[donaldscrankshaw] Donald: Iranian Jews for Jesus?

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Posted by Donald:
Iranian Jews for Jesus?
http://www.donaldscrankshaw.com/posts/1175656155.shtml


   Now [1]this is interesting. It's supposedly a press release from the
   Jews living in Iran in support of their government (hat tip Michael
   Rubin in [2]The Corner):

     The Association of Iranian Jewsâ¦renewed its commitment in a
     message issued on the threshold of the Jewish religious festival of
     the Passover, which starts Monday night.
     "In obedience to the instructions of Jesus, in the new Iranian
     year, which has been declared year of national unity and Islamic
     solidarity, Iranian Jews voice their readiness to defend all
     national interests of Iranians and to observe the guidelines set by
     Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei) for the sake of
     strengthening national unity and solidarity in the fight against
     present-day pharaohs," the message said.

   Notice the reference to Jesus. Now, I'm hardly an expert on Iranian
   Jews, but to quote Jesus not just approvingly, but as a source of
   authority who should be obeyed, does not represent orthodox Jewish
   beliefs. While there could very well be Christian Jews in Iran, I
   doubt they're in charge of the Association of Iranian Jews. So what
   can we make of this? Pure propaganda written by the Iranian
   government, whose knowledge of Judaism and Christianity is equally
   abysmal, or, as Michael Rubin suggests, are "Iranian Jews living in
   the Islamic Republic (there are still around 20,000) ... signaling
   that something is very wrong"? Either way, it fails to convincingly
   demonstrate the support of Iranian Jews for the revolutionary
   government.

References

   1. http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0704014039125858.htm
   2. http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTBmNzE2ZmMzZmI0ZjMwNjRiMzYzODg2YTUxMjc4M2M=