|
Iranian Newspaper Slams Canadian PM Stephen Harper |
|
|
|
Written by Staff
|
|
Wednesday, 24 May 2006 |
An online edition of Iran's Tehran Times has blasted Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper over his remarks following last week's article published in Canada's National Post which claimed that the Iranian government were ready to pass a bill into law which would require all members of religious minorities in that country to wear coloured badges in which to identify them. The National Post emphasized that Iranian Jews would be required to wear yellow badges similar to badges worn by Jews in Nazi Germany during the second world war.
The story was quickly discounted later that same day but not before Prime Minister Harper commented to reporters during a press conference. When asked about the supposed Iranian bill Mr. Harper said, "Unfortunately, we've seen enough already from the Iranian regime to suggest that it is very capable of this kind of action. We've seen a number of things from the Iranian regime that are along these lines. It boggles the mind that any regime on the face of the Earth would want to do anything that could remind people of Nazi Germany."
The Tehran Times wonders if Mr. Harper's remarks were simply a "gaffe" or "deliberate disinfo". The paper accuses Mr. Harper of being in the "habit of making hasty judgements on Iran" and joins other western leaders who harbour a "biased view" of Iran based on misinformation.
The paper goes on to accuse the Canadian government of using the death of Zahra Kazemi to further its anti-Iranian campaign with the UN Human Rights Committee. Ms.Kazemi was the Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who was raped, tortured and ultimately beaten to death in an Iranian prison in 2003.
The paper asks rhetorically how Mr. Harper can make such unsubstantiated statements about Iran and Iranian policy and points out that any westerner visiting that country has discovered that Iran is far different than the picture painted by western leaders and media.
The issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions were also addressed in the article which stated that charges of Iran enriching uranium in order to produce nuclear weapons was "baseless". Even so, according to the article, countries like Canada and Australia continue to support the United States' agenda against Iran.
Mr. Harper was offered some free advice by the newspaper - he should consider the false reports on badges a lesson and avoid uttering "unsubstantiated claims against Iran" because "lies prove scandalous sooner or later and the truth will eventually prevail." |
