False allegations from Iran: Jews to wear Insignia in public

[Michael Dorosh]

Sound familiar?

Law would require non-Muslim insignia

Chris Wattie
National Post


Friday, May 19, 2006

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.

"This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis."

Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments."

The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims.

Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth.

"There's no reason to believe they won't pass this," said Rabbi Hier. "It will certainly pass unless there's some sort of international outcry over this."

Bernie Farber, the chief executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said he was "stunned" by the measure. "We thought this had gone the way of the dodo bird, but clearly in Iran everything old and bad is new again," he said. "It's state-sponsored religious discrimination."

Ali Behroozian, an Iranian exile living in Toronto, said the law could come into force as early as next year.

It would make religious minorities immediately identifiable and allow Muslims to avoid contact with non-Muslims.

Mr. Behroozian said it will make life even more difficult for Iran's small pockets of Jewish, Christian and other religious minorities -- the country is overwhelmingly Shi'ite Muslim. "They have all been persecuted for a while, but these new dress rules are going to make things worse for them," he said.

The new law was drafted two years ago, but was stuck in the Iranian parliament until recently when it was revived at the behest of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa refused to comment on the measures. "This is nothing to do with anything here," said a press secretary who identified himself as Mr. Gharmani.

"We are not here to answer such questions."

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has written to Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, protesting the Iranian law and calling on the international community to bring pressure on Iran to drop the measure.

"The world should not ignore this," said Rabbi Hier. "The world ignored Hitler for many years -- he was dismissed as a demagogue, they said he'd never come to power -- and we were all wrong."

Mr. Farber said Canada and other nations should take action to isolate Mr. Ahmadinejad in light of the new law, which he called "chilling," and his previous string of anti-Semitic statements.

"There are some very frightening parallels here," he said. "It's time to start considering how we're going to deal with this person."

Mr. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly described the Holocaust as a myth and earlier this year announced Iran would host a conference to re-examine the history of the Nazis' "Final Solution."

He has caused international outrage by publicly calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Iran does not yet have nuclear weapons, but Tehran believed by Western nations to be developing its own nuclear military capability, in defiance of international protocols and peace treaties.

The United States, France and Israel accuse Iran of using a civilian nuclear program to secretly build a weapon. Iran denies this, saying its program is confined to generating electricity.

cwattie@nationalpost.com

Obviously chilling, if it truly comes to pass.

 

[jmackenzie_15]

uhm...  :-\

These Iranians sure arent making it any easier to resist the urge to bomb their government back to the 40s.

The whole "Im going to wipe Israel off the earth" , "the holocaust nevre happened" and "im building nukes if I want, go to hell EU" is a little uh.... maybe its just me, but its not sitting very well 

 

[jmackenzie_15]

They did, but it was only a few months ago... Came right out in public and said it was a hoax created by the jews for sympathy or something.

Their president is clearly.... dillusional at best. There is no way this man can be allowed to have nuclear weapons, because the more he talks the more sure I become that hes going to nuke Israel the first chance he gets.

Good timing on his part though, most of the world is wrapped up in alot of other problems at the moment. Had this been 6 years ago, the US would have been bombing them months ago.

 

[munky99999]

Wow this is pretty bad. They are really asking for it. Do you think this will be the proverbial straw? If so, what response do you think the USA and Canada will give officially?

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=2949b7ed-f9db-42da-8471-b6b6de9b615e&k=72143
Harper commenting.

 

[Kirkhill]

What do you reckon?

Double envelopment or Hammer and anvil?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

What do you reckon?

Double envelopment or Hammer and anvil?

Call me a dreamer, but I'd love to see the UN back a US-led invasion. Even better, a European invasion. It would be reaffirming to see Germany go to war to defend the rights of Jews to be free of religious persecution.

 

[COBRA-6]

Wow, they really go out of their way to act rational don't they  :

We should start an Army.ca pool on when the bombs will start to drop on Iran, $1 per guess, my guess is sooner rather than later... umm, Oct 1st 2006?

 

[Britney Spears]

I know it's hard for you conservatives, but you guys really need to rein in your blind trust of the <a href=http://www.940news.com/locale.php?news=2512>media</a>.

How about waiting for an actual primary source from Iran or the Iranian goverment?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I know it's hard for you conservatives, but you guys really need to rein in your blind trust of the <a href=http://www.940news.com/locale.php?news=2512>media</a>.

How about waiting for an actual primary source from Iran or the Iranian goverment?

True enough; given the "moderate" statements by the Iranian president lately, this seemed a little spurious. I note the Canadian and Australian PMs have responded, but only to the "allegations", they did not reply as if it were fact.

Still, I do think that if action is going to be taken, I would hope it had some kind of official sanction other than the US President's astrologer.

 

[medicineman]

Still, I do think that if action is going to be taken, I would hope it had some kind of official sanction other than the US President's astrologer.

Might as well dial up McKenzie-King's dear dead mom and dog while we're at it...

MM

 

[AndrewS]

Hmmm.. Interestingly the 2 stories have been pulled from the National Post website.  There was quite alot of people replying in the sound off section that there was no other confirmation from other news sites and that the story was false.

 

[Lost_Warrior]

How about waiting for an actual primary source from Iran or the Iranian goverment?

The Iranian government has denied the claim.  We will have to wait and see I guess.

 

[COBRA-6]

I know it's hard for you conservatives, but you guys really need to rein in your blind trust of the <a href=http://www.940news.com/locale.php?news=2512>media</a>.

How about waiting for an actual primary source from Iran or the Iranian goverment?

What fun is that? Come on, pick a date! You know Iran is just hankerin' for a spankerin', when will they feel America's pimp hand??

 

[Centurian1985]

I just did a search for more info and found nothing ouside of the national post article "iran eyes badges for jews".  Sounds like inflammatory reporting unless omeone else can pinpoint a second news article on the subject. 

 

[munky99999]

I just did a search for more info and found nothing ouside of the national post article "iran eyes badges for jews".  Sounds like inflammatory reporting unless omeone else can pinpoint a second news article on the subject. 

Well I've been looking around and I can’t seem to find anything anywhere. All you have is 2 national posts. And the 1 other saying it’s not true.

All I can find is these 2 others which seem very similar; But no anti-Semitic relation at all.
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-16/0605158004121559.htm
http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/1475/1/
Which do seem to corroborate with this one which is saying the national post is wrong?
http://www.940news.com/locale.php?news=2512

I’m tending to lean towards this being a National Post goof.

 

[Centurian1985]

I’m tending to lean towards this being a National Post goof.

A goof by the management, or the writer is a goof?   

 

[AndrewS]

JPost is still running the story, they picked it up off National Post.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1145961377561&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 

[Centurian1985]

I couldn't help myself DOROSH so I took the liberty...Call me a dreamer, but I'd love to see the UN back a CDN-led invasion. Even better, a European invasion. It would be reaffirming to see Germany go to war to defend the rights of Jews to be free of religious persecution.

I find this rather amusing....so when is the U.S. responsible for righting the world's problems or is it to spend its blood and treasure if CDNs agree (aren't the Americans only about oil for blood and such)?  Couldn't help myself with your statement's irony.

Ahah! Keen observation! 

 

[Britney Spears]

The article in canada.com has been <a href=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=9070ec32-f409-4161-9e96-7bae0436ccc3&k=66789>replaced</a>

But western journalists based in Iran told their Canadian colleagues that they were unaware of any such law.

And Iranian politicians - including a Jewish legislator in Tehran - were infuriated by the Post report, which they called false.

Politician Morris Motamed, one of about 25,000 Jews who live in Iran, called the report a slap in the face to his minority community.

"Such a plan has never been proposed or discussed in parliament," Motamed told the Associated Press.

"Such news, which appeared abroad, is an insult to religious minorities here."

Another Iranian legislator said the newspaper has distorted a bill that he presented to parliament, which calls for more conservative clothing for Muslims.

"It's a sheer lie. The rumours about this are worthless," Emad Afroogh said.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I've edited the subject title so as not to rile any casual readers, but so we can continue discussion.

I don't think it is any secret that the US has been considering action against Iran; they have been named as part of the Axis of Evil. My comment was meant to show support for such a move - if it became necessary. Had this allegation been true (the insignia) I would have felt it qualifies as yet another casus belli; not on its own, but in conjunction with other concerns. Canada couldn't lead such a move, even if we were capable of fielding an entire brigade.