They May Not Want The Bomb

Mr. Zakaria would do well to remember that the Koran teaches Muslims that is ok to decieve your enemies, I.E. to lie, so as to gain the upper hand in conflict that will ensure victory. The words of despots, tyrants and dictators are carefully crafted and nurtured in the womb of political debate, so as to buy the time they need to strike when they so choose. Germany and Japan in the 30's, North Korea in the 50's, Viet Nam inthe 60's, and Iran in the 21st century all operated in a fog of diplomacy that occluded their march toward world conquest and war. It was Sir Winston Churchill who said, "The farther backwards you look, the further forward you can see". Perhaps it is time we listened to the words of that noble statesman before we, along with the rest of the world, see ourselves standing at the edge of the precipice.

The Iranians may be a little ignorant about current world situations about and too naive about democracy. There are only two kinds of nations on this planet. First, those who are controlled and occupied by the United States. Second, those who are truely independent and enemies of the U. S.. If they don't elect Ahmadinejad then they will become a colony of the United States. Therefore stop wasting time, prepare "A MAD DINNER JUST" for their continuing President Ahmadinejad.

Really I cannot understand the mind you think with. what is the problem with Iran? Did Iran invide other countries ( Irak for example)? Did Iran use NW ( as USA did for Example)? Did Iran refuse to cooperate with IAEA ? is Iran a monster ? ... the answer is no, it did not. the nuclear power is a right not a fever from "Fat Countries". I invite you Sir to write about "the loved baby" Isreal who has thousand of Nw, who refuses the Non-Proliferation treaty. why you close your eyes?

Our support for Israel undermines our moral decency, and thus our moral authority.

If we wanted to give the Jews a homeland because the Europeans treated them badly, we should have negotitated that in Europe after WWII, or just welcome the Jews in the US.

There is nothing that stops the Jews in the US from concentrating in a low population state, as the Mormons have done.

The better policy still would be to offer Jews in Israel US passports, and end our support for Israel.

Jews are wonderful people with a tough history. But that's no reason to think it's in anyone's best interests to force Arabs to make way for European abuses. And for Palestinians -- who were 90% of Palestine in 1917 when the British first promised Jews a Jewish state ''in Palestine", (then a British colonly) -- to be denied their natural right to evolve to a demcracy.

The gypsies also don't have a country, because of things that happened centuries ago. Same for many native tribes in the Americas.

But the Mormon experience shows what is possible within our borders, where we do have moral authority.

If the Jews in Israel get nuked, what will we then do? Begin Armageddon? Say it was all the Arabs fault? They have been clear since 1917 that they oppose a Jewish state. And the facts back them up. The onus is on us, who support the Jews, to do right by them in our country. Not to support them in an increasingly risky dream of rolling back the clock 2000 years to have a Jewish nation.

As shown in Califrornia, where Mexican migration is changing the demographics and power, democracy doesn't go in for race declarations. The heavily Jewish ACLU is the first to cry foul when ideas of maintaining a white California are suggested. But they argue just the opposite -- for a Jewish democracy -- in Israel.

These are good people. Beset with human bias in their own favor. Very common. Just as US Jews helped southern whites act in more biblical fashion (against their will) by helping end Jim Crow, other people of conscience should help Jews end the moral farce they are perpetuating via Israel in Palestine.

Newsweek should rename this article, "Everything You Think You Know About Iran is Incomplete." Especially given the fact that the most underreported large story in the West about Iran is the ongoing, unforgiving repression of the Baha'i community there.

Journalist Roxana Saberi may have drawn a lot of attention when she was recently freed in Tehran's notorious Evin prison after a 3 month stay, however some 30 Baha'is remain incarcerated there for over a year, under false pretenses, with no due process and no access to their lawyer, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi. Currently the imprisoned 7 member Baha'i leadership in Iran may be facing the death penalty soon, for the crime of simply being Baha'i. Perhaps because these Baha'is were neither American nor journalists is one reason why the Western media avoided covering this story widely.

However the facts behind why the Baha'is are being imprisoned are very important for Westerners to understand -- the community's mere presence in Iran (the largest religious minority, with over 300,000 members, much larger than the Christian and Jewish populations) can be perceived as a serious threat challenge to the Iranian status quo.

So what do Baha'is believe in that is so threatening to the Iranian leadership?

--the Baha'i Faith believes in the unity of all the world's major religions as one common faith from God, from Judaism and Hinduism up through Islam and beyond.

--Baha'is reject any clergy and they participate in an elected, spiritual democracy that shuns any form of campaigning or electioneering.

--Baha'is also believe in world peace, the equality of women and men, the harmony of science and religion, the independent investigation of truth, among some of the more famous principles.

--To boot, Baha'is also are to remain obedient to their government, no matter how bad, how corrupt, and even if they throw them in prison. NIce guys seem to finish last.

All of the above principles seemingly conflict with current designs of the Iranian government. And these principles are very appealing to a disillusioned Iranian public--which in turn has led to the severe crackdown on the practice of the Baha'i Faith in Iran.

To imagine that these principles originated in Iran in the mid-19th century, well before they were accepted in the West, may be surprising to Westerners, who may view the Middle East as "backwards" or not progressive. It's also interesting to note how in the current reporting about all the posturing and threats of war between the East and West, that the Baha'i message--which could arguably illumine the discussion between the two sides--is being silenced amidst the noise.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/1510900/Iranian-fatwa-approves-use-of-nuclear-weapons.html

Looks like there was a Fatwa in 2006 that approved of the development and use of nuclear weapons. Looks like Fareed is leaving out a lot of information that he doesn't want to share with the readers. Looks like this article is pure hackery.

Here's what I think I know about Iran.

1) They held a number of our diplomats hostage for over 400 days.
2) Their President stated that "Israel should be wiped from the face of the Earth".
3) The same guy stated that The Holocaust never happened.
4) The same guy states that they are not after Nuclear Weapons.

Now, which of the above four statements is "wrong"?

Israel has atomic weapons no might about it,IAEA and US intelligence reports state categorically that Iran does not have a weapons program.Under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty-to which Iran but not Israel is a signatory-Iran is entitled to master the complete nuclear cycle INCLUDING URANIUM ENRICHMENT.Israel on the other hand has a reactor at Dimona designed and used to produce plutonium for weapons.During the 1973 war Israel armed planes with nuclear bombs and clearly would have used them had the tide of war not been turned with the aid of US rearmaments and resupply.I have seen no credible reports of Iran threatening to attack Israel I have read, almost daily reports on what Israel intends to do against a country which has not attacked another country in anyones living memory[Iran did not attack Iraq it was indisputably the other way round].

That's totally wrong assumption one can make. Ayatollahs and revolutionaries want bomb, there is no doubt about it and you better think again but Iranian people, they don't want bomb, and they want peace.

Fariborz Shamshiri
http://www.rottengods.com

Bravo to Fareed again for bucking the hysteria and pointing out the eminently rational: that Iran is not suicidal and would not be willing to use nuclear weapons against a state capable of vaporizing them, unless existentially threatened.

Bibi had better stop quoting Torah about the Amalekites. That is amongst the most despicable references in any holy book out there. And I have read most of the major ones. The Christians have used those racist ideas in that book for 1700 yrs against Jews, and everybody else. Netanyahu and the Israeli "democracy" should know better than to spout out that kind of racist nationalist rubbish, which has no place in the 21st Century. There are plenty of other lessons for him to have learned from Torah, and I suggest he re-learn them or learn them for the first time! He uses that stuff at his own peril. That stuff is the jet fuel for much of the hatred in the world between Jews, Christians, and Muslims, which is just about all the danger spots in the whole world, with no end in sight. And rising anti-semitism everywhere including the US because of this lousy stance they've taken since setting up Oslo to fail with settlements since Shamir. And those hateful ideas were originated by nation state manifesto writers in the Kingdom of Judah in 500BC! They don't exist in Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, or Confucianism. Only in the Three Monotheists. The causes of so many of our troubles today.

"have to go the way of the dodo". And I suppose your disappointed that the Third Reich was stopped before causing the entire Jewish population from "going the way of the dodo"? Speaks volumes about what you are.

Let's take a look at the real facts and current situation without hypothesis...because Zakaria's article is only an ideal hypothesis.
The reality of the situation is that Iran's government has engaged in belic rhetoric since the beginning of its administration. A nation that wants to be respected and yet contracdicts the UN, EU and counterparts every time it gets a chance. Iran continues to produce terrorists trained in their own backyard..not only physicaly but also with their ideology. Iran continues the trading of weapons, intelligence and training with hamas, hezbollah and more and it is a known fact.
And can you find anything more belic and threatening than pubicly announce the desire to wipe off a whole country and their people because of their beliefs. And even more threatening is the fact that by enriching nuclear weapons their intentions could be accomplished..not only against Israel but also anybody trying to stop them.
Mr. Zakaria, we don't live in a fairy tale world so wake up and smell the stinky reality.