International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust 27 January; a universal lesson

     "Denying historical facts, especially on such an important subject as the Holocaust, is just not acceptable. Nor is it acceptable to call for the elimination of any State or people. I would like to see this fundamental principle respected both in rhetoric and in practice by all the members of the international community". UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
     The International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust commemorates the genocide that resulted in the death of an estimated 6 million Jewish people, over 2 million Romani people, 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people, and 9,000 homosexual men by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. This was the catastrophic effect of racism. On 27 January 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, was liberated by Soviet troops.

     The Holocaust was a turning point in history, which prompted the world to say "never again’’. The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/7) by consensus condemning "without reserve" all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur.
     To me this day is also an opportunity to remember the numerous crimes against humanity, that man is constantly subjected to especially after the historical “turning point” of the holocaust; the Communist genocides in China, Korea, Al-Anfal Genocide in Iraq, genocide in Rwanda, Native American Genocide, Cambodian genocide, Armenian Genocide, Moriori Genocide of New Zealand, the Turkish slaughter of the Armenians, and Pygmy Genocide in Congo, genocide against Darfuri civilians in Sudan.

      The UN urged Member States to develop educational programs to instill the memory of the tragedy, in future generations to prevent genocide from occurring again. However, I question if the lessons which ought to have been learnt from the holocaust, have been carried home. In the commemoration of this day is the chance we have to ask ourselves, what we have learned and what we must do?
     We naively take for granted hate crimes till humanity becomes victimized by mass destruction. Why have those, who perpetrate hate crimes not held accountable accordingly?
     What happens when the state like often fail in its responsibility to protect and especially its vulnerable citizens? Millions keep dying but for how long should we condone with that?
     Our common responsibility to speak out, avoiding conspiracies, denying indifference to matters around us before they degenerate. We have already witnessed an appalling indifference and inaction in our own day which took us down the road to the abominable — the genocide in Rwanda, in Darfur. Unspeakable because these genocides like many others were preventable.
     Holocaust Day is mainly observed by Jews around the world but to me, this day ought to arouse a more active universally observance because the lessons of the Holocaust are universal.
     Therefore it’s time for humanity to put behind the popular doctrine of hate, racism to breed tolerance.