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.
If Kofi does anything in this situation it will be to convert his oil-for-food cash into gold.
I fear nothing of substance. Aside from military action nothing can be accomplished by the United States on it's own.
The "International Community" cannot be counted on, the U.N. is as irrelevant as The League Of Nations was.
All the civilized nations will denounce and condemn all the while expecting The U.S. Brittan and Australia to do something about it.
Seems we are not only expected to be the world's policeman but criticized for being it as well
I wonder what the world's reaction would be if the US forced all muslims and other immigrants here to wear colored badges?
I can hear the aclu and the RAT party screaming foul.
Her hatred of Israel knows no bounds.
The naivate of this statement is what's truely stunning. This idiot is "stunned" by the fact that a repressive theocracy is discriminating against minority religions?
He must be surprised every day when the sun comes up, after going away every night!
Mark
This is a horrible, dreadful, awful, blood-drenched insane nightmare...
And I'm wide awake.
I hope to high heaven that they're all packing their stuff and getting the frell OUT while they can.
And the only honest answer they could give is yes.
Europe needs some serious ABM(Anti-ballistic missile sheild) fast. This guy is going to start a global conflict.
No doubt the US State Dept has already contacted it lawyers....
to see if the nefarious antiAmerican US-State Dept might institute such
odious law here in the United States.
I know I read in the Bible that the throne (seat) of satan is in Iran (Persia). This is just proving it...
This clown is a nihilist doing everything in his power to pick the fight of the millenium. He does not care who he takes with him just as long as it happens.
I am now totally and utterly convinced that Ahmadinejad is the reincarnation of Hitler. I am also utterly convinced that Godwin's law does not apply.
Deja Vu!
And so it continues...
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.
Don't lie down in that creek, even metaphorically. Pray. The world has been a terrible place, and is now a terrible place in many parts. America has had a blessed interlude of peace and plenty. But every one of us lives only because our ancestors persevered in terrible times.
Pray. Pray.
For later.
Is this a confirmed story or just more vapor? I mean, how many Jews are in Iran anyway?
I did not know that, that's screwed up.
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