By Micah Halpern
Column:
Iran's Grand Leader The Ayatollah Khamenei has condemned the Boston
terror attack. The Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that Islam rejects the
murder of innocent people. And then he condemned what he referred to as
the hypocrisy of America.
The head of Iran saw an opportunity and seized it as the Iranians so
often do and do so well. The Boston attack was the perfect opportunity
for Iran to explain to the non-Western world the unfair practices of the
United States and the West. Khamenei wove together a perfect argument
decrying of the hypocrisy of the most powerful Western country, the
United States, while, at the same time, condemning acts of violence
against civilians and especially against children.
Look at the statements Khamenei made before a convention Iranian of
army commanders and Basij leaders.
These quotes are verbatim, they are
taken from FARS, an official Iranian news service:
"In compliance with the logic of Islam, the Islamic Republic of Iran
opposes and condemns any kind of explosion and killing of innocent
people no matter it takes place in the United States' Boston or in
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria."
"The attitude of America and others who allege to be supporters of
human rights towards the killing of innocent people is contradictory and
we, thus, believe that the United States and the front standing against
the Islamic Republic of Iran are irrational."
"What kind of logic is this that if children and women in Afghanistan
and Pakistan are killed by Americans and if the terrorists supported by
the US, the West and the Zionists cause catastrophes in Iraq and Syria,
it wouldn't matter, but if a blast takes place in the US or a Western
country, then the whole world should pay the price for it."
Unfortunately, the arguments put forth by the undisputed and leader
of Iran will ring true and meaningful in many, non-Western, corners of
the world. At the same time, these statements, Khamenei's biting
critique of the United States and US policies, can help us in the West
in our understanding of why Iran and her allies believe that the United
States and the West misunderstands Iran and the rest of the world.
What is missing from the Khamenei's attack against the United States
is any acknowledgment that at the same time that he condemns terror
against innocents, money from Iran is pouring into terror organizations
plotting to do just that, kill murder and maim as many innocents as
possible. But self-awareness would be too much to expect of The Grand
Ayatollah.
The biggest flaw in his diatribe, the most glaring misrepresentation,
is not omission of the well known secret that Iran sponsors both the
terrorist organization Hezbollah and the terrorist organization Hamas
and bankrolls their attacks but that Iran also monetarily supports
Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and his attacks against his own people.
The other part missing from the Grand Ayatollah's rhetoric, from his
condemnation and attack on the US is any mention of the fact that, in
his mind and in the mind of Islam, anyone connected to the conflict is
no longer considered innocent. That means that all Israelis - young and
old, men and women, children and elderly are, in his gestalt, all
justifiable targets.
And that also means that eight year old Martin Richard was a fair target for the perpetrator/s of the Boston terror attack.
Iran is in conflict with the United States and the United States is a
target. So are all her citizens. Including eight year old children.
Especially is they are within the area targeted for attack. Period, end.
For Iran, it is that simple and straightforward and equation.
Now, I am not saying that Iran sponsored the twin terror bombings in
Boston. I am arguing that Iran does not care about the deaths of
innocent people when they do sponsor terror attacks. And I am saying
that the condemnation of the attack by the Ayatollah Khamenei is vacuous
and a public relations ploy intended for the non-Western world which
understands, without explanation or cue cards, his true intention and
the meaning of his carefully chosen words.
So what does the Grand Ayatollah really mean by his response to the
Boston terror attack bombings? The entire discussion is one of political
expediency. Khamenei is using the opportunity to justify his own
position and discredit the United States with no compunction over the
fact that he is, when you read his statements carefully, justifying the
actions of the terrorists. He is publicly calling the United States out
and saying: What do you expect given the way you treat the rest of the
world.
That's how the Grand Ayatollah Khamenei does things.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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