IRAN’S JEWS, ARMENIANS CRITICISE “INSULTING” TV PROGRAMMES
Shargh web site, Tehran
24 Nov 04
The Jewish Community of Tehran and the Armenian Apostolic Bishopric
of Tehran have both sent open letters to Zarghami, head of the Voice
and Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIB) in protest at what
they describe as the ignoring of the rights of the minorities. The
Armenian Apostolic Bishopric of Tehran protests against one of the
programmes aired on Id al-Fitr on IRIB’s Channel Three in which a
person who said that he was Armenian claimed that he was unable to
pay the heavy cost demanded by Armenian Apostolic Bishopric of Tehran
for his father’s burial and asks for help. The Armenian Apostolic
Bishopric of Tehran clarifies that charges for burial at the Armenian
cemeteries are much lower than the amount stated on Channel Three,
adding that destitute people are not asked to pay at all. The Council
expresses surprise that IRIB aired these remarks without following
up the matter to ascertain whether the allegations were true.
In its open letter, the Jewish Community of Tehran protests against
two television series–one called “Conspiracy” and the other “Blood
in Unleavened Bread”–and writes: “In the IRIB’S programmes, Jewish
clerics and the Jews’ monotheistic religion are thoughtlessly and
repeatedly ridiculed, insulted, and denigrated without the least bit
of attention being paid to protests by the Jewish Community. It is
surprising how the Jewish clerics’ anti-Zionist demonstrations and
their condemnation of the massacring of Palestinians are repeatedly
broadcast on IRIB while, at the same time, Jewish clerics and what
they represent are ridiculed.”
The letters by both the Jews and the Armenians conclude by expressing
hopes that IRIB will adopt a serious stance against the officials
of the organization and will prevent topics and programmes that are
insulting to the minorities from being broadcast.