Dissident Veteran For Peace

Right: "Putting their feet on a representation of an Israeli flag, painted on the street, a group of Iranians attend in an anti-Israeli gathering in front of a Synagogue in the city of Shiraz 560 miles (930 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 22, 2006. (AP Photo)".

Below are some excerpts from a July 30th article by the AP's Brian Murphy, "Iran's Jews caught again in no man's land." It reflects the usual pro-Zionist, anti-Iranian biases but still it's worth a look. My comments are interspered in bold; added emphasis appears in italics.

TEHRAN, Iran - Nothing in the office of Iran's sole Jewish lawmaker calls attention to his faith — no Star of David, no menorah or other symbol of Judaism. ...

I wonder how many American legislator's offices are devoid of religious symbolism.

Moris Motamed's political headquarters highlight the well-practiced survival skills of Iran's remaining 25,000 Jews — caught again in a political no man's land by the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"[S]urvival skills"? Iranian Jews could leave for Israel at any time at Israeli government expense. Why does Murphy portray them as such a besieged group?

Any public expression of sympathy for Israel would invite a sharp crackdown from authorities and hard-line Islamic groups.

Public expressions of sympathy for Hamas and Hizbullah are likely to elicit similar repression in the U.S.

"We are Iranians. We work for what's best for Iran. The fighting, fortunately, does not affect the Jewish community in Iran," said Motamed, who holds the single parliament seat reserved for Jews. Other seats are set aside for the Christian Armenian and Assyrian minorities and followers of Iran's pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith. ...

In January, the leader of Iran's Jewish community, Haroun Yashayaei, issued a rare challenge to Islamic authorities after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a "myth." He said Ahmadinejad was questioning "one of the most obvious and saddening incidents in human history."

Israel, however, presents a red line no one will cross. Iran's Jews have remain publicly silent as Iranian leaders have called for Israel's destruction, including Ahmadinejad's call last year for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Maybe that's because they know that the West has lied about what he said. On the oft-repeated and dubious claims about Ahmadinejad's remarks concerning the Holocaust and Israel see "Does Iran's President Want Israel Wiped Off The Map - Does He Deny The Holocaust?" and "Hitchens the Hacker; And, Hitchens the Orientalist And, "We don't Want Your Stinking War!"

Last week, Jews in the southern city of Shiraz held a pro-Hezbollah rally that was covered by state-run television — a sign that the march was likely overseen by the Islamic regime to reinforce the idea of national solidarity. ...

It just couldn't be that they are anti-Zionist Jews, could it Murph?

"For Iranians, there is a distinction in their mind between Zionism and Judaism," said Motamed. "This is a very important distinction for us."

Iranian Jews face no restrictions on their religious practices, but they must follow Islamic codes such as head scarves for women in public. The same rules apply to the larger Christian and Zoroastrian communities.

But the Jewish population in Iran continues to shrink from emigration to Israel, the United States and elsewhere. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, nearly 100,000 Jews lived in Iran, Motamed said.

Anti-Semitic acts are rare, but Jews often are the target of degrading caricatures in the Iranian press. Tensions rose considerably in 2000 when 10 Iranian Jews were convicted of spying for Israel. An appeals court later reduced their sentences under international pressure and eventually freed them. ...

My limited experience is that the "degrading caricatures" from the Middle East are typically not anti-Jewish but anti-Zionist and they use symbols which Zionists have consciously appropriated from Jewish culture, such as the Star of David. According to the Jewish Virtual Library: "The Magen David gained popularity as a symbol of Judaism when it was adopted as the emblem of the Zionist movement in 1897, but the symbol continued to be controversial for many years afterward. When the modern state of Israel was founded, there was much debate over whether this symbol should be used on the flag." Caricatures rely heavily on symbolism and its suits Zionists and their ilk to falsely conflate criticism of Israel with animosity towards Jews.

See also:
Poll on Lebanese Support for Hizbullah
Chomsky, Free Arab Voice On Hizbullah
BBC World Service: Reporting Religion

Last revised: 11/04/2006