April 16, 2008 | 10:22 pm

Just ask an Iranian American Jew about the real evil and threat from Iran’s regime

Posted by Karmel Melamed

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I was recently approached by a non-Jewish American friend who point blank asked me why Iranians and Iranian Jews living in the U.S. were so opposed to the regime in Iran. “Jews are not mistreated in Iran, besides why are you guys making such a big deal about the Iranian government getting nuclear technology?” he asked. It took about two hours for me to explain the true nature of Iran’s regime to him in order for him to realize the very serious threat that that government poses to the world. He was obviously brainwashed by some left leaning media outlets that have little knowledge of the mentality and true ideology of Iran’s radical Islamic clerics. The journalists or editors of such online or offline outlets have obviously never spent a single day living in Iran as religious minorities or understand the Persian language to grasp the sad reality of the reign of Iran’s clerics on that country.

After my two hour lecture, I suggested my friend chat with middle-aged or older Iranian Jews or other Iranian religious minorities about their experiences of living under the rule of the Ayatollahs. I also gave him the following five talking points to discuss with Iranian American Jews so as to better under the extent of the Iranian regime’s evil:

1) The countless hardships religious minorities such as Jews encountered when they cannot obtain certain educational or work advancements in Iran under this regime.

5) The billions of dollars in assets and property Iranian Jews and other opponents to Iran’s current regime were forced to forfeit in order to escape Iran in the late 1970’s and 1980’s.

If anyone has any question about the very serious threat Iran’s current government poses to the U.S., Israel and the rest of the world with their pursuit of nuclear weapons, then let them chat with some of the Iranian Jews living in Southern California. Let them hear for themselves first hand of the horror stories from Iranian Jews who lived under the current Iranian regime of being physically abused, threatened, imprisoned and mistreated. Let them chat with Persian speaking experts on Iran and Iranian religious minorities who will give them correct translations of documents proving the true extend of the Iranian government’s financial support for terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. If Iran’s current leaders have had such a horrid treatment of religious minorities in their own country, imagine what unthinkable attoricities they have planned for all of those outside Iran who do not follow their brand of radical Shiite Islamic beliefs!

If you think that any sane leader in the West can sit down and negotiate with the radical Islamic leaders of Iran’s government, you’re sadly mistaken! Only debilitating international sanctions and diplomatic isolation can decimate Iran’s regime which is teetering on the brink of economic collapse. Go ahead and ask the Iranian Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and Bahais living in America what true evil lies in the hearts of Iran’s leaders today.

Following are some lovely charts which also show the immense danger Iran’s government poses to the world: