Founder of Islamic Movement in Israel Condemns Holocaust Deniers
Rabbi Michael Melchior recently participated in the fourth Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism. Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish, founder of the Islamic movement in Israel, made a very important speech in which he condemend Holocaust deniers. I have excerpted a portion of the article covering the event, which was publsihed in Haaretz (click here for full article):
February 13, 2007
The founder of the Islamic Movement in Israel condemned Holocaust denial in the Muslim world on Sunday, rejecting statements by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In an appearance before the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem, Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish said: "Tell all who deny the Holocaust to ask the Germans what they did or did not do."
Also, Darwish accused his audience of not understanding Muslims or their concerns, and he protested Israel’s refusal to support the recent Saudi Arabian peace initiative involving Hamas and Fatah. "Why are you trying to distance yourselves from Muslims as if they were the devil?" he said. …
In many conversations that I have had with experts on Islam about the absence of outrage against Muslim extremism by the so-called "Silent Majority" of Muslims, we invariably get caught up debating the question of the persistence of this deafening silence from moderate Muslims.
When a constructive Muslim voice is expressed in a public forum, we should all take note and remember the importance of the event and the courageousness of such people. The fact is that Islamic pluralists who speak out against hate invite threats and death edicts (fatwa) from fundamentalist extremists who actively promote anarchy and the cult of death through martyrdom thoughout the Middle East.
I don’t agree with everything that the Sheikh had to say, but I am willing to give him the room to be constructive and to ask for more Muslims to join him in bringin more voices to light from the Silent Majority.
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- Could American Muslims Become As Alienated as European Muslims?
- Another Leader in Israel Steps Up to the Plate– Rabbi Michael Melchior
- A Voice of Islamic Rationalist Reason
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I am a venture capitalist focused on investing in Security, Cleantech, and Digital Media. I have a strong interest in public policy issues and advocate public-private collaboration to protect our nation's critical infrastructure.
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May 10th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
As salaamu alaykum and Shalom! I found your article and the original Haaretz piece due to a recent search for more balanced celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday. Regretably, there is abiding fear on all sides, tremendous grief and loss from the Muslim (”Arab”) sector and mindless glee from both Jewish and secular Israelis. Neither position permits an accurate and honest acknowledgement of pain on all sides looking back or looking around. Looking forward we all can count on fear and probable violence unless we risk living up to the mutual recognition of our religious heritage that calls us to respect truth and pursue justice in our humanity and creatureliness before a common Creator. I tire of the accusation that moderate Muslims are silent. My late father for example spent his 69 years before me and I invested most of my 55 years upholding human rights, including Jewish rights alongside Muslim and Christian Palestinian rights. Islamic and other Truth has been spoken yet fallen on deaf ears. Since the time of Prophet Muhammad and the enduring presence of the Holy Qur’an, eternal Truth in the Torah and witness of all the Prophets. I unconditionally condemn terrorist violence against civilians by governments, organizations and individuals; particularly those with a so-called religious orientation or platform.