TEHRAN, Iran, Dec. 11, 2006

Ex-Klan Chief At Holocaust Conference

White Supremacist David Duke Is Among Speakers At Two-Day Meeting Hosted By Iran

    • Iranian top cleric Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, center, speaks, as Rabbi Moishe Arye Friedman, left, from Austria, and Rabbi Ahron Cohen from England, sit, in a conference on the Holocaust, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 11, 2006.

      Iranian top cleric Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, center, speaks, as Rabbi Moishe Arye Friedman, left, from Austria, and Rabbi Ahron Cohen from England, sit, in a conference on the Holocaust, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 11, 2006.  (AP)

    • David Duke, as photographed in 2000. The former Ku Klux Klan leader reportedly will speak at a controversial Holocaust conference hosted by Iran.

      David Duke, as photographed in 2000. The former Ku Klux Klan leader reportedly will speak at a controversial Holocaust conference hosted by Iran.  (AP)

    • Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, right, delivers his address at the opening of a conference aimed at breaking taboos on the Holocaust in Tehran, Dec, 11, 2006.

      Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, right, delivers his address at the opening of a conference aimed at breaking taboos on the Holocaust in Tehran, Dec, 11, 2006.  (AFP/Getty Images)

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(CBS/AP)  Another participant, Robert Faurisson, has been convicted five times in France for denying crimes against humanity — most recently last month, when he was fined for denying in an interview with the Iranian TV channel Sahar 1 that the Nazis meant to exterminate Jews.

Faurisson, a retired French university professor, has regularly caused outrages in France. He has claimed, notably, that no gas chambers were used in World War II Nazi concentration camps.

The gathering brought quick condemnation from Israel and Germany. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on the world to protest the conference, terming it "a sick phenomenon."

German Parliament President Norbert Lammert protested the conference in a letter to Ahmadinejad, calling it anti-Semitic propaganda "under the pretext of scientific freedom."

Israel's official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, said the Tehran conference was "an effort to mainstream Holocaust denial" and "paint (an) extremist agenda with a scholarly brush."

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki dismissed the foreign criticism as "predictable," telling conference delegates in a speech that there was "no logical reason for opposing this conference."

"If the official version of the Holocaust is thrown into doubt, then the identity and nature of Israel will be thrown into doubt," said Mottaki, whose ministry put together the conference. "And if, during this review, it is proved that the Holocaust was a historical reality, then what is the reason for the Muslim people of the region and the Palestinians having to pay the cost of the Nazis' crimes?"

A statement from Ahmadinejad was expected to be read to the delegates on Tuesday.

The conference fit in with Ahmadinejad's policy of seeking to cast Iran as an alternative power to the West — in politics, science and academics. His anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. stances have brought out crowds of supporters during visits to Asia and Africa over past years, and he has used those themes to rally support at home.

Ahmadinejad has said that the killing of six million Jews by the Nazi German regime during World War II was a "myth" and "exaggerated." He has also repeatedly said Palestinians had to pay the price for European guilt over the Holocaust.

The Tehran gathering coincided with an independently convened academic conference on the Holocaust in Berlin, Germany, where historians affirmed the accuracy of the Nazi genocide data and questioned the motives of those behind the Tehran forum.

Wolfgang Benz, head of the Center for Research on Anti-Semitism at Berlin's Technical University, said people who deny the Holocaust "know perfectly well what happened."

"They want to use what happened — through denying it — to effect something else, to articulate the crude old anti-Semitism against Israel," he said. "It's about politics ... not about scholarship."


©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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by nikman66 December 13, 2006 1:42 PM EST
The thing is that people are missing the most important fact: there is a big difference between Jeweish people and the "Zionists". The Holyland(not "Isreal") belong to the Jewes all over the world, belongs to the Muslims all over the world, and belongs to the Christians all over the world. It should become an international country. But the Zionists used the myth of Haulocost as an excuse to unlawfully occupie the Holyland, claim it as their own only, commit the history's worst genocites (even worst than the Nazis) on the Muslims in there and the neigboring countries, and drag America in their mess and crimes and in the process they destroied America's world's reputation too. Jewes are not the criminals, The Zionists are.
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by verohnika December 13, 2006 3:38 AM EST
I think Duke has grown a lot since his Klan days; he no longer seems to espouse that tunnel-like worldview of the Jewish-led Klan. Numerous Jews infiltrated the Klan and turned it into a disgusting, racist lynch mob, so, it's very good that he steered away from that vicious hatred and malevolence.

Besides, the "Nazis" did not mass murder Jews, so, he is becoming more understanding with the uncovering of the truth. Hitler had at least 150,000 Jews in his military during WWII. He also employed Blacks; cinema was lucrative employment for them under Hitler.

http://www.adolfhitlerresearchsociety.org/index_files/hitlers_jewish_nazis_and_soldiers.html

http://www.adolfhitlerresearchsociety.org/index_files/blacks_in_hitlers_germany_black_ghettos_america.html

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by nothappyatall December 12, 2006 11:33 PM EST

Religion- christianity- is a subversive, demeaning, violence backgrounded, violence and bigotry promoting entity whose days I hope are numbered by the lawsuits and declining attendence.
Nuts like Phelps & Aikens use the bible to spew hate against gay people which results in actions like Mathew Sheppard's death, its been used to justify slavery and subversion of women as mens property

Religion is totally SICK and those who practice it are in my opinion mentally ill or at the very least emotionally weak minded and feeble.
At least with the Buddha, pagan and wiccans they teach love of ALL and they are not about god worship but more about spirituality and nature, their message is far better than the "Jealous god" of the bible who orders people stoned to death and worse.



Reply to this comment
by nothappyatall December 12, 2006 11:31 PM EST

Religion- christianity- is a subversive, demeaning, violence backgrounded, violence and bigotry promoting entity whose days I hope are numbered by the lawsuits and declining attendence.
Nuts like Phelps & Aikens use the bible to spew hate against gay people which results in actions like Mathew Sheppard's death, its been used to justify slavery and subversion of women as mens property

Religion is totally SICK and those who practice it are in my opinion mentally ill or at the very least emotionally weak minded and feeble.
At least with the Buddha, pagan and wiccans they teach love of ALL and they are not about god worship but more about spirituality and nature, their message is far better than the "Jealous god" of the bible who orders people stoned to death and worse.



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by nothappyatall December 12, 2006 11:31 PM EST
It's backwards, religion is for emotionally WEAK people who need an emotional crutch to lean on and a "Santa Claus" in the sky to make them feel better and share their problems with by "talking" (prayers)
Real people don't need to worship an imaginary being, real people who have inner love for themselves, are confident in themselves and have strength don't need religion.

More death, destruction, wars, brutality and slaughter as well as animal sacrifice has been done in the name of, the cause of, because of, or justified by religion, especially the Christian religion whose bible is chock full of blood, animal sacrifices for "atonements" directives to stone people to death and all the rest. On one hand it says " worship no ther gogs for your god is a jealous god"- JEALOUS, and I thought that was just a human trait!

Just read about the violence and mass slaughter of "non believers" including muslims and women at the hands of christian crusaders during the crusades, the reformation, the Salem with trials and more, just read about how people were jailed tortured and executed by THE CHURCH for anything THE CHURCH felt was "bad" or if the individual DARED speak out against the church teachings in any way.
Reply to this comment
by agnim December 12, 2006 6:11 PM EST
"I hope you don't mind if I pray for you. God bless.

Posted by finewoven at 02:11 PM : Dec 12, 2006"

I wouldn't mind you praying for me, but!

The only problem is that with the time-wasting exercise ('praying', which has no redeeming value besides maybe to keep you out of trouble while your eyes are closed LOL) you will only do further damage to your mind-brain.
And I sure wouldn't want you being harmed to be on my conscience. LOL
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by finewoven December 12, 2006 5:11 PM EST
For every crumbs of positives the religions may preach, there are countless loaves of destructiveness emanating from the religion.
Posted by Agnim at 01:58 PM : Dec 12, 2006

You've got it backwards, for the countless loaves of positives that religions preach, there are crumbs of destructiveness emanating from the people who don't get religion.

This is a historical fact, yours is a contrived and contrarian view. I hope you don't mind if I pray for you. God bless.
Reply to this comment
by agnim December 12, 2006 4:58 PM EST
"Agnim, I would give you a hyperlink to a website that would help you understand the Creative Process of the Individual, and how this is synergized in a person within their faith.

Posted by finewoven at 01:27 PM : Dec 12, 2006"

And speaking of something that some consider synergistic with the creative process, how about your John Lennon ("who changes the western world"?)and his drugs? LOL

The point is, Woven, the human mind is of a very very vast potential; it has enough capability for innumerable synergistic pairings; good/bad, worthwhile/worthless.

Respecting an object doesn't mean that the object cannot and should not also be analyzed for its validity/utility to individuals and to the society as a whole.

When the religions are so analyzed, they are found wanting.

For every crumbs of positives the religions may preach, there are countless loaves of destructiveness emanating from the religion.

Religion is more like a very very thorny bush that bears a few flower, than a flowery plant with inconsequential thorns. Get it? LOL
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by nothappyatall December 12, 2006 4:53 PM EST
titocordero; thanks, I agree, but one has to look partly at this guys motives for having Duke attend, there may be more side issues/motives, but I believe the PRIMARY reason the head of Iran is making these statements is just to tee US off big time because he knows this is a real sensitive issue with America, so what better way to get his jolies and laugh at us than to publicly deny the holocauset happened and then watch us REACT, which is exactly what we are DOING!

The muslims over there are laughing their heads off because they know that to rile us up, get a reaction as well as one from BUSH, all they have to do is make a statement, threat or show pictures of US troop bodies being dragged down the street and they can YANK our chain and watch us CRY.
Make no mistake they KNOW this game works because we DO react and that is our mistake. Like the bully at school, the more you react the more they ACT out even to get attention, even if it's negative attention. Any psychiatrist can tell you about that- negative attention is for some- better than NO attention.

Reply to this comment
by finewoven December 12, 2006 4:27 PM EST
Agnim, I would give you a hyperlink to a website that would help you understand the Creative Process of the Individual, and how this is synergized in a person within their faith. But my guess is that you wouldn%u2019t be inclined to read through the material.

I do wish you well in your endeavors, since I happen to respect agnostic and atheistic viewpoints as well. For instance, John Lennon was pretty much agnostic, and look at what a wonderful influence he was on Western Society.
Reply to this comment
by agnim December 12, 2006 4:21 PM EST
"during this season I participate with many others in singing some of the best music ever composed

Posted by finewoven at 01:01 PM : Dec 12, 2006"

Your 'best music ever composed" is just a matter of taste/brainwashing/conditioning. That's all. LOL

You have no objective perspective from which to view religions.

You are too caught up in the lifetime of brainwashing to accept that the CLEAR RELIGIOUS LESSONS IN VENGEANCE AND VIOLENCE AND UN-HOLY WARS AND ACTS OF BARBARISM HAVE ILL SERVED HUMANS!

I refused to be moved by a few silly songs of religious indoctrination, when those relatively worthless songs cannot even neutralize the huge negatives of religious rubbish that has messed up the planet.
Reply to this comment
by agnim December 12, 2006 4:12 PM EST
"Many of the stakeholders in the industries I am involved align themselves with a religion, and respect other religions. We are on the vanguard.

You on the other hand, are dead wrong.

Posted by finewoven at 12:44 PM : Dec 12, 2006"

Many respect smoking, drinking, and drugging; but that doesn't mean that such activities are, in the final analysis, good for the body.

It is the same with religions; respect is wasted on something that have been, in the final analysis, relatively worthless and DESTRUCTIVE to humans.

What should have been more noticeable to you in your 'space age' is the MUCH SHRINKING role christianity continues to play in western societies?

The reason for the marginalizing of christianity is the west is that krappy chirstian myths and imaginings CANNOT STAND in the presence of valid, effective, and useful knowledge that is being unfolded by Modern Science.

The islamic insanity is also feeling the pinch; hence the planet is witnessing the last terrorist/barbaric kick of the dying jihadi bull as the islamic insanity begins to be rubbished in the face of valid knowledge.

Remember this:
Valid Knowledge will eradicate mere beliefs and myths every time.
Reply to this comment
by finewoven December 12, 2006 4:01 PM EST
One more thing Agnim. This is the season to be jolly, and you are so NOT there. I%u2019ll give you an instance, during this season I participate with many others in singing some of the best music ever composed. The classical music from the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and also the more recent composers like Von Williams, Rutter, and the like. Some of these musical compositions go back as far as Palestrina, 16th Century, and of course chant of as far back as the 9th Century. There are so many I couldn%u2019t place them here for you to learn about

During the Christmas season so many people get to feel the joy of these musical pieces, and I most certainly enjoy singing them. The organ and the orchestra, and then also the people in the audience who sometimes sing along.

You are so short sighted in your understanding of how religions benefit society. Come on, realize the wisdom of this and you too can participate and be jolly.
Reply to this comment
by finewoven December 12, 2006 3:44 PM EST
Agnim, I am very much involved with spaceage technologies, and technological advances. Many of the stakeholders in the industries I am involved align themselves with a religion, and respect other religions. We are on the vanguard.

You on the other hand, are dead wrong.
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by pabell59 December 12, 2006 3:12 PM EST
Any chance that we can deny David Duke access back into the Country on the grounds that we don't allow terrorists on airplanes? I mean if they can ground a plane because Cat Stevens was on it flying from Great Britian and he has never been shown to be violent, and David Duke is known to be associated with violence and terrorist type activity, a plane shouldn't even take off with him on it for the U.S.
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by santo_marco December 12, 2006 2:23 PM EST
I simply do not understand what they are trying to accomplish. Are they attempting to erase the facts of history?
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by luvny-2009 December 12, 2006 2:22 PM EST
Any chance they can keep this Duke guy, he's a nut case!
Reply to this comment
by carlylaine December 12, 2006 9:39 AM EST
Ok, so the Holocaust didn't occur? And they want to have a Holocaust now?

This should prove to everyone that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, David Duke and their ILK are not rational thinkers.
Reply to this comment
by hermit22 December 12, 2006 7:04 AM EST
So there I was between the American German woman who insisted her relatives didn't know about anything going on during Hitler's time, and the Jewish man who stood right in front of me with a very long number tatooed on his bare arm. Oh do I regret I didn't shove aside the be polite nonsence, and oh so wish I'd have asked my ton of questions.
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by mick7744 December 12, 2006 2:25 AM EST
The above article touches on the huge outcry raised by Muslims over the publication of 7 (count `em SEVEN) cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad that had people parading in front of London's House of Parliament with signs reading "Massacre those who insult Islam.%u201D

What I want to know is this: There were NINE (9) cartoons distributed by these so-called Danish Muslim clerics, one of which showed the Prophet being raped by a dog. Since it is clear that these two extra cartoons were never published in any Danish newspaper, and just as clearly were added by these "religious leaders%u201D to strengthen their case and to generate more hatred and outrage, why hasn't there been a demand for the blood of these clearly blasphemous Danish Muslim clerics?

These people can%u2019t even get the facts straight on a matter that happened a few months ago, how do they expect to arrive at any meaningful insights into a calamity that occurred over six decades ago?
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