Holocaust Memorial Day

From the Sunday Times:

British Muslims are to boycott this week’s commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz because they claim it is not racially inclusive and does not commemorate the victims of the Palestinian conflict.

Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, has written to Charles Clarke, the home secretary, saying the body will not attend the event unless it includes the “holocaust” of the Palestinian intifada.

The boycott was condemned by Khalid Mahmood, the MP for Birmingham Perry Barr:

“I’m proud to be a Muslim. But if people are boycotting this then I think it’s a mistake. People who were exterminated in the Holocaust were not just Jews. There were Romany gypsies as well. Anybody who is interested in human rights should support this remembrance.”

Well there's a powerful argument: People who were exterminated in the Holocaust were not just Jews. Yes, I think we get the message.

Comments

[J.Cassian]

While they're at it, why don't they include the Armenian genocide too? I'm sure that would go down well with the MCB. Or if it's Muslim victims they're after, how about East Pakistan in 1971, Kurdistan in the late 1980s or Darfur now? All of them had a higher death toll than the "Palestinian Holocaust".

[Mike Hill]

And that guy, by his statement, is an extremist for liberal values in his community.

[DaninVan]

You're being a tad hard on Mr. Mahmood, M.P.; he's walking a tightrope going up against the Muslim Council and trying to avoid alienating his Muslim constituents. Without his seat in Parliament, he's just another voice. He didn't say anything anti-semitic and for that he should be given a bit it of wiggle room, eh?

[Andrew Duffin]

"He didn't say anything anti-semitic"

??

He said the people exterminated "were not just Jews" - the clear implication being, that if they had been "just Jews" then it wouldn't have been such a big deal.

If that's not anti-semitic, what is?

[Martin]

Too right, Andrew. Mahmood's a member of parliament and is meant to stand up for the interests of his constituents - such as not leaving them to be represented by a bunch of MCB racists - not to pander to baser prejudices.