Indonesian Muslim groups allege country’s first-ever Holocaust exhibition is simply attempt to normalise Israel relations
Indonesian Muslim groups have alleged that the country’s first-ever Holocaust exhibition is simply an attempt to normalise relations with Israel, calling for the closure of the exhibit.
The exhibition was launched to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day on 27th January and was featured at Shaar HaShamayim, Indonesia’s only synagogue, located in North Sulawesi province. The exhibition, titled “Shoah: How is it Humanly Possible?”, was created by the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
Rabbi Yaakov Baruch, the synagogue’s rabbi, stated that “When I had this idea to build a Holocaust museum, the reason was to remember my family who died in the Holocaust on my grandmother’s side.” He also added that he wanted to “educate Indonesians on the danger of antisemitism, especially the danger of hate crimes.”
However, despite Rabbi Baruch’s personal connection to the exhibition, Muslim groups have called for its closure over allegations that the exhibition is an attempt to normalise relations with Israel.
Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, the Head of Foreign Relations and International Cooperation of the Indonesian Ulema Council, a top Islamic scholar’s body also known as MUI, said: “We demand any exhibition be stopped and the museum be cancelled [and] discontinued.”
“Jewish communities and the descendants of Jewish people everywhere, including in Indonesia and North Sulawesi, should also see fairly clearly the brutal acts that have been perpetrated by Israeli Zionists against the Palestinian people since 1948.”
Objections were also raised by Hidayat Nur Wahid, Deputy Speaker of Indonesia’s legislative branch, the People’s Consultative Assembly, over the exhibition’s links to Israel’s Yad Vashem.
However, criticism of the exhibition was not unanimous among Indonesia’s Muslim community, as Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organisation, not only in Indonesia but also the world, spoke out in favour of the exhibition.
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