posted May 19, 2006 01:08 PM            

Friday, May 19, 2006

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.

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posted May 19, 2006 02:28 PM            

I had to look up Zoroastrianism because I had never heard of it. If anyone is interested please check this out, it's pretty darn interesting:

Zoroastrianism (Persian: آيين زرتشتی also known as Mazdaism by some followers and Zarathustrianism by others, is a monotheistic religion. Considered by many to be the first monotheistic faith, it is thought to have originated between the 18th and the 11th centuries BCE in the eastern part of present-day Iran or in Bactria, and is still practiced today.

The origin of the religion is ascribed to the prophet Zarathushtra, who is commonly known in the Western world as Zoroaster, the Greek version of his name. The etymology of his name is disputed and several different explanations exist. The modern Persian form of the prophet's name is Zærtosht (زرتشت . Zoroaster is thought to have composed the Gathas, poems which were assiduously preserved by his followers through centuries of oral transmission. The language of those hymns, Gathic Avestan, is though date to c. 1000 BCE (roughly contemporary to the Brahmana period of Vedic Sanskrit). Zoroaster's reforms initially established the supremecy of the Creator Ahura Mazda. Later, many of the divinities of ancient proto-Indo-Iranian polytheism were reintroduced to Mazdaism, but in a complex hierarchy, and with significantly reduced importance, under the supremecy of the Creator. (See also: Yazata)

Zoroastrianism was once the state religion of Sassanid Persia, and played an important role during the preceding Median, Achaemenid and Parthian eras.

posted May 19, 2006 02:44 PM              

quote:

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Maybe we can do it without anger

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That would be nice, wouldn't it? I'll try to stay calm.

posted May 19, 2006 02:51 PM              

79. For the Father of Gods and men placed the Mind in the Soul; and placed both in the body.

84. The more powerful Souls perceive Truth through themselves, and are of a more inventive Nature. Such Souls are saved through their own strength, according to the Oracle.

there's 199 in all..very interesting information. ...

posted May 19, 2006 07:29 PM            

I'd like to hear a defense for this action or to hear them state that they believe the act is reprehensible. I'm also saddened that no one has really commented about this from our side (America) other than a few people.

People would rather whine and cry about an activist substitute that is thrown out of the classroom for voicing his radical political views in the lunchroom, but this seems to be acceptable.

posted May 19, 2006 10:01 PM              

how could they even propse such an idea..
in this day and age?

Love and Respect for ALL. ...

P.S. I'm in NH..NOW!
where I grew up..most of my Life..

posted May 19, 2006 10:13 PM              

Can't believe everything you read people! Remember this fact!!

Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue

Chris Wattie
National Post

Friday, May 19, 2006

A yellow badge worn by Jews in Nazi Germany during the 1940s.(MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images)

Several experts are casting doubt on reports that Iran had passed a law requiring the country’s Jews and other religious minorities to wear coloured badges identifying them as non-Muslims.
The Iranian embassy in Otttawa also denied the Iranian government had passed such a law.

A news story and column by Iranian-born analyst Amir Taheri in yesterday’s National Post reported that the Iranian parliament had passed a sweeping new law this week outlining proper dress for Iran’s majority Muslims, including an order for Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians to wear special strips of cloth.

According to the reports, Jews were to wear yellow cloth strips, called zonnar, while Christians were to wear red and Zoroastrians blue.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Iranian expatriates living in Canada had confirmed that the order had been passed, although it still had to be approved by Iran’s “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect.

Hormoz Ghahremani, a spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, said in an e-mail to the Post yesterday that, “We wish to categorically reject the news item.

“These kinds of slanderous accusations are part of a smear campaign against Iran by vested interests, which needs to be denounced at every step.”

Sam Kermanian, of the U.S.-based Iranian-American Jewish Federation, said in an interview from Los Angeles that he had contacted members of the Jewish community in Iran — including the lone Jewish member of the Iranian parliament — and they denied any such measure was in place.

Mr. Kermanian said the subject of “what to do with religious minorities” came up during debates leading up to the passing of the dress code law.

“It is possible that some ideas might have been thrown around,” he said. “But to the best of my knowledge the final version of the law does not demand any identifying marks by the religious minority groups.”

Ali Reza Nourizadeh, an Iranian commentator on political affairs in London, suggested that the requirements for badges or insignia for religious minorities was part of a “secondary motion” introduced in parliament, addressing the changes specific to the attire of people of various religious backgrounds.

Mr. Nourizadeh said that motion was very minor and was far from being passed into law.

That account could not be confirmed.

Meir Javdanfar, an Israeli expert on Iran and the Middle East who was born and raised in Tehran, said yesterday that he was unable to find any evidence that such a law had been passed.

“None of my sources in Iran have heard of this,” he said. “I don’t know where this comes from.”

Mr. Javdanfar said that not all clauses of the law had been passed through the parliament and said the requirement that Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians wear special insignia might be part of an older version of the Islamic dress law, which was first written two years ago.

“In any case, there is no way that they could have forced Iranian Jews to wear this,” he added. “The Iranian people would never stand for it.”

However, Mr. Kermanian added that Jews in Iran still face widespread, systematic discrimination. “For example if they sell food they have to identify themselves and their shops as non-Muslim,” he said.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, acknowledged that he did not have independent confirmation of the requirement for Jews to wear badges, but said he still believes it was passed.

“We know that the national uniform law was passed and that certain colours were selected for Jews and other minorities,” he said. “[But] if the Iranian government is going to pass such a law then they are not likely to be forthcoming about what they are doing.”

Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister, said yesterday that Iran is “very capable” of enacting such a law but could not confirm reports that members of religious minorities must wear identifiable markers on their clothing.

“Unfortunately we’ve seen enough already from the Iranian regime to suggest that it is very capable of this kind of action,” Mr. Harper said. “It boggles the mind that any regime on the face of the earth would want to do anything that would remind people of Nazi Germany.”

National Post, with files from Allan Woods, CanWest News Service

posted May 19, 2006 10:23 PM              

hmmm..that statement..doesn't sound very convincing..it seems discrimination is
happening anyway...

posted May 19, 2006 10:30 PM              

Love and Light

posted May 19, 2006 10:51 PM              

The Chaldaean Oracles of Zoroaster

179. We should flee, according to the Oracle, the multitude of men going in a herd.

posted May 19, 2006 11:06 PM              

The Khaleej Times doesn't mention the badges (I didn't think they would) but it does confirm the national dress code.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2006/May/middleeast_May183.xml§ion=middleeast&col

posted May 19, 2006 11:36 PM              

*********

Human rights in Saudi Arabia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The situation of human rights in Saudi Arabia is generally considered to be very poor. Under the authoritarian rule of the Saudi royal family, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has enforced strict laws under a doctrine of Wahabism (a fundamentalist interpretation of sharia, Islamic religious law). Many basic freedoms as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights do not exist; it is alleged that capital punishment and other penalties are often given to suspected criminals without due process.

Corporal and capital punishment

Saudi Arabia is one of a number of countries where courts continue to impose corporal punishment, including amputations of hands and feet for robbery, and lashings for lesser crimes such as "sexual deviance" and drunkenness. The number of lashes is not clearly prescribed by law and is varied according to the discretion of judges, and range from dozens of lashes to several thousand, usually applied over a period of weeks or months. The person administering the lashes is required to keep a Qur'an under the armpit of the arm with which he delivers the blows so as to limit the force of the strike. Saudi Arabia also still engages in capital punishment, including public executions by beheading and stoning. Some are also executed in private by shooting. There have also been allegations that crucifixion is carried out.

posted May 19, 2006 11:37 PM              

Main article: Human trafficking in Saudi Arabia

The nations of the Arabian peninsula were among the last to outlaw slavery. Despite this formal prohibiton, stories of slavery and human trafficking continue.

In 1962, Saudi Arabia outlawed the practice freeing about 10,000 slaves out of an estimated 15,000-30,000.[2] Slavery was ended by neighboring Qatar in 1952, the Yemen Arab Republic in 1962, the UAE in 1963, South Yemen in 1967, and Oman in 1970. Some of these states, such as Yemen, were British protectorates. The British left South Yemen without forcing it to give up slavery, but did pressure the UAE into giving it up. In 2005, Saudi Arabia was designated by the United States Department of State as a Tier 3 country with respect to trafficking in human beings. Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so."

Gay rights and AIDS

Main article Gay rights in Saudi Arabia

All sexual activity outside of a traditional heterosexual marriage is illegal. Punishment for homosexuality, cross-dressing or being involved with anything that hints at the existence of an organized gay community will range from imprisonment, deportation (for foreigners), lashes, and sometimes execution.

Political Freedoms

posted May 19, 2006 11:37 PM              

"Freedom of religion does not exist," the U.S. State Department's 1997 Human Rights Report on Saudi Arabia states. "Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. The government prohibits the public practice of other religions." "It is absurd to impose on an individual or a society rights that are alien to its beliefs or principles," Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz declared at the U.N. Third Millennium summit in New York City, New York on 6 September.

Saudi Arabia's practices against women have been referred to as "gender apartheid" and "sexual apartheid".[5] [6] [7] [8] Saudi Arabia's treatment of religious minorities has also been described as "apartheid".[9] [10] [11] [12] Until March 1, 2004, the official government website stated that Jews were forbidden from entering the country.[13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia

posted May 20, 2006 07:10 AM              

Lots of faked negativity will start about Iran to justify an invasion.

Iranians are Zoroastrians at heart irrespective of following Islam. The three wise Magi could actually have been Zoroastrians.

They are a far more evolved people than the media will allow the world public to believe. They have some of the most dedicated health care professionals, a powerful internal economy, brilliant electrical enginners and overall an extremely intelligent populace and the public is very happy with the government. Try to email Iranian citizens INSIDE Iran for the true picture.

I am in touch with an Iranian girl in Teheran for several months. She is a topper in her University. From her I came to know that Iranians study about every economy in the world- American, Communist and Mixed. They know more about America than most Americans. If social values are applied unbiasedly, they are a better civilization than any western country, with very few abandoned single mothers, very few drug addicts and very few murders/rapes, no strip clubs, negligible brothels and less than 1/2 cases of missing children than New York City!

It is said in Indian diplomatic circles that negotiating with Iran is like playing chess.
Iran has powerful defense deals with Russia and China. India was prevented from this by the timely Bush visit.

It would be utterly foolish to unnecessarily mess with this country that is a Global Asset when treated with respect. Thats all they want, respect. And today, they deserve it because the fundamentalist Khomeini ghosts will get exorcised . Let the NWO keep its hands off, Iran is not a threat to anyone except some big oil companies.

Iran's sovereignty should be supported against any illegal invasion by any country west or east, irrespective of JINSA/PNAC/Rand Corp spin.

Edit: There is a notion that Iran is a threat to Israel because of Hezbollah. However, Israel and Iran are bith nuclear coutnries and both are smart enough to resolve any conflict if there is no outside (read Neo CON) interventions.

An American invasion of Iran would take the lives of atleast 150-200,000 US soldiers because they will fight to every last man with secret assistance from Russia and China who will gain a lot from American destabilization because of a large conflict.

Vietnam took almost 60,000 lives with inferior weapons and inferior support.

posted May 20, 2006 10:55 AM              

quote:

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Lots of faked negativity will start about Iran to justify an invasion.

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True. However, the current regime seems capable of creating it's own negativity quite well on it's own. Course that makes it all the more difficult to seperate fact from fiction. How convenient.

Babylon and Persia are, and always have been, wildly dissimiliar entities. No doubt the Americans, in their youthful naivete, will neglect this fact.

quote:

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Iranians are Zoroastrians at heart irrespective of following Islam. The three wise Magi could actually have been Zoroastrians.

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Deep down I also feel this is true. The ancient stream of Law via Ishmael that manifested into what we know as Islam more truly belongs to the Arabs, not the Persians.

For what it's worth ~ in total agreement about the Magi and your Krishna/Christ comment in another thread.