The line between Judaism and Zionism, understanding Iran
Source: Press TV, 28-09-2008
By Dex A. Eastman, Press TV, Tehran
Home to the largest Jewish population in the Middle East after Palestine, Iran has demonstrated itself to be a country adamantly opposed to anti-Semitism.
Turning the pages of history, one can see the persecution of Jews throughout the world. Some claim that Jewish heritage was not what gave impetus to their plight; there are others who blame widespread racism and the absence of a 'Jewish' (Zionist) state as the main culprits.
While those who now boast of being at the forefront of the enlightened world themselves have cavernous archives of ethnic cleansing, genocide and anti-Semitism, Iran bears witness to a 2,700-year history of thriving Jewish communities.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Jews trace their heritage in Iran to the Babylonian Exile of the 6th century BCE and, like the Armenians, have retained their ethnic, linguistic, and religious identity.
The king of Persia at the time, Cyrus the Great entered Babylon and glorified the world with an unprecedented policy of reconciliation. He presented himself not as a conqueror, but a liberator and the legitimate successor to the throne.
At a time when it was customary to kill the inhabitants of conquered lands, the speech he delivered to the people of the magnificent city later became known as the First Charter of Human Rights.
Cyrus ordered his compatriots to help the Jews and introduced the principle of freedom of movement, allowing them to return to the then Persian territories that now constitute Palestine. His treatment was such that many Jews set up home in the Persian Empire.
Over the centuries, Iran not only developed a reputation for its respect toward religious minorities, but became known as a country where anti-Semitism has had next to no place.
Jews lived in peace and harmony in Iran during World War II. While the establishment of the 'Israeli' regime in the aftermath of World War II did provoke anti-Zionist sentiments in the country, the country's Jewish population was not threatened.
In the 1970s, the number of impoverished Iranian Jews amounted to a mere 10 percent; 80 percent were middle class and 10 percent wealthy.
Although Jews accounted for only a small percentage of the Iranian population, in 1979 two of the 18 members of the Iranian Academy of Sciences, 80 of the 4,000 university lecturers, and 600 of the 10,000 physicians in the country were Jewish.
The Islamic Revolution of 1979 was a major turning point for all Iranians, as it marked the end of monarchy and the dawn of democracy in the country.
Founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini, who was an outspoken critic of capitulation and foreign influence, drew a clear distinction between Zionism and Judaism and was explicit about his stance regarding Jews and the objective of the revolution.
On the issue of 'Israel', the Imam has said, "The issue of the Jews is quite separate from that of the Zionists. If Muslims become victorious over the Zionists, the latter will meet the same fate as the deposed shah. However, the Muslims will do nothing to the Jews for they are a people like other people. They will carry on with their lives."
Iranians view the Zionist movement not as a religious but a political one. In their eyes, Zionists are criminals and should be treated as such. They have succeeded in establishing a state through promoting racism and oppressing the Palestinians.
The reality is that Zionists have massacred Muslims, pushed Palestinians from their land and have shown willingness to use the Holocaust as a means to justify the annexation of the lands lying between the Euphrates to the Nile.
As part of its policy of non-capitulation, Iran does not recognize 'Israel' and supports the Palestinian cause. Iranian officials have been advocates of returning the lands occupied by 'Israeli' forces to their rightful owners.
Upon his return to Iran from exile in Paris, Imam Khomeini clarified his stance on the issue. He visited with members of Iran's Jewish community and issued a decree, ordering the adherents of Judaism and other revealed religions to be protected.
The Constitution treats Jews as equal to Muslims, Zoroastrians and Christians. They enjoy the right of self-administration and elect their own representative to the 290-seat Majlis (Parliament).
Jewish burial rites and divorce laws are accepted by Islamic courts. They are conscripted into the Army like all Iranian citizens, and the capital city of Tehran with nearly half of the Jewish population has over 20 synagogues.
Iran also has one of only four Jewish charity hospitals in the world. The hospital has received donations from top Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Kosher butcher shops are available in Iran and members of the Jewish community have Hebrew schools and coeducation is allowed.
Jews can work where they please. The only limitation they have in terms of occupation is that they cannot take up a job that would violate Islamic regulations.
It may come as a surprise but Iran is home to more Jewish shrines and places of pilgrimage than any other place in the world, except Palestine. The mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan and the Tomb of Prophet Daniel are among the famous Jewish landmarks in Iran.
Jews living in the country take pride in their Iranian heritage and have refused to depart for occupied Palestine despite being offered $10,000 per person by a Zionist organization.
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) received the cold shoulder from Iranian Jewish leaders in a 2007 statement. "Iranian Jews will not abandon their identity for any amount of money... We love our Iranian identity and culture, so threats and enticements would not persuade Iranian Jews to give up their identity."
While Iranians are generally not allowed to go to occupied Palestine, there have been reports of Iranian Jews traveling to the country to see their loved ones.
"In the last five years the government (Tehran) has allowed Iranian Jews to go to 'Israel' freely, meet their families and when they come back they face no problems," BBC quoted Maurice Motamed, the Jewish community's representative in the Iranian Parliament, as saying in 2007.
According to Motamed, it is also possible for Iranian Jews who emigrated to Palestine decades ago to return to Iran and see their families.
"They can now go to the Iranian consul general in Istanbul and get Iranian identity documents and freely come to Iran," Motamed says.
While 'Israel', the United States and the majority of media outlets strive to portray any country that does not support Zionist crimes as anti-Semitic, Iran continues to rise to greater heights of respect and tolerance without attention to Western propaganda.
"Anti-Semitism is not an eastern phenomenon, it's not an Islamic or Iranian phenomenon - anti-Semitism is a European phenomenon," says Tehran Jewish Committee director Ciamak Morsathegh, who is also a physician and the director of Dr. Sapir Hospital and Charity Center.
By Dex A. Eastman, Press TV, Tehran
Home to the largest Jewish population in the Middle East after Palestine, Iran has demonstrated itself to be a country adamantly opposed to anti-Semitism.
Turning the pages of history, one can see the persecution of Jews throughout the world. Some claim that Jewish heritage was not what gave impetus to their plight; there are others who blame widespread racism and the absence of a 'Jewish' (Zionist) state as the main culprits.
While those who now boast of being at the forefront of the enlightened world themselves have cavernous archives of ethnic cleansing, genocide and anti-Semitism, Iran bears witness to a 2,700-year history of thriving Jewish communities.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Jews trace their heritage in Iran to the Babylonian Exile of the 6th century BCE and, like the Armenians, have retained their ethnic, linguistic, and religious identity.
The king of Persia at the time, Cyrus the Great entered Babylon and glorified the world with an unprecedented policy of reconciliation. He presented himself not as a conqueror, but a liberator and the legitimate successor to the throne.
At a time when it was customary to kill the inhabitants of conquered lands, the speech he delivered to the people of the magnificent city later became known as the First Charter of Human Rights.
Cyrus ordered his compatriots to help the Jews and introduced the principle of freedom of movement, allowing them to return to the then Persian territories that now constitute Palestine. His treatment was such that many Jews set up home in the Persian Empire.
Over the centuries, Iran not only developed a reputation for its respect toward religious minorities, but became known as a country where anti-Semitism has had next to no place.
Jews lived in peace and harmony in Iran during World War II. While the establishment of the 'Israeli' regime in the aftermath of World War II did provoke anti-Zionist sentiments in the country, the country's Jewish population was not threatened.
In the 1970s, the number of impoverished Iranian Jews amounted to a mere 10 percent; 80 percent were middle class and 10 percent wealthy.
Although Jews accounted for only a small percentage of the Iranian population, in 1979 two of the 18 members of the Iranian Academy of Sciences, 80 of the 4,000 university lecturers, and 600 of the 10,000 physicians in the country were Jewish.
The Islamic Revolution of 1979 was a major turning point for all Iranians, as it marked the end of monarchy and the dawn of democracy in the country.
Founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini, who was an outspoken critic of capitulation and foreign influence, drew a clear distinction between Zionism and Judaism and was explicit about his stance regarding Jews and the objective of the revolution.
On the issue of 'Israel', the Imam has said, "The issue of the Jews is quite separate from that of the Zionists. If Muslims become victorious over the Zionists, the latter will meet the same fate as the deposed shah. However, the Muslims will do nothing to the Jews for they are a people like other people. They will carry on with their lives."
Iranians view the Zionist movement not as a religious but a political one. In their eyes, Zionists are criminals and should be treated as such. They have succeeded in establishing a state through promoting racism and oppressing the Palestinians.
The reality is that Zionists have massacred Muslims, pushed Palestinians from their land and have shown willingness to use the Holocaust as a means to justify the annexation of the lands lying between the Euphrates to the Nile.
As part of its policy of non-capitulation, Iran does not recognize 'Israel' and supports the Palestinian cause. Iranian officials have been advocates of returning the lands occupied by 'Israeli' forces to their rightful owners.
Upon his return to Iran from exile in Paris, Imam Khomeini clarified his stance on the issue. He visited with members of Iran's Jewish community and issued a decree, ordering the adherents of Judaism and other revealed religions to be protected.
The Constitution treats Jews as equal to Muslims, Zoroastrians and Christians. They enjoy the right of self-administration and elect their own representative to the 290-seat Majlis (Parliament).
Jewish burial rites and divorce laws are accepted by Islamic courts. They are conscripted into the Army like all Iranian citizens, and the capital city of Tehran with nearly half of the Jewish population has over 20 synagogues.
Iran also has one of only four Jewish charity hospitals in the world. The hospital has received donations from top Iranian officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Kosher butcher shops are available in Iran and members of the Jewish community have Hebrew schools and coeducation is allowed.
Jews can work where they please. The only limitation they have in terms of occupation is that they cannot take up a job that would violate Islamic regulations.
It may come as a surprise but Iran is home to more Jewish shrines and places of pilgrimage than any other place in the world, except Palestine. The mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan and the Tomb of Prophet Daniel are among the famous Jewish landmarks in Iran.
Jews living in the country take pride in their Iranian heritage and have refused to depart for occupied Palestine despite being offered $10,000 per person by a Zionist organization.
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) received the cold shoulder from Iranian Jewish leaders in a 2007 statement. "Iranian Jews will not abandon their identity for any amount of money... We love our Iranian identity and culture, so threats and enticements would not persuade Iranian Jews to give up their identity."
While Iranians are generally not allowed to go to occupied Palestine, there have been reports of Iranian Jews traveling to the country to see their loved ones.
"In the last five years the government (Tehran) has allowed Iranian Jews to go to 'Israel' freely, meet their families and when they come back they face no problems," BBC quoted Maurice Motamed, the Jewish community's representative in the Iranian Parliament, as saying in 2007.
According to Motamed, it is also possible for Iranian Jews who emigrated to Palestine decades ago to return to Iran and see their families.
"They can now go to the Iranian consul general in Istanbul and get Iranian identity documents and freely come to Iran," Motamed says.
While 'Israel', the United States and the majority of media outlets strive to portray any country that does not support Zionist crimes as anti-Semitic, Iran continues to rise to greater heights of respect and tolerance without attention to Western propaganda.
"Anti-Semitism is not an eastern phenomenon, it's not an Islamic or Iranian phenomenon - anti-Semitism is a European phenomenon," says Tehran Jewish Committee director Ciamak Morsathegh, who is also a physician and the director of Dr. Sapir Hospital and Charity Center.
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