October 18, 2007 | 12:44 am

Political music video mocks Ahmadinejad and nuclear weapons program

Posted by Karmel Melamed

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On a weekly basis I probably receive more than two dozen Iran related videos from various friends that are silly and pointless. Yet recently I was forwarded the above Persian language video of Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that is quite intriguing with its mocking political commentary about this man. An American friend who forwarded the video to me, asked me to translate the video and explain what was so funny about it because its message goes beyond the typical silly shtick you see on the Internet.

Those who don’t speak a word of Persian will obviously not understand the video, but it’s simply a political satire of Ahmadinejad and his involvement with Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The music and dance of the video are based on an old and popular Iranian children’s nursery rhyme called “Atal-Matal-Too-Too-Leh”. The song is quite similar to the American “Hokie-Pokie” song kids sing in grade school. This video is not only hilarious because Ahmadinejad’s character speaks in a high pitched child’s voice, but the lyrics of his song are filled with double meanings and puns regarding his failure to grasp the dangers of having a nuclear weapon. Aside from Ahmadinejad’s character doing his song and dance, a caricature version of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini also appears in the video as Ahmadinejad’s puppet master. In the video Khameini is referred to as “Seyyed Ali” and is the real powerhouse in Iran who is pulling the strings on Ahmadinejad. There are other political references in this video to the “NPT” or Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the “Agency” which is a reference to the U.N.‘s International Atomic Energy Agency”. In the course of the video, Ahmadinejad’s henchmen are thrown off a swing, that is probably a reference to the fact that Iran’s regime easily executes those who let them down—in this case it would be individuals involved in Iran’s nuclear program. The “Shahab” mentioned to in the song is a reference to Iran’s long range missile systems with the same name.

So you wonder who produced this video? Most likely it was made by one of the many pro-democracy groups in the U.S. who abhor Iran’s regime controlled by radical Islamic clerics. I can verify the source of the video because a small logo in the upper left hand corner of the video is of the famous “sun and lion” which was one of the symbols of Iran’s government prior to the Islamic revolution of 1979. Only those opposition groups sympathic to the regime of the late Shah typically use this symbol in their communications.

While some of lyrics of the song are not audible, I’ve taken the time to translate as much of them as I can. The translation to English obviously does not have the same funny meaning as it does in Persian:

“Atom-Atom-Too-Too-Leh”, I am Ahmadie the shortie…
I have a bomb that is nice and round and belongs to Mister Seyyed Ali…
Seyyed Ali told me ‘Ahmadie enjoy this bomb and place it ontop of a Shahab’. I didn’t know what I had with this (bomb) but with his help I made a mistake”.

“Mister Seyyed Ali made me stupid and he made me excited…
He said the world was too busy”.

“Atom-Atom-Too-Too-Leh”, I am Ahmadie the shortie…
I have a round bomb that belongs to Mister Seyyed Ali…
When I throw the bomb down, it goes up in the air and you can’t imagine how high it goes!”

“The bomb was being prepared, but someone exposed my pool of heavy water and I was turned upside down. The Agency and NPT came and sealed the place where the bomb was being made—it was as if I was hit over the head because I had failed”.

“Now get me a ticket, a ticket straight to the garbage can!”

October 16, 2007 | 7:06 pm

Photo essay: “Temple to the Stars” now Temple to the Iranian Jews

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Hollywood Temple Beth-El was once known as the “Temple to the Stars” in the 1920’s for Jewish celebrities from Hollywood’s golden years but now is one of the emerging synagogues for Iranian Jews living in the Los Angeles area. Today the old synagogue located in West Hollywood is home to a small but growing contingent of Iranian Jews and operated by the Iranian American Jewish Federation (IAJF). Back in March of 1999, the IAJF which is an umbrella organization made up of more than a dozen Southern California Iranian Jewish groups, purchased the site for $2.8 million.

The purchase of the synagogue was quite controversial at the time in the local Iranian Jewish community as the majority of Iranian Jews felt the site was too far away from Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles and Santa Monica where the majority of them reside. The more religious in the community refused to attend the synagogue because of the significant distance and their desire not to drive on Shabbat. Other Iranian Jews were frustrated with the lack of parking for the synagogue which only had a small adjacent parking lot. The temple’s need for renovations was of concern to others who felt the building was too out of date. These frustrations resulted in many local Iranian Jews not attending the synagogue in the first few years since its purchase.

Yet within the past few years an adjacent banquet hall has been elegantly renovated and now become a popular location for a number of weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events for local Iranian Jews to use. While roughly 30 to 40 typically people attend the synagogue’s services on Shabbat mornings, the number of Iranian Jews attending for High Holy Services balloons to a few thousand. Likewise a parking lot across the street from the synagogue that was made available has drawn more Iranian Jews to the celebrate their events at the site. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the synagogue today is the fact that many local Iranian Jews often use the synagogue’s main sanctuary for their memorials during the week. Often large groups of 100 to 200 people, typically friends and family members attend these memorial services to comfort grieving families. Another interesting aspect of the IAJF synagogue is the fact that it’s the only Iranian synagogue in California that also has the pre-Islamic revolution flag of Iran hanging in its sanctuary and banquet hall.

Hollywood Temple Beth-El was originally Ashkenazi and founded in 1920 then relocated in 1952 to its present site on Crescent Heights Boulevard just south of Sunset Boulevard. At one time the synagogue’s members included actors Edward G. Robinson, Eddie Cantor, Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle, the Warner brothers, “Wizard of Oz” director Mervyn LeRoy, cosmetics mogul Max Factor and producer Joe Pasternak. But as the American congregants died or moved to other parts of Los Angeles, Temple Beth El’s membership aged and dwindled. In 1998, the 1,200-seat sanctuary attracted only 50 worshipers, most in their 70s and 80s. Likewise only one of 20 classrooms were still in use. After the temple was sold many in the greater Jewish community were pleased that the site was still preserved for other Jews to enjoy, but many Iranian Jews have not taken to using the synagogue much aside for holding their parties at the banquet hall.

(former Temple Beth El member, actor Edward G. Robinson)

Today, the synagogue’s main sanctuary has not been renovated and still has the early 1950’s look and architecture. When I recently attended a memorial at the synagogue’s main sanctuary it was as if I had stepped into a different point in time as the interior decor has remained the same but is now filled with Iranian Jews instead of American Jews.

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October 15, 2007 | 4:01 pm

Rafsanjani is no moderate; Clinton and Obama are wrong on Iran

Posted by Karmel Melamed

It always amazes me how journalists and media personalities in the U.S. and Europe label certain leaders in Iran’s government as “moderates” considering the fact that all members of the Iranian regime share the same anti-Semitic and world jihadist views. Perhaps one of the most popular Iranian leaders that are frequently referred to as “moderate” in the western media is the country’s former president Ali Akabar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Some American and European journalists who for some sick reason are apologists for Iran’s regime, consider Rafsanjani and others like him as “moderates” because their comments and statements are not always as hardline as the Iranian regime’s other leaders including Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Rafsanjani served as president of Iran from 1989 to 1997 and now serves as the Chairman of the “Assembly of Experts”, a theocratic government group that controls Iran’s government. Yet as an individual who follows and understands the Persian language media broadcasted out of Iran, I find no difference between the hatred and anti-Semitism spewed by Rafsanjani and others in the government. Perhaps the best example of Rafsanjani’s hatred of Jews came several weeks ago on October 1st when he told a large crowd in Tehran during his televised speech that Hitler’s treatment of Jewish people in Europe was due in part to their being “a pain in the neck”. He also said the Jews caused problems for European governments because they “had a lot of property” and “controlled an empire of propaganda”. Lastly the “moderate” Rafsanjani said that the Nazis were successful in saving Europe from the evil of Zionism. The following is a link to video footage of Rafsanjani’s broadcasted speech with subtitles provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI): MEMRI TV

If the media and U.S. officials consider this type of hateful anti-Semitic rhetoric coming from Rafsanjani as moderate, then we’re all in some serious trouble. There is clearly no difference between this man’s hateful beliefs about Jews during the Holocaust and those of Ahmadinejad who denies the Holocaust.

What is even more troubling is our elected officials and presidential candidates including Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama have recently indicated that they would engage in negotiations with Iran. Now I am not one to advocate military actions, but a regime like the one in Iran whose leaders hold sacred their anti-Semitic and anti-Israel beliefs, do not deserve us engaging with them in any dialogue. How can any freedom and peace-loving person engage in dialogue and negotiations with leaders of Iran that are dedicated to annihilating the state of Israel? How can any peace loving person engage in dialogue and negotiations with leaders of Iran who want the world to submit to and adopt their radical beliefs of Islam? How can anyone in our democratically elected government engage ruthless dictators who want us dead and are killing our soldiers in Iraq, as is the case with Iran at this point in time.

Our objective as Americans should be to encourage our leaders in Washington to help economically and diplomatically isolate Iran. If the regime feels the squeeze from the rest of the world, then perhaps they may curb their anti-Semitic rhetoric and desires for nuclear weapons. Rafsanjani is indeed no moderate and the media needs to label him for what he really is…an anti-Semitic radical leader of a terrorist sponsoring state. If you don’t believe me, go view the hours of video footage online of Rafsanjani speaking his mind freely about the Jews.

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October 13, 2007 | 3:19 pm

Iranian Jewish couples trapped by six-figure party dilemma

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Sam Cohan recently completed his residency. As he looked for a job locally, his student loans weighed on him. The 30-something Iranian Jew had grown up middle class in the Valley and had to take out the loans to pay for his education at a prestigious medical school.

With no immediate prospect for income, he found himself caught between feelings of frustration and guilt as his fiancee, her parents and his parents pressured him into a wedding he couldn’t afford.

Cohan didn’t want to break with Iranian tradition or disappoint either family, so he borrowed nearly $100,000 to cover the wedding expenses.

“I felt trapped with the whole situation and wanted to call everything off, but I decided to take the loan in the end because my wife agreed that we’d both work and pay it off little by little,” said Cohan, who asked that The Journal not reveal his real name.

Cohan is one of a growing number of young Iranian Jewish professionals who, due to family pressure, are incurring large debts to pay for lavish weddings.

Somewhere between keeping Iranian hospitality traditions and one-upping displays of wealth, a growing number of Iranian Jewish families today are inviting upward of 500 guests to weddings, with budgets in the six-figure range—typically from $150,000 to $300,000.

The strain of such expectations has led to infighting between families over who should cover the cost. Young professionals are also postponing marriage plans or opting instead for a destination wedding to avoid the financial pressures of holding the event in Los Angeles.

Most local Iranian Jews acknowledge the situation, but few in the community are willing to advocate for change. Rabbi Hillel Benchimol, associate rabbi of the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills, wants a greater dialogue on the issue.

“The problem is we are taking out the spiritual and emotional aspect of the marriage and instead it’s become a business with all the unnecessary spending,” Benchimol said. “People forget the spirit of the wedding—all you need is love, and everything else falls into place.”

Some young Iranian Jewish newlyweds say that while they did not necessarily want a large wedding, they feel pressure from their parents and extended family to put on a more lavish affair. Their parents, they say, feel an obligation to invite people whose parties they have attended.

“Persians have much more of a tight-knit community, and it’s very respect oriented—that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it leads to 300- to 400-person weddings,” said Ario Fakheri, who was married last year. “People get upset if you don’t invite their kids or grandmothers, they look at it as disrespecting them—there are so many ways to disrespect them.”

Fakheri said that while he and his fiancee invited almost 600 people to their wedding due to family pressure, many of his friends in the community are opting to have destination weddings.

“You can tell how bad they don’t want people to come to their wedding by how far away they go,” Fakheri said. “It’s basically code for how bad you want to have a normal wedding.”

Iranian Jewish religious leaders said the cost has resulted in several weddings being called off and some couples divorcing within a few months of getting married. There’s also concern that local Iranian Jews will marry outside of the community or outside of the faith in order to escape the mounting six-figure wedding pressure.

Community activists trace the growing trend back two or three years ago when local Iranian Jews began inviting 100 to 200 guests for their children’s bale boroon parties.

The bale boroon is a traditional Iranian courtship gathering prior to the engagement, during which a dozen members from the male suitor’s family visits with a small contingent from the woman’s family. During the gathering both families acknowledge the upcoming union and offer a small gift to one another.

“Today, when they have these large parties for the bale boroon, they must then top that with something bigger for the engagement party, and as a result the wedding must be an even bigger extravaganza than the other parties,” said Asher Aramnia, events director for the Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center in Tarzana.

(Asher Aramnia, photo by Karmel Melamed)

Aramnia, who also volunteers as a Jewish matchmaker, said the recent trend of expensive weddings were not the norm in Iran.

“In Iran we didn’t even have catering. The family members cooked the food or those who were well-off hired one private cook,” he said. “Here I’ve been to a wedding where the groom bought the bride a cherry-red BMW and put it on display at the entrance of the hotel for all the guests to see.”

Aramnia said at another wedding he witnessed a diamond-encrusted tiara being lowered from the ceiling onto the bride’s head.

Venus Safaie, a local Iranian wedding planner with 85 percent of her clients hailing from an Iranian Jewish background, said the highest costs for most weddings she helps organize come from securing a venue at a hotel and finding Persian-language singers, who charge $8,000 to $15,000 for two or three hours of entertainment.

“Well, you have to realize that these Persian singers charge more because the cost of living has gone up, and there are not that many of them around, so they can ask whatever price they want,” Safaie said. “Also people agree to pay them these high prices, so you can’t blame the singers.”

Dara Abaei, head of the L.A. nonprofit Jewish Unity Network, said his organization has been urging families to have smaller weddings. The group has also negotiated with certain vendors to give reduced fees to couples struggling to pay for their weddings.

“We’re trying to break the cycle in the community, to get them to not have engagement parties or get smaller engagement parties and try to share the cost of wedding,” he said.

Abaei said couples can save between $7,000 to $15,000 if they hold their weddings at the banquet halls of Iranian American Jewish Federation’s synagogue in West Hollywood, the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills and the Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center in Tarzana.

Another group, Woodland Hills-based Mayan Kheset, provides silk flower centerpieces in lieu of real flowers. The organization’s volunteers drop off and pick up the arrangements, and only ask that couples donate the money they would have spent on flowers.

“We encourage people to try to support a wedding of an orphan in Israel,” said Hirbod Cohentoe, Mayan Kheset’s founder. “We encourage couples not make their weddings so fancy, but donate some of the money to Israel or their favorite Jewish charity.”

While many local activist and religious leaders are trying to encourage Iranian Jewish families to have smaller weddings, others are calling for more radical steps to be taken.

“I have always wanted to see a revolution occur in the community when two or three affluent families that everyone knows very well, invite only 200 or 300 close relatives and friends for their weddings,” Aramnia said. “This will cause others who are trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ to copy them, and it may help solve our problem.”

Despite the community’s struggles to keep with old traditions and grapple with the high cost of weddings, experts said the pressure on young couples to have larger weddings is common in almost every culture worldwide.

“Well, there’s an old saying, ‘Every woman gets to plan a wedding—her daughter’s,’” said Dr. Sharona Nazarian, an Iranian Jewish psychologist. “It’s not just because we’re Persian or Jewish that we’re concerned. It’s universal, something that many brides and grooms have to deal with.”

While members of the local Iranian Jewish community said they were not opposed to those who had the financial means to have expensive weddings, they hoped others without such means would reconsider spending when they have to incur large debts.

“If someone can comfortably afford to spend lavishly on the wedding, that is their choice,” Nazarian said. “But it’s also important for families to work within their own means and be more concerned with their own needs as opposed to what others think about them.”

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October 13, 2007 | 3:15 pm

Jimmy Carter hatred is alive in Iranian L.A.

Posted by Karmel Melamed

The September release of a new documentary that follows Jimmy Carter on tour for his controversial book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” has reignited the longstanding animosity many Iranian Americans feel toward the former U.S. president.

The film, “Man From Plains”, reveals the sharp criticism Carter faced from Jewish groups for comparing Israeli actions toward Palestinians to the oppression of South Africa’s former apartheid regime.

Among Iranians—whether Jews, Muslims, Christians or Zoroastrians, the majority of whom have been living in the United States for nearly 30 years—Carter is still blamed for the fall of the pro-American regime of the late Shah of Iran. Many also hold Carter responsible for the loss of innocent lives and of the vast fortunes they were forced to leave behind after the 1979 overthrow of the Pahlavi government.

“I dislike Carter so much that I hate to have my name ‘Jimmy’ the same as his name,” said Jimmy Delshad, an Iranian Jew and mayor of Beverly Hills.

“Not only did Carter cause problems for Jews and non-Jews who were forced out of Iran, but he changed the whole dynamic of the Middle East by his backing of Khomeini, and that has had a whole ripple effect in the Middle East, which America is still trying to recover from,” Delshad said, referring to the Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, who led the revolutionary, fundamentalist Islamic Republic.

The Carter film is just one in a series of recent events that have rekindled Iranian Americans’ painful memories of Carter. In May, when Carter referred to the current Bush administration as “the worst in history,” many Iranian Americans charged that that title actually belongs to Carter’s administration.

“I think Jimmy Carter’s integrity is questioned,” said Dr. Solomon Meskin, an Iranian Jewish resident of Beverly Hills. “The fact that he doesn’t even acknowledge the kind of things that are going on in the Arab world and Muslim countries, where people have their rights totally ignored, and he instead cites Israel for apartheid, is totally ridiculous.”

Frank Nikbakht, director of the L.A.-based Committee for Minority Rights in Iran, said Iranian Americans are particularly angry at Carter and his National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, who encouraged the revolution in Iran because they believed an Islamic government in Iran would help encircle the former Soviet Union and decimate Iran’s communists.

“During and following a regime such as the Shah’s, which was so dependent on the U.S. and Britain, nothing like this—the participation of the army and the Iranian secret police (SAVAK) in the handover—could have happened without their approval,” Nikbakht said.

In July 2003, when General Alexander Haig, NATO commander during the Carter Administration, gave a speech at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, he was the first U.S. official to publicly discuss Carter’s complicity in toppling the Shah’s regime. Haig indicated that he resigned his post at NATO after discovering the administration had turned its back on the Shah.

Further indications of Carter’s activities in ousting the Shah were revealed in a 2004 article in “Nameh,” a Persian-language magazine based in Iran that is now defunct. In an interview, Ibrahim Yazdi, a close confidant and former representative of Khomeini to Western nations, described extensive correspondence from Carter in 1978, prior to the revolution.

“These correspondences were going on long before the Shah left Iran, and Khomeini had promised Carter in a letter that he would not disturb the flow of oil from Iran if he came to power,” Yazdi is quoted as saying. “Then Carter, in his last correspondence to Khomeini, said the Shah will be leaving soon and asked Khomeini to return to Iran. Carter believed Iran should have an Islamic government, and I agreed with him.”

In her book “Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution” (Yale University Press 2003), UCLA professor emeritus Nikki Keddie cites William H. Sullivan, U.S. ambassador to Iran, who said Brzezinski “repeatedly assured the Shah that the U.S. backed him fully,” but Carter failed to follow up on those assurances. High-level officials in the State Department believed the revolution was unstoppable.

Keddie writes that Carter could not decide how to stabilize Iran and was against another coup; his failure to move quickly plunged the country into a fundamentalist Islamic regime.

Habib Levy’s “A Comprehensive History of The Jews of Iran” (Mazda Publishers, 1999), describes how the unprecedented tolerance and prosperity Jews and other religious minorities in Iran experienced during the Pahlavi dynasty were lost after the revolution.

Although the majority of Iranian Americans have prospered in the United States since they continue to harbor ill will over their losses. Abraham Berookhim, a resident of Santa Monica, is one of many local Iranian Jews who said he holds Carter personally accountable for his family’s devastation; Iran’s radical Islamic regime confiscated not only his family’s multimillion dollar hotel in Tehran, but also executed his uncle in 1980 as a “Zionist spy.”

“In my opinion, Carter is the worst human being in the world,” Berookhim said. “Carter saw how cruel Khomeini was to the people of Iran who were being killed for no reason, and he did nothing.”

Delshad and other local Iranian Jews also say Carter fostered the atmosphere of hatred and discrimination they encountered after Americans in the U.S. Embassy in Iran were taken hostage by the Iranian regime in 1979.

“It was very hostile time for Persians living here. Everywhere I went, I was picked on,” Delshad said. “I started wearing American flags on my lapel all the time to show that I was an American and to let people who met me [know] not to include me as part of those hostage-takers in Iran”.

Nevertheless, a few Iranian Jewish leaders applaud Carter’s immigration polices.

“Iranian Jews also remember the gentle side of President Carter’s administration, which opened the doors to the migration of a large segment of our community to the United States,” said Sam Kermanian, secretary general of the L.A.-based Iranian American Jewish Federation.

Others point out that that Carter is not the only one responsible for the ongoing situation in Iran. H. David Nahai, an Iranian Jewish attorney and president of Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power, said “We should also not forget that while the revolution took place during Carter, it became entrenched during Republican administrations.”

Yet dislike for Carter is not limited to Iranian Jews alone, countless Iranians of other faiths said they also have ill feelings for the former president.

“I believe that there is no hope for Carter’s redemption in Iranian history,” said Assadollah Morovati, the Iranian Muslim owner of Radio Sedaye Iran (KRSI), a Persian language satellite-radio station based in Beverly Hills. “He has already done immense damage to our culture, our lives, and our reputation in the world by helping to bring the current regime to power and he will never be forgiven by all Iranians”.

Today as the Iran’s strength and influences increase in the Middle East, scholars looking back on the regime’s rise to power cannot help but trace it to the actions of the Carter Administration.

“The Carter Administration’s role in assisting with the downfall of the Shah is one of America’s great foreign policy disasters of the twentieth century,” stated Dinesh D’Souza, a Stanford University research fellow in an online report published this January. “America doesn’t need more foolish advice from Jimmy Carter, what it needs from him is an apology”.

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October 11, 2007 | 3:00 pm

Coulter & Ahmadinejad need to leave the Jews alone

Posted by Karmel Melamed

It’s surprising to me how both conservative author Ann Coulter and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are getting free publicity these days for talking trash about the Jews! Someone needs to tell these people to back off and take care of their own business. Coulter on Monday night on CNBC told talk show host Donny Deutsch that the “Jews need to be perfected” and dodged Deutsch’s questions about her comments being similar to those of Ahmadinejad. On the same note last week Ahmadinejad told crowds at a rally in Tehran that Israel should be destroyed and the Jews should be sent to Alaska or Canada.

It amazing how foreign dictators including those in the Middle East over the centuries have used the Jews as the perfect scapegoat for turning the attention of the masses away from their own shortcomings. Now I can understand why Ahmadinejad keeps bad mouthing the Jews and calling for Israel to “be wiped off the map”. Aside from the fact that he is loony, he has some serious economic problems in Iran and distracting the masses with crazy talk about Israel being the “little Satan” is an ideal way to keep people’s attention away from the high inflation, double digit unemployment and the gas shortages. However one is left wondering why Coulter now brings up the Jews and the need for them to be converted? Does saying the Jews need to be “perfected” help her sell more books? Does Coulter have some nasty scandal coming up where the Jews are her ideal scapegoat as well? I honestly don’t know.

What I do know is that Coulter and Ahmadinejad need to leave the Jews alone and mind their own business! For crying out loud, we Jews don’t even make up one percent of the world’s population and everyone keeps blaming us for everything. We’re tired of being your scapegoats…you all need to blame something else for a change, like global warming or the Internet. Coulter and Ahmadinejad should try to get more publicity in another way rather than bringing us up.

By the way for all of you that don’t speak the Persian language, the word “Ann” in Persian translates to “feces”.

Lastly I thank my right honorable collegue Brad Greenberg for his kind words about my blog. I urge you all to read the transcript of what Coulter said to Deutsch on his blog: The God Blog

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October 10, 2007 | 11:18 am

Pope attacks Iran on its anti-Semitism?

Posted by Karmel Melamed

In the past few days I’ve come across various stories from national and international news outlets with headlines blazing that Pope Benedict XVI has “attacked” or “spoken out against” Iran’s growing anti-Semitism. Yet almost every publication and wire service that has been carrying the story lack a single direct quote from the Pope or an official statement from the Vatican with regards to the Pope stepping up criticism on Iran or its president.

To the contrary, most of the stories on the Pope’s supposed opposition to Iran’s anti-Semitism are laced with quotes from officials of the World Jewish Congress that had met with the Pope. These Jewish officials came out of their meetings with the Pope and stated that the Pope said “Iran was an issue of big concern for him”. Specifically Maram Stern, secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, said after his meeting with the Pope: “We thanked the Holy Father for everything he did for the Jewish people, and more importantly what he will do”. The lack of direct attribution from the Pope and the Vatican makes me question the validity of this story all together. As a journalist who reads this story, I question whether the Pope is really concerned about anti-Semitism arising from Iran? Or is this another classic example of poor journalism where lazy reporters have failed to follow up and check their facts as well as gotten the proper attribution from the Vatican? What ever happened to telling both sides of the story in a fair and balanced way?

Stories like this that only have one side quoted—in this case the Jews, lead opponents of Israel and anti-Semites to conjure up ridiculous conspiracy stories that the Jews “supposedly control the media”. At the same when there is no attribution from the Pope directly, his opinion which may be newsworthy is never told. Even if the Vatican did not want to make an official statement about the Pope’s stance on this issue, the reporters who covered the story had a responsibility to indicate that. But of course, we have no idea if they did this as their stories lack this information. Undoubtedly Iran’s vast propaganda machine can now easily poke holes in this story by claiming that the Pope has not condemned Iran in any way for anti-Semitism because there are no quotes attributed to him.

Shame on the journalists and shame on the editors who let us down with this story!

Here is just one of the many examples of the poor journalism regarding this issue:

South Africa Sun Times

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October 9, 2007 | 1:54 pm

Iranian-German soccer player refuses to play in Israel

Posted by Karmel Melamed

Ashkan Dejagah, a 21-year-old Iranian-born German soccer player’s refusal to play in Israel is perhaps one of the most shameful and ridiculous displays of unsportsmanlike conduct I have seen from anyone of Iranian background. Dejagah who moved to Germany as a child with his family, cited “political reasons” for pulling out of last Friday’s qualification match for the European Under-21 Championship in Tel Aviv. “I have more Iranian than German blood in my veins,” said Dejagah to Berlin’s daily tabloid Bild. “I am doing it out of respect. After all, my parents are Iranian”. Members of Germany’s Jewish community denounced Dejagah’s actions and called for the Herman soccer federation to exclude him from the German national team because of his anti-Israel stance.

As a journalist, it always amazes me how young Iranians worldwide have sometimes bought into the ridiculous anti-Israel hatred spewed by Iran’s government. People like Dejagah with their outrageous actions often make it difficult for other Iranians who are not Jewish to distance themselves from the ideology of Iran’s government. In my opinion it is not only unsportsmanlike for any player to wage a private boycott against a country including Israel, but especially insulting when a player from Germany of all places with its history of anti-Semitism displays this type of behavior! The soccer field and other arenas of sports should not be a place for politics but where people of various backgrounds come together to unite and have fun. Typically one would expect to see anti-Israel or anti-Semitic behavior from a person who has been raised in Iran where such rhetoric is prevelant in the media. Therefore to see this shameful behavior come from a person like Dejagah who left Iran at a young age is particularly disturbing and leaves me wondering where he picked up his hate for Israel.

But Dejagah is not the first Iranian athlete to refused to compete in Israel, in 2004, Vahid Hashemian of the “Bayern Munich” team refused to play a Champions League game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. While Hashemian stated that he had a back injury, the Iranian government officially warned him that he would face “consequences” at home in Iran if he traveled to Israel. Likewise during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, an Iranian judo champion refused to fight an Israeli opponent citing that he was too overweight to fight Israel’s Ehud Vaks. The International Judo Federation later concluded that the fighter was not overweight and he was later disqualified. Likewise in 2001 Mahed Malekmohammadi of Iran and a world judo champion refused to compete against Yoel Razvozov of Israel citing “political reasons”.

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