INTERVIEW: Morris Motamed

Only Jewish Minister of Parliament

Islamic Republic of Iran

Tehran, Iran

by Trish Schuh

Simultaneous translation by Meisam Jebelli, Iranian

government interpreter

AGE: 63 years old

BORN: Hamadan, Iran

JOB: Only Jewish MP of the Majlis- Iranian Parliament

VOCATION: Topography Engineer, Cartography, making

maps. Aerial mapping, field mapping, site mapping,

satellite images. This is my field of study and this

is a consulting engineers company. I am one of the

owners of this company. I worked here for more than 20

years. So the time that I am free and not in

Parliament, I sit here.

EDUCATION: Tehran University

International courses:

Studied earthquake prediction for one year in Japan.

Satellite images / remote sensing in the Netherlands,

Poland, India

Morris Motamed is the only Jewish Minister of

Parliament in Iran's Majlis, and is the official

representative of the largest (25,000) Jewish

community in the middle east Diaspora outside of

Israel.

The Persian Jewish community stretches back nearly

3000 years to around 680 BC when Jews fled King

Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria and were later freed from

Babylonian captivity by the Persian King Cyrus the

Great. Cyrus also helped them rebuild the Second

Temple in Jerusalem.

But now those ties are under strain. President

Ahmedinejad has offended the Iranian Jewish community

with his attacks on Israel and the Holocaust, and

there is worry for the community's safety if the

crisis in Lebanon with Iranian-backed Hezbollah

broadens into a US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Concerns abound that the Jewish community could be

scapegoated as they were during the Israel-Hezbollah

War of 2006. After several synagogues in the southern

city of Shiraz were attacked during the conflict, Jews

held a pro-Hezbollah rally in self-defense to prove

their loyalty to the regime.

In October, 2007 Israeli media disclosed that

"Danger!" warning letters had been sent to Iranian

Jews by Jews in the Diaspora warning them to flee

ahead of an impending military attack on Iran.

Q: What is the condition of the Jewish community in

Iran?

A: Fortunately we have no problem in the Jewish

community's living conditions. This question has been

asked by many- if there was any change after President

Khatami's time changed to President Ahmedinejad? If

there was any change in conditions for religious

minorities, especially Jews? We always answered

fortunately and happily that there was no change, and

we hope that there will be no change in a negative

direction.

Q: Do you ever consider emigrating to Israel or the

USA?

A: As for emigration, I haven't thought about it and

haven't decided anything. For the time being all my

family members are living in the United States.

Q: Would you rather live in Israel or the United

States?

A: If I was to decide to emigrate, I would like to

live in a place where all my relatives, all my

acquaintances, my family and friends are living- to

have my connections and communications with them.

Q: What is most difficult about life in Iran?

A: Since all people here- I can say the majority of

Iranian society are living in the same conditions in

life, and they are almost the same. There is no

difference between the way of life of the minority

communities and the main body of the society, which

means the Muslims. I cannot say what is the hardest

part of my life.

Q: A couple of years ago, it was reported that the

Iranian government was going to force Jews to wear a

star or marking on their clothes. What was the truth

behind this?

A: Unfortunately, this was fake news published in a

Canadian newspaper. I considered this news a big

insult to the religious minorities of Iran. I

countered the news very harshly, to the point where

the source of the news and the Canadian government

officially apologized to the Iranian government. I

was sure this news was fake. It was published in a

newspaper following a resolution that was being talked

about in Parliament on fashion and fabrics- and they

misused it. I was the person who made them apologize

to Iran's government.

Q: It seems this was not the only time the western

press has mistranslated Farsi into English. Please

comment on the alleged statement of Iranian President

Ahmedinejad's threat to "wipe Israel off the map".

What did he actually say in Persian? (Ahmedinejads

notorious threat to "wipe Israel off the map" was

actually a quote of the Ayatollah Khomeini who said:

"The regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the

pages of time.")

A: I personally believe so much in democracy, and I

respect democracy. One of the basic principles of

democracy is freedom of speech, so that a person can

freely say his ideas and viewpoints. Mr. Ahmedinejad

in my viewpoint, as a person has stated his ideas and

viewpoints. So after his speech we observed and saw

that some Iranian political authorities talked in a

different manner- said that Iran doesn't want the

wiping out or destruction of any nation from the page

of history or from the map.

Q: What do you think of the Iranian nuclear program?

A: As a Jewish Iranian, I consider enrichment of

peaceful nuclear technology the obvious right of

Iranian society. What is sad here- and I'm so sorry

about- is that before the Islamic Revolution, we

witnessed that western Europe and America, they

pressured Iran so much to establish a nuclear power

plant and obtain nuclear technology. Now the idea is

brought up: "Why do you want nuclear technology? What

is the use of nuclear technology for you when you have

alot of resources like fuel and gas and oil?" My

question here is that, why at that time then, the

problem of natural resources was not brought up? Now,

if they talk about Iran's natural resources they

threaten- warn Iran- that the oil would finish soon.

But nowadays, they are talking exactly vice versa. At

the same time they say that Iran shouldn't have

nuclear technology by focusing on Iran's big, huge oil

and gas resources.

Q: Please comment on Ahmedinejad's statement that the

Holocaust was a myth.

A: About two years ago when Mr. Ahmedinejad denied

the big tragedy of the Holocaust, I immediately, as

the representative of the Jewish community of Iran,

held a press conference and I expressed my sadness

about the statements of the Iranian President. I

declared his words a very big insult to all Jewish

communities all around the world.

Q: Does Ahmedinejad actually believe that there were

no Jews killed in the Holocaust?

A: Fortunately after what he said about the Holocaust

the first time, we found in his next speeches, he

became more moderate. But not to the extent that he

apologized or withdrew his statement.

Q: What about the Holocaust conference held recently

here?

A: When the Holocaust conference was being held in

Iran, I sent an official letter to the institute in

charge of holding this conference. I expressed my

being sorry and sad about holding such an event which

was to deny the biggest tragedy in human history, and

to undermine the rights of victims of the terrible

genocide. I complained about it. Fortunately and

happily, we witnessed that this conference was not

welcomed as the organizers had been expecting. Not in

Iran or in the world.

Q: Did you protest the attendance of the Jewish group

Netura Kartei?

A: Netura Kartei traveled to Iran many times for

religious dialogues between faiths, which are held now

and then. It is natural that I met with them.

Q: Recently, an Israeli government official has

threatened the Palestinians in Gaza with a

"Holocaust". Could you comment on the use of this

word in this context?

A: As a representative of the Jewish community,

because of what is going on nowadays in Gaza... We

are witnessing killing, injuring innocent people- old

men, children and women in Gaza. I'm very sorry. We

have declared our hatred of this issue with a

declaration. What makes us so sorry- because

'Holocaust'' which means 'genocide'-

a person who knows himself as a victim of cruelty

which was done to him during the second world war by

Holocaust, now himself wants to bring up another

Holocaust. This kind of statment is full of

shamefulness and embarassment.

Q: Haaretz mentioned cash incentives for Iranian Jews

to relocate to Israel?

A: Iranian Jews are free. But three months ago we

published a declaration that the freedom of decision

making for Iran's Jews is not for sale. Great numbers

of Jews have been offered this, but we didn't want to

leave our homeland. We prefer to be here.

Q: While we have been discussing today, your answers

have been very moderate. But if you did have serious

problems here - would you really be free to discuss

them with a foreign reporter? Or would you be

punished when I leave?

A: Never. I had many, many press conferences... I

said my ideas. There were no contacts, punishments.

I don't know what you mean.

Q: For criticizing the President?

A: No fortunately, nothing has happened yet and I

hope in future also nothing will happen. Whatever I

told you I answered honestly.

A few weeks after the interview with Morris Motemad,

local authorities burned down seven ancient

synagogues in Tehran, and clerics announced a plan to

erase Iran's non-Islamic heritage by destroying the

tomb of Cyrus the Great.