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Iranian immigrants arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport in December 2007. (Alon Ron)
Last update - 14:50 07/05/2008
Jewish-Iranian lawmaker: Israel's behavior is 'anti-human'
By Reuters
Tags: Iran, Siamak Morsadegh 

An Iranian Jewish leader on Wednesday said his community would not mark this week's 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, which he accused of "killing innocent" Palestinians.

"We are in complete disagreement with the behavior of Israel," Siamak Morsadegh, the incoming Jewish member of the Iranian parliament following a March election, told Reuters.

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It is not related to us," he said about Thursday's celebrations in Israel to commemorate six decades of statehood. "We are Iranians. We have no relations with Israel."

Iran's ancient Jewish community has dwindled by roughly 75 percent since the 1979 Islamic revolution but is still believed to be the biggest in the Middle East outside Israel, which the Islamic Republic does not recognize.

Like many people in Iran, members of minorities which also include Christians and other faiths can be reluctant to publicly criticize its ruling establishment and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who regularly predicts the demise of Israel.

A group of 40 Iranian Jews landed in Israel last December, the largest since the fall of the Shah and Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The United States, another arch-foe of Iran, accuses it of discriminating against its religious and ethnic minorities.

Iran denies the charge and often responds to such allegations by referring to what it sees as abuses in the West.

Official representatives of the minorities say economic woes affecting all Iranians and other issues are to blame for people leaving, not any mistreatment of the minority groups.

Morsadegh said Jews in Iran enjoyed freedom of religion and other rights: "There are no specific problems for Jews in this country," he said by phone.

'Threatening Atmosphere'
He declined to comment on remarks by Ahmadinejad, who sparked international outrage with his call for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and for questioning the Holocaust, when six million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany in World War II.

But the Jewish community leader criticized Israel's policies towards Palestinians, especially in Gaza, saying it showed "anti-human behavior ... they kill innocent people."

Israel says it tries to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza and that militant groups effectively use combatants as human shields by operating in populated areas.

Israel has described Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence.

Judaism is one of three recognized minority religions in Iran. The community has a member in the 290-seat legislature and its own schools. Four other seats are reserved for Christians and Zoroastrians, who adhere to a pre-Islamic religion.

The U.S. State Department said in its 2007 human rights report in March: "All religious minorities suffered varying degrees of officially sanctioned discrimination, particularly in employment, education and housing."

The Iranian government's anti-Israel stance "created a threatening atmosphere for the [Jewish] community", it said.

The Jewish population in Iran has declined to about 25,000 from some 100,000 three decades ago. Their numbers have fallen also in Arab countries since the 1948 war at Israel's creation, which hardened Arab attitudes to deep-rooted Jewish minorities.

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      1.   No relations? where will they run when Ahmadnejad comes for them? 13:09  |  Dan 07/05/08
      2.   Reminds me of the German Jews 13:10  |  * BEN JABO 07/05/08
      3.   Jewish- Iranian patsy 13:11  |  K 07/05/08
      4.   Ahmadinejad`s lack of tolerance is *anti-human* 13:20  |  Michael J 07/05/08
      5.   HE HAS BEEN BRAINWASHED 13:34  |  Nicole 07/05/08
      6.   All respect for the Jewish community in Iran 13:43  |  Dina 07/05/08
      7.   Iranian treatment of Jews a million times better than 14:28  |  A`aron 07/05/08
      8.   Homosexual are being executed in Iran 14:30  |  Israeli 07/05/08
      9.   Let`s be honest, shall we? 14:32  |  Gili 07/05/08
      10.   #2 * BEN JABO 14:34  |  Axel 07/05/08
      11.   Absolutely Preposterous 14:46  |  Evan Gildenblatt 07/05/08
      12.   Human Rights Watch said 15:01  |  Jack 07/05/08
      13.   I`m afraid there is a little problem with the "fear-argument".... 15:24  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/05/08
      14.   ridiculous 15:33  |  joki 07/05/08
      15.   Iran, great place to run away from 15:42  |  nopuppetofiran 07/05/08
      16.   token jew trying to stay alive in a theocracy 15:51  |  dav zee 07/05/08
      17.   what the iranians jews would really like to say... 15:53  |  PhillyJew 07/05/08
      18.   Better to lie than be persecuted 16:03  |  Avrum 07/05/08
      19.   the gentleman doth protest too much 16:03  |  david 07/05/08
      20.   to israeli 16:08  |  Dan G 07/05/08
      21.   He is right...the crimes of Israel rest on Israelis NOT all Jews 16:11  |  New Yorker 07/05/08
      22.   Iranian Jewish community 16:21  |  marbpl 07/05/08
      23.   a little about their community 16:21  |  mark 07/05/08
      24.   Ulterior motives 16:45  |  Gaby 07/05/08
      25.   Just toeing the regime line 16:46  |  Noam 07/05/08
      26.   No. 7, A`aron 16:50  |  W 07/05/08
      27.   Jerusalem 17:05  |  Matthew Houston 07/05/08
      28.   Sister Cities 17:07  |  Matthew Houston 07/05/08
      29.   This man fears for his life - remember when ... 17:08  |  Elihu 07/05/08
      30.   COME ON GUYS , WHTA ELSE CAN HE SAY? LITTLE COMON SENSE NEED APLY 17:14  |  Gabriel 07/05/08
      31.   Jews in Iran have not committed one act of terrorism against Iran 17:16  |  Genuine Tosefta 07/05/08
      32.   Acutally, Jack, You Don`t Know 17:19  |  Tex 07/05/08
      33.   Jews in Iran have not committed one act of terrorism (cont.) 17:20  |  Genuine Tosefta 07/05/08
      34.   Jews in Iran have not committed one act of terrorism (cont. 2) 17:22  |  Genuine Tosefta 07/05/08
      35.   #9 Gili 17:29  |  Cool B 07/05/08
      36.   Swiss Dino 17:43  |  Roxana from IRAN 07/05/08
      37.   #25 Noam 17:53  |  Bryan 07/05/08
      38.   Maybe scared? 18:07  |  Stranger 07/05/08
      39.   Cool B 18:19  |  marbpl 07/05/08
      40.   To Israeli 8: Palestinian are being executed by Israel 18:20  |  bibliovitz 07/05/08
      41.   New Yorker 18:22  |  Stranger 07/05/08
      42.   Court Jews are back 18:36  |  Matze 07/05/08
      43.   To Philly Jew 18:44  |  Persian Kitty 07/05/08
      44.   What else can he say? 18:46  |  Iranian ex-pat 07/05/08
      45.   Roxana - can`t let go of your bias? 18:50  |  Iranian ex-pat 07/05/08
      46.   Pathetic in their fear of the regime 18:53  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/05/08
      47.   Pathetic in their fear of the regime 18:53  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/05/08
      48.   Iran`s Token Jew 19:01  |  MichaelF 07/05/08
      49.   #2 - BEN JABO 19:04  |  MichaelF 07/05/08
      50.   Shah Recognized Jewish Zionist American Lobby 19:04  |  C 07/05/08
      51.   Siamak May "Officially" Not Think Much Of Israel But Israel ... 19:22  |  Lavi 07/05/08
      52.   Dire threats from ahmadinejad & co towards 19:29  |  stef 07/05/08
      53.   #21, Well said, New Yorker... 19:39  |  Silvienne 07/05/08
      54.   One of the posters here mentioned that homosexuals are hanged in 19:41  |  lakshmi 07/05/08
      55.   Swiss (Dino) I commend Siamak Morsadegh 19:41  |  David Isarel 07/05/08
      56.   THEY WILL CELEBRATE 19:45  |  TOBIA 07/05/08
      57.   Persian Kitty - There are many Irabnian Jews In Great Nect 19:56  |  David Israel 07/05/08
      58.   Ben Jab Alot 20:09  |  Soldier of Above 07/05/08
      59.   What do you pretend this guy say? 20:14  |  Ulf 07/05/08
      60.   #50 20:22  |  TOBIA 07/05/08
      61.   Stranger - Crimes 20:30  |  New Yorker 07/05/08
      62.   # 36 Roxana from IRAN (2nd try) 20:31  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/05/08
      63.   reply 20:42  |  Leon 07/05/08
      64.   In Egypt Jews had to bash Israel to survive too 20:53  |  EgyptJewRefugee 07/05/08
      65.   I`M JEWISH IRANIAN, I LOVE ISRAEL 21:01  |  Jewish Iranian 07/05/08
      66.   Take my word (an Iranian Jew) 21:10  |  Jacob 07/05/08
      67.   Iranian ex-pat, not bias but facts 21:13  |  Roxana from IRAN 07/05/08
      68.   # 55 David Israel 21:15  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/05/08
      69.   What`s really funny about Jews in Arab countries, at least if you 21:34  |  Andreas 07/05/08
      70.   69Andr"What`s really funny about Jews in Arab countries"-NOTHING! 21:57  |  Jew from Aden 07/05/08
      71.