Scholars for Peace launch effort to decry Iranian Holocaust denial conference Print E-mail
Written by Scholars for Peace in the Middle East   
Tuesday, 26 December 2006
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East has launched a campaign to protest the Holocaust Denial Conference in Iran not as a "conference of scholars and exercise in freedom of speech" as portrayed by Iranian officials, but as an "in-gathering of hate-mongers and extremists" to delegitimize the state of Israel and call for its destruction in much the way Nazi Germany began its efforts to begin the Holocaust. It has launched a petition where it hopes to gather 100,000 signatures of scholars, students and citizens of good will to urge the United Nations and governments to impose sanctions against Iran for such efforts.

The petition can be found at the website www.spme.net or by going directly to http://www.spme.net/cgi-bin/display_petitions.cgi?ID=5.  Sadredin C. Moosavi, of Walden University, explains, "As a child of an Iranian Father who held beliefs like Ahmadinedjad for years, it is time that the Iranian people were put on notice that there is a price for their bigotry. Israel does not stand alone... but Iran may be if she is not careful."Walid Shamit, a political science professor, writes, "This past summer I heard many condemn Israel in the name of human rights... I hear an echo of silence in regard to this 'conference' on the denial of the Holocaust. Sometimes silence speaks louder in regard to the prejudices and biased reactions to Israel and the Jews. This silence was 'heard' loudly while six million Jews were murdered..."

Adolpho Tapalar of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm writes, "The denial of crimes committed by Nazi Germany against innocent children, women and men is shameful not only for Iran. It is shameful for Islam, for the political supporters of Ahmadinejad and for humanity as a whole."
Harvard's George Flesh commented, "Iran's Holocaust denial conference is a vicious act. We must prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons."

David Karasik, another Harvard professor, commented, "The organizers try to undermine the whole basis of the UN decision granting the Jews their country, as a response to the Holocaust. If there was no Holocaust - you (UN) mistakenly allowed us (Jews) to gather on our ancient soil... and don't forget they will start with Israel, but will end with others...."

Esther Beck, the child of Holocaust survivors, living in Harrisburg, PA writes, "The UN was supposedly created because of and to prevent another Holocaust. It's time for the UN to stand up against another Hitler in Iran, who will soon have nuclear bomb capabilities... and no doubt he would use the bomb against Israel. He knows the entire world was mute to the slaughter of the Jewish people and virtually no one was punished for their atrocities..."