Would you Believe ‘Islamist’ and ‘Jihad’ not part of 911?

Not the 911 Memorial Museum documentary ‘Rise of al Qaeda’

VIDEO: RADICAL islam DECLARES WAR AGAINST AMERICA AND THE WEST

Posted by paryabaker

Published: Jun 19, 2008

These events will happen again if we are not vigilant. The wheel of islamic terrorism still turning. Never let our guard down. This problem will not go away by doing nothing. Let us expose the hatred and violence against non-muslims and the evil of islam. Be aware that there are radical muslims who don't hesitate to kill their own fellow muslims who don't conform to their idea and standard of a true muslim, how much more of us non-muslims, hated and despised by their god who only yearn for our suffering, misfortune and distruction, they won't even blink their eyes cutting off our head. All of these are inspired by the hateful and violent verses of the koran and events in the hadith.

Radical muslims' inspiration and … READ THE REST at YOUTUBE

Would you Believe ‘Islamist’ and ‘Jihad’ not part of 911?

John R. Houk

© April 29, 2014

So who flew jet airliners into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001? Was it DB Cooper hijacking cash? Was it extortionists demanding money and a free pass to Cuba or they will crash the jet into the Twin Towers? Or was it perhaps Right Wing Extremists demanding personal sovereignty from the U.S. government? Maybe it was friends of Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn showing the resurrection of the violent Communist the Weathermen Underground?

NO!

It was Islamic terrorist members of al Qaeda executing jihad against the symbol of American Wealth. AND these Islamic terrorist were not using telekinesis of their minds fighting an inner struggle to comply with Allah. Rather these dudes hijacked airliners with some kind of weaponry and violence probably murdering the pilots then commandeering the jets with skills learned in American flight school to fly them into the Twin Towers.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center told the truth with a short documentary using terminology like “Islamist” and “jihad”. I would have been even more direct by saying “Islamic Terrorists” following the original Islam of the religion’s founder Mohammed.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) wants to perpetuate the Stealth Jihad lie that Islam had nothing to do with al Qaeda Islamic terrorists or violent Jihad to spread Islam by destroying the enemies of Allah.

If you foolishly agree CAIR you have no need to read further.

If you want to take a stand for America like New York City’s first responders and so something about CAIR deceptive lies; ACT! For America is providing phone call content and contact info as well as email content to send to the 911 Memorial Museum to tell them their 7 minute documentary got it right AND to not allow Islamic terrorist sympathizers like CAIR be the bully that stops the truth. ACT! For America will even send the email for free. They are not asking for a donation to make it happen. But I am adding donation info at the end anyway.

3. THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF THE ATTACK WAS TO CALL THE U.S. TO ISLAM.

In Osama bin Laden’s letter to the American people, which was published on November 24, 2002, he put it succinctly: “The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam.” This was the ultimate purpose of the 9/11 attacks: to weaken the American economy, so that ultimately the American government would collapse. That, presumably, would end what bin Laden and his allies considered to be unacceptable American interference in Muslim countries, and pave the way for the U.S. itself to become an Islamic state. (From Doc’s Talk; point 3 of essay – “5 Truths the 9/11 Museum Should Tell About 9/1”; By Robert Spencer; 5/29/14)

One of the chief reasons that CAIR is waging war against words like “jihad” and “Islamist” is because the group doesn’t want its ideology to be discussed and it certainly doesn’t want Americans to know that it and Al-Qaeda share the same overall Islamist ideology. Their disagreements are only about target selection, rhetoric and tactics. (Found at The Counter Jihad Report – 4/28/14)

Contact your Congressman by phone or email and show your support the 911 Memorial Museum documentary just as it is!

JRH 4/30/14

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Action Alert! Stop the Whitewashing of 9/11 History!

CAIR PRESSURES THE NATIONAL 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM TO REMOVE “ISLAMIST” AND “JIHAD” FROM HISTORIC DEPICTION

Sent by ACT! For America

Sent: 4/29/2014 1:00 PM

Link Date: 29 APRIL 2014 09:15

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is at it again.

This time they are working to water down a 7-minute film entitled, “The Rise of Al Qaeda” that will be shown at the soon-to-be opened September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. Specifically, CAIR wants to whitewash the description of Al Qaeda and the 9/11 attacks by having the film edited to remove the words “Islamists” and “jihad.”

We must stop CAIR now! We cannot allow CAIR to rewrite the history of 9/11.

Removing the accurate description of those who caused this heinous attack not only would be factually incorrect, but would be a tragic slap in the face to all Americans, as well as a disservice to all future generations by misrepresenting the truth.

Further, if Jihad truly means to “struggle” and not warfare to establish the religion, how does CAIR explain the names of terrorist organizations such as these?

o   Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India)

o   Islamic Front for Armed Jihad (Algeria)

o   Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine (Lebanon)

o   Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (Israel)

o   Islamic Jihad Organization (Lebanon)

o   Islamic Jihad Union (Uzbekistan)

o   Jama’at al-Jihad al-Islami (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia)

o   Laskar Jihad (Indonesia)

o   United Jihad Council (India)

You cannot deny the fact that there is a connection between Islam and Jihad. The reality is Jihad is a tenet of Islam. Depicting anything else – and at a memorial dedicated to the remembrance of the 9/11 attacks no less – would be factually dishonest.

We must take action and we must take action now. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum officials must hear what the rest of America thinks about this issue, otherwise, the only ones they will hear from are groups like CAIR. This is your turn to protect historical truth from being erased from the 9/11 Museum. We owe it to our children to keep the truth alive.

Can we count on you to take a moment to contact the 9/11 Memorial Museum about this issue today?

*** IMPORTANT AND TIME-SENSITIVE ACTION ITEM! ***

Please contact the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center today to let them know that you fully support their film, “The Rise of Al Qaeda,” as it currently stands and that you oppose any modification of that film to whitewash historically accurate depictions of who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on our nation.

Let them know that including the words “Islamist” and “jihad” are historically accurate and in no way impugn the entire Muslim community.

We have provided all the contact information you need to take this action.

We have also written a sample call and e-mail script for you, to make this as easy as possible. (NOTE: The e-mail script is modifiable if you wish to convey the message in your own words. We ask that you please be respectful at all times.)

Click HERE TO CALL and click HERE TO E-MAIL.

Then, please pass this e-mail along to everyone you know. Time is of the essence.

Thank you. Together we are making a difference!

____________________________

Would you Believe ‘Islamist’ and ‘Jihad’ not part of 911?

John R. Houk

© April 29, 2014

___________________________

Action Alert! Stop the Whitewashing of 9/11 History!

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.

U.S./Europe LNG Cooperation can Bring Prosperity

U.S./Europe LNG Cooperation can Bring Prosperity

John R. Houk

© April 29, 2014

There is the potential for Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to become the new boon for the U.S. economy. The cost of liquefying LGN is cost effective enough to meet a growing foreign demand for LNG in light of the current Russian extortion of some of its former Communist empire nations and Western Europe. The hat trick is to get busy in building enough terminals for exporting and importing to liquefy natural gas then ship it overseas then re-vaporize LNG to make it usable for European costumers.

My concern is that socialist and emerging former Communist nations of Europe may neither have the technical expertise or the financial capital to quickly and safely build that which is needed to create a market that is competitive enough to make the Russians think twice about its oil and gas extortion of Europe.

What would it take? It is my humble (and definitely not expert) opinion that something on the scale of the old Marshall Plan (SEE Also HERE) that was used to rebuild war crumbled economies of Europe that essentially raised Free Europe to a competitive edge with the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (aka USSR or Russian Communist Empire). This time Russia is using the economic force of its natural resources rather than Communist ideology to call shots that are beneficial to Kremlin perceived Russian National Interests.

I pray President Barack Hussein Obama has an epiphany that for all his governing debacles on foreign and domestic policy he sees the opportunity to do one thing that can be an actual positive for a Presidential legacy. That would entail the unlikely scenario of closing his eyes and ears to the fear mongering of Environmental Marxists, Climate Change delusions and Agenda 21 sustainability projects that threaten the sovereignty and Liberty of Americans. If Obama can get past those kind of Leftists he could pull a Reagan and stop Russia in it National Interest tracks without firing a shot and bring some much needed prosperity to the USA which in turn will increase tax revenue (without crazy taxation) and start the ball rolling on reducing the U.S. deficit.

Yeah I know that is a lot of “ands”; nevertheless a successful LNG building program benefitting Europe and America would cause such economic gain that if or (hopefully when) Conservatives take over Congress and the Oval Office there would be great hesitation to open the dirty books I believe will expose Obama as one of the most corrupt Presidents this nation has had since the scandal riddled Administration of Ulysses S. Grant (SEE Also HERE). Obama success with a LNG economic scenario between the USA and Europe would create a situation which no one would want to darken with past nefarious actions.

Here is a video that will enable to visualize the potential of exporting wealth even though the video looks at the ease of importing LNG.

VIDEO: LNG The Facts Video

Now with all this in mind you need to contact your Congressman to show your support for HR 6 which has the name Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act. This House Resolution if passes gets the ball rolling on exporting LNG to Europe so that nations have less dependence on energy resources from Russia. I am certain other Conservative organizations are supporting this. If you find a favorite one get on board. I heard about HR 6 via a Let Freedom Ring email from Colin Hanna. You can check that out below.

JRH 4/29/14

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ACTION ALERT: Write to your Reps & Senators TODAY!

Colin Hanna
President, Let Freedom Ring

Sent: 4/29/2014 8:59 AM

Dear Friend,

This Wednesday a bill that would force the government to allow the export of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and third world countries will be marked-up in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  The bill is the The Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, H.R. 6, and we should all support it right now.
 

Please click here to contact your Congressman and Senators and ask them to support this critical bill.

Colin Hanna, president of Let Freedom Ring, sent the following letter to House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton and Colorado Congressman Cory Gardner:

               

"I write to support the swift passage of the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, H.R. 6 and to thank Mr. Gardner for introducing it.  This bill would respond to the urgent need to expand the exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the benefit of the American worker in the current difficult economy and for our friends in Europe and elsewhere who are at the mercy of Russia and Iran for their energy.

               

"The Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, H.R. 6, would expedite the approval of export licenses to countries that belong to the World Trade Organization.  Currently export applications are languishing and are only considered for export to countries with which the United States has a free trade agreement.  It would also direct the approval of applications published in the Federal Register before March 6, 2014 without modification or delay.

               

"America's plentiful natural gas, developed and undeveloped, can be a boon to the U.S. economy and it can help our allies and developing nations gain access to economical energy, giving them an alternative to supplies from Russia and Iran.

               

"Studies and reports from the Department of Energy, the House Committee on Commerce and Energy, and others have found that there is great interest in the world in American natural gas.  Now is the time to take this simple step to create more American jobs and strengthen our national security."

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD IN WASHINGTON. LET US HELP YOU CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS TO SUPPORT H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act.

With warm regards,

Colin Hanna
President, Let Freedom Ring

________________________________

U.S./Europe LNG Cooperation can Bring Prosperity

John R. Houk

© April 29, 2014

_______________________________

ACTION ALERT: Write to your Reps & Senators TODAY!

Let Freedom Ring, 2207 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA

About Let Freedom Ring:

Let Freedom Ring is a non-profit, nonpartisan public policy membership organization, with a three-pronged mission statement.

Our mission is to promote:

§  Constitutional government

o   Original intent of the Framers of the Constitution

o   Limited (Federal) government

o   Separation of powers (Judiciary not legislating, etc.)

§  Economic Freedom

o   Free enterprise and equal opportunity

o   Social Security Reform -- to achieve financial independence, not dependence

o   Profit as an economic incentive

§  Traditional values

o   Family as the basic building block of society

o   Sanctity of life

o   Religious liberty, not restraint of religious speech

About Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring was formed to counter the attacks of anti-conservative groups on patriotic candidates as well as attacks on the important issues of our day – those that affect the core of our society: the family, marriage, the economy, energy, abortion, health care and foreign policy, to name just a few. We also work to keep our constituents and the media informed about what our founding fathers’ intentions were and how history shapes laws and our culture today. Through seminars, workshops, ad campaigns, leadership and grassroots training and educational materials, Let Freedom Ring strives to motivate, activate and educate those who are interested in keeping America the great nation it has always been.

Let Freedom Ring has READ THE REST

Attempting to Rewrite the History of September 11th

Two national Islamist organizations and other aligned Arab-American groups have hopped on the bandwagon to expunge references to “Islamic” or “Islamist” from a film about al-Qeda (sic), which will be shown at the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) are among the groups that called the video “ill-considered and insufficiently vetted” in a letter to museum leadership.

The signatories demand that “stereotypical” elements in the film, “The Rise of Al-Qaeda,” be addressed and … (Islamic Groups Try to Censure Free Speech at 9/11 Memorial; By John Rossomando; the algemeiner; 4/28/14 12:24 AM)

CAIR is American-Islamic linked to Islamic terrorist organization Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. MPAC is also a Muslim Brotherhood front group. Hmm … Is it any wonder these two stealth promoters of Islamic terrorism and radical Islam are whining about the al Qaeda documentary?

In an email sent by Brigitte Gabriel of ACT! For America she explains why CAIR and MPAC are full of bologna in their criticism of 911 Memorial Museum documentary “The Rise of al Qaeda”.

JRH 4/28/14

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Attempting to Rewrite the History of September 11^th

By Brigitte Gabriel

Sent 4/28/2014 11:20 AM

ACT link: http://tinyurl.com/m5nuq7h

28 APRIL 2014 07:59

On May 21^st, more than 13 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11^th, 2001, the National September 11 Memorial Museum will open its doors to the public to make certain that Americans will never forget what happened that day.

Unfortunately, some are working to ensure that future generations of Americans never fully understand the attacks, which were the most deadly terrorist attacks in the history of the United States.

One of the exhibits in the museum will feature a 7-minute film called “The Rise of Al Qaeda.”

In that film, the Al Qaeda terrorists are referred to as “Islamists” who were waging “jihad” with the attacks upon America.

Those two words, “Islamists” and “Jihad” have caused a controversy, with a variety of critics calling for whitewashing the description of Al Qaeda and the attacks by sanitizing the museum commentary by removing those two words.

This would be a tragic mistake.

Despite the complaints, the use of the terms “Islamist” and “jihad” in no way suggest that all Muslims are terrorists or support violence. No serious analyst in his or her right mind would make such an assertion.

Nevertheless, in warfare the enemy’s reality becomes your reality, so it makes perfect sense to call Islamists “Islamists” and to call Jihad “Jihad.” After all, in World War II, Nazis were referred to as Nazis, because they themselves referred to themselves as such.

America’s enemies in the war on terror do NOT refer to themselves as “extremists,” “militants,” or “radicals.”

They refer to themselves as Jihadists and Jihadis.

Interestingly, critics on both sides of the issue seem to dislike the term “Islamist.” Apologists for organizations such as Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood claim that the term too closely identifies Islam with “extremism.” Many in the countershariah and counterjihad movement say that the term “Islamist” is a term concocted in the West that has no meaning in the Islamic world.

Both are wrong.

The first known use of the term “Islamist” came from the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late dictator of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.

Khomeini said: “We are neither capitalists nor communists. We are Islamists.”

There are many different definitions listed for the term “Islamist,” but that is not the point. The point is that one of the world’s most prominent Muslim leaders coined the term to describe the revolution he led. It is entirely proper for the 9/11 museum to use the term “Islamists” to describe Al Qaeda.

The same is true for the term “jihad.” There has long been a debate about the use of the term jihad, with Muslim Brotherhood organizations such as CAIR particularly objecting to its use to describe violent warfare or terrorism.

The Muslim Brotherhood in America aims to convince Americans that Jihad only means “to struggle” or, more specifically, an internal, personal struggle.

This is only partially correct and any campaign that claims that the term Jihad only means an internal, personal struggle amounts to disinformation. The dualistic nature of Islam, in this case as it applies to the meaning of “Jihad,” is well documented both in historical Islamic doctrine and in contemporary use of the term.

And Jihad definitely does not only mean an internal, personal struggle. In fact, the most widespread meaning of the term that is of particular interest to Westerners who are threatened by Jihad does in fact entail violence.

A false and misleading statement has been attributed to the San Francisco chapter head of CAIR, Zahra Billoo:

“A common misconception of the word jihad is that it means armed struggle or holy war, and that is something that has been perpetrated by many who’ve made careers out of pushing anti-Muslim sentiment.”

Such a meaning for Jihad has nothing to do with anyone with an “anti-Muslim sentiment.” It has everything to do with Islam itself.

Let us examine definitions of Jihad from two authoritative sources.

Jihad According to the Quran

The first is the Quran itself. In this case, specifically The Noble Qu’ran, translated into English by two scholars: Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, PhD, professor of Islamic Faith and Teachings at the Islamic University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia and Dr. Muhammad Mushin Khan of the same institution. The Noble Qu’ran was published by Darussalam Publishers and Distributors, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has been catalogued by King Fahad National Library. On page 818, in a glossary accompanying the text of the Quran, The Noble Qu’ran provides the following definition of Jihad:

“Jihad: Holy fighting in the Cause of Allah or any other kind of effort to make Allah’s Word superior. Jihad is regarded as one of the fundamentals of Islam.”

Can the Quran itself be promoting “anti-Muslim sentiment” as CAIR’s Zahra Billoo asserts?

Jihad According to Shariah

Our second source is Reliance of the Traveler: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law.

Reliance of the Traveler is one of the world’s most widely read manuals of Shariah law. It has been endorsed by a variety of Islamic authorities, including Al Azhar University in Cairo, IIIT (International Institute of Islamic Thought) in Herndon, Virginia, the Fiqh Council of North America, the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Mufti of the Jordanian Armed Forces and the Imam of the Mosque of Darwish Pasha in Damascus, Syria.

These can hardly be termed as those pushing “anti-Muslim sentiment” as Billoo claims.

On page 599 of Reliance of the Traveler, readers can find the following passage:

o9.0 JIHAD

(O: Jihad means to war against non-Muslims, and is etymologically derived from the word mujahada, signifying warfare to establish the religion…

The scriptural basis for jihad, prior to scholarly consensus is such Koranic verses as:

(1) “Fighting is prescribed for you” (Koran 2:216);
(2) “Slay them wherever you find them” (Koran 4:89);
(3) “Fight the idolators utterly” (Koran 9:36);

and such hadiths as the one related by Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and perform the prayer, and pay zakat. If they say it, they have saved their blood and possessions from me, except for the rights of Islam over them. And their final reckoning is with Allah”;

and the hadith reported by Muslim,

“To go forth in the morning or evening to fight in the path of Allah is better than the whole world and everything in it.”

Jihad According to Terrorists
If Jihad truly means to “struggle” and not warfare to establish the religion, how does CAIR explain the names of all these terrorist organizations?

Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India)
Islamic Front for Armed Jihad (Algeria)
Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine (Lebanon)
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (Israel)
Islamic Jihad Organization (Lebanon)
Islamic Jihad Union (Uzbekistan)
Jama’at al-Jihad al-Islami (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia)
Laskar Jihad (Indonesia)
United Jihad Council (India)

So, it is completely appropriate for the 9/11 museum to use the term “jihadist” and “jihad” to describe Al Qaeda terrorists and their activity.

Conclusion

We suspect that the sensitivity expressed with regard to the 9/11 museum goes way beyond the use of the terms “Islamist” and “jihad.”

The fact is, our country has never truly come to terms with the role that Islam plays in Jihadist terrorism.

It would be great if there was truly no connection whatsoever between Islam and Jihad. But the reality is Jihad is a tenet of Islam.

As previously stated, in warfare the enemy’s reality becomes your reality. It makes no difference what Americans think about the stated motivations and doctrine behind the actions of Al Qaeda. The only thing that truly matters is what the leaders and members of Al Qaeda think about why they wage warfare.

The fact of the matter is, Al Qaeda justify their actions by invoking Islam and Allah:

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate,

The General Command of the al-Qaeda Organization Statement on the Succession of Sheikh Osama Bin Laden in the al-Qaeda Organization's Command

With hearts that are satisfied with Allah’s ordainment, and assured of Almighty Allah’s promise and His good reward, the Islamic umma, the mujahideen in the al-Qaeda Organization, and in other groups received the news of the martyrdom of the reviver imam, the jihadist immigrant Sheikh Osama Bin-Muhammad Bin Laden, may Allah rest his soul in peace. We pray to the Almighty Allah to raise his rank and to reward him, on behalf of us and the Muslim umma, with the best of rewards.

Since jihad is continuing until the Day of Resurrection ... the General Command of the al-Qaeda Organization announces, after completion of consultations, that Sheikh Dr Abu-Muhammad Ayman al-Zawahiri, may Allah guide him to success, has taken over command of the group...

Statement from Al Qaeda
Announcing Zawahiri as the
New leader of Al Qaeda after
Osama Bin Laden’s death

All these sins and crimes committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on Allah, his messenger and Muslims.

The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies - civilians and military - is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in every country in which it is possible to do it...

We, with Allah’s help, call on every Muslim who believes in Allah and wishes to be rewarded to comply with Allah’s order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it.

Ayman al-Zawahiri
Leader of Al Qaeda

It would be a tragic mistake if the 9/11 museum was to erase the role that their Islamic faith played in the leadership and membership of Al Qaeda’s horrific actions on September 11^th, 2001.

____________________________

ACT for America Content, LLC. All Rights Reserved

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.

Address by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Yad Vashem

Ari Bussel sent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

JRH 4/28/14

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Address by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Yad Vashem

Sent by Ari Bussel

Sent: 4/27/2014 2:14 PM

Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 27, 2014

The last time I visited Yad Vashem was with the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, a great friend of Israel and the Jewish people. We went through the exhibition rooms which present heartbreaking documentation of the destruction of European Jewry.

Today in my office, I met Felah, an 82 year old Holocaust survivor. It was important to her to tell me on this day of all days how her memories as a child of seven who was forced to leave her two year old sister behind to die, how those memories are always with her. She told me, "I don't remember what happened yesterday or the day before that, but as is the way of memories from that age, I remember the tearing, sad eyes of my two year old sister".

I met Shalom, an 89 year old Holocaust survivor, who told me how he left home at 18. He was 13 and the conditions in the ghetto were deteriorating so he, a young boy, decided to leave. He said, "Mother objected and wailed and Father was quiet. He stood and put his hand on my heard and blessed me and told me to save myself".

All the exhibition rooms here are filled with such heartbreaking stories. When we left Yad Vashem, I told the Canadian Prime Minister that the primary duty of the Prime Minister of Israel is to ensure that there will be no more memorial sites like this, that there will never be another Holocaust.

I have said many times in this place that we must identify an existential threat in time and take action in time. Tonight, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, I ask myself: why, in the years preceding the Holocaust, did the overwhelming majority of world leaders and Jewish leaders fail to detect the danger in time? In retrospect, all the warning signs were there: the strengthening of the Nazi regime year after year; the horrific anti-Semitic propaganda which grew stronger with each passing month; and the murderous attacks on Jews which began as a trickle and transformed into a huge wave.

In retrospect, there is a direct line connecting the racial laws and the gas chambers.

Very few world leaders understood the enormity of the threat to humanity posed by Nazism. Churchill was one of them. Few among our leaders, primarily Jabotinsky, warned against the imminent destruction facing our nation, but they were widely criticized and their warnings were disregarded, and they were treated as merchants of doom and war mongers.

So I ask: How is it possible that so many people failed to understand the reality? The bitter and tragic truth is this: it is not that they did not see it. They did not want to see it. And why did they choose not to see the truth? Because they did not want to face the consequences of that truth.

During the 1930's, when the Nazis were gaining momentum, the influence of the trauma of the First World War was still fresh. Twenty years earlier, the people of the West experienced a terrible trench war, a war which claimed the lives of 16 million people. Therefore, the leaders of the West operated on the basis of one axiom: avoid another confrontation at any cost, and thus they laid the foundation for the most terrible war in human history. This axiom of avoiding conflict at any cost, this axiom was adopted not only by the leaders. The people themselves, primarily the educated ones, shared it too.

In 1933, for example, the year Hitler rose to power, there was a meeting of the Oxford University student organization – an institute from which generations of British leaders had emerged. Following a heated debate, the students voted for a resolution stating that they "would under no circumstances fight for their King and Country". This resolution passed by an overwhelming majority only ten days after Hitler entered the Chancellery of Germany.

And believe me: that message reverberated in Berlin.

This example illustrates the West's feeble attitude vis-à-vis the rise of Nazism.

Month after month, year after year, more and more information was received in London, Paris and Washington regarding the capabilities and intentions of the Nazi regime. The picture was becoming clear to everybody. However, "they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear."

When you refuse to accept reality as it is, you can deny it. And this is precisely what the leaders of the West did. They dismissed the murderous Nazi rhetoric as internal German politics; they downplayed the seriousness of the danger of the military build-up of the Nazis, claiming that it was the result of the natural will of a proud nation, that it should be taken into consideration, that it should be accepted.

The reality was clear, but it was cloaked in a bubble of illusions. This bubble was burst by the stealth attack by the Nazis on Europe. And the price of the illusion and desire was very heavy because by the time the leaders of the West finally acted, their people paid a terrible price. World War II claimed the lives not of 16 million people, the unimaginable number of victims during World War I, but of 60 million, including one third of our people, who were butchered by the Nazi beast.

Citizens of Israel, my brothers and sisters,

Has the world learned from the mistakes of the past? Today, we are again facing clear facts and a tangible threat.

Iran is calling for our destruction. It is developing nuclear weapons. This is the reason it is building underground bunkers for the enrichment of uranium. This is the reason it is establishing a plutonium-producing heavy water facility. This is the reason it continues to develop inter-continental ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads to threaten the entire world.

Today, just like then, there are those who dismiss Iran's extreme rhetoric as one that serves domestic purposes. Today, just like then, there are those who view Iran's nuclear ambitions as the result of the natural will of a proud nation – a will that should be accepted.

And just like then, those who make such claims are deluding themselves. They are making an historic mistake.

We are currently in the midst of fateful talks between Iran and the world powers. This time too, the truth is evident to all: Iran is seeking an agreement that will lift the sanctions and leave it as a nuclear threshold state, in other words, the capability to manufacture nuclear weapons within several months at most.

Iran wants a deal that will eliminate the sanctions and leave their nuclear capabilities intact. Such a deal, which will enable Iran to be a nuclear threshold state, will bring the entire world to the threshold of an abyss.

I hope that the lessons of the past will be learned and that the desire to avoid confrontation at any cost will not lead to a deal that will exact a much heavier price in the future.

I call on the leaders of the world powers to insist on a full dismantling of Iran's capability to manufacture nuclear weapons, and to persist until this goal is achieved.

In any event, the people of Israel are strong. When faced with an existential threat, the situation of our people today is entirely different than it was during the Holocaust.

Today, we have a sovereign Jewish state. As Prime Minister of Israel, I do not hesitate to speak the truth to the world, even when faced with so many blind eyes and deaf ears. It is not only my right, it is my duty. It is a duty I am mindful of at all times, but particularly on this day, in this place.

On the eve of the Holocaust, there were Jews who avoided crying out to the world's nations out of fear that the fight against the Nazis would become a Jewish problem. Others believed that if they kept silent, the danger would pass. The kept silent and the disaster struck. Today, we are not afraid to speak the truth to world leaders, as is written in our Bible: "I will speak of your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed…listen, for I will speak noble thoughts; the opening of my lips will reveal right things."

Unlike our situation during the Holocaust, when we were like leaves on the wind, defenseless, now we have great power to defend ourselves, and it is ready for any mission. This power rests on the courage and ingenuity of the soldiers of the IDF and our security forces. It is this power that enabled us, against all odds, to build the State of Israel.

Look at the remarkable achievements we have made in our 66 years of independence. All of us together – scientists, writers, teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs, employees, artists, farmers – the entire people of Israel, each one in their own field –  together we have built a glorious state. The spirit of the people of Israel is supreme, our accomplishments tremendous. Seven decades after the destruction of the Holocaust, the State of Israel is a global wonder.

On this day, on behalf of the Jewish people, I say to all those who sought to destroy us, to all those who still seek to destroy us: you have failed and you will fail. 

The State of Israel is stronger than ever. It is a state that seeks peace with all its neighbors – a state with a will of iron to ensure the future of its people.

"The people will arise like a lion cub and raise itself like a lion; it will not lie down until it consumes prey, and drinks the blood of the slain."