The Warped Mirror: Iran's apologists

The new president of the UN General Assembly, Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, recently suggested that "we all have to agree that no one dies because of words." He made this remark in response to a journalist's question about the rhetoric favored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he speaks about Israel. That D'Escoto is not in the least disturbed by the way Ahmadinejad rants against Israel is also clear from the warm embrace he had for the Iranian President after the latter had offered the UN General Assembly his bits of wisdom adapted from the notorious anti-Semitic forgery "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion".

It was a truly pathetic spectacle to see the representatives of UN members assembled to listen attentively and politely to a speech that regurgitated the classic anti-Semitic themes of Jews dominating and controlling finance and governments and fomenting conflict around the world. But Ahmadinejad knows how little it takes nowadays to deflect accusations of anti-Semitism: all you need to do is to substitute "Zionists" for "Jews" and then you are free to say what anti-Semites everywhere love to hear:

The dignity, integrity and rights of the American and European people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are a miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making centers of some European countries and the US in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner. It is deeply disastrous to witness that some presidential or premiere nominees in some big countries have to visit these people, take part in their gatherings, swear their allegiance and commitment to their interests in order to attain financial or media support. This means that the great people of America and various nations of Europe need to obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people. These nations are spending their dignity and resources on the crimes and occupations and the threats of the Zionist network against their will."

One can only agree with Tzipi Livni's comment that "Ahmadinejad's speech at the UN demonstrates the absurd state of affairs of the organization whose founding motto was 'Never Again'." At the same time, one should perhaps also acknowledge that it is not just "absurd" that such a speech can be given at the UN, it is actually outright monstrous: after all, Ahmadinejad represents a regime that is investing tremendous resources in a nuclear program that makes sense only if the regime is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

And of course, D'Escoto Brockmann is terribly wrong to claim that "no one dies because of words". Throughout history, it was words that incited the hatred that made killing easy and even honorable and heroic. It is also quite remarkable that a priest like D'Escoto Brockmann would be so quick to discount the power of the word.

But there is something else that is truly absurd: Ahmadinejad has many eager apologists who would spare no effort to find reasons and justifications for their claims that all the vile ranting and the genocidal threats against Israel don't mean a thing, or are just due to misunderstandings and mistranslations - but for some strange reason it is usually these very same people who insist that Ahmadinejad and the theocrats in Teheran must be believed when they say that their nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful. In other words: the bloodcurdling threats against Israel emanating from Teheran should be dismissed and ignored - and all potential Iranian attempts to acquire the means to make good on these threats should be seen in the most positive light. It seems that "never again" means different things to different people.

What is never explained by the apologists for Iran's anti-Israel incitement is the reason why the Iranian regime so persistently engages in hateful anti-Semitic rhetoric. If they don't mean what they say, why say it? And how would those apologists for Iran's anti-Israel incitement react if a Western leader gave a speech at the UN that would mirror Ahmadinejad's anti-Semitic rhetoric, but would be directed against Muslims? Would Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann warmly embrace the speaker?

The fact of the matter is that when it comes to racism, and certainly when it comes to anti-Semitism, there are two standards: one for the West, and one for the rest. Particularly anti-Semitism in the Muslim world is something for which there is considerable tolerance in some leftist circles in the West. Ultimately, this tolerance reflects the deeply anti-Semitic notion that if the Jews - make that: the Zionists - are hated, they only have themselves to blame. On this point, Ahmadinejad and his Western apologists plainly agree.