Leaders of Three Major Religions – Christian, Jewish and Muslim – Visit Auschwitz Together

A report from Warsaw described an inspiring visit to Auschwitz in 2011 by Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders.  The visit was organized by a French non-profit, “Aladdin,” that is dedicated to finding a common language between the three monotheistic religions and battles against denials of the Holocaust.  The organization was founded in 2009 and is recognized by UNESCO, and is supported financially by Baron Rothschild.

The visiting delegation included known leaders from Europe, the United States, Africa and Arab countries. Among the distinguished participants were former Chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder; the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Israel Lau – himself a concentration camp survivor; the Archbishop of Paris; Russia's ambassador to UNESCO; the President of Al Quds University, Sari Nusseibeh; and diplomats representing the President of Turkey and Senegal.

The diplomats made their way in freezing weather where religious prayers were offered and the visitors laid wreathes.  Dr. Mustafa Ceric, a Muslim leader from the former Yugoslavia said, “I came to Auschwitz because I wanted to see with my own eyes what the Nazis did.  I didn’t believe in the Holocaust until the same thing happened to the people in my country in the Balkans."  Ceric, a Sunni Muslim, is serving a second 7-year term as Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzogovina. 

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris said, "It's a particularly important moment, because it's a sign showing that the faiths have taken the path of confronting this together."