A State of Denial

A State of Denial

Holocaust denialism is often viewed as the act of denying the genocide of Jews during World War Two, or underestimating the numbers of those who died, while attempting to deny the events which took place in the concentration camps. What makes Holocaust Denialism one of the greatest cancers on this earth, is the fact that not only are those in denial trying to refute something so horrendous, they are also seeking to denigrate the experiences of millions of people, who died and survived the process which resulted in the Holocaust.

The great thing about denialism, is being able to relinquish responsibility, to be able to “move on” from “historical events” with sound bite politics, and not take into account any of the key elements which played a crucial role in the creation of a monster. Many like to think that Hitler himself was the person responsible for the Holocaust, which through some genetic default or tragic upbringing, was able to warp the minds of millions of people, to carry out the extermination of over six million Jews and countless millions of Gypsies, LGBT, disabled people, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Trade Unionists and others.

Through the process of denial, a group or a person is able to go about their daily lives, holding their meetings, carrying out their work with the collective understanding that everything is fine. That they can do whatever they want without thought or fear of the consequences. What makes denialism a perfect philosophy, for the denialists, is they can pass comment on events “over there” but will always remain the passive spectator in an audience, while events are taking place in the world, which will forever remain the stage.

Many people who deny or diminish the Holocaust, have a basic inability to look at detail, when infact the details surrounding events in a concentration camp, do provide some of the answers which explains the genocide. It is fact, that when people arrived at a concentration camp, they were sorted into lines, of those who were to live and face forced labour and those who were to die. It is fact, that Zyklon B was used as the chosen gas because it was a more “productive” form of extermination, over mass shootings, or driving around and trying to poison people in the backs of vans.

It is also fact, that what was called the Final Solution was not formulated by one person because of genetic fault, mental illness or personal tragedy but because the ruling group of occupied Europe sat around a conference table and sought to resolve “the problem”. The very fact that a conference was called and a policy of organised extermination was agreed upon, throws up the biggest question mark in many people’s minds, as to how and why anyone would carry this out.

The reasons as to what drove a particular person to do any one thing we will only know through testimony, if we ever get to hear at all but the facts on the ground still remain the same and every day we are learning more about the events and the people who perished in concentration camps like Auschwitz. The danger that we all face though, which plays into the hands of any Holocaust denier, is if we ourselves believe the Holocaust only started or was a reaction to the beginning of World War Two.

From the boycotting of Jewish shops, the devastation on Kristalnacht, the purge during night of the long knives, the opening and liquidation of ghetto’s, the scientific experiments’ forced up on those with disabilities, the subjugation and humiliation of all occupied people, each of these played an equal motivation in the fight for the liberation of Europe, just as they are equally ignored by those, who say the Holocaust never happened.

by Hussein Al-alak. Hussein is the chairman of the Iraq Solidarity Campaign. You can read more articles by Hussein on his website Totally Hussein

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Labels: The Holocaust

Vets support Iraqi eatery

A group of veterans, troubled by a vandal throwing a rock through the window of an Iraqi restaurant in a Massachusetts town, fought back by organizing an eat-in and filling every seat twice over.

The Lowell Sun reports that the show of support for the Babylon restaurant in Lowell was organized by Patrick Scanlon, a Vietnam vet and coordinator of Veterans for Peace.Police say a suspect who allegedly tossed the 20-pound stone has confessed, but claims it was not an act of hate, the newspaper says.

Scanlon is skeptical, but regardless turned out the troops, ranging from current Army Reserve members to a former vet in Iraq and Afghanistan to a 96-year-old former Merchant Marine who supplied U.S. troops at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in World War II, the Sun reports.The vets held flags and signs in front of the 50-seat restaurant then took turns sitting down inside for meals this week.

Owner Leyla Al-Zubaydi and her father, Ahmed Al-Zubaidi, tells the newspaper that the family, initially frightened by the incident, are overwhelmed by the show of support."This solidarity gives us the courage to stand," says Al-Zubaidi. "There is no more fear in my heart because there are such nice people behind us."

By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY

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Heroism Amidst the Carnage

In the daily carnage of today's Iraq, with bombs and shootings targeting the innocent, one is forgiven for feeling despair at the sheer wickedness and inhumanity of these deeds. In the midst of the misery and carnage, however, an act of heroism and sacrifice that shows the true face of Iraq has passed completely unreported by western media.

This concerns the suicide attack on Thursday 5 January that targeted Shia pilgrims in Nassiriya, southern Iraq, causing death or injury to over 100 people. The Arabic newspaper Alhayat (8 January) in a piece entitled "Heroes of Iraqi National Unity - Two Soldiers Attempted to Stop a Suicide Bomber from Exploding Himself", its journalist, Abd-Alwahid Jumma, reports the incredible bravery of two members of the Iraqi army, Lieutenant Nuzhan Saleh Al-Jebouri and Sergeant Ali Ahmed Sabih, who, having witnessed someone moving amongst the pilgrims and acting suspiciously, ran towards the suspect, throwing themselves on him as he exploded his bomb, killing them instantly and causing the carnage.

The figures for the dead and injured could well have been higher if Nuzhan and Ali had not taken the initial force of the explosion. The two army personnel were Sunni Muslims from different parts of Iraq. They made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the Shia pilgrims. They acted instinctively to save fellow human beings; Shia or Sunni did not occur to them.

Western media have covered the story of the carnage and other stories of sectarian violence and intolerance in detail, so why ignore the heroism of the soldiers? These brave men are the true representatives of the Iraqi people. Their martyrdom symbolises the unity of the people in the face of of terrorists targeting the innocent, in the name of a warped and insane interpretation of the noble religion of Islam.

With their ultimate sacrifice, the two men have put self-serving Iraqi politicians to shame as they squabble, incapable of thinking or behaving outside their narrow self-interest, and ready to play the sectarian or ethnic card if it helps to consolidate their power base and interests.

The report describes how the people affected by the carnage suppressed their grief to praise the awesome actions of those brave soldiers. The town of Nassiriya, that is predominantly Shia, witnessed huge numbers attending the funeral procession to acknowledge the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers. One of the mourners commented: "If only politicians respected the blood of those brave soldiers and stopped deceiving the people by playing the sectarianism card for their own purposes". Iraqi politicians, please take heed; the people of Iraq are far more united and savvy than you think.

Wise leaders will use such a heroic, selfless act to unite the country and to promote cohesion between its people. Are Iraqi politicians wise and honest enough to do that? The people demand it and are crying out for honest leadership that puts the interests of Iraq above everything else. It is one thing for occupiers and foreign powers to use the maxim of "divide and rule"; it's quite another for Iraqi politicians to do the same. That will not be forgiven by the Iraqi people.

The actions of the brave soldiers encapsulate the story of the Iraqi people as they struggle against the forces of darkness, extremism and tyranny that are tearing the country apart. It is a heroic story, so why hasn't it been reported by western media?

by Adnan Al-Daini, The Huffington Post