The Image Of The Jew In The Eyes Of Iran's Islamic Regime – Part II: The Blood Libel And 'The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion'

Introduction

This document, the second in a series on the image of the Jew as presented by the Islamic regime in Iran, will focus on antisemitic stereotypes common in Europe in the 19th and early 20th century in use today by Iranian regime officials and the Iranian media against the Jews.

The two themes discussed in this paper are the blood libel, that is, Jews' alleged use of the blood of non-Jews for ritual purposes, and the 19th-century "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," according to which the Jews seek world domination by various means.

For example, in a June 2012 speech, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi reiterated the European blood libel according to which the Talmud teaches how to "suck the blood of non-Jews." In an October 2011 speech to Iranian intellectuals in the city of Kermanshah, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that the Western media is clearly run by the Jews, under the guidance of the "Protocols."[1] In August 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the Jews were responsible for World Wars I and II; in June 2012, the Iranian daily Resalat said that the "Protocols" were "the most dangerous collection of laws and regulations in history." Furthermore, in July 2012, the regime's English-language website Press TV published articles attributing the current economic crisis in Europe to a scheme by the "Jewish Banking Cartel."

These statements attest that spokesmen for the Iranian regime use the terms "Jew" and "Zionist" interchangeably; this undermines their propaganda claims that they differentiate between the two and that the regime has nothing against Jews.

The following is a review of antisemitic statements in the past year by Iranian regime officials and media that refer to the blood libel and to "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion."

The Blood Libel

At Passover, A Victim Is Chosen From Among Children No Older Than 10... They Would Mix The Blood Of This Victim With Dough, And Thus Seek A Blessing

On September 9, 2012, the Iranian news agency Fars, which is close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), published an article from the Iranian magazine Mou'ud[2] titled "The Pilgrimage in Judaism." The article pointed out how Jewish rituals that it claims are carried out during "Jewish pilgrimages to Jerusalem today"[3] are not in accordance with the directives of the Torah – including a ritual in which the Jews would murder children and "give [their blood] to a rabbi, priest, or sorcerer to be used in making matzah or in performing witchcraft."

Image from article in Mou'ud.[4]

The following are the main points of the article:[5]

"The main event [performed by the Jews] there [during the pilgrimage] is [the sacrifice of] the victim, [as] recommended by the directives of the religion. [However,] there is a great difference [between what the Jews actually do] and what appears in the Torah. The Torah commands [them] to sacrifice a cow – but the writings of their religion justify the sacrifice of human victims! Thus, at Passover, a victim is chosen from among children no older than 10, or a little older than 10. They would mix the blood of this victim with dough, and thus seek a blessing."

"The Jews extract the blood of their victims in various ways. Sometimes they place the victim in a barrel while he is still alive. The internal walls of this barrel have needles which pierce the victim's body, and the blood flows from the needles. The victim delivers up his soul in pain and torment, and this makes the Jews drunk with pleasure.

"Sometimes, [the Jews] rip open the victim's arteries in several places, so that the blood flows from the arteries; sometimes they murder the child as if sacrificing a sheep. They take their blood in the ways indicated [above], and give it to a rabbi or a priest or a sorcerer, to be used for making matzah or for performing witchcraft...

"[However] it appears that in our time, the Jews sacrifice a lamb or a goat during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and that the killing of humans by the Jews is carried out in a different fashion!"

Mashreq: "Another Ritual Performed By The Jews On This Day Is Drinking Blood"

On September 3, 2012, the Mashreq website, which is close to the IRGC, published an article titled "The Holiday of Purim – The Jews' Celebration Of The Iranian Holocaust." The article states that the Jewish Purim marks the holocaust of the "Iranian people," in which, it says, 77,000 Iranians were massacred by the Jews "although independent researchers claim that the number of victims was 500,000."[6]

The article calls the Zionists "devious" and "polluted," saying that they seek "to take over the world." It claims that the slaughter, looting, and intrigue that the Zionists are carrying out today against the Palestinians, as well as Israel's threats against Iran, stem "from Jewish history and from the Torah of Esther" and "are reminiscent of Mordechai's and Esther's scheming whispers against the Iranians to Ahasuerus that ultimately became a holocaust of tens of thousands of people."

The article also included images of a "zombie walk," like others in cities across the West, held for the second consecutive year in Tel Aviv on Purim, as proof of the article's claim that on that holiday the Jews not only dress in costume as part of their religious and cultural custom, but also drink human blood.

The following are excerpts from the article:

"...Another ritual performed [by the Jews] at Purim is a zombie parade held in Israel. In this parade, the Zionists dress up as zombies – cannibals – and hold fake human body parts in their mouths as a symbol of the[ir] massacre of Iranians and of their thirst for [their] blood.

"Another ritual performed by the Jews on this day is drinking blood, or drinking [a liquid] that is blood-colored – as a symbol of the Jews' thirst for blood and the[ir] desire to spill the blood of the Iranians."[7]

Jamnews: The Jews Celebrate "The Massacre Of The Iranians"

In April 2012, the conservative website Jamnews also used an image from the Tel Aviv zombie walk, to accompany its claim that Purim marks the anniversary of the slaughter of "thousands of Iranians by the Jews."

The Jamnews caption read: "Photo of 'Purim' celebrations – a Jewish holiday marking the anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Iranians by the Jews, who had influence with King Ahasuerus."[9]

Iranian Vice President: The Talmud Teaches The Zionists To "Suck Human Blood And Annihilate The Non-Jew"; They "Enslave All The Other Races" And "Consider Themselves The Master Race"; "Their Ultimate Aim Is To Destroy The World"

At a speech at a June 26, 2012 conference in Tehran marking the anniversary of the war on drugs, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said that the Talmud was at the root of the drug problem and of the spread of drugs. He said that it was from the Talmud that the Zionists "learn how to suck human blood" and "annihilate the non-Jew." He went on to accuse the Zionists of being behind the Bolshevik revolution, and claimed that they enslave all the other races. The following are the main points of his statements:

"The roots of the production and distribution of drugs are in the Talmud, which is connected to the Zionists; from [this book], they learn how to suck human blood and annihilate the non-Jew... The part in the Talmud dealing with the economy encourages the legal and illegal hoarding of money, such as charging interest for loans, and looting, and plundering the resources of other nations. This is the starting point of the [Zionists'] movement against humanity."

Stating that the Zionists are responsible for every global conflict, Rahimi went on to present as an example of this the "October Revolution in the USSR, which was started by the Zionists... There was not a single Jew among those killed [in the revolution]... The Talmud is aimed at guiding a handful of Zionists in destroying the entire world... One of the Zionists' goals... is to create division among peoples, [as well as between] the Shi'a and the Sunna. With the money that they spent in Iraq and Afghanistan, the world could have prospered."[10]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with VP Rahimi[11]

"The Zionists consider themselves the master race, and according to reports published in Europe and in foreign books, they enslave all the other races in order to achieve their goals... 70% of the world's capital is in America, and 80% of that is in the hands of America's Jews, who constitute [only] 6% of the U.S. population... The Zionists' ultimate aim is to destroy the world, and their capital helps them a great deal in achieving this goal...

"The Zionists take great care to ensure that none of them become addicted to drugs and that they use opium strictly to destroy other societies... Iran is ready to fund the budget [required] for research in this area in order to prove that these Zionists [are] behind the production and distribution of drugs in the world...

"A Zionist doctor in America performed hysterectomies on over 80,000 Native American women, with the aim of making them [i.e. the Native Americans] extinct... The Zionists are acting against humanity..."

"Every war or conflict in the world must have Zionist roots... The Zionists' control of the global media makes it easier for them to achieve their goals...

"Although making atom bombs is banned according to the view of religious education [in Iran], the Zionists, with the help of their media, [have incited] world public opinion against Iran, [and as a result] Iran has been under sanctions for the past 32 years...

"Iran is enriching uranium for scientific and research purposes, and these purposes are against the Zionists' policy – because [the Zionists] seek to deny [Iran] information, knowledge, and human science."[12]

Cartoon On Fars: Netanyahu Sucks The Blood Of Palestinians

A cartoon published by Fars in November 2012, during the Israel-Gaza conflict, depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire attacking a Palestinian child.

"Benjamin Dracula"[13]

The Jews Are Plotting World Domination – As Per The Protocols of the Elders Of Zion

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "The Zionists Are An Organized Corrupt And Anti-Human Minority Group ... [Operating] For At Least The Past 400 Years"; They "Planned World Wars I And II"; "In Accordance With Their Racist Upbringing, The Zionists Consider Only Themselves As Human Beings, Seeing All Other Peoples... As Animals"

In a speech for Qods Day, August 17, 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated statements by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that Israel is a "cancerous growth"; he then called for the establishment of a "Middle East without the Zionists." Emphasizing the damage done by the Zionists to humanity over the past 400 years, he accused them of aspiring to dominate the world by exploiting the "main centers of power" that he claimed they hold in their grasp.

The following are the main points of his speech:[14]

"Today it is clear to all that the Zionists oppose all of humanity and human society, and that this [i.e. Zionism] is the main cause of the dusk of the peoples...

"They [the Zionists] are an organized corrupt and anti-human minority group that opposes the divine values... The Zionists think only of power, riches, and control of others. For at least the past 400 years, a very small number of Zionists have been involved in the worst damage caused to human society – and some of [this damage] is irreversible.

"The Zionists planned World Wars I and II... with the aim of controlling others... and because the Zionists control the American government, all world affairs are under their authority...

"All the main centers of power, the strong governments, the banks, and the major media in the world are in the hands of the Zionists, and they exploit them all, with the aim of destroying cultures, values, nations, and the existence of states. The Zionists are behind every [instance of] extensive moral destruction, war, conflict, or massacre.

"The Zionist regime is a tool used by the Zionists to control the Middle East, and by doing so, [also] to control the entire world. The existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to all humanity... In accordance with their racist upbringing, the Zionists consider only themselves as human beings, seeing all other peoples, regardless of religion, culture, and nationality, as animals..."

"The Zionists permit the murder of human beings... Opposing the existence of Zionism and the false Zionist regime means preserving the rights of all human beings, defending human dignity, and paving the way to rescue all humanity from colonialism, imperialism, poverty, and misery.

"Preserving the Zionist regime is the collective duty of most of the colonialist and imperialist states... In a large country such as America, presidential candidates must bow down to the Zionists in order to have a[ny] chance of getting elected."

Resalat: The "Protocols" – The Most Dangerous Collection Of Laws And Regulations In History"

Iranian regime spokesmen rely on writings such as the Czarist Russian tract "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," which circulated throughout Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to support their statements regarding the Jews. On June 26, 2012, the Iranian daily Resalat published three articles on the "Protocols."

"The Jewish Protocols And The Foundations Of Zionism"

The first article, titled "The Jewish Protocols And The Foundations of Zionism" and penned by Mahdi Qassem Khani, claimed that the "Protocols" were a set of decisions and formulas created by leading Jewish intellectuals and rabbis to guide them in taking over the world and destroying Christianity and Islam. The following are the main points of the article:[15]

"The [term] 'protocol' has various meanings. It can, inter alia, be a draft of a contract, agreement, or [other] official document signed by two or more countries... [However] the Jewish protocols... are a set of decisions and formulas by a conclave of Jewish thinkers, strategists, and rabbis, aimed at dominating the world...

"The Palestinian researcher 'Ajaj Nohaj wrote... that the [Jewish] protocols constitute a plan concocted by Jewish economists and owners of capital in order to destroy the foundations of Christianity, the authority of the pope, and Islam.

"The Jewish protocol was first read in 1897 in Switzerland. [After] the czar's secret police attacked the Jewish section of the city... police arrested Theodor Herzl and others, and took from them materials, including the Jewish protocol which was drawn up in Switzerland...

"The Zionist unions are powerful secret and quasi-secret communities usually under Jewish control, and they aim to realize [the dream of] the Greater Land of Israel. While the public knows little about these communities, they have a major influence on the fate of many peoples in the world. In one of his abstracts, Jean Azoulay[16] wrote that in the modern era, the decisions of these communities – which took place in hidden places in the world... with the aim of instating Jewish domination of the world – are much more important and significant than decisions by the world's official heads of state."

"Herzl, Zionist Racism"

The second Resalat article, "Herzl, Zionist Racism," by Asadollah Afsar, states that since the writing of the "Protocols," the Jews have cautiously and secretly engaged in activity aimed at realizing their expansionist ambitions by means of the Zionist movement and its realization in a Jewish state. The following are the main points of the article:[17]

"Zionism is a political, racist, and extremist movement aimed at establishing a Jewish state in Palestine, with the aim of controlling the world in this way... The new Zionist movement is linked to an Austrian-born Jew named Herzl, [who was] the first of the propagandists and the founder of the new modern Zionist idea.

"Theodor Herzl [was] a Jewish journalist, born in Budapest on May 2, 1860. He completed a bachelor's degree in law at the University of Vienna in 1878 and his main and blatant aim was to lead the Jews to world domination – and the beginning of [accomplishing this] goal was the establishment of a state for the Jews in Palestine.

"Herzl spoke twice with Sultan Abd Al-Hamid, [ruler of] the Ottoman Empire, but achieved no result. [In the framework] of the resistance to Sultan Abd Al-Hamid, the Jews of the world focused their efforts on toppling the Ottoman Empire and destroying the Islamic Caliphate.

"Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in 1897. He exploited the Dreyfus affair, frequently using it [for his purposes]... [Herzl] managed to gather the Jews of the world from their far-flung [places]. Likewise, he brought to his side the Jewish rabbis who developed the most dangerous [tract] of laws and decisions in the history of the world, under the name ('The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'). This book [is the product] of the distorted books of the Jews that have great sanctity [in the eyes of the Jews].

"From that period onwards, the Jews strengthened their organizations and engaged cautiously and secretly in activity [for] realizing their [ambitions] for expansion and oppression – [ambitions] which are now clear to all." [18]

The Jews Use Hollywood To Implement The "Protocols"

On December 26, 2012, Resalat published an article titled "The Hollywood Lifestyle," by Reza Afsari, stating that Hollywood, like most of the media, was controlled by Jews who were exploiting it in order to control the world. He too based his claims on "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion." The following are the main points of his article:[19]

"...It is interesting that [of] a list of the 100 most important people in Hollywood, the first 12 are all Jewish. The Jewish rulers of the cinema have repeatedly warned that Hollywood is a sure place to make their millions. The Jew Steven Spielberg officially announced that several million dollars of the profits of his film were dedicated to the perpetuation of the memory of the Holocaust.

"Statistically, the directors of most of the satellite channels, radio stations, newspapers, and media such as Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, Dreamworks, NBC, and ABC are all Jews, and they are considered part of the elite who dominate the media propaganda system of international Zionism – while only 4% of the population of America is Jewish.

"The style and content of Hollywood projects on the movie screen basically constitute an anti-moral, [anti-]human style that is absolutely contradictory to the foundations of the family. Hollywood companies have been investing a great deal of capital in this area, particularly in the past decade. A look at the content of most films produced in Hollywood will make anyone think that one of the main aims of Western cinema, particularly American cinema, is to spread perverted beliefs...

"Reviewing the global protocols of the Jews, it is easy to understand that international Zionism does not consider any goal short of complete world domination and the establishment of exclusive global control – and that to this end it has chosen the spread of religious superstitions as one of its primary strategies... "

Iranian Researcher: The Jews Control Europe

An April 22, 2012 article on the website of IRINN, Iran's state television, by Iranian researcher Hamid Khosh-Ayand, states that the Jews are striving for absolute domination of Europe. The following is the article:

"The Jewish people's dangerous control of Europe's history, and its infiltration of the various political, social, economic, cultural, and security systems, and of the various areas of social life there, is an exceptional, unusual, and lengthy story; an in-depth look will allow us to call it 'the dictatorship of the Jewish minority over European society.'

"From a look at the historical developments of Europe, and especially at events in its modern history, it can be said with complete certainly that the Jews enjoyed influential and important status in all the regional and supra-regional balances [of power] in Europe, in all the diverse areas. Likewise, the Jews acquired greater and more effective political weight than any other group – particularly in setting points of view and processes and in planning and organizing infrastructures in this continent throughout history.

"The reason for this is, more than anything else, the systemic influence of the Jews and the Jewish lobby on social institutions and on the political, economic, and industrial organizations – and, in general, while completely exploiting the precepts of the religion in order to bring about a total Jewish takeover of this continent."

Focusing particularly on the Jews in France throughout history, Khosh-Ayand explains that "among the European countries, France is the only country in which the Jewish community that lived in it was an 'undeniable force,' and it played an important role in most of the political, economic, and social events in the country."

Reviewing the French Jews' influence on the French economy, he concluded that "the pulse of the French economy is in the hands of the Jews... [who] play an important role in it, and who hold in their hands the bulk of it. The brother of [former French president] Nicolas Sarkozy, the French presidential candidate with Jewish tendencies, ranks second among France's largest property holders. French Jews are among the greatest owners of wealth in the country, and describing [the activity of] several of France's large economic, commercial, and service centers is impossible without mentioning the significant presence of Jewish merchants. France is among the few Western countries in which the Jews hold wealth and property on such a scale, and run even manufacturing plants, munitions factories, and military facilities. "

Khosh-Ayand goes on to claim: "The most important reason for France's special ties with Israel since the latter's establishment is the powerful presence of the Jews who are French nationals in [the French] political, economic, and social systems." He concludes that "Sarkozy was [a president] representing the Jews, and their powerful player, for five years in the Elysee Palace – [and this is obvious] because the results of his policy during this period prove that he gave special attention to the Jews and that he owed them a great deal."[20]

The Jews Are Using The Netherlands As A Base For Conquering Europe

On December 12, 2012, the Iranian YJC (Young Journalists Club) website published an article responding to The Netherlands' rejection in the U.N. to upgrading the Palestinians' status to that of "non-member observer state." The article stated that the Jewish people had succeeded in its plan to disperse the Jews in important points of influence in the Dutch media and economy, and that The Netherlands is being used by the Jews as a base for their conquest of Europe.

The following are the main points of the article:[21]

"...Is Holland [sic] in principle a Jewish state? It can [certainly] be considered a safe state for Jews. Right now, 32,800 Jews reside there. In 1524, the Jewish people decided to use Holland as one of their bases, and have done so ever since. Therefore, in the framework of a calculated, long-term plan, [the Jews] were dispersed in various places across this country [and began to establish] their influence. During various eras in history, and especially during World War II, Holland defended the Jews...

"The [Dutch] Nikmedia network, which has Jewish directors, produces many anti-Islam programs that present Israel as a state under repression that has a right [to exist], while the Muslims across the world are presented as terrorists who seek to destroy the entire world.

"One of the most senior officials in the Zionist regime saw Holland as a place suitable for the Zionist regime's commerce goals, and advised the Jewish leaders of this regime [i.e. Israel] to invest a great deal of capital in this country [i.e. The Netherlands] With their extensive business dealings with Holland, the Jews use this country as a basis for their conquest of Europe.

"Holland is the second largest center of the import of Israeli products. The Zionist regime exports [to Holland] $2.5 billion a year in products, most of which are pharmaceuticals, computers, and fruits and vegetables. The global pharmaceutical giant Teva, which has Jewish origins, established one of its largest plants in Holland. Holland [for its part] exports each year about a billion tons of its goods to Israel, in order to strengthen its relationship with the wealthy Jews."

Image: YJC.ir[22]

Press TV Column On "The Rape Of Greece By Zionist Bankers"

On July 10, 2012, the website of Iran's Press TV published a column titled "The Rape of Greece by Zionist Bankers" by Mike Stathis, whom the website called "one of America's most insightful and creative financial experts" and "the only expert who predicted the financial apocalypse in detail." In his column, Stathis accused the "Jewish Banking Cartel," which he said was a central part of the "Jewish Mafia," of responsibility for the European economic crisis, especially the collapse of the Greek economy. He said that this crisis was the result of a deliberate plot by the Jews to influence the International Monetary Fund to make recommendations regarding Greece that would facilitate a Jewish takeover of Greece's public assets and to accumulate capital and control.

According to Stathis, the source of the economic problems is the Euro bloc. These countries, he said, had been bound to fail from the start due to the disparity of EU member states' economies, their commerce, and the fundamental basis of their country, and that "as the true architects of the EMU, the Jewish Banking Cartel realized that the euro would create economic problems for SEA [South East Area] member states. But they didn't tell German and French officials. Instead, they promoted the euro as a gateway to greater economic prosperity for NEA [Northern Euro Area] nations in order to gain support from Germany and France. The only problem was that the bankers neglected mention of contingent liabilities that would surface as SEA nations collapsed."

Referring to the IMF demand for a policy of privatization, Stathis said: "European politicians have been led to believe that the IMF's recommendations are in the best interest of the people. Yet, the IMF's misguided approach to austerity continues to harm the entire European economy. This is not by coincidence, as the IMF serves as an arm of the Jewish Banking Cartel, which itself is the primary component of the Jewish Mafia. "

Stathis continues: "Thus, the IMF has an incentive to make Greece's economy even worse because it will enable the Jewish Banking Cartel to snatch up Greek airports, sea ports, utilities companies, and other critical assets at fire sale prices. Thereafter, they will hold the Greek people to their own financial terms.

"And finally, the social engineering segment of the Jewish Mafia will enter the crime scene to ensure the end of Greek religion, culture, solidarity, and heritage. We are now witnessing the rape of Greece by the Jewish Banking Cartel."

 

* E. Zigron is a research fellow at MEMRI; A. Savyon is director of the Iranian Media Project.