|
Trending Topics
|
Those Who Boycott Mosque Holocaust Exhibit Do Not Speak for Muslims
(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Fiyaz Mughal - The Centre for Islamic Enlightening, which is based in the Golders Green Hippodrome, met opposition in November 2017 from members of the Jewish community who objected to it being located within this historic site. Numerous faith leaders and the then-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Jonathan Arkush, came to its defense. This led to strong ties between the Centre and local and national Jewish institutions. Fast forward to last week and attempts by the Barnet Multi-Faith Forum to get the Centre to host an exhibition by Yad Vashem around stories of Albanian Muslims who saved Jews in the Holocaust. It is true that Muslims were part of SS Gestapo units in Bosnia who were involved in rounding up and exterminating Jews. But the vast majority of Muslims fought against Hitler and the courageous stories of Muslims saving Jews are now a forgotten history. As a Muslim, a part of my heritage has disappeared, hyper-politicized into a silence that will stay for eternity. You would think that hosting an exhibition highlighting some of these stories would be a chance for Muslims to reclaim their history. The writer is the Founder and Director of Faith Matters, which works on integration, cohesion, hate crime and countering extremism.