Iranian state TV runs series on Holocaust in primetime - U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

Ainoow · #1 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

Even as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denies or questions the Holocaust, Iranians have been glued to their TV sets watching the concluding episodes of a 22-part, government-financed docu-drama in which an Iranian saves his Jewish sweetheart from the Nazi death camps. Not only is the Holocaust not denied or questioned, its Jewish victims are treated with unambiguous sympathy.

In Zero Degree Turn, a half-Iranian, half-Palestinian named Habib Parsa falls in love with a French Jewish girl while studying in Paris. Later, as an official at the Iranian embassy, he arranges to issue Iranian passports to the girl and her mother and send them to safety in Tehran.

Director Hassan Fathi says the story is based on Abdol Hussein Sardari, a real-life charge d'affaires at the Iranian embassy in Paris, who saved some 1,000 European Jews by forging Iranian passports so they could exit the country in an exodus of Iranian Jews back to Iran.

That's fine, but why would Iranian TV air such a series--Ramadan is the prime month for television viewing--if Ahmadinejad is so hostile to Jews and denies the Holocaust? State television in Iran is entirely controlled by the highest authority in the land, Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei.

No doubt Ahmadinejad finds questioning of the Holocaust a convenient way to stir up support for his anti-Israel campaign. In one swoop, he can suggest that Jews made up or exaggerated the Holocaust, that the Holocaust unjustifiably led to the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland, and that Europeans, not Muslims, are responsible for any harm done to Jews. Simple messages like these play well to Ahmadinejad's domestic base of religious and poor Iranians and to an audience of Israel-hating Muslims around the world that he seeks to mobilize for international stature.

But in the next breath, Ahmadinejad himself will point out that he has no problem with Jews, only with Zionists. As the Wall Street Journal's Farnaz Fassihi wrote, one of the aims of the series was "to draw a clear distinction between the government's views about Judaism -- which is accepted across Iranian society -- and its stance on Israel."

Nonetheless, it is interesting that Iranian TV would give such prominence to a Holocaust series so soon after Ahmadinejad created a storm of controversy with his remarks denying the Holocaust. Knowing how Khamenei strives to keep balance in Iran's policies, and how upset he reportedly was that Ahmadinejad's inflammatory statements needlessly heightened the West's confrontation with Iran, it's possible that the Leader sought to demonstrate Iran's other face. When it comes to Iran, it pays to take a closer look at the country's intricate politics before rushing to conclusions.

Iran TV's Holocaust Series - The Middle East Blog - TIME

I can only hope this will help a lot of Americans realize that actually they know very little about Iran outside from what the 'official channels' want them to know/believe about it.

Jason Marcel · #2 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Saying the things he does about the Holocaust plays to his "base" just like when Bush goes out and says he wants to amend the constitution to make gay marriage illegal: he knows it won't happen, but it scores him points with his fellow lunatic fringe.

There are Jewish members of the Iranian parliament, so I doubt he hates them that much.

moon · #3 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

There are Jewish members of the Iranian parliament, so I doubt he hates them that much.

No, I doubt he hates jews at all. Nationalist Zionism, on the other hand, is a threat to the entire region, armed , as it is, with covert nuclear weapons. Nationalist Zionists hide behind Judaism . Needless to say, a great many jews are upset by this bad reflection;

Quote:

Neturei Karta - Orthodox Jews United Against Zionism

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Rabbis meet with Iranian President, Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Edit; That Nationalist Zionists hide behind Judaism is evident even here, wherein pro-Zionists clamour to call critics antisemites. There are hundreds of examples.

Ainoow · #4 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Marcel

Saying the things he does about the Holocaust plays to his "base" just like when Bush goes out and says he wants to amend the constitution to make gay marriage illegal: he knows it won't happen, but it scores him points with his fellow lunatic fringe.

There are Jewish members of the Iranian parliament, so I doubt he hates them that much.

Indeed.

Another clear issue that is showing in the article is the limited actual power of 'President' Ahmadinejad.

Ainoow · #5 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by moon

No, I doubt he hates jews at all. Nationalist Zionism, on the other hand, is a threat to the entire region, armed , as it is, with covert nuclear weapons. Nationalist Zionists hide behind Judaism . Needless to say, a great many jews are upset by this bad reflection;

Edit; That Nationalist Zionists hide behind Judaism is evident even here, wherein pro-Zionists clamour to call critics antisemites. There are hundreds of examples.

Thanks for the link moon!

RectusCapitus · #6 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

That actually goes along with my take on the subject: Iran doesn't hate Jews, they hate Israelis and Israel.

Ainoow · #7 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by RectusCapitus

That actually goes along with my take on the subject: Iran doesn't hate Jews, they hate Israelis and Israel.

Morning Staffing!

'Israelis' as in 'every citizen of Israel'? I'm sure there are plenty of Israelis not happy with Zionist policies.

Btw, never knew thunder was a plural form in English.

moon · #8 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

R.C;

Quote:

That actually goes along with my take on the subject: Iran doesn't hate Jews, they hate Israelis and Israel.
__________________

I think we can narrow it down much further than that. A great many Israelis disagree with the policies of their Nationalist Zionist government. They demonstrate against it, oppose it and vote against it.

RectusCapitus · #9 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ainoow

Morning Staffing!

'Israelis' as in 'every citizen of Israel'? I'm sure there are plenty of Israelis not happy with Zionist policies.

Btw, never knew thunder was a plural form in English.

==========================================

It's not. But why parse a tasty quote?

Morning, right back atcha. You have to remember that while I am educated, you can't take Appalachia out of the boy.

I think that while many Israelis are against Zionist policies, they have to show a united face. None of their neighbors like them. It is that united face that much of the Arab world dislikes so intensely...along with their treatment of Palestinians.
I don't know what the world leaders were thinking at the end of WWII. They obviously looked upon Palestinians as sub-humans who wouldn't mind being kicked out of their land.

Ainoow · #10 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

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Originally Posted by RectusCapitus

==========================================

It's not. But why parse a tasty quote?

Morning, right back atcha. You have to remember that while I am educated, you can't take Appalachia out of the boy.

Right

Quote:

I think that while many Israelis are against Zionist policies, they have to show a united face. None of their neighbors like them. It is that united face that much of the Arab world dislikes so intensely...along with their treatment of Palestinians.

Not sure I understand what you mean here.

Quote:

I don't know what the world leaders were thinking at the end of WWII. They obviously looked upon Palestinians as sub-humans who wouldn't mind being kicked out of their land.

That wasn't the last time they pulled that trick ...
Depopulation of Diego Garcia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

moon · #11 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

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That wasn't the last time they pulled that trick ...
Depopulation of Diego Garcia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Right. The Chagos debacle is still ongoing, even though the islanders have recently achieved a partial victory.

The lease for Diego Garcia itself expires around 2013, I believe. Lol. That will be a major headache for the Brit government of the day.

timj219 · #12 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

I wonder whether this show comes on before or after Al-Shatat, the Syrian produced show which Iranian (and other official arab television) TV usually broadcasts every year around ramadan? Al-Shatat shows jews killing a christian child to use his blood for making motzah and a council of jewish elders killing a jew who protests by pouring molten lead down his throat. Another show popular on most official arab TV stations is the Iranian produced "Zahras Blue Eyes" which depicts israelis wearing the traditional religious Jewish clothing stealing the eyes of Palestinian children. "Zahra" and "Al-Shatat" broadcasts were what got Iranian TV banned in france in 2005.

Steve · #13 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by moon

Right. The Chagos debacle is still ongoing, even though the islanders have recently achieved a partial victory.

The lease for Diego Garcia itself expires around 2013, I believe. Lol. That will be a major headache for the Brit government of the day.

I've been to Diego Garcia.

I say give it back to 'em...

Miscreantgnomie · #14 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

thanks for the link good read

CowboyTed · #15 (**permalink**) 10-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by moon

Right. The Chagos debacle is still ongoing, even though the islanders have recently achieved a partial victory.

The lease for Diego Garcia itself expires around 2013, I believe. Lol. That will be a major headache for the Brit government of the day.

What happened to the people of Diego Garcia was a disgrace and goes against what we try to stand up to in the western world.

They should be allowed to go back to there own and land and given compensation.

It is a blight on both the UK and US as countries....

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