Abu Wabu

Updated
There is presently a debate about this National Post story by Amir Taheri. It's pretty much confirmed that the Iranian Majlis has passed a law requiring Muslims to wear an "Islamic uniform" as specified by the government. Under dispute is Taheri's assertion that non-Muslims will be required to wear some distinguishing feature such as a ribbon, specially colored to indicate the wearer's religion.

Hot Air has more on the story and the debate here and here. I especially appreciate Allah's bang-on comment, served up with appropriate sarcasm:

The important thing now is not to worry. Remember — worrying is what “fear-stricken” conservatives do. True bravery is affecting near-complete indifference to the prospect of a nuclear-armed, Holocaust-denying radical Islamic state forcing Jews to wear yellow insignia while simultaneously hosing down the front of your pants daily over NSA data mining.

This is not about the use of uniforms by a nation's military or professions. We know from history that entire nations of uniformed whatevers usually do not merit being described as "inclusive". The norm is for out-of-favor minorities, which are usually the only kind in such places, to be singled out and demonized. Hitler introduced uniformity in everything from clothing to social groups to national cultural symbolism as a prelude to the Holocaust and the smoldering ruin of Europe. It's a proven first step in stoking animosity between groups so as to marginalize, and then eliminate, one or more of them. In any case, there is only one purpose for any uniform, good or bad, and that is to visually, efficiently distinguish one from another.

Captain's Quarters:

Earlier comparisons to Adolf Hitler seem almost presciently apt at the moment. Ahmadinejad has very cleverly copied Hitler's diplomatic style in dealing with the West, and unfortunately the West has mostly copied the feckless strategy of the 1930s. Ahmadinejad has continued to escalate his demands and the West has attempted to appease him in order to buy some peace. We have not yet experienced the Munich moment, but we can be sure it's coming, and it will likely focus on the existence of Israel. Ehud Olmert would do well to recall the history of Czechoslovakia, another democracy that the West gladly sacrificed to calm Hitler and avoid confrontation while it was still possible to make it brief.

Perhaps this will serve as a wake-up call, a reminder that history repeats itself and that lunacy runs in patterns. If Iran decides to impose these conditions on its religious minorities despite their long integration into Iranian society --Zoroastrianism precedes Islam in Persia, after all -- then we will have arrived at the same position as Europe in 1935. It took only three years for the Nazis to stage Krystallnacht as a ruse to excuse the roundup of Jews, the tactical tipping point for the industrialized atrocities that would follow. Ahmadinejad will not likely wait that long. For those who claim that the cosmopolitan nature and rich cultural history of the Iranians will never allow such actions to occur in the Islamic Republic, they should recall that the Germans were among the most cosmopolitan of Europeans -- until the Nazis took control.

This is no benign matter, not in a country such as Iran, for obvious reasons.

Amir Taheri's recent article on Iraq.

UPDATE
The National Post is having to step back from the story, which now appears to be a false alarm.

Several experts are casting doubt on reports that Iran had passed a law requiring the country’s Jews and other religious minorities to wear coloured badges identifying them as non-Muslims.

The Iranian embassy in Otttawa also denied the Iranian government had passed such a law. ...

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Iranian expatriates living in Canada had confirmed that the order had been passed, although it still had to be approved by Iran’s “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect.

Hormoz Ghahremani, a spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, said in an e-mail to the Post yesterday that, “We wish to categorically reject the news item.

“These kinds of slanderous accusations are part of a smear campaign against Iran by vested interests, which needs to be denounced at every step.”

Sam Kermanian, of the U.S.-based Iranian-American Jewish Federation, said in an interview from Los Angeles that he had contacted members of the Jewish community in Iran — including the lone Jewish member of the Iranian parliament — and they denied any such measure was in place.

Regardless of the Post's and Taheri's gaff, and it's a big one, Iran can hardly complain of victimization: their behavior on the world stage is perpetually alarming and will require the closest scrutiny for years to come, at least until the mullocracy has been torn down and their nuclear threat eliminated.

Meanwhile the Kosturbators are thinking they've uncovered yet another neo-con propaganda scheme, this time to justify attacking Iran. Charles Johnson on the yellow ribbon story:

Can’t blame the Kos Kidz for being skeptical. It is awfully hard to believe that a country whose leader calls for Israel to be “wiped off the map” would do such a thing.

True, especially given the left's legendary sleuthing on matters of much greater import than a bunch of cranky totalitarian psychopathic medieval Islamofascists vowing to destroy Israel.