Hard-line Iranian student groups have asked the government to authorize volunteers to go carry out suicide bombings in Israel in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.
The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had not responded to the call by Wednesday. Volunteer suicide groups have made similar requests in the past and the government never responded to their calls. The groups' activities appear to be mainly for propaganda purposes, and there has been no sign of Iranians carrying out suicide attacks in Israel.
Five hard-line student groups and a conservative clerical group launched a registration drive on Monday, seeking volunteers to carry out suicide attacks against Israel.
In an open letter to Ahmadinejad, the students said "volunteer student suicide groups ... are determined to go to Gaza. You are expected to issue orders to the relevant authorities to pave the way for such action." A copy of the letter was made available to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The hard-liners started signing up volunteers after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious decree Sunday saying anyone killed while defending Palestinians in Gaza against Israeli attacks would be considered a martyr.
The groups claim that more than 10,000 people throughout Iran have registered as volunteer suicide bombers in the past three days. At a gathering Tuesday in Tehran, hard-liners were distributing registration forms to volunteers.
In the United States, protests have also been hateful. In Fort Lauderdale, FL young Muslims screamed antisemitic things such as "go back to the ovens," and other disturbing curses. It appears that the radical Muslim youth in the United States and across the globe are more concerned with coordinating the most antisemitic and despicable public protests imaginable than with discussing prospects of peace.
Of course, the consensus among radical Muslims is that Jews should all go back to Poland or Russia. Whenever people tell Israelis to go back to Russia or Poland, I have a good laugh. More than half of Israelis are Middle Eastern. My parents aren't from Russia or anywhere in Europe. In 1945 there were up to one million Jews living in the Middle East and North Africa - many living in communities dating back more than three millennia. Today, there are only a few thousand remaining as Jews became persona non grata in their own countries and became refugees. Jews experienced vicious pogroms at the hands of Arab governments which sparked a mass exodus of Mizrahi Jews to modern-day Israel. Guess we don't have anywhere to go then....
Here is the video from the December 30, 2008 protest in Florida:
Thank you for your comments! I am proud of each individual who has stood up to the hateful protests over the last week. I am happy that someone in Tampa made certain to advocate for Israel's right to defend herself. We are much smaller in number though which is a shame. The protests I have heard about and been to have been antisemitic in the extreme. It's a shame that the media hasn't shown the public some of the things that were said by Muslim youth.
In the wake of Israel's bombardment of Gaza, massive protests have broken out not only in the Middle East, but across Europe as well. Of course, there were no prior protests against the rockets being launched from Gaza into civilian areas of Israel, but that was to be expected. A large part of the protesters are Arab and Muslim immigrants to the European nations. Why is it that we don't see any protests in favor of Israel taking place in Europe? The answers are fairly obvious.
First of all, as I have pointed out previously, the European nations are afraid. They are afraid of their large Muslim populations, which have shown themselves to be nothing if not volatile. Witness the UK, Netherlands, France, Denmark, etc. Secondly, the Europeans are keenly aware that their overseas citizens, missions and interests are subject to attack by terrorists.
Finally, the Europeans are afraid of having all that Middle East oil cut off.
And what do the Europeans have to fear from Israel, Jews in general or their own Jewish citizens in particular?
Nothing. No riots, no terrorist attacks, no oil cutoffs. In fact, these countries don't even have much of a Jewish population to begin with. Remember the Holocaust? That pretty much eliminated that consideration. In fact, what Jewish populations they do have are pretty much hunkered down rather than try to counterbalance the anti-Israel mobs with their own demonstrations as we can still do in the US.
A Spanish writer, whose name escapes me, recently wrote an article that appeared on the Internet. He bemoaned the fact that his country, like so many others in Europe, had over time pretty much eliminated its Jewish population, which had contributed so much in the sciences, arts and culture and replaced it with a population that was contributing nothing but unrest, hatred and violence. I have to agree. Europe has pretty much made its bed over the past couple of generations. Now they have to lie down in it. As a result, what we see are massive, sometimes violent protests on the streets of European cities all aimed against tiny Israel. Europeans always wring their hands and call for immediate cease fires as soon as Israel defends itself against the murderous forces of Hamas and Hizbollah. It has nothing to do with right or wrong or morality. It has everything to do with that trait that Europeans are famous for-practicality. To Europe, Israel is the "inconvenient country" and Jews in general are the "inconvenient people". How dare they defend themselves against those noble Palestinians (who really are victims of themselves, their leaders and surrounding Arab nations)?
In reality, the Europeans are prisoners of their own demographics, which, if the present trend continues, will make that continent majority Muslim in two generations. When that happens, Europe will be what it was in 1940; a continent of hate-and once again, a place where Jews are not safe-as if they are safe now.
It saddens me to say these things about Europe, a place with which I am intimately familiar and a place which I love. It has to be said, however. A new wave of Nazism is growing in Europe. It is called militant-Islam. The question is how will the Europeans deal with it? Up to now, they are dealing with it the same way Britain and France dealt with it in 1938 at Munich when they threw Czechoslovakia to the wolves of Nazi Germany.
Today, Israel is the new Czechoslovakia.
gary fouse fousesquawk
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I am a journalist and researcher, and have written numerous research and investigative pieces. My work has been published with several notable organizations, including CAMERA on Campus, the Jewish Policy Center, Pajamas Media, and the Investigative Project on Terror.
My interests include ethics and epistemology, history, economics, and international relations.
I graduated from the University of California, Irvine with distinguished honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English. Presently I am pursuing a Master's degree at USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism in the field of Broadcast Journalism. I can be reached at Reut AT reutrcohen DOT com.
4 comments. Leave a comment:
We tried to fight back where we could!
Tampa NBC TV
http://www.tbo.com/video/xml/MGBMKWO3DPF.html
Tampa ABC TV
ABC TV
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=52785458614&h=tqfyE&u=UJw7k
Thank you for all of your efforts!!!
Dear Anonymous 1 and 2,
Thank you for your comments! I am proud of each individual who has stood up to the hateful protests over the last week. I am happy that someone in Tampa made certain to advocate for Israel's right to defend herself. We are much smaller in number though which is a shame. The protests I have heard about and been to have been antisemitic in the extreme. It's a shame that the media hasn't shown the public some of the things that were said by Muslim youth.
Israel- The New Czechoslovakia
In the wake of Israel's bombardment of Gaza, massive protests have broken out not only in the Middle East, but across Europe as well. Of course, there were no prior protests against the rockets being launched from Gaza into civilian areas of Israel, but that was to be expected. A large part of the protesters are Arab and Muslim immigrants to the European nations. Why is it that we don't see any protests in favor of Israel taking place in Europe? The answers are fairly obvious.
First of all, as I have pointed out previously, the European nations are afraid. They are afraid of their large Muslim populations, which have shown themselves to be nothing if not volatile. Witness the UK, Netherlands, France, Denmark, etc. Secondly, the Europeans are keenly aware that their overseas citizens, missions and interests are subject to attack by terrorists.
Finally, the Europeans are afraid of having all that Middle East oil cut off.
And what do the Europeans have to fear from Israel, Jews in general or their own Jewish citizens in particular?
Nothing. No riots, no terrorist attacks, no oil cutoffs. In fact, these countries don't even have much of a Jewish population to begin with. Remember the Holocaust? That pretty much eliminated that consideration. In fact, what Jewish populations they do have are pretty much hunkered down rather than try to counterbalance the anti-Israel mobs with their own demonstrations as we can still do in the US.
A Spanish writer, whose name escapes me, recently wrote an article that appeared on the Internet. He bemoaned the fact that his country, like so many others in Europe, had over time pretty much eliminated its Jewish population, which had contributed so much in the sciences, arts and culture and replaced it with a population that was contributing nothing but unrest, hatred and violence. I have to agree. Europe has pretty much made its bed over the past couple of generations. Now they have to lie down in it. As a result, what we see are massive, sometimes violent protests on the streets of European cities all aimed against tiny Israel. Europeans always wring their hands and call for immediate cease fires as soon as Israel defends itself against the murderous forces of Hamas and Hizbollah. It has nothing to do with right or wrong or morality. It has everything to do with that trait that Europeans are famous for-practicality. To Europe, Israel is the "inconvenient country" and Jews in general are the "inconvenient people". How dare they defend themselves against those noble Palestinians (who really are victims of themselves, their leaders and surrounding Arab nations)?
In reality, the Europeans are prisoners of their own demographics, which, if the present trend continues, will make that continent majority Muslim in two generations. When that happens, Europe will be what it was in 1940; a continent of hate-and once again, a place where Jews are not safe-as if they are safe now.
It saddens me to say these things about Europe, a place with which I am intimately familiar and a place which I love. It has to be said, however. A new wave of Nazism is growing in Europe. It is called militant-Islam. The question is how will the Europeans deal with it? Up to now, they are dealing with it the same way Britain and France dealt with it in 1938 at Munich when they threw Czechoslovakia to the wolves of Nazi Germany.
Today, Israel is the new Czechoslovakia.
gary fouse
fousesquawk
Post a Comment
Comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated. Please stay on topic and avoid profanities unless it is relevant to the discussion. By commenting on the site, you agree that you are not impersonating anyone else and that you are solely responsible for the content you post. In commenting on the website you agree that you are not violating copyright or intellectual property rights of others. Spam and commercial posts are not permitted and will not be published. Disagreement and debates are welcome, but comments which are slanderous, demeaning, obscene, resort to ad hominem, and/or are of a threatening nature will not be published. Opinions expressed in the comments section do not necessarily reflect the views of the website’s author. The author of the website reserves the right to reject or remove comments at any time and for any reason.