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.
When and how did Europe give their support to the Taliban?
I don't remember that.
"Face it, Europe is still fixated on seeing the extermination of the Jews.."
Europe today is very hostile to all religions in my opinion. I wouldn't single out any religion.
You are absolutely correct. We must take the required steps to bring the fanatical Iranian terrorist régime to its knees.
Ironic that in Revelation, the AntiChrist (i.e. Satan himself) MARKS those who follow him. Whoever does not have the mark is beheaded.
Europe today is very hostile to all religions in my opinion. I wouldn't single out any religion.
can I take that back and say:
Europe today is very hostile to all religions except their own socialism.
"The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets...."Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Holocaust Chronicle ~
"Palestine is the wrong name for their State. It should be called Anarchy."FReeper sgtbono2002
"Then let's wait and see what the Arabs do after they take Gaza. There's nothing like Arab reality to break up a Jewish fantasy."FReeper Noachian
A student told his professor he was going to "Palestine" to "fight for freedom, peace and justice,"Orwellian leftist code words that mean "murder Jews."
The Nature Of Bruce ~
Only thing is, the Nazis got the idea from the Muslims....apparently.
"Humiliation and vulnerability. Jews and Christians had to walk around with badges or veils identifying them as Jews or Christians. The yellow star that Jews had wear in Nazi Germany did not originate in Europe. It was borrowed from the Muslim world where it was part of the apartheid system of Dhimmitude."
http://www.dhimmi.com/dhimmi_overview.htm
Those badges are one step shy of a future massacre IMO.
After doing a bit more research...
It did not target Jews in Afganistan, it targeted all 1non-Muslims, mainly Hindu's.
http://www.adl.org/presrele/DiRaB_41/3842_41.asp
The point is that what Iran is doing is not new... and based on prior European reactions to the same thing, Europe will mildly denounce Iran's action and then quickly go back to making lucrative business (or should I say weapons and dual-use technology) deals with Iran.
And should anybody try and stop Iran, we'll quickly see many European government officals work tirelessly to stop any action that would jeopardize their gravy-train, ie: the current government of Iran...
---
As for European support of the Taliban... (I would find more, but it is very difficult to find anything on the internet from 6-8 years in the past. Although, I can still remember reading the Washington Times and seeing news articles on how various European officials would praise the Taliban for it's opium eradication efforts)
(from: http://www.tni.org/reports/drugs/debate3.htm)
On September 10, 1997, the Taleban Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the required declaration: "The Islamic State of Afghanistan informs all compatriots that as the use of heroin and hashish is not permitted in Islam, they are reminded once again that they should strictly refrain from growing, using and trading in hashish and heroin. Anyone who violates this order shall be meted out a punishment in line with the lofty Mohammad and Sharia law and thus shall not be entitled to launch a complaint." It was amended by a clarification issued on October 20 which specifically banned cultivation and trafficking of opium.
When Pino Arlacchi was appointed Executive Director of UNDCP in September 1997, he took the issue as his first priority and immediately travelled to Afghanistan to personally pursue the negotiations. "In Afghanistan it is a matter of helping the Taleban do something they want to do anyway as strict Moslems," Arlacchi told reporters during his visit to Helmand in November. He offered the Taleban authorities a potential amount of USD 250 million over a decade for Alternative Development if they would fully cooperate in eliminating opium poppy cultivation. Leaving Afghanistan, Arlacchi announced that he had solved the Afghan drug problem.
yes I remember that now.
Well - it is a sad fact that the Taliban were much more effective on stopping drug trafficking than the current gouvernment of Hamid Karzai. In difference to those warlords, that rule the country in the moment, they did not care about money, they only cared about their weird religion. In regard of the drug problem the west was for sure more pleased with Mullah Omar than with Karzai and his corrupt system.
Anyway this is just a small aspect. It even is possible that some people from Europe praised the Taliban for their drug policy. Nevertheless there were never ever any sympathies for their crazy theocracy on the old continent. To us they were just barbarians. Period. (i.e. I remember the anger about the destroyed statues in Bamiyan). There were reasons why all of Europe entered this scene in difference to i.e. Iraq. The biggest parts of ISAF are from Germany, Turkey, France and Belgium. We can not say that those countries are the staunchest allies of the US. Regardless of this fact they tried to bring in their share in this part of the WOT.
One of the Buddhas of Bamiyan before complete destruction, Afghanistan
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I'm holding on to a copy of it, but as of today (Saturday), there is some thought that at least part of this might have been a planted story by Iranian activists. I'm going to wait for more info. I knew about the original law forcing Islamic garb on the Iranian population and that is bad enough. Whether the rest is true or not seems to be under discussion.
Don't get me wrong. I am all for the surveillance. But there is a reason to be somewhat nervous about it. It would be so much easier, wouldn't it, if we could actually declare war on someone. Then it would be a limited wartime power. IMO, it is very definitely a war on Islam, but that will never be declared.
Thanks for an important ping.
I added you to the list.
Yes in the ISAF force,but the US has thousands of troops there under US only command as well.
Thank you.
Iran is just an insect in the grand scheme. A dangerous bug in the mix, but still just an insect.
Putting enough pressure on Islam to force it to reform in order to survive is the most important part of the strategy on the war on terror. If Islam does not reform, they risk provoking Christians into taking off the blinders that have kept 99% of the world's Muslims safe from our ability to wage total war.
The WoT, to this point, has been a limited action, not by any inherent limitations of our own abilities, but by our moral and ethical limitations that take the extreme methods of genocide and pogroms off the table. However, if the Muslims push us too far, if they actually do try for a general apocalypse, or use WMDs - there is no way Islam will survive as a world religion. As a species, we may experience guilt in the future, but species survival is a very strong instinct, and righteous anger is a very real emotion.
There's also the fact that in a free society, Christianity emerges as the clear winner in a competition between the faiths. Very few people need to subscribe to a death cult to find meaning, but most people do have an overwhelming need for love and compassion. If Islam were a true faith, it wouldn't be so worried about competition in its scriptures.
Christianity requires that people make the conscious and free choice for salvation in Christ. This can neither be forced or coerced onto a soul. One does not send someone else to Heaven. Thus, freedom and Christianity are kin. True, Christians haven't always seen it this way, but I think it is how Christ intended his Word to be interpreted. I believe that as much as the Bible was inspired by God, that our country's founding Fathers were also similarly inspired to establish a system that provided the necessary freedom for souls to seek out salvation. And the fact that most of our country remains Christian, while Europe has become Godless is a testament to that achievement.
That's what I'm wondering. It didn't make me bat an eye. The only surprise I have is wondering why it took them so long.
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