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.
"Cool, I don't think I've ever met an Iranian up here in the sticks."
There are lots in N.Y.
And I'm pretty sure there are some in Connecticut, too. ;~ )
Make that JEWISH human rights groups....I don't see one darned thing from Damnesty International or another other leftist front organization mentioned in the article this and doubt we'll ever see any. The UN certainly won't give a rats butt about it.
Mr. President, the clock is winding down with this situation. Let's do what needs to be done.
Tick tock, tick tock.
Attack Iran and those Jews and Christians are toast..
I have it on my Bloomberg machine but we can only quote. Also it is quoting the National Post:
Iran Passes Law Requiring Non-Muslims to Wear Badges, Post Says
2006-05-19 11:11 (New York)
By Heather Burke
May 19 (Bloomberg) -- Iran's parliament passed a law this week that would force non-Muslims in the country to wear colored badges identifying their religion, the National Post reported, citing Iranians living in Canada.
(snip)
Not much diversity in this neck of the woods, lots of pickups and gun racks though. ;-d
As I said in the other thread, the Allies - America, Britain, Canada and Australia fought and defeated these people in the 40s, will we stand up and fight once more??
If the story is true, Canada is good to go!
Iran is an insane asylum armed with nuclear weapons.
That's good news. Maybe something will get done. I mean, I think we all see where this is heading...
or is that "Be-heading"?
Let's hope so.
And the inmates are in charge ...
Ping
UPDATE:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060519/iran_badge_reports_060519/20060519?hub=World&s_name=
CTV.ca - PM voices concern over reports on Iran badges
Updated Fri. May. 19 2006 12:39 PM ET
Excerpt:
Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says news reports that Iran could require Jews and Christians to wear coloured labels in public might be true.
He says Iran's hardline Islamist government has proven itself capable of such extreme actions.
He called a law allegedly being considered in Iran a mind-boggling reminder of Nazi German practices.
He says reports that Iran is considering a law to force Jews to wear yellow labels, and Christians red ones, are a reminder to the world that Iran must never gain nuclear weapons.
He made the remarks at a news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard...
Let me guess you side with Iran.Oh I forgot Turkey is a muslim country.
They are too poor to leave. Those who could afford to have already gone.
And it is not as though the IAF is going to send in "flights of eagles" to take them all away, as they did in Yemen and Ethiopia.
It is so refreshing to see Canadians standing up again! I was really worried for a while. I thought they had lost their way.
Welcome back Canada!
Thanks- new thread here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1635037/posts
Know this: if we did that, the hue and cry from the entire planet would be deafening.
So far, all we are hearing about Iran is a tiny wimper from the likes of us.
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