January 2, 2006
Ayatollah Seyyed Abbas Ghaemmaghami, the head of the Islamic Center in Hamburg, Germany, has sent a message of congratulations to the Jewish people for the Hanukkah celebrations. The Jewish tradition was an important part of Muslim identity, Ghaemmaghami said, adding: "The Koran teaches us that Jews, Christians and Muslims are of the same origin. Unfortunately, some people unaware of the truth and spirit of the religions, have in the past ignored the uniting nature of the religions and distorted relations between its followers." Referring to recent Holocaust denial by Iran's president Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ghaemmaghami also said that the destruction of Jewish life must not be denied nor forgotten.