Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

‘I Am Your Protector:’ Muslims Who Defended Jews During Holocaust Honored
Al Arabiya ^ | Wednesday, 27 January 2016

Posted on 01/28/2016 9:20:49 PM PST by nickcarraway

Today is International Holocaust Day and cities across the U.S and Europe will be hosting special events to honor the Muslim heroes who risked their own lives to save Jews during one of the worst genocides in history.

Unveiling the often unknown and rarely talked about Muslim protectors during World War II, New York, Washington, Geneva and Tirana in Albania will be holding interfaith ceremonies, sharing testimonies of the protectors during the Holocaust along with candle lighting ceremonies.

Prominent faith leaders such as Imam Khalid Latif, Rabbi Jehuda Sarna as well as a Holocaust survivor, Johanna Neumann, who was rescued by Muslims during World War II, will be taking part.

In addition, New York will showcase the testimonies through a theatre performance by the Living Theatre, whilst in Tirana, Prince Leka Zog II, will recount the story of his grandfather, King Ahmed Zog I of Albania who saved thousands of Jews during World War II. Albania was the only European country to have a higher number of Jews after the war ended than before it began.

A message of unity International campaign group, I Am Your Protector (IAYP), which launched in October last year to celebrate those who stand up for each other across religious, racial and gender lines, promoting a message of unity, have been responsible for organizing today's events.

The campaign group have already garnered more than 14,000 Facebook members since launching and are collecting testimonies of protectors worldwide to be part of a Protectors’ Database, while campaign material for exhibitions are provided to universities, schools, museums and religious communities, among others.

"Even more so in times of rising hate and discrimination we wanted to share stories that showed that we always have a choice including in the darkest moments to not be bystanders nor stay silent" Dani Laurence, team leader of IAYP told Al Arabiya English.

"The way Muslims are often portrayed in the media, public discourses can lead to fear and hatred. I Am Your Protector highlights Muslim Protectors and gives a platform for people to create posters of Protectors on our website."

"In parallel we want to highlight non-Muslims who protect Muslims for example Churches and Synagogues who take a stand and take action to counter hatred and Islamophobia."

Some of these protectors, who either risked their lives to shelter displaced Jewish families or helped transport them to safety during World War II have been highlighted by I Am Your Protector for their bravery and humanitarian instincts.

Some of these include Khaled Abdul Wahab from Tunisia who ferried two dozen Jews in his van to safety, Noor Inayat Khan, who was executed for helping Jews during World War II; and Ismail Necdet Kent who provided Turkish citizenship documents to Turkish Jews in order to save them from the gas chambers.

To discover more stories of protectors you can visit www.iamyourprotector.org


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Israel; US: New York
KEYWORDS: israel; newyork; newyorkcity; onetimething

1 posted on 01/28/2016 9:20:49 PM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Well the surviving Muslims and/or their families who saved Jews during the Holocaust will be dead before the next full moon.


2 posted on 01/28/2016 9:23:06 PM PST by txnativegop (Tired of liberals, even a few in my own family.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: txnativegop

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem organises recruitment to Bosnia’s SS division

During the Second World War in Yugoslavia, as with the Catholic Church in Croatia, many Muslim clerics in Bosnia and Kosovo were willing accomplices in the genocide of the nations Serbian, Jewish and Roma population. From 1941 until 1945, the Nazi-installed regime of Ante Pavelic in Croatia carried out some of the most horrific crimes of the Holocaust (known as the Porajmos by the Roma), killing over 800,000 Yugoslav citizens - 750,000 Serbs, 60,000 Jews and 26,000 Roma. In these crimes, they were helped by Muslim fundamentalists in Bosnia and Kosovo who were openly supported by the Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husseini. A notorious anti-Semite, he openly encouraged Muslims to join Nazi units that would be later implicated in genocide and crimes against humanity - the infamous Hanjar (or Handschar) 13th Waffen SS division. One of these crimes was the The Massacre at Koritska Jama Gorge, in Bosnia during 1941. The Nazi’s also established a puppet state in Serbia under General Milan Nedic, who along with the Cetniks also particapated in the Holocaust in wartime Croatia (which included Bosnia) and Serbia.

What united al-Husseini and the Third Reich was a common hatred of the Jewish people. The Nazis had taken al-Husseini under their protection following the wartime invasion of Iraq. He was to spend most of the war living in a luxurious suite at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin. Hitler had enjoyed quite a following among the nationalist youth of Egypt during the war, after Nassiri Nasser, the brother of the future president of Egypt, had published an Arab edition of Mein Kampf in 1939, describing its author as the “strongest man of Europe”. Not surprisingly, Egypt became like Argentina after the war - a safe haven for SS war criminals who fled there after the war. Many were keen to help President Nasser in his attempts to destroy the State of Israel. There is evidence that the shadowy ODESSA network helped many of them to Egypt. Apart from Syria - who still host the wanted SS war criminal Alois Brunner, it was in Egypt that the Post-war Arab links to the ODESSA network were strongest.

http://www.fantompowa.net/Flame/yugoslavia_collaboration.htm


3 posted on 01/28/2016 9:26:05 PM PST by TigerClaws
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

Thank you for that historical information.


4 posted on 01/28/2016 9:29:38 PM PST by txnativegop (Tired of liberals, even a few in my own family.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
Al Arabiya? I am suspicious. Rabbi Jehuda Sarna looks to be in his 30's, and does not look like your typical rabbi.

From Wiki: Rabbi Yehuda Sarna is the Executive Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University, the University Chaplain for NYU and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Administration

5 posted on 01/28/2016 9:33:45 PM PST by map
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

That’s neat. Most of us will never know what we would do in those circumstances. I pray I would be brave, too. I love all the stories of those who hid Jews and otherwise helped them. It is shocking how the mob mentality with an evil leader can shift an entire society into a force of evil like that.


6 posted on 01/28/2016 9:37:09 PM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: The Ghost of FReepers Past

“It is shocking how the mob mentality with an evil leader can shift an entire society into a force of evil like that.”

Yes, isn’t it?


7 posted on 01/28/2016 9:56:54 PM PST by opus1 (i'm new... hi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

Hey, not fair confusing these morons with the historical facts!

/well done


8 posted on 01/28/2016 10:48:55 PM PST by piytar (http://www.truthrevolt.org/videos/bill-whittle-number-one-bullet)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: piytar; All

Marking Jews. Who came up with that? Hmmm....

The practice of wearing special markings in order to distinguish Jews and other non-Muslims (Dhimmis) in Muslim-dominated countries seems to have been introduced by Umayyad Caliph Umar II in early 8th century.The practice was reissued and reinforced by Caliph Al-Mutawakkil (847–61), subsequently remaining in force for centuries.[2][3] A genizah document from 1121 gives the following description of decrees issued in Baghdad:

Two yellow badges [are to be displayed], one on the headgear and one on the neck. Furthermore, each Jew must hang round his neck a piece of lead with the word Dhimmi on it. He also has to wear a belt round his waist. The women have to wear one red and one black shoe and have a small bell on their necks or shoes.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_badge


9 posted on 01/28/2016 10:50:13 PM PST by TigerClaws
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

GARBAGE

Source Al Arabiya ^


10 posted on 01/28/2016 10:53:38 PM PST by MarvinStinson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

I'll honor those who did. Sad their courage hasn't rubbed off on their co-religionists.

11 posted on 02/02/2016 4:38:10 PM PST by SJackson (What I’m watching in him (O), is uncertainty...a leader doesn’t give sh*t...he gets it don)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson