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Iran passes new law


SkinsOrlando

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That is absolutely incorrect. Iran has a very large Jewish and Christian population. Most of the Christians are of Armenian decent. The Jewish population has decreased since the revolution but is still very sizeable. Several member of the Israeli government were born in Iran including the current defense minister. The government does not harrass the Jews and Christians that live in Iran and the people on the street don't either. Islam recognizes the two religions but sees them as incomplete. There are several other religions in Iran as well. The group that does face a hard time in Iran are the B'hais.

Well, let's see:

In 1986 there were an estimated 50,000 Jews in Iran, a decline from about 85,000 in 1978. The Iranian Jewish community is one of the oldest in the world, being descended from Jews who remained in the region following the Babylonian captivity, when the Achaemenid rulers of the first Iranian empire permitted Jews to return to Jerusalem. Over the centuries the Jews of Iran became physically, culturally, and linguistically indistinguishable from the non-Jewish population. The overwhelming majority of Jews speak Persian as their mother language, and a tiny minority, Kurdish. The Jews are predominantly urban and by the 1970s were concentrated in Tehran, with smaller communities in other cities, such as Shiraz, Esfahan, Hamadan, and Kashan.

Source: Library of Congress

That's hardly very large when compared to the population of preliminary count in the fourth national census in 1986 showing a total population of 48,181,463..

Let's look at the Christians: Iran's indigenous Christians include an estimated 250,000 Armenians, some 32,000 Assyrians, and a small number of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant Iranians converted by missionaries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

So you want current statistics: Iran's current population is around 70M, and the religious concentration is Shi'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 9%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%. Source: CIA.gov

Current numbers of Jews in Iran are: 0.03% with 11,200 out of 68,688,433: Source: Jewish Agency for Israel

That may not be 2 or 3 (which was a facetious guess in any case), but it's not exactly what I'd call a "very large" population, either.

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I don't think there's more than 3 Jews (or Christians) in the entire country.

Frightening step forward though, nonetheless.

There are still many of both in Iran. Most of either aren't ethnically Persian, Iranian or otherwise, though. My Pediatrician when I was growing up was Iranian and Christian, but ethnically Armenian. Iranian Jews are more common than you may think, also.

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I was in Tehran last year and there ws a sizeable population of Jews and Armenians. I don't know where they get the census data. Religion is not checked off on a birth certficate or other document so the information gathering can't be very accurate. That 85,000 and 50,000 jews in Iran number is BS. There are probably more than 85,000 jewish Iranians in Los Angeles alone and most of them still have relatives in Iran.

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So everyone is going to assume this is true? (the article's claim and not the # of Jewish Iranians)

Sounds like BS to me.

If this were true it would be front page news on all the alphabet networks right now. Branding Jewish people? uhhh... thats kind of a big deal.

...

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:doh: its almost as if they are doing the exact opposite of what a sensible government is going to do, at every damn point. This law (well technincally it hasn't been approved yet) will also require Muslims to wear a retarded dress code. People aren't going to stand for that.

But who will speak out?

First they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

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As an Iranian I am dissappionted with the fake news out there putting Iran in a much more negative light than deserved.

I would hope that if you are living in this country you would think of yourself as an American.

....

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Several other papers are reporting similar news:

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3252830,00.html

Exiles: Iran Jews to wear yellow ribbons

Iranian expatriates reveal that ‘National Uniform Law’ authorized by Iranian parliament includes clause obligating Iranian Jews to wear yellow ribbon; Christians, other minority members to wear colored ribbons as well. ‘If law passes non-Muslims’ lives will become intolerable

Yitzhak Benhorin

WASHINGTON – Iranian expatriates said Friday that the "National Uniform Law" authorized by the Iranian parliament a few days ago, which is aimed at getting “Western” style clothing off the streets and advancing more traditional “Islamic” attire, also includes a clause obligating Iranian Jews to wear a yellow ribbon.

So too is this figure BS?

Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power last June, life for Iran's 25,000 Jews has become even more precarious as the president defiantly pursues a nuclear policy while declaring Israel should be "wiped off the world map".

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=684952006

From the Associated Press:

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=2949b7ed-f9db-42da-8471-b6b6de9b615e&k=72143

Associated Press

Published: Friday, May 19, 2006

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 extremism.

"Unfortunately, we've seen enough already from the Iranian regime to suggest that it is very capable of this kind of action," Harper said.

"We've seen a number of things from the Iranian regime that are along these lines.

"And the fact that such a measure could even be contemplated is absolutely abhorrent."

The National Post newspaper reported Friday that Iran's parliament has passed a law that would require Jews to wear yellow labels, and Christians red ones, on their clothing.

The law must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide," Ali Khamenehi, to come into effect, the newspaper said.

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I mean, there are human beings in Iran, right? That's what my personal experience tells me.

Not all Iranians are Islamic fundamentalists. I think it's really unfair to condemn an entire race of people, because of the actions of their government.

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I like Iranians. I work closely with several who are great people who are also good friends. I have no problem with the Iranian people--however, I have a huge problem with the current administration.

Keyword... you work with them. i.e. they are not in Iran anymore.

I have a good friend who is Persian, and left Iran when the shah was overthrown. But he is not in Iran anymore... seems he had the sense to get out.

Not all Iranians are Islamic fundamentalists. I think it's really unfair to condemn an entire race of people, because of the actions of their government.

Maybe, maybe not. There were plenty of good people in late 1930's Germany. Or were there? Would we allow something like that here?

I would argue that we are not FAST ENOUGH to judge an entire country of people based on their actions of their government.

...

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I like Iranians. I work closely with several who are great people who are also good friends. I have no problem with the Iranian people--however, I have a huge problem with the current administration.

I remember years ago hearing an interview with an author who'd just published a book, Political Jokes of Leningrad, about jokes that Russians told about Russia.

"How does a smart Russian jew talk to a dumb Russian jew?"

"Long distance from New York."

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I remember years ago hearing an interview with an author who'd just published a book, Political Jokes of Leningrad, about jokes that Russians told about Russia.

"How does a smart Russian jew talk to a dumb Russian jew?"

"Long distance from New York."

Good one :)

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The thing with ALL of those other sources that people ahve put up is that one they all admit that the reports are unconfirmed AND they all cite the one Canadian article, that I highly doubt.

from the yahoo link

"OTTAWA (AFP) - The Canadian and Australian prime ministers expressed concern at unconfirmed reports that said

Iran may force non-Muslims to wear colored badges in public so they can be identified."

This isn't exactly something hard to confirm

If this was true and the majlis did pass it would be recorded and the Iranian news agencies would ahve reported. I can't read farsi any more but all the Iranians that can say they have looked and found no record of it on the IRIB website or anything else.

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I would hope that if you are living in this country you would think of yourself as an American.

....

I do consider myself an American as I am citizen and I do use my right to vote, but I don't consider myself any less Iranian just because I live in America. People whose families are two or three generations deep in America still are proud of their Irish, German, Polish, what have you heritage and I'm very proud of my Persain linage. And unfortunately I will have to deal with the backlash and reaction of what the Iranian government does even though I have no say in it.

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