The Persian Abyss: Iranian threat: You have the wrong picture!

The comments on my first post An Iranian in Tel Aviv were a pleasant surprise. I'll resume that storyline in my next entry. However, in light of the upcoming Iranian elections and the media preoccupation - especially Israel's - with Iran, I want to clarify some points.

One cannot read an Israeli newspaper these days without coming across an article on the "Iranian threat." The comparisons between Iran and Nazi Germany are plentiful. It seems as if the whole nation of Israel is bracing for the second Shoah, which is supposedly going to be perpetrated by Teheran. In the Israeli and world press, the subject of the most intense scrutinizing and vilifying is none other than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; the man whose picture is associated with the Iranian threat, and whose hands are allegedly on the "Destroy Israel" button. He is, however, the wrong guy to focus on.

There is one person in Iran who is in charge. The entire armed forces and the three branches of the government operate under his guidance. He has complete control over foreign policy in the Islamic Republic, especially national security matters. He is above the law; in fact, he defines what is law. His words are God's words and his commands are considered sacred. This all powerful man is the Supreme Leader of Iran, the Leader of all Shias in the world, His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

If an Iranian wants to run for President, or the Parliament, or do any serious political activity, he visits the Ayatollah. After kissing his hand, he informs His Eminence of his proposed agenda. If the Ayatollah is against it, he will not dream of running for anything. If the Ayatollah is indifferent then he may give it a try, but he knows that he cannot push his luck. Ahmadinejad is no exception to this rule. He admits, proudly, that his life purpose is to serve Ayatollah Khamenei.

Why is it then that Ahmadinejad has grabbed the headlines? One reason is that he talks a lot and he is very crude. There are two speeches that stand out: one about 'wiping Israel off the map', and one about denying the Holocaust. I am no fan of Ahmadinejad. For the sake of Iran and Iranians, I hope we get rid of him in the elections next month. But I think on both of these issues, his words have been twisted.

First of all Ahmadinejad never said Israel should be "wiped off the map." If you read his speeches in Farsi, the word he uses is mahv which translates to "dissolve, disappear." In Farsi something becomes mahv because of forces of nature; it is not a word to use for 'wiping.'

Ahmadinejad's claim was that Israel will disappear as a Jewish state because it will be overwhelmed by the Arab population. Already, there is almost equal number of Arabs and Jews in Greater Palestine (Eretz Israel) and the number of Arabs is increasing at a much faster rate. Some of the more honest Israeli politicians, like FM Avigdor Lieberman, have voiced similar concerns.

The person translating Ahmadinejad's speech thought it would be cute to use the words "wipe out" to cause a sensation. News organizations, delighted by the hysteria caused by these words, followed suit. Overnight, Iran became an existential threat to Israel. No matter that his speech said something different in Farsi. No matter that he does not set Iran's foreign policy. No matter that Iran is in no position to attack Israel, given Israel's far superior military arsenal, including nuclear weapons, and America's unconditional support of Israel. The fear mongers had what they wanted and they have been running with it ever since.  

What about Ahmadinejad's notorious denial of the Holocaust? The context of this scandal was the intense pressure applied by the Western world on Iran regarding human rights and freedom of speech. To counter, Ahmadinejad claimed that the Islamic Republic was more tolerant than the West. To prove his assertion, he organized a conference to discuss whether the Holocaust happened (something that could be considered a crime in most Western countries). From the point of view of Iranians, the organization of this conference was the ultimate chutzpah.

Ahmadinejad never clarified whether he believed the Holocaust happened. But whether he does or not, it doesn't change the fact that six million innocent Jews were murdered. His ambiguity, while offensive, is inconsequential. His denial of the violation of the basic rights of his countrymen is, on the other hand, quite relevant. We live under an extremely oppressive regime. We know quite well what freedom of speech is and we know we are far from having this freedom.

In short, Ahmadinejad is misunderstood. More importantly, he is not the main player. Every citizen of Iran knows that while the president's policies are influential when it comes to domestic issues, especially the economy, with regards to sensitive issues like the nuclear standoff and the relationship with the West, it is Ayatollah Khamenei who has the first and the last word, and controls all the words that come in between.

It is his picture and words that should accompany any meaningful discussion of the Iranian role in the muddy waters of politics in the Middle East.