Address by Fazle Khundkar at Holocaust Memorial Day

The following text is the complete address that Fazle was intending to give at Christ the Cornerstone Church on the 26th January. I understand that he had to give a shortened version. I have added a couple of web links at the end of this post.

As an Asian and a Muslim and a national of this country I am grateful to the organizers for allowing me to say a few words in support of the memorial for the victims of the Holocaust and the genocides that have happened since.

The Holocaust in Europe during the Second World War decimated civil society on an unimaginable scale and 6 million people of Jewish origin, countless numbers of Slavs, Russians, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses and people with disabilities lost their lives. It was something so terrible, so evil and so inhuman, that it is hard today, over 60 years since, to even imagine. How could human beings perpetrate such horrors on their fellow human beings, especially in one of the most developed regions of the world? It is unbelievable and inexplicable. It was certainly one of history’s greatest tragedies!

I want to say loudly and clearly that what took place is a matter of universal sorrow and anguish. In a way we are all collectively to blame for allowing such events to have happened. It doesn’t matter where we come from, or what religion we profess, we must all acknowledge that barbarity and cruelty on such a scale, and all the genocides that have occurred since in different parts of the world, are evil and the work of satanic forces, and must be condemned. There can be no compromise over this.

My own religion, Islam, absolutely forbids senseless killing, and the deep hatreds and prejudices that make these acts possible. As Muslims and Asians, we cannot stand aside and remain silent, when we remember all those innocent men, women and children, who perished in the gas chambers and before firing squads, simply for being Jews, Slavs, Russians, or for being perceived as being of darker complexion, or of an inferior racial group. No race or people has any superiority over any others in the teachings of Islam. There are no chosen people, who have any inherent preferential claims over any other.

As the Bible says, ‘If you live by the sword, you will perish by the sword.’ There is profound wisdom in this quotation. Subsequent events have borne witness to this statement.

In order to remove the tyranny that had been imposed on large parts of Europe and Asia and some parts of Africa, many nations and people took part. The Red Army that liberated Auschwitz and many death camps in Eastern Europe, had within its ranks soldiers from the Central Asian Republics, which were predominantly Muslim, and in North Africa, Burma and Malaya, millions of Empire and Commonwealth citizens were conscripted and they helped to eradicate fascism and injustice, even though most of them were themselves not free and under colonial occupation.

It will probably not be out of place if I mention here briefly a remarkable young lady in her 20s, of whom you may, or may not, have heard – Noor Inayat Khan. The BBC did a film on television based on a book on her by the journalist and writer, Shrabani Basu, called ‘The Spy Princess’. In fact one of the locations she launched the book from was the Borders Bookshop in Milton Keynes about 5 years ago. The reason for mentioning her is because of the pride I and many others feel for what she did and what she achieved in her short life.

Noor came from a well-known Sufi Muslim family of teachers and musicians. From her father’s side she was a descendant of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore, and from her mother’s side, a wealthy and prosperous American family. However, they were not rich and earned a living imparting Sufi teachings and giving meditation lessons in Paris, where they lived for many years. Noor was the eldest among several children of her parents. She graduated at the Sorbonne, spoke fluent French, English and a number of other languages. she wrote children’s short stories before the war and often read them on air. When France was being invaded on 1940, Noor and her family narrowly escaped to England, except for one of her brothers, who wasn’t able to leave on time, and lived incognito in Vichy France right through the war.

On arrival here in this country the whole family wanted to help in whatever way they could. Noor applied to the Ministry of Defence. They were so impressed with her in every way, and tactfully enquired whether she would like to volunteer for enrolment in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a special unit that had been set up to operate behind enemy lines. She agreed unhesitatingly. The recruiting officer of the unit was so taken by her veracity, directness and inward strength that, despite her obvious delicate and fragile body, he didn’t think a second follow-up interview was necessary in her particular case. After a few months’ intensive training, she was flown by an aircraft, which could turn its engine off and glide noiselessly to a well-camouflaged unused airfield on the outskirts of Paris. There she was met by the Resistance, who provided her with a bicycle and maps and sensitive equipment and some French currency. As she was on familiar ground, she did not need a great deal of guidance from her mentors. She cycled her way to the address that was to be her home during her stay in the city. It was considered safe because it was an up-market area of Paris, and a place where the Gestapo had its headquarters.

She operated under the secret code name ‘Madeleine’ and was extremely active in building up a huge network of undercover agents. Her radio transmissions were never from the same place. The Germans were aware of her existence but were unable to locate her. She saved hundreds of British and French airmen and key personnel, enabling them to cross the Channel to safe havens undetected. She relayed useful data to her superiors in London, which helped during the liberation of France. Sadly, many of her colleagues were eventually picked up by the Gestapo and the noose was gradually tightening around her. Despite advice from London to return, she chose to stay a little longer to save more lives. By a stroke of ill luck she was betrayed by a colleague in the Resistance and arrested. She put up a fierce resistance but was overwhelmed by several enemy agents. She made three attempts to escape but did not succeed. On orders from Berlin, she was sent to the concentration camp at Dachau, where she was tortured, humiliated and murdered. Defiant to the end she died with the words ‘Vive la France’ on her lips. She gave away no secrets and they did not even know her real name. Posthumously, she was awarded the Croix de Guerre by France and the George Cross by Britain. A military band plays outside the family home in Paris on the 14^th of July, Bastille Day, every year, in recognition of what she had achieved and in honour of her memory.

There were many acts of heroism and self-sacrifice in the struggle against Fascism and tyranny, and they all deserve our greatest respect and admiration. But I thought I would single Noor out and hold her up as an example to show how interwoven and interconnected we all are. Her deeds will always be an inspiration and a compass for us to emulate and to follow. She has shown the way by her life how we can make this world of ours a better and happier place to live in.

Thank you.

Fazle Khundkar
Vice Chair Milton Keynes Peace and Justice Network
Milton Keynes Interfaith Group

Here is a Wikipedia link to Noor Inayat Khan and a YouTube link to the author of the book Fazle mentions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noor_Inayat_Khan