Posted on 05/19/2006 2:55:11 AM PDT by Squawk 8888
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.
You should bookmark that post.
I think you're right.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Event:
Nazi require wearing of star of David
The yellow badge which Jews were forced to wear during the Nazi occupation of Europe: a black Star of David on a yellow field, with the word "Jew" written inside.
-From Answers.com
Way. He has written that Iran has legitimate beefs against the US, and that it's our fault nutjob is acting the way he is. I call that support.
Generally creditied to the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, generally a white Ten Commandments tablet (couldn't wear that in a public building today) applicable throughout Europe. Assorted Caliphs had similar regulations starting in the 9th century, usually hats, but they weren't universally applicable. Some European countries used a horned (devil) hat in lieu of the tablets. The practice lingered in places till the 18th century. And was opposed my many Churchmen, including Popes, from not long after it's adoption.
To distinguish the follower of the prophet front the unbeliever, Jews and Christians are obliged to wear a badge, consisting of a piece of cloth of a different colour from their garments, to which it is sewed. Christians must wear two badges, a large one on the chest, which must not be covered with their beard, and a smaller one on their back. The Israelites wear one on their right shoulder only;but this must suffice for a description of the mens dress.
Of the female costume we cannot speak understandingly; still we will endeavour, for the edification of our fair readers, to attempt a description, meagre and unsatisfactory as it must necessarily be, but conveying all the information on this subject with which our informant favoured The ladies of Hamadan dress accordingly as they are Jewesses, Christians, or Mahometans. The Christian ladies, over a gown of red or white silk, wear a short jacket called Archalech, and over this a long, plain garment, called Antari, which descends to the feet and is fastened with metal buttons round the waist; where it is open to the neck, that the under-dress may be visible. The dress of the Jewish and Mahometan ladies is very similar. Their Archalech is shorter than that of the Christian ladies, and instead of the Antari, they wear a kind of long cloak, with close-fitting sleeves. This is called Daria. On the Daria they wear sometimes a shorter cloak, called Ketebah.
(Sorry, no illustration with the article)
Yes, a few days ago. He recognizes the perverse nature of Comrade Wolf.
'Comrade Wolf' and the mullahs
In the 27 years since the Iranian Revolution, the United States has launched air strikes on Libya, invaded Grenada, put Marines in Lebanon and run air strikes in the Bekaa Valley and Chouf Mountains in retaliation for the Beirut bombing.
We invaded Panama, launched Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait and put troops into Somalia. Under Clinton, we occupied Haiti, fired cruise missiles into Sudan, intervened in Bosnia, conducted bombing strikes on Iraq and launched a 78-day bombing campaign against Serbia, a nation that never attacked us. Then, we put troops into Kosovo.
After the Soviet Union stood down in Eastern Europe, we moved NATO into Poland and the Baltic states and established U.S. bases in former provinces of Russia's in Central Asia.
Under Bush II, we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, though it appears Saddam neither had weapons of mass destruction nor played a role in 9-11.
Yet, in this same quarter century when the U.S. military has been so busy it is said to be overstretched and exhausted, Iran has invaded not one neighbor and fought but one war: an 8-year war with Iraq where she was the victim of aggression. And in that war of aggression against Iran, we supported the aggressor.
Hence, when Iran says that even as we have grievances against her, she has grievances against us, does Iran not have at least a small point? And when Russian President Putin calls Bush's America "Comrade Wolf," does he not have at least a small patch of ground on which to stand?
Which brings me to the point. There is no reason to believe Iran wants war with us. If she did want war with America, she could have had it any time in the last 27 years. If she did want war with America, all the old ayatollah had to do was continue holding those American hostages after Ronald Reagan raised his right hand. He didn't. As Reagan recited the oath, the hostages were clearing Iranian air space.
In all those years, Iran has never attacked the United States and has been tied to but one terror attack against us: the Khobar Towers 10 years ago. No evidence has been found that Iran had any role in 9-11, the first attack on the World Trade Center, the suicide attack on the U.S.S. Cole or the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
No. It's visual, so it has the potential to wake people up, but likely it won't.
This is our future and the end of a future for our children.
Any Jewish person that would vote for a Democrat is out of their mind.... The Democrats are supporting the goals of Ahmadanajad...The leftwing says that Iran has the right to nuclear technology....
"He needs killin'"..
This goes way beyond bizarre. It's almost like the Iranian mullahs sit in a big circle-jerk with each one in turn trying to outdo the last speaker by suggesting an even more outrageous thing to announce to the world.
No. It is not bizarre it is evil. You seem to think that these men have the same history and values as you do. This is their RATIONAL THOUGHT.
Even the shape of most of their mosques was stolen from Greek church architecture.
It is for his fortitude and integrity that he is known throughout the world as "Famous Anus"...
Friend of Bill?
---This goes way beyond bizarre. It's almost like the Iranian mullahs sit in a big circle-jerk with each one in turn trying to outdo the last speaker by suggesting an even more outrageous thing to announce to the world.---
I think that about sums it up, actually.
They will be disturbed that it has become public knowledge..
I don't know about that. Weren't the Nazis more fixated on the "master race" and not the "master religion"?
Still this is really F'ed up and I'm sure the UN is getting right on top of this. Helping to set up print shops that will print the fliers on how this will be implemented, where the ribbons will be worn, ect.
Yeah, what you said.
The nightmare began some time ago, but worsens exponentially.
Bomb first, laugh later.
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