Birthers, Persian Edition (Daily Telegraph Claims Ahmadinejad is Jewish by Ancestry)

[mkrishnan]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/6256173/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-revealed-to-have-Jewish-past.html

A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots.

A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver.

The short note scrawled on the card suggests his family changed its name to Ahmadinejad when they converted to embrace Islam after his birth.

The Sabourjians traditionally hail from Aradan, Mr Ahmadinejad's birthplace, and the name derives from "weaver of the Sabour", the name for the Jewish Tallit shawl in Persia. The name is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior.

Experts last night suggested Mr Ahmadinejad's track record for hate-filled attacks on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his past.

[paddy]

Hilarious. :)

[skunk]

Of course we all really know that being anti-Zionist is not the same as being anti-Semitic, don't we?

[mkrishnan]

Of course we all really know that being anti-Zionist is not the same as being anti-Semitic, don't we?

Depends on your definition of "we." Ahmadinejad, at least as far as his public persona, seems to be both. Although I think it's mostly shock-jocking and antics for attention. Or more to the point, I take Iranian suppression of Iranians much more seriously than I do a real threat by them to the world outside of Iran.

My view that I expect Israel to stop committing war crimes and atrocities and make an honest attempt to live in peace with the Arabs, am in danger of being viewed as treasonous by much of the American establishment, but am certainly no anti-Semite. Depending on the strictness of any anti-Zionist-detector test... well....

[skunk]

My view that I expect Israel to stop commiting war crimes and atrocities and make an honest attempt to live in peace with the ArabsWould you expect them to make an honest attempt to live in peace with the Persians, too? ;)

[mkrishnan]

Would you expect them to make an honest attempt to live in peace with the Persians, too? ;)

Yes, although to their credit they aren't in the business of killing so many Persians today. ;)

(And yes, unlike Alan Jackson, I don't watch CNN and I do know the difference between Iraq and Iran. ;) )

[Macky-Mac]

Would you expect them to make an honest attempt to live in peace with the Persians, too? ;)

hmmm would you expect the persians to make an honest attempt to live in peace with the israelis, too? ;)

[skunk]

hmmm would you expect the persians to make an honest attempt to live in peace with the israelis, too? ;)Have the Persians attacked the Israelis recently?

[Macky-Mac]

Have the Persians attacked the Israelis recently?

have the israelis attacked the persians recently?

[skunk]

It's probably only a matter of finding an opportunity.

[Macky-Mac]

It's probably only a matter of finding an opportunity.

so that's a "no" ?

[skunk]

I never argued otherwise.