Comments on: Roger Cohen, Tame Jews and Iran http://blog.z-word.com/2009/03/roger-cohen-tame-jews-and-iran/ Commentary about Zionism, anti-Zionism, antisemitism and the conflict in the Middle East Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:04:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5-RC1.1 By: ganselmi http://blog.z-word.com/2009/03/roger-cohen-tame-jews-and-iran/#comment-4100 ganselmi Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:28:28 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=1147#comment-4100 I was born to a secular Muslim family in Iran and lived there until I was fourteen. I still have family back there. And I will say that the current regime in Iran makes life absolutely hellish, not just for Jews, Armenians, and Baha'is, but for all Iranians. To minimize the IRI's Islamist brutality -- especially from those who should know better -- is simply inexcusable. I was born to a secular Muslim family in Iran and lived there until I was fourteen. I still have family back there. And I will say that the current regime in Iran makes life absolutely hellish, not just for Jews, Armenians, and Baha’is, but for all Iranians. To minimize the IRI’s Islamist brutality — especially from those who should know better — is simply inexcusable.

]]> By: Lynne T http://blog.z-word.com/2009/03/roger-cohen-tame-jews-and-iran/#comment-4087 Lynne T Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:50:53 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=1147#comment-4087 Bruce: Arguing that Iran isn't a regional threat based on fact is an impossibility. Iran contributed substantially to the bloodshed in post-Saddam Iraq and is considered a threat by its Arab/Sunni neighbours. Iran's patronage of Syria also contributes substantially to the instability in Lebanon, which has at least as much to do with internal Lebanese politics as it does with Lebanon's proximity to Israel and ownership of the Shabaa farm. Consequently, Cohen resorts to using Iran's Jewish community. The Forward, as it happens, carries news of a meeting between R. Cohen and some ex-pat Iranian Jews and Bahais living in California who take issue with Cohen's whitewash: http://www.forward.com/articles/104011/ Bruce:

Arguing that Iran isn’t a regional threat based on fact is an impossibility. Iran contributed substantially to the bloodshed in post-Saddam Iraq and is considered a threat by its Arab/Sunni neighbours. Iran’s patronage of Syria also contributes substantially to the instability in Lebanon, which has at least as much to do with internal Lebanese politics as it does with Lebanon’s proximity to Israel and ownership of the Shabaa farm. Consequently, Cohen resorts to using Iran’s Jewish community.

The Forward, as it happens, carries news of a meeting between R. Cohen and some ex-pat Iranian Jews and Bahais living in California who take issue with Cohen’s whitewash:

http://www.forward.com/articles/104011/

]]> By: Bruce Levine http://blog.z-word.com/2009/03/roger-cohen-tame-jews-and-iran/#comment-4044 Bruce Levine Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:38:27 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=1147#comment-4044 The point is that Mr. Cohen could have made his point, i.e. he could have pushed his view that Iran poses no regional or worldwide threat, without cynically using the remaining Iranian Jews as puppets to support his politically correct worldview. What a cynical petty ploy on his part, and his failure to acknowledge the error, the cruelty of what he did, overrides whatever political viewpoint he holds. The point is that Mr. Cohen could have made his point, i.e. he could have pushed his view that Iran poses no regional or worldwide threat, without cynically using the remaining Iranian Jews as puppets to support his politically correct worldview. What a cynical petty ploy on his part, and his failure to acknowledge the error, the cruelty of what he did, overrides whatever political viewpoint he holds.

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