In this conversation, Mehnaz Afridi—Professor of Religion and Philosophy and Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan University—discusses her groundbreaking work “Shoah Through Muslim Eyes”, the overlooked stories of Muslims in the Holocaust, the challenges of teaching about Zionism and antisemitism, and the urgent need for interfaith dialogue in today’s polarized world.
00:00:00 – Opening

00:01:32 – Introduction


00:02:10 – Why a Muslim Scholar Wrote on the Holocaust


00:05:45 – Reactions to Holocaust Testimonies at the Omaha Conference


00:10:50 – Forgotten Stories: Muslims Who Died in the Holocaust


00:16:46 – Gen Z, Zionism, and Making Sense of History


00:24:07 – Islam, Antisemitism in Egypt, and Shared Lessons


00:29:31 – Teaching the Shoah: Risks, Backlash, and Empathy


00:35:01 – Islamophobia After 9/11 and Efforts to Humanize Communities


00:36:48 – Practical Steps to Build Tolerance and Understanding