 "Photo: Nina Muehleck/Manitou Messenger")
The world’s leading Holocaust denier is secretly Jewish?
According to British newspaper The Daily Telegraph Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born a Jew. As many are probably aware, Ahmadinejad is well-known for his public statement that the Holocaust never occurred and for his continuous call for the destruction of Israel.
However, since the story about Ahmedinejad’s identity went international earlier this month, he has not commented on the validity of the claim that he is Jewish by birth. While it is surprising that this potential detail about his heritage took so long to be uncovered, it is not surprising that the blogger who first broke the story in Iran has been arrested.
The entire claim that he is a Jew is based on a photo taken during his election campaign. In it, he is holding his identity card. A close-up of the photo reveals that his previous family name was Sabourjian, a Jewish name meaning “cloth weaver.”
From a psychological perspective, this past history might explain why Ahmedinajad has been so persistent in anti-Jewish attacks. To firmly establish his identity among Iran’s radical Shia society, he has had to do all he could to condemn the Jewish faith and thus remove any suspicion of Jewish connections. This seems like a better explanation than claims that his actions were driven by a radical interpretation of Islam. It is far more detailed than the theory that he is on a Schadenfreude-inspired power trip.
While anti-Semitism in Iran has not manifested as violence, it is still a major problem. Jews, both by their own choice and by societal pressure, have secluded themselves from the rest of Iranian society. In addition, Jews face public restrictions such as not being able to hold key governmental offices unless they convert to Islam.
This situation is dangerous because no matter how prejudice begins, it almost always carries the threat of violence. This revelation about Ahmedinajad’s family history could easily trigger waves of anti-Semitic violence that Ahmedinajad’s own policies have fostered during his time in office.
This matter will probably not be resolved quickly because it seems that everyone has their own opinion about Ahmedinajad’s true heritage. For example, one Palestinian newspaper claims this story is just Israeli trickery intended to divert attention from their actions in the Gaza Strip.
One thing still uncertain is whether the revelation is actually a public relations stunt orchestrated by Ahmedinajad. With Iran’s brazen trumpeting of its nuclear capabilities and with the recent sentencing of three election protestors to death, Ahmedinajad does not need new ways to attract attention. But maybe, just maybe, Ahmedinajad was behind this and hoped that, if his Jewish roots were discovered, the world would look more favorably on him and his actions. After all, he does believe the entire Western world is in league with Israel.
Unfortunately, any favor he could have hoped to gain from this discovery was probably squashed when he publicly denied the Holocaust.
Ben Taylor ‘13 (taylorb@stolaf.edu) is froom Hoosick Falls, N.Y. His major is undecided.
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