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.
Bump!
true, but there are some - even here on FR - who would dismiss any argument like this. Simply because it parallels what happened in Germany with the short, brunette, palsied leader of the tall, blond, perfect master race.
You've got Iranian friends?
Cool, I don't think I've ever met an Iranian up here in the sticks.
In my opinion, this is an act of war.
Islam-list
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
Muslims by about 1200 years, or so.
With all due respect, because "Go ye therefore" doesn't end with "wherever it is comfortable".That's why. God bless 'em. They're in my prayers.
I went to a concert by a Christian band that flew in from Germany. One of the singers explained that during the Iron Curtain years, his mother sneaked out of East Germany, but she went back carrying Christian literature. His mother used a baby's diaper bag, full of dirty diapers, to smuggle in the Christian books when she returned to East Germany.
When American Christians asked why his mother returned to East Germany, instead of staying free in the West, he told us that his mother believed that her mission field was East Germany. She felt that sharing Christ's living waters with the East Germans was imperative.
He also told us that St Paul could have avoided his death sentence if had run away or shy away from his public ministry. Nevertheless, St Paul never shrank back. He continued to share the gospel, even converting his prison guards, till his violent death by the Roman authorities.
Prayers for all those Christians who share the gospel in such inhospitable environment.
If anybody doesn't know by now, this guy's a bona fide, sadistic, little nut. And, just like Hitler did, he'll keep doing his stuff as long as he can get away with it...
Don't forget Christians and Zoroastrians. They too are affecfted by the new law. Jews wear yellow, Christians red and Zoroastrians blue.
Ugh...Why can't we just carpetbomb the nutjob?
PMs Howard and Harper just asked about this story during press conference. Both appeared genuinely shocked.
This cant be right... Bush is the nazi! < /sarcasm>
How can Russia and China support this regime? Oh right they are autocrats and dictators.Nazi's/Autocrats/Dictators reloaded.(Hitler was elected by the way so was Putin and ALLIWANTISJIHAD or whatever his name is,China is a dictatorship) China and Russia are helping them,and everyone knows it. Russia helped Nazi germany invade Poland and was Hitler's ally until Germany turned on Russia. They are evil nations and people out there conspiring daily to destroy the free world and our way of life. This is a very real threat. Sic Semper Tyrannis.
I don't understand why a non muslim would want to live in Iran. That's a huge risk to subject yourself and family to.
The liberals will be lining up to endorse the occupation of Iran...NOT
BUMP
If they say they are going to obliterate Israel and replace our constitution with the quaran, then that is exactly what they plan to do.
They keep telling us this, yet we continue to brush it off and laugh.
They have infiltrated us, in fact the world. Their procedures work. They move to a country, raise families, acquire jobs in all sectors, live in all parts of the target country. They start to make demands based on their their religious beliefs (the quaran). Nativity scenes are offensive, require rooms and time for prayer, imposing their beliefs at the expense of others. Softening the target so to speak. By leveraging political ground gained at every turn. Subjugation in any means,some subtle, some not so subtle. Each appeasement is a victory for them.When their population reaches a critical mass they strike. They plan to do this with in our lifetimes.France may well already be lost. There is no such thing as a peaceful islamist, it simply means they have not been activated.
We must not continue to dismiss them in apathetic arrogance.
We should be prepared to bare arms.
Will it take an American Hiroshima to awaken the majority, to mobilize our masses against the Islamic quest of world domination?
Islam must be crushed. Islam must not be recognized as a religion any more than Nazism was. All Mosques should be declared delinquent of taxes owed retroactive from the day they were built. ANY gathering of Islamics should be PROSECUTED as CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MASS MURDER, found guilty and deported. Country by country, state by state, town by town, foot by foot, inch by inch, the Islamic cancer must be eradicated.
ACT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE:
Dear Representative:
As a registered voter and tax paying legal resident of the United States of America we urge you to provide us with your utmost commitment to providing the citizens of our nation protection of our rights, life, liberties, property, and our hallowed Constitution.
We are under attack by an ideology that demands our demise. We will not stand quiet in the eve of our destruction. And we certainly will not tolerate our elected representative to lead us to the slaughter.
We urge you to introduce a referendum on whether Islam is a religion, or an ideology.
The advantages and protections of tax-exempt status afforded to a religion should not be extended to an ideology determined to replace our Constitution with the Koran.
In spite of what the media reports, the American public is well aware that that the war on terrorism is in reality, our defensive efforts against the Islamic offensive. We are not being provided with the defense of both our rights and the sanctity of our Constitution as long as we allow the enemy to operate freely with in our borders.
Americans are concerned and are in extreme jeopardy and demand you perform your duties as both an American and elected representative.
In Earnest,
I think the Muslims should be required to have 666 tattooed on their foreheads.
"I am a mother and I realize now I have brought my children into a world where they will fight and suffer. Drafted at birth."
My heart aches as I look at my 7 year-old son down to the baby. How can this be happening again? how can the world look on as if nothing is happening. I'm not an "end-of-the-world" kind of person but I have to admit I had flashes of it as I read this article!
I'm not Jewish but I do know history, it appalls me to see younger people today who don't know about such events.
I hope this gets picked up by Hannity or Rush, it needs some real attention.
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