The Hill News

Today I traveled to the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, along with the Presidents of Senegal and Georgia, former leaders of France, Germany, Turkey, current ministers, ambassadors and other dignitaries to mark the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. That such a group has come together, Muslims, Jews and gentiles, to share this experience is, in itself, a milestone in bringing the world together in the goal of reconciliation and peace.
 
The trip, organized by the Aladdin Foundation, UNESCO, and the Mayor of Paris, is of particular importance as the survivors, witnesses and liberators of the atrocities that took place in these camps pass away.  We are here because the world needs to continue to teach the lessons of this terrible chapter in our history. As Dr. Mustafa Ceric ,The Grand Mufti of Bosnia Herzegovina, poignantly noted, "Those who deny the Holocaust are capable of committing another Holocaust." We cannot allow the dist! ance of generations nor relational space from those most directly impacted by the Holocaust to blur the lessons we must share with our future leaders.

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