Jewish writer raises a storm in America with his report from a 'tolerant' Iran

[grassfed]

Jewish writer raises a storm in America with his report from a 'tolerant' Iran
Paul Harris in New York
The Observer Sunday 29 March 2009

A row has broken out over allegations of antisemitism at the New York Times, America's most vaunted name in journalism and a newspaper with a large Jewish readership.

The storm centres on a column about Jews in Iran written by New York Times journalist Roger Cohen and a cartoon attacking the recent war in Gaza.

The newspaper, and Cohen in particular, has been accused of being too critical of Israel and an apologist for Iran and its leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Cohen's column was written from Iran about the country's small Jewish minority. His piece acknowledged the difficulties the group experienced and portrayed them as part of an Iranian society that he said was more tolerant, democratic and sophisticated than many American critics allowed.

Such sentiments might seem uncontroversial, but in America no one touching on issues around Israel or antisemitism escapes close scrutiny. Cohen was attacked by Jewish writers and bloggers. The Jerusalem Post dubbed him "misled", while the Atlantic Monthly called him "credulous". Others went much further. "The Nazis had Theresienstadt, their 'model' concentration camp used to 'persuade' the gullible that Jews and others who aroused the ire of the Nazis were being treated well. Would Roger Cohen have had no problem portraying that favourably as well?" fumed writer Ed Lasky on the American Thinker website.

more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/29/new-york-times-roger-cohen

[bunnies]

1. Clearly Cohen is pro-Nazi.

:sarcasm: :banghead: How can people say this crap with a straight face? :shrug:

[ProgressiveMuslim]

2. You'll be able to ask many here, who will certainly join in on the excoriation. nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Knee jerk reactions, I'd say

I hope there are more reports about Iran and its people from many points of view.

[aquart]

4. Oh, I think he was being truthful.

But since it has nothing to do with Iran's position vis a vis Israel, I can also see why people would consider it deliberately misleading.

[Tempest]

5. Israel is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful country I've ever known in my life.

I swear, some of these people are just plain nuts.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

11. I can't tell whether you're being ironic or not.

If you are, you're being overly subtle about it; if you aren't, I'm tempted to suggest that you're just plain nuts yourself.

[Tempest]

12. You'd have to know the origin of the quote to get it

I just changed two words in the original quote.

[oberliner]

13. Can I guess?

Sounds like it's from The Manchurian Candidate.

Raymond Shaw is kindest, bravest, warmest person I have ever known.

Something like that, right?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

14. OK, found it thanks to Oberliner.

In which case you're not being too subtle, I just don't have the necessary cultural capital - my apologies.

[Tempest]

15. I'm a film buff

So I use movie quotes in my posts a lot.

[bemildred]

6. Seems like an immediate Godwin-based fail. nt

[oberliner]

9. Well that was Ed Lasky - American Thinker

I wouldn't lump him together with the other critics necessarily (as this piece does).

[bemildred]

10. Yeah, he's "intereresting", but I would not lump him anywhere either. nt

[LeftishBrit]

7. Interesting

And I have no doubt that 'Iranian society' is 'more tolerant, democratic and sophisticated than many American critics allowed'. Unfortunately, as in many countries, the government is not the cream of the society.

[bemildred]

8. Boy, you nailed that one.

:thumbsup:

[Idealism]

16. The Mullahs are being undermined by the young and liberal-leaning population

The conservatives strangle-hold on power is waning all throughout the Middle-East, if you look at the progression of human rights from the 1970s to today.

[bemildred]

17. Yes, all you have to do is wait a generation or so.

The old farts will die, and whackos like Ahn-an-idjit will be thrown in the dustbin of history.

[shira]

18. hopefully within that generation or two...

the fascist Iranian nutjobs in power won't intimidate and/or kill the liberals threatening to take that power from them, thus ensuring that the Mullahcrasy continues for several more generations.

That tends to happen in places like the occupied territories, where liberals against the warmongers in charge are viewed as collaborators and traitors for their views and actions.

[bemildred]

20. You're such a pessimist. nt

[Donald Ian Rankin]

21. I don't think it works like that, sadly.

Take a look at the US - for a long time, the young have been more left-wing than the old, but the country hasn't moved left as the older generation died and more young people were born, because more people get more conservative as they get older than the reverse.

I wouldn't rely on time to solve Iran's problems.

[bemildred]

22. It's not linear.

Hegel had that much right. It is certainly true that the USA of 2009 is far from the USA of 1959, and some of those changes are decidedly to the left. The reactionary right has been fighting a desperate rear-guard action since the 70s. With Obama's election they just took a huge smack in the chops.

Iran will always have problems, but if history tells us much of anything at all, it is that governments that fly in the face of their own national demographics do not endure. Ideology makes you stupid.

[Idealism]

23. The average age of Iranians is lower than the US by a considerable margin

The population is mostly young and liberal, which foster the change- not the old, status-quo enamored clergy..

[shira]

19. Roger Cohen faced off against Iranian Jews in L.A. who hold a different view of Iran

http://www.jewishjournal.com/community/article/roger_cohens_dialogue_with_the_iran_jewish_community_20090316/

[shira]

24. Can someone please tell me what is going on here with this kind of reporting?

The NYT has an apparent desire to create bias against Israel, as they tend to focus on painting Israel as liars or hysterics. Meanwhile, Iran is being portrayed as some bastion of human rights because it permits a few Jews to live there. Of course, Cohen neglects to mention the egregious human rights violations there, let alone the fact that it's not safe for women, dissidents, gay people, trade unionists, Ba’hai - nor is the Jewish community there allowed any real freedom or political power and Muslims aren’t allowed to vote for a Jew. Electoral candidates are even pre-selected by the theocracy. But Roger Cohen focuses on Israel and today claims they are “crying wolf” and characterizes the US as being “enslaved” by Israel, which is classic antisemitic pathology. Cohen manages to ignore Iranian insults such as the Holocaust cartoon contest, Holocaust denial, and open threats against Israel including funds that arm and support the most radical Palestinian factions as well as Hezbollah.

This stuff is truly astonishing especially coming from a theoretically liberal Western newspaper. It is astonishing and it is frightening and I don’t understand what possible motive could be behind it. I do understand a desire not to see more warfare in the Middle East - so for the record I personally don’t support unnecessary military action when diplomacy and education will do the job. Nor do I think Iran should be seen only in terms of the crackpot comments emerging from some Iranian politicians - obviously it is a complex and interesting country but so is Israel - both after all consist of human beings and both represent ancient civilizations as well as fascinating modern nations.

But one (Iran) has deliberately and provocatively and repeatedly threatened to destroy the other and also threatens the US and characterizes us as “Satan” whereas Israel is a friend and ally.

What's going on here folks?

Am I the only one seeing this?

[bemildred]

25. Well, for one thing, Cohen does not speak for the NYT.

The mere fact that they publish his opinion pieces does not mean they have "an apparent desire to create bias against Israel".

Also, The American Thinker's trotting out the immediate Nazi comparisons for Cohen's faint praise of Iran is an immediate fail.

And the Nazi comparisons with Iran are also an immediate fail, which is Cohen's point. Iran has faults, but it is not the Third Reich, not even close.

And Cohen says "Israeli hegemony is proving a kind of slavery. Passage to the Promised Land involves rethinking the Middle East, starting in Iran." He is not talking about the USA there, he is talking about Israel being enslaved by it's own militaristic ideology.

So I think this is all a simple mis-understanding.