On July 31, the Iranian regimen accused Western countries of deaths of demonstrators who protested the results of the controversial presidential election held in June. The Iranian foreign minister declared that the victims were the victims of Western "interventionist countries," and not abusive riot police or militiamen.
On May 30, Iran also blamed the United States and Israel for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in southeast Iran that killed 25 people, saying the countries were trying to stoke sectarian tension with the Sunni Muslim minority. Iranian Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli said on the ministry's Web site "I announce that . . . those who committed the bombing are neither Shiite nor Sunni. They are Americans and Israelis," who want to stoke sectarian conflict in the country. Iran has repeatedly accused the U.S. and other Western countries of backing militants and opposition groups in the country — charges they have denied.
Furthermore, at the United Nations’ Durban Review Conference in Switzerland from April 20-24, a forum meant to counter racism, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, accused Israel of being “racist.” In addition, he continually accused the Zionists of controlling the U.S. and the West. He also did not hesitate to deny the Holocaust or to shamelessly promote erasing Israel from the map.
It seems that the Iranian regimen can only accuse others instead of admitting its own faults and mistakes. This phenomenon is typically called “projection” in behavioral sciences. For example, Instead of blaming Israel for being “racist,” Ahmadinejad should have accused Islamist regimes, including the Iranian one, for this negative aspect. Anyone who visits Israel can easily notice that the street signs are written in both Hebrew and Arabic as a sign of care and respect for the Arab minority. Is this a feature of a racist country? In fact, this gesture is virtually unseen in many parts of the free world.
The Iranian president should stop discriminating against his own country’s Baha'i community first before falsely accusing others of being racist. In light of the fact that his own country tolerates stoning women, discriminating against gays, and killing Muslims who convert to other religions, he should be the last one to speak when it comes to discrimination and racism.
Considering that “Zionist control” of the U.S. and Europe has resulted in the creation of societies where women are treated equally, people are allowed to convert to any faith as they wish, and homosexuals can survive freely, the Iranian regimen should probably ask the Zionists to control their country too.
In reality, the Jews have built a country where all groups are allowed to partake in the nation’s prosperity. The best evidence for this is that Palestinians who live in Arab countries stand in line to enter Israel to find work while Arabs who live in Israel are not relocating elsewhere in the region. If Israel is truly racist and really discriminating against the Arabs, as Ahmadinejad claims, then why are Israeli Arabs not escaping from this “racism” to live in Arab countries?
Sadly, the only place in Israel where discrimination exists is at the Muslim-controlled gates of al-Aqsa mosque, where Muslims practice discrimination against Jews and Christians by not allowing these groups to enter or visit. On the other hand, Muslims are welcome to visit the Wailing Wall and the Church of the Nativity. Who discriminates against whom, Mr. Ahmadinejad?
When comparing the number of mosques and churches that were built in Israel since 1948 to the number of synagogues and churches that were built in the rest of the region during the same time period, it is clear that area Muslims discriminate against minorities, not the other way around. However, these Muslims are not hesitant to accuse the entire world of discriminating against them.
Ahmadinejad and the Iranian regimen must first look to their own country and fix its discriminatory policies before accusing others. They must stop the Shariah-based barbarism against women, gays, and converts from Islam instead of attacking the civilized nations.
Dr. Tawfik Hamid's writings in this blog represent only his thoughts and not the views of the institute where he works.
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