Iran Conflicted
Zero Degree Turn or 180 degree spin? Yes indeed Iran is chock-full of surprises. Who could even guess that some enterprising film producer would wish to produce a film portraying World War II Iran as a safe haven for Jews against the murderous predations of Nazi Germany?All the more ironical since Iran and Germany had such close historical ties. So much so, in fact, that when Adolf Hitler ascended to power in 1933 at a time when Iran was still known as Persia, then-ruler Reza Shah Pahlevi became very chummy with Hitler. Seeking alliances, clamouring to be included as a member of the Aryan master race.
Under the influence of Aryan superiority and in celebration of German-Persian harmony, the Shah officially re-named his ancient country to reflect "Land of the Aryans": Iran - on the advice of Iran's then-ambassador to Germany, himself influenced by Hitler's banker.
So then, here we have an ally of the Nazis, with an ancient population of Jews in the country, yet purporting to be a country of refuge for Jews.
Just as elsewhere where Jews migrated through the great diaspora when they were thrown out of the Holy Land by biblical-era events, from the fall of Israel by the invading Assyrians to the destruction of the Temple of Solomon by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, when the fleeing Israelites found refuge in Persia, and were treated, pre-Islam, with acceptance, there must have been quite a bit of intermarriage both before and after the building of the Second Temple.
So Jews have had a long tradition of residence in Persia as Persian Jews, accepted as an integral part of the larger community. Since the imposition of a modern Islamic theocracy with the return of the Ayatollahs a hundred thousand Jews elected to leave the country. There remains a community of Iranian-Jews, with their own elected member of Parliament. This is the modern era of the country, post-Shah Reza Pahlevi, jubilantly theocratic.
And fanatically anti-Israel, anti-Zionist, for as a fundamentalist Islamic regime it is an insult to Islam and an assault upon Allah's direction that any territory that was once under the control and power of Islam must never be permitted to fall into the hands of the infidel - any non-Muslim, non-Islamic entity.
This, while Jews live in relative peace and recognition as being part of the "Abrahamic" tradition within Iran.
This is the regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the frenetically nuclear-desiring president of the country, the mouthpiece of those who harbour the intention of being Islam's instrument for the destruction of a country in the region which defiles Allah by its presence. Jews are permitted to live within Islam, subordinate to Muslim rule, but never to hold a position of dominance, or land ownership as a national body.
So this is the setting for the production of a film reflecting the upheavals of World War II when Nazi Germany came to power and dominated world events by its determination to take over the world by conquest of other nations and to propagate the potential for a world ruled by uber-mentchen, supermen, with all other nations and their people subordinate to its rule.
Come to think of it, reflective in large part of resurgent Islamism with its feverish purpose of re-establishing a global Caliphate.
Just as other countries like Sweden, Norway, France had political diplomatic emissaries who issued passports, so too did Iran, and a movie recently released, long in the production stage and planning, reflects the humanitarian efforts on the part of an Iranian diplomat to save Jews destined for the Nazi death chambers.
The plot was written and shooting commenced well before the ascension of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the political helm of the country.
Here's the supreme irony: While Ahmadinejad has been lecturing the world on Iran's need to acquire nuclear power and in the process innocently enrich uranium as a sovereign right, and while he has been uttering death threats against Israel, and while he has challenged the occurrence and extent of the Holocaust, a series of popular entertainment episodes has been aired weekly to the acclaim of its fervently-appreciative Iranian viewers.
Zero Degree Turn represents a 22-part, lavishly detailed and produced series in prime time viewing on the country's Channel One, detailing the rescue of Jews from the prospect of Nazi death camps. Effectively demonstrating the contention that Jews viewed Iran as a refuge from a hostile Europe which gladly gave up its Jewish citizens at the behest of their Nazi overseers.
"On the one side, they [the Iranian government] want to prove that they are not anti-Semites", according to Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, senior research fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy. "Judaism is a recognized religion in Islam. On the other hand, destroying Israel is a state program."
And so ancillary to the process is the ongoing indoctrination in schools, universities and the national media to ensure that people understand the criteria for hatred.
"I stumbled upon books and papers about the efforts by Iranians in embassies in countries like France and Romania who helped thousands of Jews escape the racist Nazi forces", explained the series' creator, Hassan Fathi, to Agence-France Presse. This resulted in the fictional account of an Iranian charge d'affaires at the Iranian embassy in Paris who saved over a thousand Jews by forging passports enabling them entry into Iran, and safety.
So, how conflicted can you get? There was no Holocaust. And if it did, perchance, actually occur, it has been blown out of all reasonable proportions. Six million? Let's say perhaps six thousand; regrettable, but that's life - and death.
And then, on the other hand, the Holocaust appeared to have presented such an inconceivable humanitarian affront to decency and all that people hold dear about mankind's potential that there was a stealthy response from people of all nationalities who took it upon themselves to place themselves in danger by attempting and succeeding in saving thousands of Jewish lives.
There's some startling dissonance in this Iranian narrative.
Labels: Anti-Semitism, Heroes and Villains
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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