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The infamous gates at Auschwitz

As I walked around Auschwitz I saw the belongings of those that had perished. I was struck by the sheer number of shoes and tonnes of hair. This really did bring home the true scale of what happened there. I walked along the train tracks along which millions had been transported to their deaths and stood in the place where families were separated. I walked around a gas chamber where so many met their ends. At every stage, I tried but failed to fully comprehend what those people must have gone through.

Auschwitz: Barbed wire & barbarism

I left Auschwitz in a somewhat sombre state, experiencing two very strong feelings: one of hatred towards the perpetrators of this terrible crime, and another of empathy for the victims. Two strong feelings at two opposite sides of the spectrum. They didn't go together well.

For me, remembering those that perished is important. It's a way of giving them back their identities, respect and dignity that they lost throughout their lives. It's a way of learning from the horrible mistakes that others made.

I was asked at the end of the day how my experience as a Muslim had been different to that of others. My answer is that it hadn't. I felt the same way that most others felt: hurt, angry and upset. I cannot begin to imagine what could lead anyone to become so inhumane, barbaric and cruel to others. Religion doesn't really come into it. 

I'm really pleased that I took part in the project. It was a real eye-opener. I feel that I now have a duty to share this experience with others because the Holocaust is now something personal to me. People need to be taught to be accepting of others, to prevent atrocities like the Holocaust happening again.

Sombre: Nazia's visit to Auschwitz

I feel that more needs to be done to safeguard the basic human rights of people around the globe, because as much as I like to think that things have changed, people around the world are still suffering.

Those with power need to do something about it, rather than just sitting around a table and talking about it.

Nazia visited Auschwitz as part of the Holocaust Educational Trust's 'Lessons from Auschwitz' programme aimed at educating young people from every background about the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned for today. To find out more about the Trust, click on the link below.