Friday, February 13, 2009

The Ambassador

Read this account of the heroism of a Turkish ambassador during the Second World War.

It's a moving reminder of how the good have to combat the craven as well as the evil. An excerpt from The Weekly Standard article:

He determined to oppose the subjugation of the Turkish Jews living in France. On July 31, 1941, the Turkish embassy asked the Vichy government to exempt those Jews who were Turkish citizens from anti-Semitic legislation:

The Republic of Turkey does not discriminate among its citizens on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, or other elements. Moreover, the Republic of Turkey is concerned about the laws by which the French government is forcing our citizens to abide. Therefore, we hereby inform [the French authorities] that we reserve all of our rights with regard to our Jewish citizens.

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