I’m tempted to say about Roger Cohen that the less said about him that better, but quite a few people have written excellent ripostes to his latest venality that are worth checking out.
In Roger Cohen’s world, the extremists in Iran are actually moderate!
But there’s another delusion about Iran, and that is that the moderates are actually moderate. Here’s Time Magazine’s Scott MacLeod:
I strongly hope and believe that Saberi’s case will have a positive outcome. The sensible people in the regime will see to that. They know Saberi is no spy. Yet, the Committee to Protect Journalists, which has collected more than 10,000 signatures on a petition in Saberi’s support, is alarmed. “News reports that the Iranian authorities have charged Roxana Saberi with espionage are deeply worrying,” says CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. “Saberi has been working openly as a journalist in Iran for years. The public prosecutor must clarify why these charges have been brought and allow Saberi’s attorney to view them immediately.”
(emphasis mine)
And the poster child for the “sensible people” in the Iranian regime is former president Ayatollah Mohammed Khatami. Alas for those who are looking for moderation from Khatami, his record is not overly inspiring – except superficially. Michael Rubin observed:
True, when Khatami emerged on the world stage, he was a breath of fresh air. Diplomats applauded when, after his swearing-in on August 4, 1997, he declared: “We are in favour of a dialogue between civilisations and a detente in our relations with the outside world.” Khatami became the toast of European capitals, with prime ministers tripping over themselves to host him in their capitals.
On March 9, 1999, during his first visit to Europe, Khatami told the Italian parliament: “Tolerance and exchange of views are the fruits of cultural richness, creativity, high-mindedness and harmony. One must recognise this opportunity.” Back in Iran, though, his message was different. He banned Israeli and Jewish non-government organisations from participating in the Tehran preparatory meeting ahead of the UN Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
Then, speaking to Iranian television on October 24, 2000, he declared: “If we abide by human laws, we should mobilise the whole Islamic world for a sharp confrontation with the Zionist regime. If we abide by the Koran, all of us should mobilise to kill.”
Alas, such incitement was not mere rhetoric, and to suggest, as Camilleri does, that Khatami condemns terrorism is at best half-true. Khatami may have offered condolences after the September11, 2001, terror attacks in New York and Washington, but the bipartisan 9/11 Commission subsequently found that his government had granted transit across Iran to at least eight of the 14 Saudi hijackers who had trained in Afghanistan’s al-Qa’ida camps.
When it comes to “moderates” in the Muslim world academics, diplomats and journalists are forever hearing what they want to hear and disregarding the rest.
The true level of moderation is something to keep in mind when considering how to outfit the Iranian regime with new surveillance technology or offering the regime new diplomatic flexibility.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
