Wake Up, Folks
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Hot Air is reporting that the original story linked to below appears to be false. The original has been pulled and replaced. I will update again if any more detail or confirmation turns up. At this point everything below this update appears to be incorrect based on new information. ADDENDUM: The Australian reports that Iran's only Jewish MP is calling the stories completely false. He says that there was a bill to require Islamic dress for women, but there is no mention of religious minorities in that law.
I saw this article just now and it shocked even me. I have long been trying to point out that we have a real problem in the world right now. Iran is a true problem that we need to focus on. There have been many writers who have pointed out that the time period we are in closely resembles the world in 1938, when the European powers missed their chance to stop Hitler.
It just got even more like 1938. The Iranian Parliament has passed a law requiring non-Muslims to wear identifying badges.
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.
The lights are going out, folks. Better start focusing.
UPDATE: One commenter linked a report out of Montreal that the original story linked above might not be true. However, the Jerusalem Post is reporting the story and has given additional detail and reaction from around the world. There have also been official statements from the Israeli government and a protest to the United Nations. This story appears at this time to be true and, if the details in the J-Post are correct, the problem may be even worse than it appeared earlier.
The new law was drafted during the presidency of Muhammad Khatami in 2004, but was blocked. That blockage, however, has been removed under pressure from current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
According to Ahmadinejad, reported the National Post, the new Islamic uniforms will establish "visual equality" for Iranians as they prepare for the return of the Hidden Imam.
The final shape of the uniforms is yet to be established but there is consensus on a number of points.
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Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » Answering Dan’s Email — Monday, 22 May , 2006 @ 9:35 pm
By Truzenzuzex, Friday, 19 May , 2006 @ 2:45 pm
Just a heads up - there is a report that this story may not be true. We may want reserve Iran=Nazi Germany until we can confirm the original report.