Norm’s latest two posts are magnificent.
26Jan05 — 6
- 04.05.23 Ten-year quest through Development Hell pays off
- 04.04.23 Testing "podcasting"
- 04.03.23 Mistakes Have Been Made
- 04.02.23 Coming soon
- 11.02.19 Live comedy review: Geoff Norcott at the Southport Comedy Festival
- 08.20.19 Republic Interiors
- 12.27.18 The Wykehamist Fallacy
- 12.08.18 The Moral Degradation of The Labour Party
- 10.14.18 FILM REVIEW: Downsizing
- 09.09.18 Film Review: Fright Night
The Holocaust is, of course, a uniquely monstrous human crime which
bears no comparison with other episodes of ethnic cleansing
Which so say all of us, and nobody can deny.
Much more interesting than Norm’s tired and predictable rant is Paul Gilroy’s comment piece in the Grauniad last week
http://www.guardian.co.uk/monarchy/story/0,2763,1392817,00.html
key passage:
“Standing firm against Nazis comforts Brits by making them feel righteous and perennially innocent. Being forced to reckon with the ongoing consequences of imperial crimes makes them uncomfortable in equal measure.”
Let’s think about Auschwitz and Oradour! Let’s not think about
what the British did in Kenya and Malaya in the 1950s. Let’s not think about very recent events of collective punishment at Jenin or Fallujah, let’s not think about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay and Belmarsh prison, or the stuff that’s kept truly off the books on Diego Garcia.
Better, it seems, to wriing our hands about distant evils, than to do battle with contemporary ones.
I was struck by the letter from a Muslim in the Daily Telegraph who inadvertantly compared the MCB to a Christian BNP.
Sir—You report that “British Muslims are planning to boycott the Holocaust Memorial Day” (News, Jan 24). I am certainly not planning to boycott this reminder of human depravity. As a British Muslim, I am acutely aware of the dangers of racial and religious typecasting. While we’re not, thank God, living in 1930s Germany, I am alarmed at the erosion of civil liberties enshrined in the disturbingly broad Terrorism Act.
If members of a far-Right group who also “boycott” the Memorial Day happen to be Christians, would you report “British Christians Boycott Holocaust Memorial Day”?
So the real issue is the Islamophobia displayed by reporting the MCB’s actions, rather than the MCB’s actions themselves? Bizarre.
Eric, the correspondant would be quite right to point out that the newspaper was incorrect in stating that British Muslims will be boycotting the event, this is a broad statement and quite rightly it should be condemned.
Unfortunately the newspaper did not actually say that (registration required).
“Holocaust Day boycott by Muslim Council.
The Muslim Council of Britain are planning to boycott this week’s commemoration of the Holocaust because they claim it is not racially inclusive.”
Seems like this “sin of omission” and “guilt by association” meme is spreading …
Did the Telegraph say all British Muslims will be boycotting the event. Thought not.
Very good points made. A “genocide” would be much more inclusive.
Opinionated Voice
Yes, as you say on your Website, Jamal, even the remembering of the systematic slaughter of millions of Jews because of their Jewishness can be “too Jewish”. If only the Nazis had had diversity co-ordinators they could have conducted a far more “inclusive” extermination programme.