Swedish Muslim fights anti-semitism

[cali]

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Derahkti met with US President Barack Obama during his visit to Sweden in 2013. He won the prestigious Raoul Wallenberg award for this activities, and was recently selected by Forbes magazine to be included in the list of 30 most influential people in the world until the age of 30. He's a public figure in Sweden, and frequently appears in local media.

He was invited by Forbes magazine and the Schusterman Foundation to deepen his relationship with Israel in April, as well as his knowledge of the Holocaust and the fight against anti-Semitism. "My special relationship with the Jews began when I was 13," recounted Derhakti. "My best friend in school was a Jew and I always protected him."


“My friend suffered from anti-Semitism, and one day he came running to me and said, 'there are five people who want to beat me. I told him, 'There is absolutely no way we are running away. I physically fought with those guys for my friend. I told him I would fight for him, and this story has been etched in my memory.”

Six years ago, Derhakti read articles about how Jews in Sweden were being attacked just because of their religion. "I decided to do something in my city, Malmo. I founded an organization against anti-Semitism and xenophobia. We organize tours of young people, including Muslims, of the extermination camps. After they return to Sweden, I see a big change in their attitude. At first, some of them tell me they hate Jews, but after they see what happened to the Jews in history - they tell me they love Jews. I sympathize with the suffering of the Jewish people."

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