British Muslims face next Holocaust Memorial Day

The next British Holocaust Memorial Day is coming up, and the Muslim Council of Britain (which got a lot of bad press for boycotting the last one) is evidently trying to figure out what to do about it. Salma Yaqoob has written an editorial in the Guardian (with a comments thread) arguing that "Muslims need to take part." Rolled-up Trousers posts in support (also with extensive comments). The Drink-soaked Trotskyite Popinjays for War have an interesting, although profanity-laden, negative response (h/t: Simply Jews) to Yaqoob.

The big irony of all this, of course, is that putting a Pro-Palestinian spin on the Holocaust is the reigning cliche of Israel-bashing. Israel-bashers discovered the Holocaust before they discovered Apartheid. Every Pro-Palestinian rally features someone who looks like this:
In fact, the Pro-Palestinian Spin on the Holocaust comes in several varieties nowadays. The mildest version asks, "How can the Jews blah blah blah the Palestinians when they were blah blah blahed themselves?" The more direct equation of the Israelis and the Nazis is probably more common. Put "Palestinian Holocaust" or "ZioNazi" into a search engine and see how many hits you get. Then, there's the Norman Finkelstein variation, which (our protester with the Magen-David-Swstika sign notwithstanding) pretends that the image of the Holocaust is always used to further Zionist ends.

Actually, the MCB's refusal to participate in Holocaust Memorial Day is itself an act of putting a Pro-Palestinian spin on the Holocaust since it pretends that the Pro-Palestinian theme is the true and denied message of the Holocaust. Recently we have begun to see assertions that Muslims in general are the "new Jews." It might be said that Muslims in general are appropriating the Holocaust from the Palestinians.

One has to wonder if all this Pro-Palestinian spin on the Holocaust is just not enough anymore for the British Muslim community. The adoption of a Finkelstein-like official position may be necessary to avoid squabbling with and being embarrassed by the Muslims (however many there are) who have adopted the outright Holocaust denial now promoted by Iran.

Tags: Israel, Palestinians, Holocaust, Holocaust-denial, Muslims, Muslim Council of Britain