Owner of ‘Hitler Restaurant’ in Duhok wanted his restaurant to be ‘famous’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A restaurant named after the genocidal German dictator Adolf Hitler in Duhok has triggered much controversy on social media, with some welcoming the move and others criticizing the government for permitting the issuance of licences under such notorious names. 

The owner of the restaurant said he does not necessarily like the mastermind behind the Holocaust, despite naming his restaurant after him, and simply wanted publicity. 

"Hitler was the dictator of Germany and has nothing to do with me. I know I have named my restaurant 'Hitler', but that does not mean that I love him,” Reber Mohammed told Rudaw English. “I have done it just to make my restaurant famous among people.”

Hitler led the National Socialist German Workers Party, commonly known as the Nazi party, and Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. His invasion of Poland in 1939 brought about World War II. During the course of the war, which ended in 1945, Hitler was responsible for the mass murder of six million Jews in concentration camps, as well as five million gypsies, political dissidents, Poles, homosexuals and others. Overall, more than 70 million died in the war. 

Mohammed said officials did not pay the name much attention when he was registering the restaurant.

“Even when I started the paperwork seven months ago to register my restaurant's name, I did not receive any negative reactions from the government or security forces,” he said. “It was quite normal.”

Customers have a similarly nonchalant attitude to the Hitler signpost hanging on the wall, according to Mohammed. 

“Whoever visits my restaurant says they do not care what the name of my restaurant is,” he said. “What is important for them is the cleanliness and taste of my food."

Some customers agree. Hitler Restaurant was bustling with customers on Monday, many of whom seemed to not care about Hitler’s involvement in crimes against humanity and genocide. 

"For me, the name of the restaurant is not an important thing," Tahir Mohammed, a customer at the Hitler restaurant, told Rudaw while waiting for his meal. "I come here because I prefer the dishes they serve."

Some Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials are now speaking out.

Abbas Fatah Salim, deputy head of the Legal Committee in the Kurdistan Parliament, denounced the name. 

"Though there is no law as far as I know to disallow any names from being used for businesses, per our customs, we do not have to allow such named to be used,” Salim told Rudaw. 

"We have to take into account the fact that Germany helped us in the fight against Daesh,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (ISIS). 

The Duhok Chamber of Commerce and Industry said no law restricts and prevents certain names for businesses to be registered under, and that people are free to choose the name of their businesses.

The head of the chamber said that while Hitler may be reviled in Europe, people in the Kurdistan Region are not concerned about him.

"Maybe for the German nation and Europe who suffered a lot under Hitler, it will not be accepted or welcomed,” Ayad Hassan told Rudaw. “But for this region, it will not be an issue to [name a business after] someone who has done good or bad things in history.”

A Rudaw Sorani photo of the restaurant's signpost received mixed reactions when posted on Facebook. One man criticized the authorities for allowing such a name.

"It is a chaos. It is not the fault of the owner, but relevant authorities. How come you allowed him to name his shop after Hitler?"  Imdad Najat said.

Another man wrote that it is better to have a restaurant named after Hitler than an alcohol shop. 

"He is free to use whatever name he chooses. It is much better than opening a brothel or wine shops," said Rawan S.

Like Jews and others during World War II, Kurds have suffered from genocide. At the end of the Iran-Iraq war in the late 1980s, the former regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein led an extermination campaign against civilians, including Kurds. The Anfal campaign, as it is known, perhaps most notably including the Halabja chemical attack which led to more than 3,000 deaths. 

In response to comments about his restaurant on social media, Mohammed again reiterated that Hitler’s actions are of no importance to him. 

“The criticisms that I receive saying Hitler was a dictator do not affect my business,” he told Rudaw English. “My business does not operate in the name of a dictator, but a famous person."

Ayub Nasri contributed reporting