IMHRO condemning anti Jewish campaign of Iran

Iranian Minorities’ Human Rights Organisation (IMHRO)

Ref.IMHRO.36

15/01/2009

IMHRO condemns the Iranian government’s threat of destroying Israel and its support of extremist groups who are against peace in the Middle East.

President Ahmadi Nejad’s has publically denied the holocaust which is a very clear and worrying sign of the anti Jewish attitude held by the Iranian government, towards Israel and towards Jewish people and minorities living in Iran.

Iran is home to the largest number of Jews anywhere in the Middle East outside Israel[1]. The Jews are one of the oldest minorities in Iran, and throughout that time they have contributed to society in a peaceful manner. Today about 25000 Jews are living in Iran[2]. President Ahmadi Nejad’s recent comments referring to the destruction of Israel brought widespread international concern. It is also reported that his comments have led to an increase in pressure on Jews in Iran.

The Iranian government is the only country in the region which is not in favour of peace between Palestinian and Israel. The main reason for Iran’s opposition is that it allows the government to feed their internal propaganda. The internal propaganda against Israel thus helps to distract attention away from the economic, social and political problems within Iran since the 1979 revolution.

Billions of dollars has gone missing from the treasury during Ahmadi Nejad’s presidency. Various reports indicate that the Islamic regime in Iran is building up weapons of mass destruction. Considering the state of the country that money should be spent on health care, education, and housing of minorities (who make up more than 50% of the population in Iran.)

In the area of Baluchistan people are living in poverty, Arab people of al Ahwaz face terrible difficulties because they do not have healthy drinking water. Kurdish people are suffering from a lack of investment in hospitals and health centres and Turks and Turkmen are suffering from high rates of unemployment.

Jews suffers in Iran

The Jewish community in Iran faces various forms of discrimination. The anti-Israel rhetoric and propaganda of the Iranian government threatens the safety of the Jewish population in Iran, as it leaves them isolated from the rest of the population. The Iranian government’s announcement of the arrest of an Israeli spy in Iran[3] and the biased coverage of the situation between the Palestinians and the Jews has lead to an escalation in hatred towards the Jewish community in Iran.

During the fighting in Lebanon a hard line weekly newspaper, Yalesarat, published two photographs of synagogues on its front page full of people waving Israeli flags celebrating Israeli Independence Day. The paper falsely said that the synagogues were in Iran - even describing one as the Yusuf Abad synagogue in Tehran and locating another in Shiraz.[4]

There is fear that tensions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions could escalate and that this could cause Islamic fundamentalists in Iran attacking the Jewish population in Iran.

Jews also face harassment when they want to travel to Israel to visit relatives or religious Jewish sites. As Iran does not have diplomatic ties with Israel they have to go through Turkey and it has been reported that the Iranian government forcing them to work with Iran against Israel.

In recent years many Jews have left Iran because of fear and threats[5].

IMHRO is concerned by the Iranian president’s anti Semitic views, his denial of the holocaust and the threat posed by a country such as Iran developing Weapons of Mass Destruction.

IMHRO urge the international community to stop Iran from developing such weapons and to stop the spread of propaganda against Jewish minorities in Iran.




[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5367892.stm

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Jews

[3] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/jews-in-iran-face-death-for-spying-1099181.html

[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5367892.stm

[5] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2007/10/22/international/i003947D24.DTL