Amir Taheri

Amir Taheri, Credit: Gatestone Institute Biography

Amir Taheri is an Iranian-American journalist who was educated in Tehran, London and Paris. A 'prominent Iranian journalist under the Shah', Taheri, according to a 2006 article in the Financial Times, 'now advocates regime change' in Iran.

'Jews to be forced to wear coloured badges in Iran' claim

The FT article identified Amir Taheri as the source of stories that 'the Iranian parliament had passed a law that would require Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians to wear coloured badges to identify them as non-Muslims'.

The reports angered Iranian lawmakers, who said 'creativity was behind what they rejected as false and invented reports'. Contacted by the FT, 'Mr Taheri told the FT he stood by his claim':

He said his sources were three opponents of the bill - which has not yet been approved by Iran's higher authorities. He cited them as saying a commission of experts was being appointed to work out implementation of the "Islamic identity" law, which could require provisions for identifying non-Muslims.

Exposed as false

The story about Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians being forced to wear badges in Iran was subsequently exposed as false, according to a report by IPS. The IPS report, by Jim Lobe, tells the story:

A story authored by a prominent U.S. neo-conservative regarding new legislation in Iran allegedly requiring Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive colour badges circulated around the world this weekend before it was exposed as false.

The article by a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Iranian-American Amir Taheri, was initially published in Friday's edition of Canada's National Post, which ran alongside the story a 1935 photograph of a Jewish businessman in Berlin with a yellow, six-pointed star sewn on his overcoat, as required by Nazi legislation at the time. The Post subsequently issued a retraction.

Taheri's story, however, was reprinted by the New York Post, which is owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch, and picked up by the Jerusalem Post, which also featured a photo of a yellow star from the Nazi era over a photo of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Another neo-conservative publication, the New York Sun, also noted the story Monday, claiming that the specific report that special badges were required by the legislation had been "incorrect". At the same time, however, the Sun quoted two Iranian-American foes of the Islamic Republic as suggesting that dress requirements for religious minorities were still being considered by Iran's ruling circles. It offered no evidence to support that assertion.

Affiliations

• Gatestone Institute - Chairman Europe Board of Governors
• Center for Security Policy - Contributor to CSP front group Family Security Matters
• Henry Jackson Society, Advisory Council: Policy Council member

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