JUNE 14 — One of the most outrageous documentaries ever produced in history is “The Eternal Jew” (Der ewige Jude), a propaganda film, churned out by the Nazis in 1940, to mould German public opinion on the minority Jewish community.

This documentary had only aim; to portray the Jews as a dirty, disgusting race of dangerous aggressors who threatened the “pure” Aryan way of life. In one infamous scene, a swarm of sewer rats are shown emerging from a cellar, juxtaposed with images of Jews, thus equating the Jews with vermin. The idea behind this move was to demonise the Jews to such an extent that there would be little public outcry when the horrific policy of genocide was inflicted on them.

The documentary, which was full of untruths and which actively engaged in coercion of its actors, would eventually be denounced by the director himself, sixty years later, as the “most disgraceful example of anti-Semitism”.

It is therefore troubling to hear of a local institution of higher learning producing slides that depict Sikhs and Hindus as ignorant and dirty, respectively. This institution’s actions are frankly reminiscent of Nazi propagandists, with their ill-concocted and spurious claims.

The Holocaust is a grim reminder of how bigotry ended in the mass extermination of its minorities. By belittling the diverse faiths of the Malaysian population, this institution appears to be advocating bigotry, to the detriment of this nation.

Do we need a tragedy to occur before we come to our senses?

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.