they would discover siratul mustaqim…the straight path. Those Muslims who find the holocaust more palatable because of the fact that the people killed were Jews seem hypocritical to me.
There is no doubt that what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians is wrong. There is NO question about that.
The situation in Israel such that the race that was originally persecuted is now responsible for persecuting not only the Palestinians but other neighboring countries as well such as Lebanon. I find it beyond my scope of understanding that a nation that experienced the holocaust turn its back on the past and act in the same indecent manner to another nation…even if it is to achieve their so-called ‘promised land’.
But that is getting off topic.
The point I want to make is that if you remain indifferent to what happened to the jews, if you can make yourself believe the holocaust was ‘okay’ because they were ‘just jews’.
How can you expect the world to sympathize with us when we weep over what happened in bosnia, in kosovo, what is still happening in kashmir, in chechnya, when we protest the innocence of the iraqis, when we ask why our children have to die, when we dispute israel’s crimes against the Palestinians, when we mourn the deaths of the children.
There is a poem,
*First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out -
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists
and I did not speak out -
because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade
unionists and I did not speak out -
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me -
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.*
You guys, Islam teaches us humanity.
In ‘93/94 I was listening to the radio, they were interviewing a rabbi from Montreal. He said some things which I don’t think I’ll forget. He was being asked about the war in Yugoslavia, he replied saying that 500 years ago, when Queen Isabella was expelling all the Muslims, and the jews from spain, (ie.Spanish inquisition,etc.), the caliphate, which at that time was in turkey (the ottoman empire) sent over ships to rescue the Muslims in spain. But the Muslims did not differentiate between themselves and the jews in the manner that they gave refuge and sanctuary to the jews as well. These jews were brought to ottoman empire, they were given privileges and freedom. They were also ‘given’ Sarajevo, which at that time was said to be the jewel of Europe. And the rabbi continued saying that now was the time to help the Muslims in bosnia as they had helped the jews so many years ago. I know I can’t convey the way the rabbi originally said all this, but it made an impression on me which I remember to this day…and I hope it gives you something to think about.
Another example, more recent, is that of Denis Halliday, someone I had the privilege of meeting and listening to him lecture three months ago. Halliday was the UN assistant secretary general and UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, who resigned about two years ago in protest of the economic sanctions on Iraq, his exact words at the time were, ‘We are in the process of destroying an entire society. It is as simple and terrifying as that. It is illegal and immoral.’ Since the time of his resignation he has used his position, or rather former position, along with his prestige and influence giving talks and presentations around the world creating awareness about the impact of the sanctions in iraq.
He is not an Iraqi, he is not a kurd, he is not an arab, he is not a muslim, yet he is doing this…he is afterall human.
In the days when the al aqsa intifada was just beginning, the week after the death of the Mohammad Durra, the twelve year old Palestinian boy. It was jumaa, the imam was giving the khutba, he was talking about Ar Rahman, the compassion of Allah swt, and how we must also strive to be so. He recited this hadith to us,
The Prophet said, “None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself.” (Sahih Bukhari)
And he said, that word brother in this hadith did not mean brothers as in our siblings, it did not just mean our brothers in Islam, but that it meant our brothers…in humanity.
I didn’t say those words but these are words from the Quran. You wouldn’t ask this question if you had read the very basic methodology of Jihad where there is no place for collateral damage or stuff like that. You can’t kill kids, women, old people and not even cut a tree without any valid reason in Jihad so the question of mourning a death of a kid killed in suicide bombing wouldn’t arise.
