Today is the 70th anniversary of the Farhud, a "violent dispossession" or pogrom against Iraq's Jews which took place on June 1, 1941.
Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and one of the initial members of the Muslim Brotherhood, became a Nazi agent after meeting Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Holocaust, in 1937.
With Nazi funds al-Husseini organized the Arab Revolt of 1936-39, which led to the British stopping Jewish immigration to modern day Israel. This facilitated the "Final Solution" by closing off the avenue of refuge. In 1941, the mufti orchestrated a short-lived, Nazi-backed generals' coup in Iraq.
The coup was followed by the Farhud, a pogrom against Baghdad's Jews.
The Mufti obtained Hitler's assurance in November 1941 that after dealing with the Jews of Europe, Hitler would treat the Jews of the Middle East similarly.
In a two-day period Arab mobs went on a rampage in Baghdad and other cities in Iraq. At least 150 Jews were killed and more than 2,000 injured; some 900 Jewish homes were destroyed and looted; and hundreds of Jewish-owned shops were robbed and destroyed.
More here: The Persecution Of Jews In Iraq | Neon Tommy
On the anniversary last year, I posted this about it, Juniper - your readers might be interested since I quote from reports at the time(sorry I didn't alert you to it earlier):
ReplyDeletehttp://daphneanson.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/farhud-against-iraqs-jewry-and-nazi.html