(American Interest) Jeffrey Herf - Radical, theologically based hatred of Judaism, Zionism, and the State of Israel is part of the core ideological beliefs of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran's radical anti-Semitism is a paranoid conspiracy theory that claims that the powerful and evil "Jew" is the driving force in global politics. Iran is the first government since Hitler's in which anti-Semitism constitutes a central element of its identity. An Iran with nuclear weapons would thus be the first government since Hitler's to be both willing and able to threaten a second Holocaust. A close and honest look at the beliefs of Iran's leaders would undermine the hope that the Islamic Republic is actually a normal, rational actor in world affairs. The writer is Distinguished University Professor of history at the University of Maryland.
2014-06-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive