Iran unveils space center, launches rocket

[Cyclotron]

This really needs to be stressed more than it is

Originally posted by LordShiva
Ahmedinejad != Iran

[LordShiva]

Indeed. From wiki:

At the time of the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, there were approximately 140,000–150,000 Jews living in Iran, the historical center of Persian Jewry. Over 85% have since migrated to either Israel or the United States. At the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, 80,000 still remained in Iran. From then on, Jewish emigration from Iran dramatically increased, as about 20,000 Jews left within several months after the Islamic Revolution.[25] In mid- and late 1980s, the Jewish population of Iran was estimated at 20,000–30,000. The reports put the figure at around 35,000 in mid-1990s[29] and at less than 40,000 nowadays, with around 25,000 residing in Tehran. However, Iran's Jewish community still remains the largest among the Muslim countries.[30]

Ayatollah Khomeini met with the Jewish community upon his return from exile in Paris and issued a fatwa decreeing that the Jews were to be protected. In the Islamic republic Jews have become more religious. Families that had been secular in the 1970s started keeping kosher and strictly observing rules against driving on Shabbat. They stopped going to restaurants, cafes and cinemas and the synagogue perforce became the focal point of their social lives. [3] As Haroun Yashyaei, a film producer and former chairman of the Central Jewish Community in Iran has quoted[31]:

"Khomeini didn't mix up our community with Israel and Zionism - he saw us as Iranians,"

The Islamic republic government has made a clear effort to distinguish between Zionism as a secular political party that enjoys Jewish symbols and ideals and Judaism as the religion of Moses.

...

In the midst of tensions between the U.S and Iran and between Iran and Israel, Jewish-Iranian Americans and Israelis offered money to the remaining Jews in Iran in order to help them relocate to California and/or Israel. In August 2007, the Iranian Jews in Iran, responded by saying they "resent such transparent political enticements."

Iran's Jewish community is officially recognized as a religious minority group by the government, and, like the Zoroastrians, they are allocated one seat in the Iranian Parliament. Maurice Motamed has been the Jewish MP since 2000, and was re-elected again in 2004. In 2000, former Jewish MP Manuchehr Eliasi estimated that at that time there were still 30,000–35,000 Jews in Iran, other sources put the figure as low as 20,000–25,000.[35]

Today Tehran has 11 functioning synagogues, many of them with Hebrew schools. It has two kosher restaurants, an old-age home and a cemetery. There is a Jewish library with 20,000 titles.[3] Iranian Jews have their own newspaper (called "Ofogh-e-Bina") with Jewish scholars performing Judaic research at Tehran's "Central Library of Jewish Association".[36] The "Dr. Sapir Jewish Hospital" is Iran's largest charity hospital of any religious minority community in the country;[36] however, most of its patients and staff are Muslim.[37]

edit: x-post

[SlowwHand]

Two kosher restaurants. I don't know. That would get old.

[Cyclotron]

Well, halal and kosher do have some things in common (no pork, for instance).

[Tattila the Hun]

Originally posted by LordShiva
Ahmedinejad != Iran

Teh second-largest Jewish community in teh ME is in Iran, jews have a seat reserved in parliament, teh most popular TV show is about teh plight of Jews in WW2 Europe, etc.

Seriously? And that's not some Benny Hill-type thing, either?

[snoopy369]

I wonder if Iranians think of Ahmeninejad as we do of Bush...

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Tattila the Hun
Seriously? And that's not some Benny Hill-type thing, either?

Are you asking if the Iranian MPs chase scantily clad women around to the tune of Yakety Sax?

[Perfection]

Nuke the bastards.

Nuke France while we're at it.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Really? Iranian Jews. I never knew that.

Who do you think secretly pulls the strings?

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Elok


So the Holocaust-denial is denial of the defense mechanism variety? "No, six million Jews didn't die, they can't have died, it couldn't have happened," etc.?

The point of that conference IIRC, was as retaliation for the Muhammad cartoons in order to point out western hypocrisy. It succeeded in that goal beyond Ahmadinejad's wildest imaginings, and our side still don't get it.

Funny how many of the same people who were warbling on about free speech in support of Danish racists (and the dirty secret is that Denmark is an incredibly racist country) were suggesting that the Iranian holocaust questioning conference should never happen and people shouldn't be allowed to have one. You can be sure that the Islamic public understood Ahmadinejad's point right away.

Westerners are so ****ing stupid it beggars belief. Ahmadinejad even did it again when he made Columbia University look like a bunch of scared ***** under the iron thumb of the Zionists. He trolls you for his own political profit, and you are all too dumb to see it coming.

Mind you, these are the same dumb ****s who have been dancing at the end of Osama's puppet strings for the last six years.

[PLATO]

Agathon, is it just me or is your oratory becoming more bitter by the day? Is this the "Asher-effect"?

An Iranian space program that inspires international co-operation is a good thing...an Iranian space program that covers as an ICBM development program (or much more likely an IRBM) is an extremely bad thing.

I wonder if the US will use this to pressure the Poles and Czechs about the anti-missle facilities.

Seems interesting that Russia is supplying the technology for this and opposing the anti-missle defense system. hmmm...

Worst of all...I have always been a two finger typer and now, thanks to you guys, I will forever be marked by my disability

[dannubis]

Originally posted by Agathon


The point of that conference IIRC, was as retaliation for the Muhammad cartoons in order to point out western hypocrisy. It succeeded in that goal beyond Ahmadinejad's wildest imaginings, and our side still don't get it.

Funny how many of the same people who were warbling on about free speech in support of Danish racists (and the dirty secret is that Denmark is an incredibly racist country) were suggesting that the Iranian holocaust questioning conference should never happen and people shouldn't be allowed to have one. You can be sure that the Islamic public understood Ahmadinejad's point right away.

Westerners are so ****ing stupid it beggars belief. Ahmadinejad even did it again when he made Columbia University look like a bunch of scared ***** under the iron thumb of the Zionists. He trolls you for his own political profit, and you are all too dumb to see it coming.

Mind you, these are the same dumb ****s who have been dancing at the end of Osama's puppet strings for the last six years.

Agathon, free speech is a cornerstone of our Western Civilization. I don't see why we can not publish cartoons of Mohammed. If they don't want to look at it then they shouldn't buy the bloody news paper.

Denying that 6 million jews died as a result of a state-organized killing program is plain stupid. That is the difference.

And one small thing that made our society the dominant force of this world: if you would be living in the Arab world you wouldn't even have dreamt of making the comment you did. Western society has the benefit of self critisism.

[Arrian]

People saying their stupid denial conference shouldn't *be allowed* were being hypocrits. I don't recall hearing that, though. I recall hearing criticism of the conference - people pointing out that it was a farce.

That's not the same thing at all. If you hold a flat earth conference, you will be mocked. If you hold a "Stalin appreciation" conference, people will call you a jerk.

If you draw pictures of the prophet, people will call you names (which is fine) and worse (not fine).

This isn't hard. I guess some Westerners really ARE stupid.

-Arrian

[Kidlicious]

All three of you missed his point thus far.

[Arrian]

I've seen him make this "point" again and again. I get it. His first claim is that the conference showed Western hypocrisy. I'm pointing out that said claim is false.

His second claim is that Ahmedinejad is a successful troll. Granted, to a point.

-Arrian