Genocides Past and Present Genocide, a terrible event, has occurred again and again throughout history. In the past there was the Holocaust, during which Hitler exterminated over six million Jews based on his anti-Semitic ideas. Elie Wiesel, a Jewish author, became a very influential man in educating the world about the true events of the Holocaust due to his involvement in the disaster. There is currently an ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of southern Sudan in which, according to Cheryl Goldmark, “a systematic massacre of non-Arab residents at the hands of Arab militiamen called Janjaweed” has taken place since 2003. (1) Not only is genocide a tragic historical event, but it occurs continuously today. Genocide in general is the mass killing of a certain group of people for any biased reason, be it race, religion, or regional differences. Throughout history, genocides have occurred countless times. When we look back at our past as human beings, we often see some groups relentlessly killing and attacking members of others; whether it was caused by competition for resources, the need for a scapegoat, or any other factor of segregation. According to the 1948 Convention, “Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; cause serious physical or mental harm to group members; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life intended to bring about its total or partial physical destruction; impose measures intended to prevent births within the group on another group.” (Manaktala 180) Despite how devastating it is, genocide happens all the time because... half of the document...int: US options are limited in Darfur." ​​Viewpoints: Darfur. (2013): 3. Center of reference points. January 24, 2014. Manaktala, “Defining genocide”. Marchi, Sally. Holocaust." Eds. In Ackermann, Marsha E., Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, and Mark F. Whitters. Modern World History Online. News Service Facts on Files, 2008. Web. March 31, 2014 .Reich, Walter. “The End of the Holocaust: Remembering the Holocaust.” Wilson Quarterly 36.3 (2012). Modern World History Online. News Service Facts, 2001. Web. March 31, 2014.Wiesel, Elie and Marion Wiesel. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006. Print.