Britian's Channel Four has a tradition of inviting world leaders and interesting personalities to present a Christmas message that is an alternative to the one delivered by the British queen.
It started its alternative Christmas broadcast in 1993 and since then, have had personalities like Jesse Jackson, Brigitte Bardot and cartoon character Marge Simpson among others deliver the message of peace.
This year it invited Iranian president President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Ahmadinejad began his Christmas Day address (speaking in Farsi of course) by congratulating Christians and the people of Britain on the anniversary of the birth of Christ.
Like other politicians or world leaders, he of course had a political message, stating: "If Christ were on Earth today, undoubtedly he would stand with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers."
Do you see anything outrageously wrong with that?
Then, continuing, he said: "If Christ were on Earth today, undoubtedly he would hoist the banner of justice and love for humanity to oppose warmongers, occupiers, terrorists and bullies the world over."
Aiyah, maybe I am just a simple-minded person, but quite frankly I do not any ominous subtext or aggression in his statement of Christ as a personality of peace. Surely what he imagined Christ to be, would be agreed by most righteous-thinking (and unbiased) Christians
In his message, Ahmadinejad blamed society's problems on humanity's rejection of religion but predicted Christ would return ‘with one of the children of the revered Messenger of Islam and will lead the world to love, brotherhood and justice’.
You may disagree with his specifics but do you sense or read anything wrong in his statement where he hopes ‘Christ would return ‘with one of the children of the revered Messenger of Islam and will lead the world to love, brotherhood and justice’?
Then he concluded with "I pray for the New Year to be a year of happiness, prosperity, peace and brotherhood for humanity. I wish you every success and happiness."
Once again, I fail to see anything wrong in his conclusion to his speech, even if he is Ahmadinejad!
Yet …
Whitehall (Britain's Foreign Office) saw fit to condemn the speech. Why, you may well ask?
Hah …
... because the Israel's ambassador to London, Ron Prosor, called it a "scandal and a national embarrassment", while some Jewish groups criticized it.
Ta'makan cabai, ta’rasa pedas, kan?
Whitehall attempted to explain why it had condemned Ahmadinejad. It said: "President Ahmadinejad has during his time in office made a series of appalling anti-Semitic statements. The British media are rightly free to make their own editorial choices, but this invitation will cause offence and bemusement not just at home but amongst friendly countries abroad."
Yet ... everyone knows Israel (OT version or current one) had been and is the most racist country in the world.
Let’s not describe any of those racists in Israel - admittedly not all Israelis are racists but many of their leaders are, for example like, Uzi Cohen – please read my older post Heil Uzi Cohen! Sieg Heil! blogged at BolehTalk.
Related posts:
(1) President Carter on Israeli Supremacist Racism
(2) What happened to British 'Freedom of Expression'?
(3) Jewish Goose, but no Arabic Gander
(4) Israel & Palestine - a study in western hypocrisy & bias
(5) None So Blind!
Let’s just look at an American (or I think he is one) - Barack Obama’s newly appointed White House Chief of Staff (Democratic Congressman) Rahm Emanuel.
Emanuel was born in Chicago and the son of a former Israeli. The father of Obama’s Chief of Staff is a pediatrician who was a member of the Irgun, the Jewish resistance group in Palestine, before the War of Independence in 1948.
That’s the religious-racist-terrorist party from which Likud sprang from, and which Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon (before he formed his own Kadima), Benjamin Netanyahu and Olmert Ehud belong or belonged to.
Unlike all other Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional delegation, Rahm Emanuel (together with a US Jewish senator, Joe Lieberman) supported the joint resolution authorizing the war in Iraq.
... I suspect, for dear old Israel's interests (so what, and who cares if that wasn't in US' interests).
Rahm Emmanuel’s father, with his Irgun background, couldn’t help being racist even till today. When asked about his son’s influence on the incoming US President, he stated arrogantly to the Israeli newspaper Ma'Ariv, “Obviously, he’ll influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to be mopping floors at the White House.”
So …
… compare all these Israeli racism to Ahmadinejad’s Christmas message.
KT, a belated Merry Christmas, and a very happy new year to you, your family and your readers.
ReplyDeleteFrom : Dr Hsu & Family
Perceptive man you are, KT. I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteAhmedinejad's favourite song is "If I had an atom bomb..." sung to the tune of the Christian hymn "If I had a hammer..."
ReplyDeleteKTemoc, please take care to report events accurately and responsibly, less you yourself lose credibility.
ReplyDeleteThe Foreign and Commenwealth office did NOT condemn the speech itself but upbraided Channel 4 for its inappropriate and insensitive choice of speaker for the Christmas address.
Ahmedinejad's speech itself was remarkably (and uncharacteristically so, I may add) level-headed.
But you have to consider the context of This Iranian leader who has repeatedly, publicly called for Israel to be wiped off the face of the Earth. Even people who oppose Israel's actions, as I do, do not stoop to that level.
Combine this with his multi-billion dollar atomic bomb program, this is a seriously dangerous wacko.
Potentially the same dangerously sick category as George W. Bush
Or maybe Ktemoc shares his ideals....over to you Ktemoc...
labour man, please read SMH http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/outrage-at-ahmadinejads-christmas-message/2008/12/26/1229998704754.html, where it said in the 3rd paragraph: "Britain's Foreign Office condemned the speech, while Israel's ambassador to London called it a national embarrassment."
ReplyDeleteWould this evidence satisfy your call for me to "... take care to report events accurately and responsibly ..."?
The truth hurts, and the truth is the Europeans and Americans cringe before Israeli demands and requirements, & worse, that Israel is racist!
No, Ktemoc, you did not report this accurately.
ReplyDeleteAnd, just to make myself clear, I am a strong critic of Israel, but consider Ahmedinejad's "Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth" policy beyond the pale.
THIS is the correct version of events, almost verbatim.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/dec/25/channel4-iran
"The government has criticised Channel 4's decision to broadcast an alternative Christmas message by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said today that the move would cause offence around the world.
"President Ahmadinejad has during his time in office made a series of appalling anti-Semitic statements," she said. "The British media are rightly free to make their own editorial choices, but this invitation will cause offence and amusement not just at home but amongst friendly countries abroad."
The British Government condemned the decision to allow Ahmedinejad the Christmas speech platform, not the contents of the speech.
As I mentioned before, the speech contents were innocuous enough, but this guy is a seriously dangerous Wacko.
buckingham palace has been pretty swift with its response!
ReplyDeletehttp://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YmxLRwoR1fc
aisay, its only Christmas la.
ReplyDelete(but i disagree with his prophet of Islam thing..kekek)
At this time of every year, I am made to wonder whether ‘Christmas’ - the so called celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ - has anything to do with biblical Christianity. The WORLD loves ‘Christmas’ so much… yet the truth is, the WORLD hates Christ.
ReplyDeleteSomething that the WORLD love so much can’t possibly originate from Christ himself… but from somewhere else.
The WORLD rejects and hates Christ as King and Lord and Saviour - and that was the reason He came to this world.
John 18:37 “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
How the world hates what Jesus Christ said about Himself "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Ahmedinejad is himself one of the worst warmonger! Jesus would have condemned him too.
Labour-man, you cannot merely dismiss the Sydney Morning Herald report (on which I based my post) just because it doesn't support your argument.
ReplyDeleteBut the real underlying issue opf teh unnecessary brouhaha has been (as always since thw Holocaust) the cringe of Europeans towards Jewish sensitivities while in sheer hypocritical double standards, ignoring those of the Muslims or punishing those against Israel or Jews like David Irving, or even those unwittingly causing offence to Jews like Prince Harry (the last being way over the top).
BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense and it’s not slanted. Jew and non-Jew — it doesn’t matter.
1. Nationhood and Jerusalem. Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, Two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
10 The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab la nds to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people’s lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey .
13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
14. The PLO’s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.
15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
These are incredible times. We have to ask what our role should be. What will we tell our grandchildren about we did when there was a turning point in Jewish destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?
Send this to 18 other people you know and ask them to send it to eighteen others, Jew and non-Jew–it doesn’t really matter.