Statement Of Muslim American Imams And Community Leaders On Holocaust Denial

"O you who believe, stand up firmly for justice as witnesses to Almighty God." (Holy Qu'ran, al-Nisa "The Women" 4:135)

On August 7-11, 2010, we the undersigned Muslim American faith and community leaders visited Dachau and Auschwitz concentration camps where we witnessed firsthand the historical injustice of the Holocaust.

We met survivors who, several decades later, vividly and bravely shared their horrific experience of discrimination, suffering, and loss. We saw the many chilling places where men, women and children were systematically and brutally murdered by the millions because of their faith, race, disability and political affiliation.

In Islam, the destruction of one innocent life is like the destruction of the whole of humanity and the saving of one life is like the saving of the whole of humanity (Holy Qu'ran, al-Ma'idah"the Tablespread" 5:32). While entire communities perished by the many millions, we know that righteous Muslims from Bosnia, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, and Albania saved many Jews from brutal repression, torture and senseless destruction.

We bear witness to the absolute horror and tragedy of the Holocaust where over twelve million human souls perished, including six million Jews.

We condemn any attempts to deny this historical reality and declare such denials or any justification of this tragedy as against the Islamic code of ethics.

We condemn anti-Semitism in any form. No creation of Almighty God should face discrimination based on his or her faith or religious conviction.

We stand united as Muslim American faith and community leaders and recognize that we have a shared responsibility to continue to work together with leaders of all faiths and their communities to fight the dehumanization of all peoples based on their religion, race or ethnicity. With the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hatred, rhetoric and bigotry, now more than ever, people of faith must stand together for truth.

Together, we pledge to make real the commitment of "never again" and to stand united against injustice wherever it may be found in the world today.

• Imam Muzammil Siddiqi, Islamic Society of Orange County, CA and chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America


• Imam Mihamad Magid, All-Dulles-Area Muslim Society; President Elect, Islamic Society of North America, Washington, D.C.


• Imam Suhaib Webb, Muslim Community Association, Santa Clara, CA


• Ms. Laila Muhammad, daughter of the late Imam W.D. Muhammad of Chicago, IL


• Shaikh Yasir Qadhi, Dean of Academics for the Al Maghrib Institute, New Haven, CT


• Imam Syed Naqvi, Director of the Islamic Information Center in Washington, D.C.


• Imam Abdullah T. Antepli, Muslim Chaplain, Duke University


• Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, Director, Interfaith & Community Alliances, Islamic Society of North America

Comments

[Israelibabs]

02:48 PM on 01/27/2011

During the Holocaust there were Muslims in North Africa that hid the Jews from the Nazis. A good book to read "Among The Righteous" by Robert Satloff.

[Waterlooboy]

01:50 PM on 01/27/2011

I wonder if you could get comparable officials of Islam in any other parts of the world to undersign such a declaration.

[FreedToChoose]

01:19 PM on 01/27/2011

I have no doubt that the vast majority of Imams are pro-human rights and nonviolent. It is unfortunate they feel compelled to go public with what is, for me, the obvious, that said, however, American bigotry and radical Muslim views in the Middle East force the issue.

Thanks for this posting.

[Syed Ashraf Meer]

12:59 PM on 01/27/2011

As a Muslim, I am so pleased to see our leaders finally standing up against anti-semitism. I wish they would also reject violence and anti-Americanism, but hey, it's a start! Please HuffPost, stuff like this really needs to be more prominently displayed!

[unique]

07:37 PM on 01/27/2011

I am also pleased. It makes me feel better that there are Muslims in America that are not against Americans and anti-semitic. Now, if Israel and the Middle East Muslims could only live together in peace. This is my wish for the world. Peace.

[Manny Peddy]

08:14 PM on 01/27/2011

I agree. More of this needs to be encouraged.

[TomPaineFan]

12:01 PM on 01/27/2011

This statement is an excellent, but incomplete, expression. ALL 12 million souls who were persecuted, enslaved, and murdered in the camps, fall into one -- or more -- of five distinct and clear catagories. The authors condemnation of the killing of people based upon "faith, race, disability and political affiliation" covers just four of these five catagories. For whatever reason, the authors failed to include the hundreds of thousands who were persecuted, enslaved, and murdered, based upon their real or perceived sexual orientation.

This was a significant-enough catagory to the Nazis themselves to warrant this major, targetted group their own discreet organizing symbol for the death chambers: the Pink Triangle. If the authors wanted -- truly -- to "condemn any attempts to deny this historical reality and declare such denials or any justification of this tragedy as against the Islamic code of ethics", surely this group of intelligent, committed people would not have made so glaring an omission.

[3rdCitizen]

07:54 AM on 01/27/2011

Given the amount of hysterical, misinformed hate-mongering against Muslims in the right-wing media, I wish this statement was being given a prominent airing in the MSM.

[HHUA]

11:03 AM on 01/27/2011

I was thinking the same and am disheartened to see that it is not... Not even here on HP.

[Doug Sandlin]

12:09 AM on 01/27/2011

Beautiful; very happy to see this; thank you.

[HHUA]

12:06 AM on 01/27/2011

Kudos to the Imams and members of the these Muslim organizations for having the compassion, conviction and courage to acknowledge this human tragedy and so strongly denounce it!

When I say courage I do not mean this rhetorically as they have risked calling attention to themselves from fanatical zealots who claim to share their religion but instead use it to justify cowardly acts of violence against anyone they see as infidels. But also too these words will be heard around the world as healing words of peace to bring people together.

Peace be with you and thank you!

[cdncommentator]

11:40 PM on 01/26/2011

What a beautiful statement and an extension of your hand to your Jewish cousins. Let's continue to extend hands until we create a web of peace.

May the Muslims and Jews in North America perhaps be the ones who lead the way for the Middle East.

Todah and shukran.