A Bradford Muslim teenager who visited Auschwitz for a BBC documentary says the trip has changed his life.

Umar Zahoor, 17, of East Bowling, travelled to the former concentration camp in Poland with Jewish student Danielle Coupland, of Leeds, to explore how young people today feel about the Holocaust.

The pair were shown around by a guide and had their responses to what they had seen and learned recorded for the programme. Umar, an A-level pupil at Tong High School, said: “The trip changed my life and made me feel grateful for everything I’ve got.

“I learnt about what the Jews went through and how they were treated and deceived. It really hit me big time when I went there and saw it. It’s hard to believe what went on.”

The documentary, called Moon and Stars, after the Islamic Crescent Moon and the Jewish Star of David, aims to promote mutual understanding and respect.

Umar, who hopes to study chemistry at university, said: “Danielle and I shared our views, which were the same.

“What was happening was totally wrong. It was inhumane. The camp should be left exactly as it is. I felt I was able to properly understand what happened when I saw their shaving foam, brushes and shoes and suitcases with names written on them.

“Just knowing that half would be killed within two hours of arriving was really sad."

  • Read the full story in Monday's T&A