Saturday
Oct312009
Iran: Human Rights is a Problem...in the US and Europe
Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 8:42
Latest from Iran (30 October): Now to the Real Contest
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Sometimes a political move is so audacious that --- for all the pain and tragedy that it obscures --- you have to tip your hat at the hypocrisy.
Iran's delegation at the United General Assembly cut loose yesterday, criticising the US, Canada and European Union for human rights violations. One Iranian concern was that “racial and religious prejudice have increased in the EU countries in the past few years. Muslims and religious minorities are verbally and physically attacked and are often barred from job opportunities." Another was that in the United States, "ethnic minorities and residents who are originally from Africa or Latin America are the victims of prejudice and deprived of human rights".
However, it was what followed that turned my interest into wonder: "The Iranians went on to say that police in the EU countries have 'resorted to torture and violence'." In Canada, “Native women are the victims of police violence and rape. They are kept in mixed prisons in which they are inevitably bothered by either their cellmates or prison staff.”
Where is the Iranian Jon Stewart when you need him?
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
Sometimes a political move is so audacious that --- for all the pain and tragedy that it obscures --- you have to tip your hat at the hypocrisy.Iran's delegation at the United General Assembly cut loose yesterday, criticising the US, Canada and European Union for human rights violations. One Iranian concern was that “racial and religious prejudice have increased in the EU countries in the past few years. Muslims and religious minorities are verbally and physically attacked and are often barred from job opportunities." Another was that in the United States, "ethnic minorities and residents who are originally from Africa or Latin America are the victims of prejudice and deprived of human rights".
However, it was what followed that turned my interest into wonder: "The Iranians went on to say that police in the EU countries have 'resorted to torture and violence'." In Canada, “Native women are the victims of police violence and rape. They are kept in mixed prisons in which they are inevitably bothered by either their cellmates or prison staff.”
Where is the Iranian Jon Stewart when you need him?
Reader Comments (5)
I almost felt like someone punched me in the heart, reading that.
Yesterday Mohsen Kadivar asked Obama to focus on the democracy movement in Iran instead of the nuclear issue: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE59T4O820091030
In an unprecented move he had declared the end of the Islamic Republic earlier, enumerating 15 fundamental mistakes, including the hostage-taking in 1979.
There are numerous incentives for human rights from Iranian expats, unfortunately Western media and public do not care.
What Hyporcrisy! Presstv reported on this and incidentally over the past few hours a lot of Iranians posted blasting the article. The thing to notice is the number of comments that are removed. If you monitor the article you will find the majority of anti regime posts get removed. I have also tried to post but it shoots you back to the home page which is happening right now. This type of censoring usually happens with articles on the leader or anything to do with Moussavi or reform movement. When my posts do get through they usually only last a half hour or so. I have rarely seen a post of mine last more than a few hours let a lone a day.
This is in line with Iranian government understanding of human rights as a rhetorical weapon to be used against enemy states instead of as a universal moral imperative grounded in reality. As far as they're concerned, there is no such thing as human rights. They are a phony invention of the west's cultural imperialism, designed to bring down independent nations. Criticizing the US and Europe is just a matter of "giving the West a taste of its own medicine."
I used to think all of their rhetoric was tongue in cheek. That they know it's absurd but they don't give a crap. They have the guns and that's that (that's how I read into Ahmadinejad's idiotic smile). But after reading about Hamid Rasaee's reaction to student protesters on the Pedestrian blog (http://www.sidewalklyrics.com/?p=2021) I'm beginning to think that these ***holes really believe their own nonsense.
Which, betrays their blindness and/or irrationality and, I hope, the inevitability of their failure. Almost all the smart and well informed Iranians are in the other camp...
This is absolutely absurd, a page from the Theater of the Absurd. Who do they think they are fooling? It is also disgusting in light of proven, and real torture, rape, murder, and all sorts of barbaric acts done in actual Iranian prisons to numerous innocent youths who simply exercised their constitutional right of peaceful demonstration. The only reaction this misguided statement by them brings about is to actually see how totally out of touch with reality they are, and how much they rely on lies and deceit. No more! The freedom loving people of the world and all who value truth will unite against them against their barbaric brutality and will demonstrate the despotic nature of this regime.