A closeup photo of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ID document shows that he has Jewish roots. That's no big deal in itself - except for the fact that the Iranian president is one of the world's foremost anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers. Looks like the militant Islamist extremist is trying to compensate for some perceived inner inadequacy.
London's Daily Telegraph has the story. "A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during
elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots," the Telegraph reports. "A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a
Jewish name meaning cloth weaver."
"By making anti-Israeli statements he is trying to shed any suspicions about his Jewish connections," says Ali Nourizadeh of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies. "He feels vulnerable in a radical Shia society."
That's a great opportunity for us in the West. Here's Ahmadinejad's psychological soft spot - and we ought to be squeezing every shekel out of it.
Damian Thompson of the Telegraph sees the opportunities. Ahmadinejad, Thompson says in a blog entry based on the identity document, started life as Mahmoud Sabourjian, it seems – which is the Persian equivalent of being born Mohammed Greenberg." Now, how can we expose Ahmadinejad among his peers? Thompson has an idea:
"I mean, think about it: this venomous anti-Semite and Holocaust denier will never be able to play the anti-Israel card again without members of his audience sniggering. 'How can you attack your own cousins?' they’ll ask. And as for Ahmadinejad’s anti-Semitic political enemies, both in Iran and the Arab world, I can tell you exactly how they will refer to him in future:
"THE JEW AHMADINEJAD.
"Yup, it’ll be in capital letters, or whatever the equivalent is in their script. And he won’t be able to deflect it with a Woody Allen-esque shrug of the shoulders, because, well, it’s true.
"As for the Jewish world, I think it should milk Ahmadinejad’s new status for all it’s worth. Instead of raging against his race hatred, the Jews should bellow back, in an unmistakeably fraternal tone of voice: 'Oy, Mahmoud, enough already!'"
A Jewish conspiracy within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard? What a concept! Especially in a culture that thrives on bizarre conspiracy theories.
Now . . . Ahmadinejad says there are no gays in Iran. Might he be overcompensating for something else? Inquiring minds want to know.
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