Iran eyes badges for Jews

[Richards 0]

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Iran eyes badges for Jews
Law would require non-Muslim insignia
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Jews were made to wear stars to identify them in Nazi Germany.
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Font: * * * * Chris Wattie, National Post
Published: 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

© National Post 2006

Rather disturbing little article. Curious to see how the international community will respond to this. I am not up to date on current events in Iran (except for that nuclear thing). Will the UN condemn this with the same zeal that they have condemmed Isreal for it's security wall? Is Irans leadership smoking crack?

Curious to hear everyones input.

Richards

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[micro 0]

Rabbi Hier is not the first to decry Iran as the new Nazi Germany, nor will he be the last. Unfortunately, I'm afraid he is correct. For centuries and centuries various societies have tried to exterminate the Jews. This is no different and people today should not delude themselves. There is another holocaust coming and this is it. Let's just hope that the world doesn't let history repeat itself.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[Michele 1]

But Micro, there never was a jewish holocaust, remember? At least, that's Ahmenejad's position... so they're not replicating anything.

I've been watching the build-up of their arms, as well as the uranium enrichment, and switching from dollars to euros in their oil...it's not going to be pretty if things don't square out really fast....

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[micro 0]

oh... i forgot... it didn't happen... the founders of company i now work for, Teva (you were right, that's the gig I got), the only Israeli pharmaceutical company in the world, certainly beg to differ.

i know many here will disagree w/ this, but what comforts me is that it doesn't matter what iran or anyone else does, the jews are still god's chosen people. they simply can't be anhililated. history certainly bears that out. it'll be so once again as well.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[beowulf 1]

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the jews are still god's chosen people

Your not serious???

[kelpdiver 2]

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i know many here will disagree w/ this, but what comforts me is that it doesn't matter what iran or anyone else does, the jews are still god's chosen people. they simply can't be anhililated. history certainly bears that out. it'll be so once again as well.

I bet that belief brings great confort to the Jews.

Snort!

[Darius11 12]

Wow that’s just sad.
It looks like the new president just wants to piss everyone off. I had a few friends who were Christians in Iran and they had a minority card in their wallet. All that did was if they were found to have been drinking or had alcoholic beverages with them they would not get in to trouble. Muslims punished for drinking alcoholic beverages

I hope Micro that you are saying that the Jews are the chosen people out of your frustration. For any religion to think they are better or so called chosen is arrogant IMHO. If you go around telling people you are better I can see why they would not like you.

I don’t think the Iranian people well stand for this. All Iranian were Zoroastrians at a time. We get are since of pride from that era. Cyras the Great and all that. Zoroastrians stood for human rights and were one of the first empires to not persecute the Jews. This law goes against everything I believe in. I think most Iranians will feel the same.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[micro 0]

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Quote

i know many here will disagree w/ this, but what comforts me is that it doesn't matter what iran or anyone else does, the jews are still god's chosen people. they simply can't be anhililated. history certainly bears that out. it'll be so once again as well.

I bet that belief brings great confort to the Jews.

Snort!

actually, to many it does.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[micro 0]

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Quote

the jews are still god's chosen people

Your not serious???

did i sound like i was joking? if you don't share my views, it matters not to me. i was speaking from a biblical perspective, one which many so-called "modernists" chose to ignore. again, it matters not to me.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[beowulf 1]

I consider it a joke for anyone think so highly of any nationality. It's pretty pathetic if you ask me.

it sounds awfully similar to the Nazis saying that Germans are the "Master Race"

[Darius11 12]

If that’s what you believe that’s what you believe man.

I give you credit for being honest about it. It takes balls to say what you really feel, and I’ll take anything over the PC crap that I see in SC all too often.

However that could be the reason that the Jewish people have been persecuted so often threw history.
I don’t think anyone likes to be told they are 2nd class because they are not Jewish. As I understand and please correct me if I am wrong believing that the Jewish people are the chosen people is a fundamental part of the religion.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[micro 0]

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I hope Micro that you are saying that the Jews are the chosen people out of your frustration. For any religion to think they are better or so called chosen is arrogant IMHO. If you go around telling people you are better I can see why they would not like you.

first of all, i'm not jewish and i'm not telling anyone i am, or jews are, better than anyone. what is truly a shame is that in today's cultural milieu is that if one makes a statement such as I have done (which is FAR from novel, believe me!), the immediate knee-jerk reaction is that I'm arrogant. As if that's the only conclusion to be drawn from the statement in question. Let's first try to unpack the statement that was made and attempt an understanding of what "chosen people" actually means and why it doesn't mean jews are superior. In fact, it has nothing to do w/ anything the Jews DID themselves anyway. Rather, it has to do with, as their "book" says, a divine choice that they didn't even deserve! Then perhaps we can get over this myopic view that anyone who echos the views of the bible are arrogant people.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[beowulf 1]

ahh
guess I will have to write my one book that says all half Mexican and Caucasions are God's chosen people and claim that God inspired me to write this.

Will that work?

[shropshire 0]

<>

The scary thing is that, last time this sort of thing happened, the majority of the population, probably felt the same way... unfortunately, they were the silent majority and the thugs and extremists (a lot smaller in number) took control.

There seems to be parrallels running here.. One of the benifts these days, over the 1930s, is that we have much better world wide communications, so hopefully, the course of history will not repeat its self....

WSe're allowed to jump to conclusions, cuz this is SC... but has this story been varified?

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[micro 0]

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I consider it a joke for anyone think so highly of any nationality. It's pretty pathetic if you ask me.

it sounds awfully similar to the Nazis saying that Germans are the "Master Race"

then you simply do not understand what that statement means. as I said previously, it's only arrogant to you b/c of the lenses through which you are looking. I refer you to books on the history of Old Testament covenant theology, which explain far better than I could, God's plan for uniting Himself w/ His people -- all of them. Within that covanental plan the Jews play an integral role.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[beowulf 1]

Sorry but I don't believe the Bible was written by God and I think you are full of shit.

[micro 0]

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ahh
guess I will have to write my one book that says all half Mexican and Caucasions are God's chosen people and claim that God inspired me to write this.

Will that work?

probably not, but give it a shot.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[SpeedRacer 1]

yeah whatever.


I think the President of Iran has a bug up his ass because all his life no one has been able to pronounce (or spell) his name, & it's driven him nuts.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[billvon 3,010]

> . . . you are full of shit.

Your one warning.

[Darius11 12]

No need to get pissed dude.
So what does chosen people mean? I really don’t know and I am not trying to be dick just wondering what it means.

I have no problem with people of fait as I think I am one of them. I just don’t like any one to say these people are better then every one else because of there religion color blah blah....youget the point

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[micro 0]

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Sorry but I don't believe the Bible was written by God and I think you are full of shit.

well, as i said previously, it matters not to me what your beliefs are. we're just here having a discussion. why do you have to resort to such ways of responding? am i not allowed to have my views as well? i was simply trying to explain further what that statement "god's chosen people" meant... it's a very common statement in judeo-christian circles, so much so that i didn't even give it a second thought about it needing to be defined here. perhaps that was my mistake.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[SpeedRacer 1]

Micro was just saying what the Bible says. That the Jews are God's chosen people. that doesn't mean they're better than anyone else. Just chosen.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[Darius11 12]

Quote

<>

The scary thing is that, last time this sort of thing happened, the majority of the population, probably felt the same way... unfortunately, they were the silent majority and the thugs and extremists (a lot smaller in number) took control.

There seems to be parrallels running here.. One of the benifts these days, over the 1930s, is that we have much better world wide communications, so hopefully, the course of history will not repeat its self....

WSe're allowed to jump to conclusions, cuz this is SC... but has this story been varified?

.

You know what dude your right. I know for a fact that the majority of Iranians do not agree with the government policies but can’t do anything about it because they don’t have the guns.

I really hope something like that never happens again.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[beowulf 1]

I think it is all pretty silly. To think that there is some mysterious God out there that this group of people wrote about and claiming in their writing to be "The Chosen People" of this God. Seems awfully convienent for the Jews. If I wrote my own book claiming to be God I think it would just as valid as the Bible.

[micro 0]

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No need to get pissed dude.
So what does chosen people mean? I really don’t know and I am not trying to be dick just wondering what it means.

I have no problem with people of fait as I think I am one of them. I just don’t like any one to say these people are better then every one else because of there religion color blah blah....youget the point

sorry if my post came on too strong... i'm not actually pissed... i'm just an animated person i guess.

explaining what "chosen people" means would take me a while and, as I said in a previous post, there are books out there that could explain it w/ more erudition that me. but let me say this...

being "chosen" may imply to some a status os being better than, but that really is a misconception. We are all created in the image and likeness of God, so sayeth the hebraic god. therefore, we ALL have an equal status in His eyes. However, in the process of drawing His people back to Himself from exile due to sin through a serious of covenants, God, for reasons I don't completely understand, used the Jews. Briefly put, the covenants listed in the Bible are with:

1. Adam & Eve (God covenanting w/ a couple)
2. Noah & his kin (God covenanting w/ a family)
3. Abraham (God covenanting w/ a tribe)
4. Moses (God covenanting w/ a nation)
5. David (God covenanting w/ a kingdom)
6. Jesus (God covenanting w/ the entire world)

See the progression? It goes from the smallest functional unit of persons to the largest. And in that process, the Jews obviously played a pivotal role.

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...