The "Muslim Schindler"Remembering Abdol-Hossein Sardari.
By Mehdi Hasan Published 23 May 2012
Have you heard of the “Muslim Schindler” who risked his life to save Iranian Jews in Paris during the Second World War? No? Neither had I, until a few months ago.
Abdol-Hossein Sardari unexpectedly found himself in charge of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Paris during the German occupation of France. A lawyer by training, he used his negotiating skills to try to persuade the Nazis’ experts on racial purity that the 150 or so Iranian Jews living in the city in 1940 were assimilated to non-Jewish – and “Aryan” – Persians through history, culture and intermarriage. At the same time, the dapper diplomat quietly began to issue new-style Iranian passports to Jews, making it easier for them to flee France.
Even though he was stripped of his diplomatic immunity and ordered to return to Tehran after Iran signed a treaty with the Allies in 1941, he stayed on in France to help Jews, and not just Iranian Jews, escape the Holocaust. In his 2011 book In the Lion’s Shadow, Fariborz Mokhtari estimates that there were between 500 and 1,000 blank passports in Sardari’s safe. If each of them was issued to a family of two or even three, “this could have saved over 2,000”.
In April 1978, three years before Sardari’s death, Yad Vashem, the central Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, sent a series of questions to him about his wartime role. He replied: “As you may know, I had the pleasure of being the Iranian consul in Paris during the German occupation of France, and as such it was my duty to save all Iranians, including Iranian Jews.” Sardari the humanitarian did not distinguish between Muslims and Jews.
So what is the connection with Britain? Sardari spent the last few years of his life in a bedsit in Croydon, south London, having lost his pension and properties in the Iranian Revolution. He never sought fame or recognition for his bravery and he died, poor and alone, in 1981.
Depressingly, few Jews and even fewer Muslims are familiar with his name or life story. However, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Faith Matters plan to hold an exhibition this year recognising the contribution by Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust – including Sardari.
The gesture is overdue. And to help fight the scourge of anti-Semitism among some British Muslims, organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain and the Islamic Society of Britain should do likewise.
There is also a documentary/movie about how turkish diplomats helped Jews by giving them turkish passports, thus enabling them to travel safely to Turkey. So yeah, these Muslim Schindlers just keep popping up eh?
Tanvir I agree, additionally i think some of it has been due to self serving posturing by the assorted monarchies and dictatorships which have attempted to focus people on the Palestine issue to downplay the issues in their own countries.
Its kind of the same in Pakistan, on one hand people are so into kashmir, but at the same time others have had issues due to ethnicity, sect, race etc. Keep em focused on some enemy and bigger issue and sheeple go along with anything. be it Palestine, kashmir, communists, you know the drill..
Anyways, I dont want to divert from the intent of this thread. I think more promotion of Mr. Sardari is needed. Will try to get it in front of some people who may want to do something with it.
Jews and Muslims are like cousins, even my 6th grade Jewish teacher used to say that. But the tension exists solely because of the turmoil in Palestine, how many incidents did you hear about Jews and Muslims fighting and killing each other before 1947?
Jews and Muslims are like cousins, even my 6th grade Jewish teacher used to say that. But the tension exists solely because of the turmoil in Palestine, how many incidents did you hear about Jews and Muslims fighting and killing each other before 1947?
That's just a part of the Problem. The majority of Jews who are in Israel being European Jews i.e. who are not Jews in religion, but only ethnicity wise are also a BIG, BIG part of the Problem. Zionist Atheist Jews, who thought that they are so much better than the rest of humanity came up with the idea of creating a state for Jews . They were also the reason for Jews being hated in Europe back then. They were the same people who started pornography. They were the bankers who would lend people money and demand high interest etc.
Before someone misundestands me, I do NOT hate Jews, I just don't like people who think they are something better than other humans, be it Muslims, Jews, Christians or whatever...
Ahmadinejad never said that Holocaust never happened. He only said that the purpose behind the Holocaust was to create an artifical Israeli State. He never said that Israel should be wiped off the World. He said that the Zionist Regime shall be wiped off the World.
We shall not forget that western armor stands in Iraq and Afghanistan.
