A London mosque has canceled an exhibit on the rescue of Jews by Albanian Muslims during the Holocaust.
The editor of the U.K. Muslim news site 5 Pillars, Roshan Salih, had led the calls for a boycott of the Centre for Islamic Understanding in London’s Golders Green neighborhood, according to a report in the Jewish News of London on Friday.
Citing the exhibit’s ties to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem, Salih said, “Commemorations must never be done in conjunction with Israeli oppressors or their supporters.”
In a statement announcing the cancellation of the event, the mosque said: “The aim of the program was to show Muslims in a good light by telling the story of Muslim Albanians who saved Jews in World War II.”
It said mosque officials “did not know of the international connections some organizations had or of the political affiliations. … Once that was made clear the event was canceled.”
Salih welcomed the event’s cancellation, saying the mosque “is to be commended for responding to community concerns.”
Karen Pollock, who heads the London-based Holocaust Educational Trust, said it was “a great shame” the event had been canceled.
“What would have been a positive initiative to highlight the role of Albanian Muslims who saved up to 1,800 Jews from the Nazis during the Holocaust has been canceled due to a targeted campaign against this mosque and its members,” she said.
