boarder
King
Did Iran's president really call for Israel to be wiped from the map?
Most media and leaders around the world use this statement every day to portray Iran as in the league of Nazi germany, a evil state that just wants to destroy Israel.
But what if he was simply misquoted as it sounds better than what he actually said. And can be used as a justification for doing whatever nations feel like doing to Iran.
I have been doing some research and have found out the following information regarding this speech.
This is his speech as reported by the New York times and seems to be the one that all media sources and goverment leaders quote from
"They say it is not possible to have a world without the United States and Zionism. But you know that this is a possible goal and slogan. Let's take a step back. [[[We had a hostile regime in this country which was undemocratic, armed to the teeth and, with SAVAK, its security apparatus of SAVAK [the intelligence bureau of the Shah of Iran's government] watched everyone. An environment of terror existed.]]] When our dear Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Iranian revolution] said that the regime must be removed, many of those who claimed to be politically well-informed said it was not possible. All the corrupt governments were in support of the regime when Imam Khomeini started his movement. [[[All the Western and Eastern countries supported the regime even after the massacre of September 7 [1978] ]]] and said the removal of the regime was not possible. But our people resisted and it is 27 years now that we have survived without a regime dependent on the United States. The tyranny of the East and the West over the world should have to end, but weak people who can see only what lies in front of them cannot believe this. Who would believe that one day we could witness the collapse of the Eastern Empire? But we could watch its fall in our lifetime. And it collapsed in a way that we have to refer to libraries because no trace of it is left. Imam [Khomeini] said Saddam must go and he said he would grow weaker than anyone could imagine. Now you see the man who spoke with such arrogance ten years ago that one would have thought he was immortal, is being tried in his own country in handcuffs and shackles [[[by those who he believed supported him and with whose backing he committed his crimes]]]. Our dear Imam said that the occupying regime must be wiped off the map and this was a very wise statement. We cannot compromise over the issue of Palestine. Is it possible to create a new front in the heart of an old front. This would be a defeat and whoever accepts the legitimacy of this regime [Israel] has in fact, signed the defeat of the Islamic world. Our dear Imam targeted the heart of the world oppressor in his struggle, meaning the occupying regime. I have no doubt that the new wave that has started in Palestine, and we witness it in the Islamic world too, will eliminate this disgraceful stain from the Islamic world."
And this is the text that was translated by MEMRI which is a middle eastern translation company that translates articles for the western media. And where the NYT gets its ME news from.
"They [ask]: 'Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism?' But you had best know that this slogan and this goal are attainable, and surely can be achieved. [[[...]]] "'When the dear Imam [Khomeini] said that [the Shah's] regime must go, and that we demand a world without dependent governments, many people who claimed to have political and other knowledge [asked], 'Is it possible [that the Shah's regime can be toppled]?' That day, when Imam [Khomeini] began his movement, all the powers supported [the Shah's] corrupt regime [[[...]]] and said it was not possible. However, our nation stood firm, and by now we have, for 27 years, been living without a government dependent on America. Imam [Khomeni] said: 'The rule of the East [U.S.S.R.] and of the West [U.S.] should be ended.' But the weak people who saw only the tiny world near them did not believe it. Nobody believed that we would one day witness the collapse of the Eastern Imperialism [i.e. the U.S.S.R], and said it was an iron regime. But in our short lifetime we have witnessed how this regime collapsed in such a way that we must look for it in libraries, and we can find no literature about it. Imam [Khomeini] said that Saddam [Hussein] must go, and that he would be humiliated in a way that was unprecedented. And what do you see today? A man who, 10 years ago, spoke as proudly as if he would live for eternity is today chained by the feet, and is now being tried in his own country [[[...]]] Imam [Khomeini] said: 'This regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history.' This sentence is very wise. The issue of Palestine is not an issue on which we can compromise. Is it possible that an [Islamic] front allows another front [i.e. country] to arise in its [own] heart? This means defeat, and he who accepts the existence of this regime [i.e. Israel] in fact signs the defeat of the Islamic world. In his battle against the World of Arrogance, our dear Imam [Khomeini] set the regime occupying Qods [Jerusalem] as the target of his fight. I do not doubt that the new wave which has begun in our dear Palestine and which today we are also witnessing in the Islamic world is a wave of morality which has spread all over the Islamic world. Very soon, this stain of disgrace [i.e. Israel] will vanish from the center of the Islamic world - and this is attainable."
I highlighted the relevant part.
The term 'map' to which the media refer at length does not even appear. Whereas the 'New York Times' said: "Our dear Imam said that the occupying regime must be wiped off the map" the version by MEMRI is: "Imam [Khomeini] said: This regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history."
A huge difference in respect of headlines which are for example "Iran calls for Israel to be wiped off the map". And is often used when discussing the threat Iran is to Israel, which if it wasnt said is a fallacy to the argument of the threat Iran poses to Israel.
At a later news conference on January 14, 2006, Ahmadinejad claimed his speech had been exaggerated and misinterpreted.
On 20 February 2006, Irans foreign minister denied that Tehran wanted to see Israel wiped off the map, saying Ahmadinejad had been misunderstood. "Nobody can remove a country from the map. This is a misunderstanding in Europe of what our president mentioned," Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference, speaking in English, after addressing the European Parliament. "How is it possible to remove a country from the map? He is talking about the regime. We do not recognise legally this regime," he said.
I also noted with interest someone mentioning a article from Dr Juan Cole in another post, anyway, Dr Cole, a University of Michigan Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History, translates the Farsi phrase as:
The Imam said that this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] the page of time (bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad)
Now Memri (Middle East Media Reshearch Institute)translates the same quote as [T]his regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history
So to summarise both Memri and Dr Juan Cole have not mentioned Israel being wiped off the face off the map, and all western media gets there media translations from Memri, so this is obviuosly been mis quoted.
Please note,this in now way means I think Israel's regime should go,I am just trying to get to the truth of what was said.
Links and sources.
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-603386
http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/1727961_comment.php#1727969
http://www.answers.com/topic/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-and-israel
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12949.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmou...Translation_of_phrase_.22Wiped_Off_the_Map.22
www.memri.org
Most media and leaders around the world use this statement every day to portray Iran as in the league of Nazi germany, a evil state that just wants to destroy Israel.
But what if he was simply misquoted as it sounds better than what he actually said. And can be used as a justification for doing whatever nations feel like doing to Iran.
I have been doing some research and have found out the following information regarding this speech.
This is his speech as reported by the New York times and seems to be the one that all media sources and goverment leaders quote from
"They say it is not possible to have a world without the United States and Zionism. But you know that this is a possible goal and slogan. Let's take a step back. [[[We had a hostile regime in this country which was undemocratic, armed to the teeth and, with SAVAK, its security apparatus of SAVAK [the intelligence bureau of the Shah of Iran's government] watched everyone. An environment of terror existed.]]] When our dear Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Iranian revolution] said that the regime must be removed, many of those who claimed to be politically well-informed said it was not possible. All the corrupt governments were in support of the regime when Imam Khomeini started his movement. [[[All the Western and Eastern countries supported the regime even after the massacre of September 7 [1978] ]]] and said the removal of the regime was not possible. But our people resisted and it is 27 years now that we have survived without a regime dependent on the United States. The tyranny of the East and the West over the world should have to end, but weak people who can see only what lies in front of them cannot believe this. Who would believe that one day we could witness the collapse of the Eastern Empire? But we could watch its fall in our lifetime. And it collapsed in a way that we have to refer to libraries because no trace of it is left. Imam [Khomeini] said Saddam must go and he said he would grow weaker than anyone could imagine. Now you see the man who spoke with such arrogance ten years ago that one would have thought he was immortal, is being tried in his own country in handcuffs and shackles [[[by those who he believed supported him and with whose backing he committed his crimes]]]. Our dear Imam said that the occupying regime must be wiped off the map and this was a very wise statement. We cannot compromise over the issue of Palestine. Is it possible to create a new front in the heart of an old front. This would be a defeat and whoever accepts the legitimacy of this regime [Israel] has in fact, signed the defeat of the Islamic world. Our dear Imam targeted the heart of the world oppressor in his struggle, meaning the occupying regime. I have no doubt that the new wave that has started in Palestine, and we witness it in the Islamic world too, will eliminate this disgraceful stain from the Islamic world."
And this is the text that was translated by MEMRI which is a middle eastern translation company that translates articles for the western media. And where the NYT gets its ME news from.
"They [ask]: 'Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism?' But you had best know that this slogan and this goal are attainable, and surely can be achieved. [[[...]]] "'When the dear Imam [Khomeini] said that [the Shah's] regime must go, and that we demand a world without dependent governments, many people who claimed to have political and other knowledge [asked], 'Is it possible [that the Shah's regime can be toppled]?' That day, when Imam [Khomeini] began his movement, all the powers supported [the Shah's] corrupt regime [[[...]]] and said it was not possible. However, our nation stood firm, and by now we have, for 27 years, been living without a government dependent on America. Imam [Khomeni] said: 'The rule of the East [U.S.S.R.] and of the West [U.S.] should be ended.' But the weak people who saw only the tiny world near them did not believe it. Nobody believed that we would one day witness the collapse of the Eastern Imperialism [i.e. the U.S.S.R], and said it was an iron regime. But in our short lifetime we have witnessed how this regime collapsed in such a way that we must look for it in libraries, and we can find no literature about it. Imam [Khomeini] said that Saddam [Hussein] must go, and that he would be humiliated in a way that was unprecedented. And what do you see today? A man who, 10 years ago, spoke as proudly as if he would live for eternity is today chained by the feet, and is now being tried in his own country [[[...]]] Imam [Khomeini] said: 'This regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history.' This sentence is very wise. The issue of Palestine is not an issue on which we can compromise. Is it possible that an [Islamic] front allows another front [i.e. country] to arise in its [own] heart? This means defeat, and he who accepts the existence of this regime [i.e. Israel] in fact signs the defeat of the Islamic world. In his battle against the World of Arrogance, our dear Imam [Khomeini] set the regime occupying Qods [Jerusalem] as the target of his fight. I do not doubt that the new wave which has begun in our dear Palestine and which today we are also witnessing in the Islamic world is a wave of morality which has spread all over the Islamic world. Very soon, this stain of disgrace [i.e. Israel] will vanish from the center of the Islamic world - and this is attainable."
I highlighted the relevant part.
The term 'map' to which the media refer at length does not even appear. Whereas the 'New York Times' said: "Our dear Imam said that the occupying regime must be wiped off the map" the version by MEMRI is: "Imam [Khomeini] said: This regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history."
A huge difference in respect of headlines which are for example "Iran calls for Israel to be wiped off the map". And is often used when discussing the threat Iran is to Israel, which if it wasnt said is a fallacy to the argument of the threat Iran poses to Israel.
At a later news conference on January 14, 2006, Ahmadinejad claimed his speech had been exaggerated and misinterpreted.
On 20 February 2006, Irans foreign minister denied that Tehran wanted to see Israel wiped off the map, saying Ahmadinejad had been misunderstood. "Nobody can remove a country from the map. This is a misunderstanding in Europe of what our president mentioned," Manouchehr Mottaki told a news conference, speaking in English, after addressing the European Parliament. "How is it possible to remove a country from the map? He is talking about the regime. We do not recognise legally this regime," he said.
I also noted with interest someone mentioning a article from Dr Juan Cole in another post, anyway, Dr Cole, a University of Michigan Professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History, translates the Farsi phrase as:
The Imam said that this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] the page of time (bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad)
Now Memri (Middle East Media Reshearch Institute)translates the same quote as [T]his regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history
So to summarise both Memri and Dr Juan Cole have not mentioned Israel being wiped off the face off the map, and all western media gets there media translations from Memri, so this is obviuosly been mis quoted.
Please note,this in now way means I think Israel's regime should go,I am just trying to get to the truth of what was said.
Links and sources.
http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-603386
http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/1727961_comment.php#1727969
http://www.answers.com/topic/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-and-israel
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12949.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmou...Translation_of_phrase_.22Wiped_Off_the_Map.22
www.memri.org
