Opinion
Hitler & Ahmadinejad
Infomaniacs Anonymous
September 26, 2006 - 12:00amIt’s the question that plagues every high school student who learns in history class about the rise of Hitler and the Nazis:
How could the world be so clueless?
We’ve heard the story:
Hitler bucked the international community again and again. And, with each transgression, European leaders and diplomats protested loudly, but did little. By the time that England and France declared war on Germany, of course, it was too late: The whole of Europe was ripe for Nazi invasion, and my grandparents and millions of other Jews were already being carted off like animals to the concentration camps.
You know the rest.
World War II ended six decades ago. And with each year that passes, we look with more disdain upon the hapless leaders who failed to stop Hitler, and we become ever-more complacent that we could never repeat their mistakes. We see grand appeaser Neville Chamberlain, in effect, as we do that girl in the slasher movie — you know, the one who always goes where the killer is hiding:
“No, don’t go upstairs, you idiot! He’s gonna get you! Oh, God.”
Surely we would never go upstairs. We’d go out the front door, like the stupid girl should have. And surely we would never allow a murderous leader to match dangerous words with actions. We’d stop him before it was too late, like Chamberlain and the stupid Europeans should have … Right? Anyone? Bueller?
August 2005. Enter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad onto the world stage.
Shortly after assuming the presidency of Iran, a country that has been clandestinely developing nuclear weapons for years, Ahmadinejad made waves by calling the Holocaust a “myth” and declaring that Israel must be (and will be) “wiped off the map.”
The Islamic Republic already has Shahab-3 missiles that can reach Israel — which are paraded through the streets of Tehran with banners in Farsi calling for Israel’s annihilation — meaning that the moment Iran acquires nuclear weapons, they will become operational.
So, what is being done to stop Ahmadinejad from obtaining the means to perpetrate another Holocaust?
Well, with America bogged down in Iraq, the Bush Administration has largely outsourced this foreign-policy challenge to the United Nations and company, who are doing in response to the Iran threat what they do best — absolutely nothing.
In fact, not only is the United Nations not isolating the Iranian leader after he defecated on the U.N. charter by calling for the destruction of a member state … It has twice lavished upon this latter-day Hitler the honor of addressing the General Assembly, most recently last week.
Following his last rant to the General Assembly, Ahmadinejad was caught on videotape telling a cleric that, as he was speaking at the podium, there was “a light around me, and I was placed inside this aura … I felt the atmosphere suddenly change, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink. … And they were rapt. It seemed as if a hand was holding them there and had opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic republic.”
It might be tempting to write Ahmadinejad off as a religious man on an acid trip, but there’s more he said that should scare the living Shi’ite out of us all.
After his thirteenth invocation of “Allah,” and his expected denunciations of the U.S. and the “Zionist regime,” Ahmadinejad closed this year’s speech as follows: “Oh, Almighty Allah … Bestow upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by you, and make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause.”
Ahmadinejad made a similar appeal in last year’s speech. That the mainstream media largely ignored it both times leads me to believe either that they’re unaware of the Islamic reference Ahmadinejad is dropping or, more likely, that they’re perfectly aware of it yet too politically correct to address it.
For those of you who haven’t taken Professor Powers’ NES 255: Introduction to Islamic Civilization, let me, with my admittedly limited understanding of Shi’ite eschatology, fill you in.
It’s simple, really. Just like Christianity and Judaism, Islam believes in an End of Days. Shi’ites, in particular, speak of a messianic figure called the Twelfth Imam (“the perfect human being promised to all by you”) that will usher in this new age, which will involve the usual messianic lore — truth and justice, brotherhood among mankind, killing all the infidels and, of course, a world united under Islamic rule.
Is it a stretch to say that a man who yearns for this apocalypse may have less hesitation in pressing the nuclear button and igniting World War III?
For a few weeks this summer, it looked like the international community might actually prevent that from happening. The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment by August 31 or face — cue ominous music — “additional measures.”
Iran, of course, answered the deadline with its middle finger.
So, what are these “additional measures”?
Well, the international community can’t seem to make up its mind.
Russia and China, two of the five permanent members of the Council, are threatening to veto any punitive action against Iran. (Both have substantial business interests there.)
Uncle Sam is calling for sanctions, but is too distracted by Iraq and the midterm elections to seriously pursue them for now.
Thankfully, we have Aunt Europe to come to the rescue. After Iran’s rejection, Jacques Chirac and other European leaders sprung into action and threatened Iran with — you guessed it — a new round of talks.
European leaders can afford to dither. Iran’s nuclear missiles won’t be aimed at Paris and Berlin. But they will be aimed at Tel Aviv and Haifa. And when that time comes, Jews will again be forced to pray that a man who has vowed their destruction will not follow up on his dangerous words.
Mark Twain was right: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.”
Just like it was 70 years ago, the world today is facing a test. If it fails, then in another 70 years, in history classes everywhere, our grandchildren may just be asking themselves a familiar question:
How could the world be so clueless?
Ben Birnbaum is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at bhb9@cornell.edu. Infomaniacs Anonymous appears Tuesdays.
This 'article' is so Biased
This 'article' is so Biased and Incorrect. A lot of the points you made were either speculation or based off of other not-so-accurate remarks.
When Ahmadinejad mentioned this whole "wiping off the map" thing, he was speaking in Persian. What he said was for "Israel" to be wiped off the map. Not Israel to be blown up. He meant that the lands be returned to the palestinians, and an end to the Israeli government. The reference was in no way to 'bombing' Israel.
You also mentioned how he says the Holocaust never happened. He never said the Holocaust NEVER happened. He said the claims around it are fabricated, and there were nowhere near 6 million jews who died there. And according to certain reports I've read, it appears it may have been closer to just 2 million, actually. He also says that if you do believe the holocaust took place as it has generally stated, where did it take place? In Germany, right? So why didn't the jews get a piece of germany to make their country out of? Why did the palestinians have to lose their land? It's injustice. And in America there is a law that a violator of the law will be prosecuted even if it's 100 years after the crime took place. So just because Israel has been around for 60 years, doesn't mean that its existence is legitimate.
But hey, if you want to think more of all of this, more power to you. You don't even know that anything ahmadinejad does has to be approved by the supreme leader of iran, ayatollah khamenei. And even he is governed by another council that must approve everything that he does. Ahmadinejad is just a big talker.
I don't see why americans should give up their lives to save jews in another country. It's not fair. I'm just glad that I live in Canada and during WW2, we turned away 100's of thousands of jews to be sent back to die in concentration camps. :)
Mista, Do you know what a
Mista, Do you know what a column is? It is the writers opinion.
For you to refute the authors opinion with opinions of your own and absolutely no regard for any facts is both reckless and ignorant.
Thank god very few people of your lack of attention ever make it far in politics. Perhaps you should consider a position in the Bush Admin.
Dear Mista (aka Hitler
Dear Mista (aka Hitler Jr.),
Wow, did Ahmadinejad send you this copy or did you think of this all yourself?
Let me break down your extremely uninformed and frightening rsponse to a well-reasoned column:
"When Ahmadinejad mentioned this whole "wiping off the map" thing, he was speaking in Persian. What he said was for "Israel" to be wiped off the map. Not Israel to be blown up. He meant that the lands be returned to the palestinians, and an end to the Israeli government. The reference was in no way to 'bombing' Israel."
I believe Mr. Birnbaum quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that Israel should be wiped off the map, which is exactly what you quote him as saying. Who cares if he said it in Farsi? His intent was very clear. Also if we give the land back to the "Palistinians," what do you suppose would happen to all the Israeli Jews who are already living there? I think it would be something equivalent to pushing all the Jews into the sea, but maybe you and Ahmadinejad can come up with something more creative, say a nuclear bomb?
"You also mentioned how he says the Holocaust never happened. He never said the Holocaust NEVER happened. He said the claims around it are fabricated, and there were nowhere near 6 million jews who died there. And according to certain reports I've read, it appears it may have been closer to just 2 million, actually."
I don't know where to begin here. The fact that Ahmadinejad and you seem to think there is reasonable doubt that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust is ludicrous. First of all, what "reports" have you read to back up your claim? I read a report that said we faked the moon landing, but I'm not sure it's true; maybe you can authenticate it for me.
While we will probably never know the exact number of Jews killed in the Holocaust, it is much more than 2 million.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust#Death_toll
"He also says that if you do believe the holocaust took place as it has generally stated, where did it take place? In Germany, right? So why didn't the jews get a piece of germany to make their country out of? Why did the palestinians have to lose their land? It's injustice."
This statement shows no basic understanding of the scale of the Holocaust. It did not only happen in Germany. It happened all over Europe. In Germany and Austria, 88% of the Jewish population was killed (210,000). In Poland, approximately 3 million Jews were killed. Jewish communities all across Europe were decimated. See http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/killedtable.html
for a more detailed look.
Now the fact that I have to debunk you "debunking" of the Holocaust is ridiculous, but let me know continue to your (and Ahmadinejad's) main argument, which is that the "Palestinians" shouldn't have lost "their" land to the European Jews.
First, there were active Jewish settlements in the British mandate long before the Holocaust. Some Jews had been living in Israel for hundreds of years, dating back before the Crusades. The wave of Jewish immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to Israel helped develop what was basically a swamp into viable land. This is the reason that the Arab population in the area started to increase, because the Jewish settlers had developed the land and there was now a viable economy. For more information, see:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/Israelsroots.html
Second, you and seemingly everyone who tries to make this argument seems to forget that most of the post-Holocaust Jewish immigration to Israel were from ARAB countries. Between 600,000-800,000 Jews were kicked out or were pressured into leaving the Arab countries after Israel won its independence in 1948. Where is your outrage over the land lost by these people? Oh right, there is none.
Third, the "Palestinians" who "lost" their land after the creation of the state of Israel mainly left of their own accord. The richer ones left because they had no desire to be in a war zone. Some left at the urging of the other Arab leaders, who promised a speedy destruction of the brand-new Jewish state. Others also left to get out of the way of the war (which was started when the five neighboring ARAB countries invaded Israel at its inception, but who were defeated). While some may have been forced out by radical Israeli groups, this in no way accounts for the majority of "Palestinians" leaving Israel.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/Refugees.html#m1
"And in America there is a law that a violator of the law will be prosecuted even if it's 100 years after the crime took place. So just because Israel has been around for 60 years, doesn't mean that its existence is legitimate."
Israel is as legimiate a state as any of the surrounding Arab countries who were also created out of the British mandate and other European occupied land.
"But hey, if you want to think more of all of this, more power to you. You don't even know that anything ahmadinejad does has to be approved by the supreme leader of iran, ayatollah khamenei. And even he is governed by another council that must approve everything that he does. Ahmadinejad is just a big talker."
Yes, let's just ignore the words of a genocidial maniac intent on acquiring nuclear weapons. Oh, and I suppose that the ayatollah is a moderate compared to Ahmadinejad? Right....
I'm going to ignore your last paragraph because it is so horrendous it does not bear commenting on.
Let me close by saying that 1) I hope your entire comment was a joke, and 2) if this was not a joke, I hope Cornell did not make the egregious mistake of admitting you and your hateful and despicable views to my alma mater.
you idiot.
So I'm reading your article in the cornell sun the other day and I realized how you were wrong historically about your facts in reference to WWII. First of all, I am kind of tired of hearing about the bitching and moaning of everyone, including you, that thinks that Jews were the only ones that died in the war. True, there were about 6 million dead and that is a truly sad; the killing of one person is a terrible thing. But it seemed to me, and maybe my lack of understanding of the English language because of my immigrantion to America and failure in mastery of the language, that you were insisting that they were the only 'group' targeted in the holocaust. I'm pretty sure you didn't mention all the other groups. Frankly, of the 12 million projected dead due to the Holocause, 6 million WEREN' T Jews... that means political prisoners, homosexuals, gypsies, and other numerous sects, religions and ethnic groups were killed off. Do you also know that the Soviet Union lost 25 million people? and China 15 million? I know it isn't about the quantity of the casualties but I think those nations and those families that lost their loved ones were more devasted. In no way am I condoning Hitler nor the Iranian president and his actions (what ever his name may be), but would it hurt to mention all the other current genosides and mass hatings and killings going on? In the radical Muslim dominated Chechnya, religious war is going on between the (christian) russian army and the militias. Hundreds of thousands die in Darfur. Numerous lives are lost in North Korea and Il's steel rule.
True, UN are a bunch of panzies; they haven't done anything positive in a while globally, they probably couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag. But what do YOU propose we do? orginize a massive Christian Crusade and march over to Iran and knock on thier door and say "please, stop hating us?"....because, bottom line, radicals hate ALL non-muslims, be it Jews or Christians or Buddhists. There is nothing you can do to change their mindset because the y are brainwashed since childhood into thinking that the West is satan. And the current 'war on terror' and 'the war in iraq' are not helping the cause; children see their mothers and fathers die around them and a cleric could just come up to them and say "how would you like to avenge your mother's death and be a martyr?". The only way we could get rid of those 'animals' would be to kill them and not only would that be cruel and unjust, but they would love the martyrdom and welcome death openhanded. So now I ask you, fool...How could you be so clueless?
'Infomaniacs Anonymous'? ... more like jewish propaganda
I think it's actually a good
I think it's actually a good thing that "Mista Armaggeddon" posted such a sick and disturbing response. It shows us what is really behind the thinking of many (perhaps most) people who oppose Israel's every action. These people hate jews to the core and wish their extermination. Knowing that Israel is the best hope for Jewish survival, these individuals hope to see that nation destroyed.
By the way, jews did not just use the holocaust to "steal" Israel. Actually, a significant number of jews had never left the area. In adddition, Jewish settlers had been immigrating there legally in large numbers since the turn of the century in response to pograms and general anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe.
Most of the land in what is now Israel was actually purchased from wealthy Arab landowners. These were completely legal and consentual transactions. When the British decided to leave, it seemed sensible to them to divide the territory into the areas that were predominately Jewish and those that were predominately Arab. This division is roughly Israel and the West Bank.
When the Islamo-fascists
When the Islamo-fascists return occupied Constantinople and Hagia Sophia (another of Christianity's most holy sites, desecrated and drenched in the blood of the Saints), then we can discuss the Levant.
A few thoughts...
Mr. Birnbaum, you need not look 70 years to the past or halfway across the globe to find someone whose abhorrence of Jews stretches to barbaric magnitudes, as "Mista Armageddon" proves that such individuals are walking around our very campus.
His ignorant statements show us dangers that are inherent in the Ahmadinejad ideology, not to mention the joy he derives from Canada having "turned away 100's of thousands of jews to be sent back to die in concentration camps." Even if your "reports" are correct and it was two million Jewish deaths and not six million, how does that change anything? Does that in any way diminish the tragedy of the event? One of the respondents here stated that "the killing of one person is a terrible thing" and I am compelled to agree with him/her. Also, there is something in our legal system called a Statute of Limitations whereby, dependent on the alleged act, you cannot prosecute a crime after a certain amount of time has elapsed and thus, your "100 years" comment is completely incorrect. Due to your lack of factual accuracy, and neglect for corroboratory evidence, I will discontinue my comments on your error-riddled response right here.
Much of what "iLike toDrinkEthanol" wrote is correct and, in my opinion, ought to be the focus of this discussion. He is absolutely correct in pointing out the widespread death and devastation that WWII brought upon this world which, unfortunately, often times gets lost under the shadow of the Holocaust. Why is this point so vitally imperative? Because of his later claim that "radicals hate ALL non-muslims, be it Jews or Christians or Buddhists." Extreme Muslim ideology threatens to, and is intent on, reproducing the expansive extirpation that Hitler envisioned.
One should not be fooled into thinking that Ahmadinejad, and indeed all others that follow his perverted brand of Islam, is a problem only for the Jews. Israel is merely one single forum for their display of hatred toward "infidels," and the current standoff with Iran is simply one part of a greater problem, although it is an issue that requires immediate attention and action, as Mr. Birnbaum aptly illuminates.
The overarching matter is that Muslim extremists despise anyone and everyone who do not share in their sick ideology. Any person walking this earth who does not strictly follow their sadistic philosophies is a legitimate target, whether they be Jewish, American, British, Spanish or anything else.
How can you tell? A simple way is just to look at where terrorists are carrying out their attacks. Since 1991, there have been terror attacks by Muslim extremists in: Nepal, Inodnesia, Spain, Tanzania, Kenya, India, Turkey, Chechnya, Philippines, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Argentina, America, England, Israel, Jordan... do you want me to keep going? Here's my source: http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/attacksearch.cfm
And if you didn't catch it a few weeks ago, Al-Qaeda just oficially declared war on France as well: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=4f3268d4-b4ef-450a-be8c-a191b228bbdf&k=26409
In case anyone might misinterpret what I have written here, I will go to say that I truly harbor no resentment at all against Muslims or the Islamic religion. I realize that the overwhelming majority of Muslims in the world are peace loving people who desire the same global harmony that I do. Yet, in that small minority of radical Muslims lies a great danger that the entire world must contend with.
There's a famous quote regarding Nazi Germany from Pastor Martin Neimoller:
"First they went after the Communists,
and I did not stand up, because I was not a Communist.
Then they went after the homosexuals and infirm,
and I did not stand up, because I was neither.
Then they went after the Jews,
and I did not stand up, because I was not a Jew.
Then they went after the Catholics,
and I did not stand up, because I was Protestant.
Finally, they went after me,
and there was no one left to stand up for me."
I'll leave it to all of you to discover the significance of Pastor Neimoller's words. While you think about it, take a look at this one minute video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5862460287603221198&q=obsession&hl=en
and this longer one:
www.zippyvideos.com/3731945845958096/obsession/
A few more thoughts...
I forgot to mention... what short memories we have! I'll only pick out a few of the more prominent recent events that clearly demonstrate radical Muslims' lack of tolerance of anything or anyone who opposes their point of view.
It was only about 5 years ago that Islamic fundamentalists destroyed two magnificent and historical Buddha statues in Afghanistan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1214384.stm
and it was only last week that multiple churches in the West Bank were attacked
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=September2006&file=World_News2006091743133.xml
and have we all forgotten about the Danish cartoon incident, and the riots and killings that ensued across the globe?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4684652.stm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11383819/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10705393/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/islam/muhammad_cartoons_timeline.html
That last article is worth taking a look at, if only for this excerpt:
"These aren't the first violent reactions in the Muslim world to depictions of Muhammad.
In 2002, a Nigerian newspaper suggested that Muhammad might have chosen his bride from among the Miss World contestants. The resulting riots killed 200 people. In 1989, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sentenced British author Salman Rushdie to death for his book, The Satanic Verses, based loosely in part on the life of Muhammad. Rushdie's Japanese and Italian translators were both stabbed, the former fatally, in 1991. Rushdie's Norwegian publisher was shot outside his home in 1993."
I don't think anybody seeks
I don't think anybody seeks to disregard in any way the huge number of casualties suffered by non-Jews during WWII. It is indeed true that any death of an innocent is an awful thing. However, the Jewish death toll threatened the very existence of the Jewish people more the Chinese death toll, for instance, threatened the existence of Chinese people. In other words, the fraction of the world's Jews who were killed (around 6 million out of 15 million) far exceeded the coresponding fraction of Russians, Chinese, or homoesexuals who lost their lives.
It became clear after this culmination of sorts of an existence frought with endless discrimination and murder that the Jewish people might not survive if they did not have a state, but continued to be at the mercy of a larger society that secretly (or not so secretly, as some of these responses show us) hated Jews and wished for their extermination.
Liked the article...
Actually, I didn't like it because it was true.
I would much rather be in Jihad-denial and think this is all bunk. Yeah...it isn't true. And the "truth" of the holocaust is only a couple million people died...heck, while I am making this up against one of the best documented facts of history...I think only 17 died. Yep, only 17 Jews died. But, Hitler is still bad.
Ok, what else can I deny? 9/11 was by Jews too & the CIA/Mossad. Oh, yeah, and we never went to the moon...it was in a studio. A Jewish studio. Yeah...now I feel better. The Jews do everything bad.
MY DENIAL IS COMPLETE (and it gives me a warm feeling being Anti-Semitic...it's like red wine. Red wine on Passover! Of course the Hebrews were never in Egypt either..)
History does not repeat itself, but it sure has a way of always rhyming.
Keep up the good work!
Just out of
Just out of curiosity....Were the Jews not on the land in question (by Palistine) Hundreds of years before Mohamed even existed, much less Islam? Great article. Good job