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JERUSALEM, May 15 (PTI) — Holocaust education will go a long way towards dispelling “misconceptions” about Jews in Pakistan and foster greater tolerance and understanding of the country’s Abrahamic faith, members of a Pakistani delegation visiting Israel said.
The systematic killing of Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators in Europe during World War II is often referred to as the Holocaust.
Six million Jews, including 1.5 million children, were killed in this racist ideology-driven effort to create a new world order.
Holocaust education is the practice of raising awareness about the Holocaust in formal or informal settings.
Sharaka, an NGO founded by young leaders from Israel and the Gulf states, organized the unique week-long program earlier this month with a Pakistani delegation that included religious leaders, academics, journalists and influencers.
“I’m not sure how many Pakistanis know about the Holocaust, but most of our countrymen think it’s hypothetical. They say the Jews created this ‘parable’ for their benefit,” said Danish Ameer, deputy editor of the Pakistani Online Portal, speaking on behalf of the Seven Daily Jang, a member of the regiment, told PTI.
“Holocaust denial exists in every society, not just in Pakistan. Perhaps through Holocaust education, we will be able to dispel misconceptions about Jews in Pakistani society and create a more tolerant atmosphere,” he said.
The visit by the Pakistani delegation was followed by two other delegations comprising Arab, European and Turkish Muslims.
Another delegation member, writer Mel Hussain, argued that educating Pakistanis about the Holocaust could fulfill a pressing need to develop empathy and preserve the country’s humanity.
“Pakistans have suffered tremendously in terms of loss of life. We have seen sectarian, provincial, national, regional and international violence. We have a community, the Hazaras, who are constantly being attacked in Pakistan and even in Afghanistan,” she said.
The delegation held workshops at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Yad Vashem Museum and educational institutions, and conducted a series of in-person and online lectures and conversations on the Holocaust, extremism and genocide in modern history.
Participants will also visit Poland and visit Auschwitz concentration camp.
Pakistan and Israel currently have no diplomatic relations.
However, contacts between the two sides, including at the political level, are not unknown.
Former Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf shakes hands with former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, with their foreign ministers Kulshid Kasuri and Silvan Shalom The meeting in Turkey was widely publicized.
“Even though Israel and Pakistan don’t have diplomatic relations, I never considered Israel an enemy. There was a time when I went to seminary where it was common to curse Jews and Israel. But that was when I was in school. I used to go to seminary to pray And “bayan” (the mufti’s speech). If the mufti talks about the crisis in Pakistan or some other international affairs, it is clear that he is going to link all the suffering with the Jews and Israel,” Amir said.
“But later in my university, when I was a student of international relations, I learned other perspectives and stopped being negative about Israel, Jews and Zionists”, he emphasized.
Asked about his week-long trip to Israel, the scribe said: “I’m already in awe of Israel”.
“They have transformed their country from a barren land into one of the most advanced and developed countries in the world. What they have done in an area of 22,000 square kilometers, Pakistan’s 7,96,000 square kilometers is nowhere near it. I Think that Pakistan should follow the Israeli model of governance if it has any plans to become a developed country,” he asserted.
“If I talk about my travels in Israel, honestly, I feel at home. I have a very warm welcome everywhere,” he added.
Recalling his interactions with locals, Amir said it was “pleasant” to meet Holocaust survivor Deborah Weinstein and her family.
“On several occasions, when I asked the patrolling police for directions on addresses, they helped me immediately. They didn’t ask me where I was from. There is a lot to say about this trip, which I intend to write in my article”, he added.
The Pakistani delegation traveled across the country, meeting people from all walks of life and brushing shoulders with Israel’s innovation ecosystem.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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