1 , 1 2 Friday, January 26, 1919 Trr . THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Purely Commentary Iranian MuMim's Consistency: Appeal for Christian Love on One Page, Hatred for Jews on Another In the same breath in which he advocated an alliance with Israel's enemies for Israel's destruction, Ayatollah Khomeini, who is propagating Muslim control of Iran inserted an advertisement in the New York Times appeal- ing for the cooperation of Christians. He did not mention Israel in the advertisement, but his anti-Israel commitment appeared in the same issue in which he proposed an alliance with Christians. The curious may well ask: how will Christianity re- spond to such an appeal? Khomeini's must have been a $6,000 or $7,000 ad, and the free space given it here is in anticipation that those who see through a scheme of religious hypocrisy to resort to the confessional needed for religious honesty. Here is the Khomeini appeal to Christianity: THE MESSAGE OF AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI THE LEADER OF THE MUSLIM PEOPLE OF IRAN TO THE CHRISTIANS OF THE WORLD. In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful The blessings and greetings of Almighty God to the Blessed Jesus, the son of Mary, the spirit of God, and the glorious messenger who gave life to the dead, and awakened those who were asleep. The blessings and greetings of Almighty God to his glorious mother, the Virgin Mary, the truthful and heavenly woman, who, by divine spirit, sub- mitted such a great son to those who are thirsty for the heavenly blessings. Greetings to the clergy, priests and monks, who invite the souls of the unruly to calmness by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Greetings to the freedom-loving Christians, those who benefit from the divine teachings of Jesus, the spirit of God. I, in the name of the oppressed people of Iran, request you the Christian nations to pray during your holy days for our nation which is encumbered by a tyrant king, and to pray to the Almighty God for their deliverance. I request you the great nation to warn the leaders of some of the Christian countries who are supporting the tyr- ant shah with their Satanic power and crushing a nation under repression and tyranny, and make them aware of the teachings of Blessed Jesus. I request the Christian clergy to advise the leaders of some of the powerful countries, and to con- demn their support for the one who has turned away from the divine teachings. The Holy Quran has mentioned Blessed Christ with greatness and holy Mary with purity. It is the obligation of the Christians to fulfill their duty to the Muslim nation. In peace, Rouhollah Mussavi Khomeini For the historically-informed Christian there is noth- ing new in the knowledge that the Koran, that the Muslim faith, leans a great deal on Judaism and Christianity, that Moses and Jesus are acknowledged as factors in human faith. It is when the fanatic utilizes these names as appeals to hatred that their motivations become subject to challenge. Ayatollah Khomeini's message was addressed to Christians. There is another text in which he spoke as the Muslim anti-Jewish advocate of genocide. In "Islamic Gov- ernment," Khomeini's book which was based on lectures he gave in Iraq in 1970, he states: Today, at a time when imperialism and its agents among the traitorous rulers together with Zionism and atheistic materialism are joining forces to pervert and mutilate Islam, our respon- siblity is greater than at any time in the past. Be- fore us we see the Jews making a mockery of the Koran, and distorting its text in the new editions printed in the occupied lands and elsewhere. It is our duty to reveal this treachery and to shout at the top of our voices until people under- stand that the Jews and their foreign masters are plotting against Islam and are preparing the way for the Jews to rule over the entire planet. I greatly fear that, by their own special methods, they will indeed realize their desired aims. It is because of our own weakness that we may wake up one morning and find a Jewish ruler dominating our country — God forbid! . . . In Teheran, Christian, Zionist and Bahai missionary centers issue their publications in order to mis- lead people and to alienate them from the teach- ings and principles of religion. Is it not our duty to demolish these centers? The terror to be anticipated from the "Khomeini Vi- sion" was summarized in excerpts from the Iranian Muslim spokesman's policies which include these gifts for Jews: The 'Consistency and Appeals for Ecumenical Support for a Muslim Religious Fanatic Are in Question . . . Concern Intensifies for the Iranian Jewish Community • . .. There is no room for opinions or feelings in the system of Islamic government; rather, the Prophet and the Imams (Muslim leaders) and the people all follow the wish of God and his laws. • In our day . . . the government authority and management over the people, as well as the collec- tion and expenditure of revenues, has been entrusted to the religious experts. Verily, God will punish and call to account anyone who takes issue with their authority. • We want a ruler who-would cut off the hand of his own son if he steals, and would flog and stone his near relative if he fornicates. It is for Christians to judge whether they are secure under fanatical Muslim domination. Look to Lebanon for an answer! The very appeal for love is in all evidence shrouded in dangers. One can't appeal for help from Chris- tians without naming all elements in a country's popula- tion as objects for security. Therefore, there is suspicion amid the invitation to those reading a terror-inciting Mus- lim's appeal for love, found in another section of the paper in which the paid-for appeal is sensationalized. One can't preach love on one page and advocate hatred on another. Iran's 80,000 Jews Endangered by Muslim Fundamentalism Iran's 80,000 Jews — ORT gives the number as 90,000, but the 80,000 quoted by other sources seems more correct — are in danger. Muslim fundamentalists are on the road to assuming power there and their animosity to Jews is becoming more apparent daily. Only 1,000 Jews have left Iran in recent weeks, since the situation became more ominous. Since the rebirth of the state of Israel about 62,000 Iranian Jews settled in Israel and the present Jewish population has become so secure economically that emigration has come to a standstill. In behalf of the American Jewish Committee, an impor- tant memo has been prepared on Iran by Abraham S. Kar- likow and George E. Gruen. The background they have traced and the analysis of the current conditions in Iranian Jewry serve to define this critical period. Here is a major portion -of their analytical memorandum: By far the great majority of Iran's 80,000 Jews . . . seek to- go about their daily business, even while keeping a very low profile, apparently fear- ful that the anti-Shah hostility be turned against them and other non-Moslem minorities. In keep- ing with this, there has been some internal move- ment, from the smaller and more remote Jewish communities, where approximately 6,000 Jews had been living, into the large centers where they feel less isolated. Jewish cultural and welfare institutions such as the Alliance Israelite Universelle, the ORT, the Joint Distribution Committee and Ozar Hatorah have stood firm, trying to operate when possible and at the very least to maintain presence, as they wait for the situation to clarify. While several recent Jewish deaths have been reported, along with the burning down of a hotel and of some houses belonging to Jews, attacks twice against the El Al office in Teheran, and the invasion of the offices of one Jewish welfare in- stitution, this all seems to have been part of much larger anti-regime demonstrations and incidental to them rather than directed against Jews per se. What have abounded, though, are anti-Jewish threats and anti-Israel expressions. Several Jews received letters warning death, as did foreigners. A group known as the Moslem Youth League demonstrates to the rhythm of anti-Jewish chants and slogans. Religious leaders like the Ayatollah Shariat-Maderi of Qum have warned that Jews had better not become the defenders of "Zionist aggression." Increasingly the distinction between Israel and native Jews has become blurred in the popular mind as extremist groups use "Zionist" as a synonym for "Jew." For example, one pamphlet sent to Iranian Jewish homes threatens: "Filthy Zionist, you sucked the blood of this poor nation. Soon, together with all your brothers, we will make ground meat out of you." The pamphlet was emblazoned with swastikas and signed, "The Nazis of Iran." In response to the resurgence of such anti-Semitic threats, the government has found it necessary to guard synagogues with troops. The key figure sparking the revolt against the Shah, the religious leader Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, has lashed out in his writings against Zionism as seeking, together with imperialism, to "pervert and multilate Iran." He has charged Jews with "making a mockery of the Koran" as By Philip Slornovitz "the Jews and their foreign masters are plotting against Iran and are preparing the way for Jews to rule over the entire planet . ." And more than one placard carried through streets in marches has read, "The Shah is a Jew." Yasir Arafat, the head of the. Palestine Libera- tion Organization, announced in Beirut on Jan. 7 , that the PLO had formed an alliance with Ayatol- lah Khomeini. This confirmed earlier reports that Arafat had sent an envoy to Khomeini in France offering all the assistance "within the PLO's capacity" to help depose the Shah. The Ayatollah expressed appreciation of the PLO offer and in turn assured the Palestinians of his support. In an interview with Le Monde (Paris), May 6, 1978, Khomeini had already cited the Shah's policy of support for Israel as one of the reasons for his opposition to the regime. "By maintaining dip- lomatic relations with Israel and granting eco- nomic aid to that country, the Shah is going against the interests of Islam and the Moslems," the Ayatollah said, "because Israel has usurped a Moslem people's land . ." He went on to strongly urge "Moslems throughout the world to unite and fight their enemies, including Israel." The statement by Premier Bakhtiar that he thought his government would cut off the- Iranian oil supply to Israel is seen as a clear signal por- tending shifts away from what had been effective though quiet Iranian relations with Israel in eco- nomic and other fields. Israel has been getting about 60 percent of its oil from Iran, and its an- nual exports to Iran have reached $200 million. - Iranian Jews are quite mindful that theirs is virtually the only Jewish community of any size still to be found in any Moslem land, apart from the 20,000 or so living in tranquility in Morocco and the somewhat larger number in Turkey. The last three decades have seen nearly one million Jews forced to quit Middle East Moslem lands, either because of active persecution, as in Iraq, or because of psychological and economic pressures upon them. Up to now, the situation of Iranian Jews has been a shining exception. These same three de- cades had seen Iranian Jews substantially im- prove their condition as they moved out of truly horrible ghetto quarters, sharing in Iran's eco- nomic progress and "white revolution," and gain- ing both general and Jewish education. Jewish religious and cultural life has gone on unimpeded. While some 62,000 of Iran's Jews emigrated to Israel, outward movement fell to a trickle as life bettered significantly in recent years. Israel's unofficial but effective presence in the country, including regular service by its airline, and knowledge that there was full freedom of movement all contributed to the Iranian Jews' sense of well-being in Iran. The dramatic events of the past few months have shattered this. The thrust of Moslem fun- damentalism is certain to cut Jews and other non-Moslem minorities out of the mainstream of Iranian society and deprive them of opportunities which in recent years had increasingly become open to them. Moreover, Iranian Jews are fearful that the flames of Islamic fanaticism may again threaten their very existence as Jews, recalling the fate of the Jewish community of Meshed, in northeastern Iran, all of whom were forcibly con- verted to Islam in 1839 after an enraged mob had poured into the Jewish -quarter, burned the synagogue and destroyed the Torah scrolls. While many Iranian Jews are now seriously considering leaving the country that has been their home for some 2,500 years, departure today is made difficult by the new restrictions on the transfer of money out of the country and the fact that for most Iranian Jews, their assets are tied up in their homes and businesses. Moslem neighbors now taunt them that they will soon be forced to sell their property for a song or abandon it al- together. Yet Iran's Jews hold on, wondering whether the , new government, despite all, may still bring a measure of greater calm to the country and some semblance of the harmony that they knew until but a few months ago. Dangers loom for Iran's Jews. Will Iran become part of the hate-festering Arab world? Are 80,000 more Jews con- fronting disaster? How much can world Jewry provide, via Israel? Is there to be a repetition, first of Munich and then of another Holocaust? Israeli and world Jewish leaders are not sitting idly by. They are concerned. Their anxieties are fed by a major problem. Once again there is the outcry — whence cometh help?