Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Iranian official deflects charge of not hating Israel enough

The NY Times reports:
[...] In a statement signed by some 200 members of the 290-seat assembly, Iranian lawmakers called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to dismiss Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, the vice president for tourism, after he repeated on Sunday his earlier comment that "we are a friend of all people in the world, even Israelis and Americans."

In his comments, Mr. Mashai, a political ally of Mr. Ahmadinejad and one of his in-laws, specified "for a thousandth time" that his country was against Israel, not Jews.

But Parliament was not placated. "We do not recognize a country called Israel and so we cannot recognize a nation called Israel," the lawmakers said in their statement, according to Fars, the semiofficial Iranian news agency.

"If Mr. Mashai does not have the political awareness that the Israeli people are the same people who have occupied the homes of millions of innocent and oppressed Palestinians and have created the army of the Zionist regime, he has no right to hold such a position," the statement added. [...]
This sort of story always sends me to Iranian news sites. It so happens that IRNA has a fascinating article covering Mashai's attempts to extricate himself:
Vice President and head of Cultural Heritage Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (CHHTO) in a letter addressed to Parliament Speaker here Wednesday answered questions and ambiguities pointed out by Parliament's Cultural Affairs Commission.

The said questions and ambiguities have been raised due to Esfandiar Rahim Masha'ie's twice repeated in as many weeks comment on Iranian nation's friendly status towards Israeli nation, like friendly ties with every other world nation.

In the letter addressed, "Dear bother Dr. Haddad Adel; Dear Head of Islamic Parliament's Cultural Affairs Commission", a copy of which was faxed to IRNA, we read, "Since my comments on Iranian nation's friendship with entire world nations, including the people of the occupied (Palestinian) territories have led to raising question and ambiguities for some members of that esteemed commission, I feel obliged to point out certain mattes for your consideration." Selected parts of his letter are as follows:

Islamic Republic of Iran's resolute stand towards the occupier regime of Holy Qods ever since the victory of the Islamic Revolution is quite logical and irrevocable.

The said regime is definitely politically illegitimate and illegal, and can therefore never be recognized, or officially accepted.

The Supreme Leader has repeatedly, including earlier this week spoken of the need to ask the entire residents of the occupied lands, including Muslims, Christians and Jews in a nationwide referendum about the type of political system they wish to have, and the 9th IRI Government resolutely pursues the propagation aimed at materializing that objective, assured that the Palestinian nation's resistance with soon lead to victory.

Palestinian Intifada Movement was born and gained victories under such conditions that the global oppression had made huge investments for continuation of occupation, and it has blocked the path for the warmonger Zionists' expansionist policies.

The 33-Day War accelerated the downfall process of that regime that is on the verge of collapse now, and as I have repeatedly stressed already, Israel is already dead, and such moves merely delay its funeral procession.

President Ahmadinejad's righteous and resolute stands on that malignant regime, that have entered the light of joy in the hearts of oppressed world nations, particularly the world Muslims, are among the points of pride of the 9th Government.

Taking advantage of those righteous stands the Western powers ave been trying to increase the price of campaign against the racist Zionists, propagating that the Iranians are antisemitists.

We are hereby once again stressing that both Iran and Islam are favoring peaceful coexistence among the followers of entire monotheist faiths, as we have always been throughout our history.

The range of the Iranian nation's such philanthropist feelings, and the precise distinction they make between the criminal statesmen and the innocent nations is so vast that it always includes even the Christian and Jewish people of the occupied lands.

Unlike some renowned Arab politicians that have sometimes spoken of the need to throw the entire Israelis to the sea, or the set them ablaze, the Supreme Leader of Iran has ruled out all such inhumane methods, and proposed the most democratic solution to the lingering problem of the region and the world in is meeting with Iranian ambassadors around the world.

Today, as the esteemed President mentioned in his meeting with the same group, the majority of the non-Muslim residents of that land are the poor and the oppressed, forced to migrate there from around the globe, and they are deprived of security and peace of mind, and have lost hope usefulness of that malignant regime.

Islamic Revolution, and rather, the dear Islam, calls the entire humankind to assist the movement to establish justice and lasting peace around the globe, and therefore, every human being is entitled the right to hear that blessed call, hoping that they would listen the call of their conciseness and convert to the blessed school of thought of the Prophet of Islam (P), since that regime is not only politically illegitimate, but also socially defeated.

Finally, using the word "Israel" in the phrase is merely aimed at conveying the Iranian nation's message of friendship, otherwise, it is quite obvious that that word is the most wretched one, not only from the political point of the view in the eyes of our nation, but also the most hated word for entire world nations.
Got that?

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

No comments: