By World Jewish Congress
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday voice doubts about the scale of the Holocaust, questioning the West’s “red lines” on freedom of expression.
In a speech in the city of Mashhad Ali Khamenei said that In Europe, “no one dares to speak of the Holocaust, the crux of which is not clear if it is true, or if it were, how it was.”
Ali Khamenei has the ultimate say on a fundamental matters in Iranian politics. He has repeatedly called Nazi Germany’s killing of six million Jews a “myth” and said the historical record has been distorted.
President Hassan Rouhani, a self-declared moderate, has adopted a softer line, going so far as to condemn “the massacre of the Jews by the Nazis.” In February, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the Shoah as a “cruel tragedy which should never happen again.”
On Friday, in a speech marking the Persian New Year, Khamenei called for “resistance” in the face of a “cultural invasion” targeting the Islamic state’s religious beliefs. “Expressing opinion about the Holocaust, or casting doubt on it, is one of the greatest sins in the West. They prevent this, arrest the doubters, try them while claiming to be a free country,” he said. “They passionately defend their red lines … how do they expect us to overlook our red lines that are based on our revolutionary and religious beliefs,” he asked without elaborating.
Iran’s human rights record and its limits on free expression are routinely criticized by international organizations and Western powers. Last week, UN chief Ban Ki-moon attacked Iran for an increase in executions, the detention of dissidents and discrimination against women. (Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress)
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In New York, Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:
“It is no accident that Iran’s Supreme Leader chose his major national address of the year to question if the Holocaust happened. His message is that despite the ongoing nuclear negotiations, Iran is holding strong to its radical ideology, including denial of the Holocaust, and other extremist anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views as well as their ongoing support for world terror as evidenced by the recent Israeli seizure of Iranian weapons destined for the Gaza Strip.
“Once again, the injection of Holocaust denial by an Iranian leader shows the world how such deep seated hatred exists at the helm in Iran. We have seen the Ayatollah spew his vehement animosity toward Jews before on other national occasions in Iran and these statements once again show the bigotry and hypocrisy of this regime.
“In December 2013, Khamenei’s Facebook and Twitter pages marked the anniversary of French Holocaust-denier Roger Garaudy’s trial for his 1996 book that referred to the Holocaust as the “myth of the six million,” and lavished praise on Garaudy as a “French #Muslim resistance fighter.” In June 2013, the Ayatollah’s Facebook page contained a post which featured a visual representation of the classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theory of Jewish control of the United States government. Iranian leaders routinely make anti-Semitic statements; Iranian media features anti-Semitic cartoons and the regime controlled Press TV airs anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda.” (Preceding provided by Anti-Defamation League)
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The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, in New York, also issued a statement: Conference Chairman Robert G. Sugarman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, said “This once again shows the true nature of Khamenei’s extremist ideology. The escalating persecution in Iran of various minority groups and the sharp increase in the number of executions reflect his racism and bigoted views which extend to Holocaust denial. The moderate façade presented by President Rouhani should not obscure the true nature and direction of the regime which are found in the Supreme Leader’s words and actions.” (Preceding provided by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations).
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