Muslims, Christians, Yazidis memorialize Holocaust in Iraq and Mideast

Willingness to recognize the Shoah may be an indication that the Arab world is willing to normalize relations with Israel.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
The site of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz is pictured during the ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camp and International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day, in Brzezinka near Oswiecim, Poland, January 27, 2020. (photo credit: REUTERS/NORA SAVOSNICK)
The site of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz is pictured during the ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camp and International Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day, in Brzezinka near Oswiecim, Poland, January 27, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS/NORA SAVOSNICK)
Across Iraq voices from all the communities of the diverse country have posted about Holocaust Memorial Day. Kurdistan region President Nechirvan Barzani tweeted that Holocaust Memorial Day is a “reminder that our humanity has come a long way to stop and think about victims of that genocide.”
Yazidi activist Nadia Murad, who was kidnapped by ISIS and members of her family killed by the extremists, said that genocide impacts generations. “We must keep the memory of those killed alive by striving to make never again a reality.”

In addition members of Iraq’s Christian minority posted messages of support during the memorial day. One woman wrote about visiting a Holocaust memorial and the impact it had on her. “Everyone has a right to live in dignity and be appreciated.”
The growing recognition of the Holocaust across Iraq and among leading voices is representative of a general outpouring of recognition in the Islamic world. For years because anti-Israel views tended to propagandize that recognition of the Holocaust was also a form of support for Israel, the Shoah was considered a controversial subject in the region.

This was also due to the fact that some movements in the region, such as Hamas, which is rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, had official antisemitic diatribes in their charters. Other leaders were either open Nazi supporters or had studied Holocaust denial as a matter of course.
Journalist Adam Lucente pointed out on Twitter that Bahrain’s foreign minister had tweeted about Holocaust remembrance. “This is something that wouldn’t have happened a few years ago in the Arab world. I believe it’s related to normalization with Israel and the perceived Ian threat.” In addition to Bahrain’s official, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE also tweeted about the Holocaust.

A visit by Muslim religious leaders to Auschwitz also got widespread attention in Arabic media with many tweets about it in the Gulf and among media personalities in Gulf states.

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In the Kurdistan region of Iraq Barzani’s message was one of the strongest in the region. “Sadly we still have a longer way to go to prevent genocide against vulnerable peoples globally. We must say Never Again  backed up by adequate policies and mechanism,” he tweeted.