Monday
July 3 2000
We'll never know
I write concerning the recent article by Mr. Moallemian ["Let's face it"]
and the reply by Mr. Rismani ["Can't
a Jew ever be a spy?"]
The original article makes several valid points, which I will not repeat,
and makes a strong and accurate case for true justice. The comments in
the follow-up letter by Mr. Rismani, however, deserve comment.
The writer asks, rhetorically, whether a Jew can ever be a spy. The
answer is clearly yes. However, in this particular case, we likely will
never know the answer as the detailed accusations have not been made public,
the trial has been behind closed doors, the defense attorney's hands have
been tied in various ways including limited access to the defendants, the
"confessions" have been made under suspect circumstances, etc.
On top of all this, the same person has acted as investigator, prosecutor,
and judge. No reasonable person can expect that such a set-up would have
justice or truth as its outcome.
The question of why the world is sensitive to the plight of Jewish minorities
in various countries is a complex one. Much of it has to do with the long
history of Jewish persecution, both in the West and the East. As a primer
to the persecution of Jewish people in the Middle East, the reader is referred
to the well-documented book by Bernard Lewis titled "The
Jews of Islam" where the particularly harsh treatment in Iran
during the past four centuries can be noted.
Mr. Rismani clearly demonstrates his own prejudices both in tone of
the letter as well as the content where instead of using facts and reason,
he drags out the old and tired "Jewish-controlled media" and
"international politics" while at the same time, with a straight
face, accuses Mr. Moallemian of sensationalism and irresponsibility.
It is, indeed, because of the strong anti-Semitism among our compatriots,
which is so often and so proudly demonstrated, that cases such as these
are, and need to be, put under the microscope, and analyzed for fairness
and justice.
I. I. Rahmim
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