Ahmadinejad: Why must the German people be humiliated today because a group of people committed crimes in the name of the Germans during the course of history?
SPIEGEL: The German people today can’t do anything about it. But there is a sort of collective shame for those deeds done in the German name by our fathers or grandfathers.
Ahmadinejad: How can a person who wasn’t even alive at the time be held legally responsible?
SPIEGEL: Not legally but morally.
Ahmadinejad: Why is such a burden heaped on the German people? The German people of today bear no guilt. Why are the German people not permitted the right to defend themselves? Why are the crimes of one group emphasized so greatly, instead of highlighting the great German cultural heritage? Why should the Germans not have the right to express their opinion freely?
SPIEGEL: Mr. President, we are well aware that German history is not made up of only the 12 years of the Third Reich. Nevertheless, we have to accept that horrible crimes have been committed in the German name. We also own up to this, and it is a great achievement of the Germans in post-war history that they have grappled critically with their past.
Ahmadinejad: Are you also prepared to tell that to the German people?
SPIEGEL: Oh yes, we do that. —”We Are Determined” (Spiegel)
A chilling interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, conducted by the German publication Der Spiegal.
Note how the interview started with some gentle questions about sports, but moves quickly into German reaction to Ahmadinejad’s questions about the Holocaust.
Post was last modified on 3 Jan 2025 11:44 am
It has long been assumed that William Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne Hathaway was less than…
Some 50 years ago, my father took me to his office in Washington, DC. I…
I first taught Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle during an intensive 3-week online course during the 2020-21…
A federal judge ordered the White House on Tuesday to restore The Associated Press’ full…
Rewatching ST:DS9 After the recap of last week's "In Purgatory's Shadow," we see the Defiant,…
Rewatching ST:DS9 Kira helps Odo re-adjust to life as a shape-shifter, obliviously but brutally friendzoning…