Iran eyes badges for Jews

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.

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.

We are either going to have to face the loss of endless numbers of our sons and daughters in an unending war to defeat these crazy people, or we are going to have to do the unthinkable, and annihilate so many innocents to protect our precious sons and daughters.
I think I would rather go lie down in the icy creek next winter, rather than face this awful choice bravely, and that is because I am a mother and a grandmother, who is quaking at what lies ahead in the next decade or so.
We have gone beyond hope, dear Freepers. We are now gazing into the horrible abyss. I am now truly afraid for our future, and it is time for us to decide. Are we Americans, or republicans and democrats, squabbling over votes, while the wolves are contemplating a nice feast?

A strong and sobering post, and your predictions are on the money.

The real war we face has yet to begin. But it is inevitable. It cannot be avoided. It cannot be "negotiated away"; it will happen. Before too much more time passes, we MUST confront the evil that harbors no qualms about destroying or dhimmifying US.

And The West (as you have stated) faces "this awful choice": "the loss of endless numbers of our sons and daughters in an unending war to defeat these crazy people, or we are going to have to do the unthinkable, and annihilate so many innocents to protect our precious sons and daughters".

But, unfortunately, there is a "third choice" available to The West that you did not suggest. It is more ominous, and - today - I sense that it is entirely possible as current events suggest that it may be the option The West is going to choose.

That "awful choice" is:
Surrender.

I'll be flamed for my pessimism, but take a hard look around at the world, The West (by "The West" I mean Western Europe as well as the United States), and what is happening in our own nation, to boot.

Western Europe seems to crumble before the Islamic onslaught. They are unwilling to defend themselves morally, ethically, religiously, politcally - in ANY way, shape, or form. Cursed and bedeviled by the mindset of multiculturalism, they are unable to fight back. It's almost as if they can't remember HOW to fight back. If they can't defend their culture and their nations through politics, how in heck are they going to defend themselves when the Islamics in those countries raise arms against them?

But here, we, too, demonstrate that we - as Americans - no longer have a will to win, to confront the dangers before us, understand them, "nationalize" them in a common sprit, and set upon them to defeat them and "win". It's almost as though multiculturalism, diversity, etc., has made it a "hate crime" to even think of "winning" any more.

No, we must not confront those who would damage us, damage our culture and damage our country. Instead, we must be "compassionate". We must "negotiate". We must not be confrontational. No "consensus" for such dreadful things any more.

We are currently being invaded by MILLIONS, and we seem unable to stop it. Why heck, we're even going to give the invaders Social Security!

Sorry to inject the immigration issue into a posting about The West vs. Islam, but if we can't defend ourselves and our nation against the pressure of illegal immigrants who invade with no hard idelogy (other than making a living for themselves), how in tarnation will we eventually defend against those with solid and intractable ideologies, ideologies which seek to destroy (yes, DESTROY) our way of life?

Which is why, someday, when The West and The United States must make the two hard choices you stated above, that I think they will look at both of them, and decide that they will neither:
1. Forfeit their sons (if indeed there remain ENOUGH sons of The West left to confront the hordes of Islam), or
2. "Do the unthinkable, and annihilate so many innocents"

Unable to muster the stomach and will to do either, The West will instead take my "third course", and capitulate to the demands of Islam.

And, eventually.................. surrender.

I wish I could be more optimistic. Perhaps other Freepers will jump in and show me where my logic is wrong, and offer encouragement for the future.

But the America "of one culture" and one common heritage (that being European/Christian and proud of it) that could unite and sacrifice and endure to win such a struggle no longer exists. I remember it from the 1950's. It simply doesn't exist anymore.

Can it be brought back?

- John

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