Untuk beragama memang ada kebebasan. Cuma jika kaum Yahudi berusaha memonopoli ekonomi/kekuasaan dengan berbagai cara, itu cerita lain.
--- Kartono Mohamad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > -------Original Message--- > > > (Photograph) > > A Synagogue amid mosques: A Jewish man at the > Yousefabad Synagogue last > month in Tehran, Iran. Some 25,000 to 30,000 Jews > live relatively freely > among the country's majority Shiite Muslims. > > Scott Peterson/Getty Images > > In Ahmadinejad's Iran, Jews still find a space > > Some 25,000 Jews still live in Iran and many say > that President Mahmoud > Ahmadinejad's fiery anti-Israeli rhetoric is about > politics, not religion. > > By Scott > <http://www.csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/encryptmail.pl?ID=B2B0B0B4B0B3B0B1B1B6B2B3 > B4B6&url=/2007/0427/p01s03-wome.html> Peterson | > Staff writer of The > Christian Science Monitor > > Reporters on the Job > > We share the story behind the story > <http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0427/p06s02-wogn.html> > . > > TEHRAN, Iran - Enmity runs deep between arch-foes > Iran and Israel. And that > confrontation complicates the lives of Iranian Jews, > who make up the largest > community of Jews in the Middle East outside the > Jewish state. > > Iran's Jews are buffeted by inflammatory rhetoric > from President Mahmoud > Ahmadinejad about "wiping Israel off the map" and > denying the Holocaust, and > a politically charged environment that often equates > all Jews with Israel > and routinely witnesses the burning of the "enemy" > flag. > > But despite what appears to be a dwindling minority > under constant threat of > persecution, Iranian Jews say they live in relative > freedom in the Islamic > Republic, remain loyal to the land of their birth, > and are striving to > separate politics from religion. > > They caution against comparing Iran's official and > visceral opposition to > the creation of Israel and Zionism with the regime's > acceptance of Jews and > Judaism itself. > > "If you think Judaism and Zionism are one, it is > like thinking Islam and the > Taliban are the same, and they are not," says Ciamak > Moresadegh, chairman of > the Tehran Jewish Committee. "We have common > problems with Iranian Muslims. > If a war were to start, we would also be a target. > When a missile lands, it > does not ask if you are a Muslim or a Jew. It > lands." > > The continuous Jewish presence in Iran predates > Islam by more than a > millennium. One wave came when Jews sought to escape > Assyrian king > Nebuchadnezzar II around 680 BC; others were freed > from slavery by Cyrus the > Great with the conquest of Babylon some 140 years > later. > > Anti-Semitism historically 'rare' > > Historically, say Jewish leaders, anti-Semitism here > is rare, a fact they > say is often lost on critics outside, especially in > Israel, where many > Iranian Jews have relatives. Still, the Jewish > community has thinned by more > than two-thirds since Iran's 1979 Islamic > revolution, to some 25,000; the > largest exodus took place soon after the Islamic > Republic was formed, though > a modest flow out continues. > > "Our problem is that the Israel issue is not solved, > and that affects us > here," says one Iranian Jew who asked not to be > named. > > But that does not affect every Iranian Jew. Surgeon > Homayoun Mohaber > measures his nationalism in blood, and bits of metal > the kind of support > that Iranian Jews say has defined their small > community's ties to Iran. > > During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, as an Iranian > military surgeon, Dr. > Mohaber conducted more than 900 frontline > operations, was himself wounded, > and gave blood twice to save fellow Iranian > soldiers. > > Today, in his Tehran clinic, he keeps a jar full of > bullets and shrapnel > fragments, extracted during the war from wounded > soldiers. > > "The relations between Jews and Muslims, between 70 > million Muslims and > 30,000 Jews, are very good," says Mohaber. "In > Israel, the situation for > Iranian Jews is quite misunderstood." > > "[The Islamic regime] made very good respect for me > all the time, and did > not care about my religion after the revolution," > says Mohaber, who avoided > a general purge of Jews from the officer ranks after > Iran's 1979 Islamic > revolution. > > But some episodes have shaken those who remain. In > 1999, charges of spying > for Israel were brought against 13 Jews in Shiraz > and Isfahan, sparking a > new exodus and widespread fear. > > Amid a welter of international criticism, 10 of > those charged were handed > sentences later shortened that ranged from four > to 13 years in prison. > > Jews in Tehran at the time told the Monitor of their > fears that "Zionist > groups connected with the US" were hurting their > cause by using the issue > against Iran. Today, all 13 are free, and remain > living in Iran. > > "The effect [of the Shiraz cases] was very bad," > recalls Mohaber. "But they > have rectified it. I think it was a political case > between Iran and Israel." > > Fine line between faith and politics > > The saga underscored the delicate line Iranian Jews > draw daily between their > religion and politics. Outside Iran, "they think our > condition is very bad, > living as a minority in a religious country, with > law based on Islamic law," > says Mr. Moresadegh, of the Jewish Committee. > > He notes "some difficulties," including restrictions > on government > employment, but says that Mr. Ahmadinejad's > questioning of the Holocaust, > while very unwelcome, "has no effect on our daily > life." The president's > fierce anti-Zionist speeches culminated with Iran > hosting a controversial > Holocaust conference last December. > > "It is quite clear that a bunch of Zionist racists > are the problem the > modern world is facing today," the president said in > his Iranian New Year > message on March 21. They aim "to keep the world in > a state of hardship, > poverty, and grudge and strengthen their rule. The > great nation of Iran is > opposed to this inhuman trend." > > The Iranian Foreign Ministry recently facilitated a > day-long visit to > significant Jewish sites in Tehran for the > diplomatic corps. Privately, > Iranian officials said the event was designed to > reassure Iranian Jews, > after unease over the December conference. > > Jewish leaders portrayed themselves as ordinary > Iranians, facing the same > problems and with the same aspirations for their > nation. > > "The Jewish community was probably one of the first > [minority groups] to > join in with the revolution, and in this way gave > many martyrs," Maurice > Motamed, holder of the one seat set aside for Jews > in Iran's 290-seat > parliament, told the diplomats. "And after that, > during the eight years of > the imposed [Iran-Iraq] war, there were many martyrs > and disabled given to > Iranian society." > > "Every revolution is followed by some issues, > problems, and restrictions [on > minorities]," said Mr. Motamed. "Fortunately, all > these effects have been > completely removed in the last ten years." > > The diplomatic tour with a number of Foreign > Affairs Ministry officials > visited a Jewish school, a home for the elderly, a > community center, and one > of 100 synagogues left from Iran, during Friday > Sabbath prayers. > > "We have obviously had migration out of Iran," says > Afshin Seleh, a teacher > of Jewish heritage with a white yarmulke skullcap, > who says he loses two to > three students per year in classes of up to 30. Upon > the walls of the Jewish > school are portraits of revolution leader Ayatollah > Ruhollah Khomeini, and > Iran's current supreme religious leader. > > "There have been different voices [coming] from the > government, so people > felt unsafe," says Mr. Seleh. "But our existence > here has always been > separate from politics in Iran, and we always had > peaceful coexistence with > the Muslim community." > > Part of that coexistence has been gratitude for the > Dr. Sapir Hospital, a > Jewish charity hospital that would have closed years > ago, but for subsidies > from Jews inside and outside Iran, doctors say. > > During the 1979 revolution, the hospital refused to > hand over those wounded > in clashes with the security forces of the pro-West > Shah Reza Pahlavi. > Ayatollah Khomeini later sent a personal > representative to express his > thanks. Ahmadinejad, too, has made a $27,000 > donation. > > Still, the Iran-Israel standoff has spilled over > into many avenues of life > here, with varied results for Iranian Jews. > > Strong anti-Zionist undercurrents developed in Iran > and across the Middle > East since Israel's creation in 1948. Those views > came to a boil in Tehran > after the 1967 war, when Israel crushed Arab foes > and occupied the West > Bank, Gaza, and Sinai. That war marked a turning > point in Iranians' > attitudes toward the Jewish state, and sometimes > toward Iranian Jews. > > During the Asian Cup final in 1968 (which Iran won, > 2-1) Iranian fans wore > eye patches and chanted abusive slogans, to mock the > Israeli defense chief > Moshe Dayan. According to published reminiscences, > "some homes of Jews in > Tehran were attacked and set on fire." > > In a match-up between Iran and Israel in the final > of the 1974 Asian Games > in Tehran, protesters against Israel, members of > then-shadowy Islamic > groups, prepared to attack the Israeli soccer team. > > "Our aim and dream," recalls Ezat Shahi, identified > as a "revolutionary > fighter" in recently published memoirs, "was to > create an event similar to > the 1972 Munich Olympics, when the Israeli team was > taken hostage by > Palestinian gunmen from "Black September," in a > standoff that left 11 > Israeli athletes dead. > > Security measures forced protesters to scale back > those plans, but rioting > broke out that night. > > "On that night, [the authorities] couldnt prevent > people from doing what > they wanted," says a witness who asked not to be > named. "As soon as Israel > expanded its power [in the 1967 war] and oppressed > the Palestinians, even > the liberal part of Iranian society started to call > them Zionists." Those > flames, encouraged by Islamist groups that would > play a key role in the 1979 > revolution, helped define the Islamic Republic's > opposition to Israel but > not necessarily to Iranian Jews. > > "There is always [talk] outside the country that > religious minorities are > under pressure," says Mr. Motamed. "It is important > to say that what people > say about minorities is completely wrong," > > "Jews here have great Iranian roots they love > Iran," says chairman > Moresadegh. "Personally, I would stay in Iran no > matter what. I speak in > English, I pray in Hebrew, but my thinking is > Persian." > > For one Iranian Olympian, national pride trumped > medal dreams > > TEHRAN, Iran Pausing during a workout, Iran's judo > ace Arash Miresmaeli > speaks of past broken dreams, and his future ones. > > "All the hopes and wishes of an athlete are for an > Olympic medal," says the > lithe double world champion. "Every athlete would > withstand the hardest > practice, to the point of death, for Olympic gold." > > Mr. Miresmaeli paid one price, training hard enough > to put himself in medal > contention at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. But > one round required > competing against an athlete from Israel a sworn > enemy of Iran. > > So the Iranian felt he had no choice but to pay > another heartbreaking and > controversial price: He pulled out of the games, and > reset his medal dreams > to Beijing in 2008. > > That decision cast a stark light on the standoff > between Iran and Israel, > and how it can color every aspect of potential > contact. Even as it was > officially lauded in Iran, the decision was decried > in Israel and the West > as an unsavory mixing of politics and sport. > > "When I am sent to another country [to compete], I > am a symbol of my people > and my nation," says Miresmaeli, his cauliflower > ears testament to years in > the sport. "When this decision is made, it should be > for a nation, not a > person ... for the principles of my country." > > "Muslims of the world are all brothers. When one > brother is oppressed, all > Muslims unite to support that person," says > Miresmaeli. "This was a good > move to show the world there is an oppressed people > in Palestine being > killed, innocently." > > The judo champion returned home a hero, feted by the > regime as if he had won > gold. Today, a banner over the mats of the national > judo team heralds > Miresmaeli as an "envoy of the revolution," and > shows him receiving an > embrace from Iran's supreme religious leader, > Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei. > > It reads: "This kiss and hundreds of others we offer > to you." > > http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0427/p01s03-wome.html?s=hns > > Sw > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > removed] > > === Ingin belajar Islam sesuai Al Qur'an dan Hadits? Kirim email ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.media-islam.or.id __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
