I wasn't really sure we could top last week's list of disclosures about celebrities and politicians. To recap: David Letterman is a philanderer. John Edwards is an (alleged) serial philanderer. And if there were any remaining doubts, Roman Polanksi really is a child rapist. But here's one secret I'm quite certain none of us saw coming: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is . . . wait for it . . . Jewish.
This guy has had one helluva summer: Electoral fraud. Torture allegations. Oh, yes, and that pesky little nuclear facility he's been building. Now it turns out he's Jewish to boot? Say it ain't so, Mahmoud.
But apparently it is. According to a story that broke over the weekend in London's Daily Telegraph, a photograph of the president holding up his national identity card during the recent Iranian elections provides evidence that he is Jewish.
That document reveals that his original last name -- Sabourjian -- is a well-known Jewish surname in Iran, one that even connotes that his family was once observant. A note scribbled on the card also shows that his parents changed their last name to "Ahmadinejad" after they converted to Islam when he was born. Although Ahmadinejad has never denied that his name was changed, he has never offered an explanation.
To be fair, he's not the first famous person to be "discovered" to be Jewish. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is probably the most prominent American in recent times. (If you haven't read Michael Kinsley's send-up of this phenomenon in Slate, it's a must.)
But Ahmadinejad is in a category all by himself. While Albright -- improbably, perhaps -- claims that she really didn't know she was Jewish, Ahmadinejad did. As The Daily Telegraph speculates, this fact goes a long way towards explaining why he's been at such pains over the years to . . . well, basically hate Jews. And not just hate them in some sort of mild way, hate them in the most vile and despicable fashion: by denying the Holocaust ever occurred. He needed desperately to do so in order to shore up his cred in radical Shia circles.
Hey, I'm a big believer in unlocking family secrets as a way to cleanse yourself and move forward. And I do now feel that I have some insight into this guy that had heretofore been lacking.
I'm also a big believer in tolerance and making room for as many people as possible under any given umbrella. As someone married to a Jewish man for 11 years with two kids we'd like to raise as Jewish, I'm all for inclusiveness when it comes to broadening the definition of "who counts" as a Jew.
But on this one I have to say, sorry, pal. You're on your own. This is a club where we don't want you.
Delia Lloyd is a writer based in London. Her work has appeared in The International Herald Tribune, The Guardian Weekly and on the BBC World Service... more
Today, Hillary tries to get the truth about Iran's nuclear affairs from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( click here for more Babbleheads )! Come back tomorrow as Words of Wisdom defines "tarpacity."
Politics Daily columnist and Daily FLOTUS writer Lynn Sweet appeared on the "UpFront with Tony Cox" radio program on Saturday to discuss the visit that she and a small group of reporters had with...
And you comrade Delia, are a Socialist. Was it difficult to write a story without talking about the virtues of a "nanny state"?
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htc6600
6:53PM Oct 4th 2009
What's that got to do with Ahmadinejad being a Jew? You republicans are so asinine-you think you have to label anyone who doesn't agree with you as a socialist when it's obvious you have no idea what a socialist is. Stop being a radio repeater for the blimp, do some research[...]
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dragonemisis
7:20PM Oct 4th 2009
Well,well, as I live & breathe; this is proof that the truth will out! The world's biggest antisemite is himself Jewish. What a pathetic man he is.
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Truth
3:16AM Oct 5th 2009
If Ahmadinejad truly is Jewish, it could be problematic for the Iranian leadership in their zeal to destroy Israel. I hope it is true.
Ahmadinejad is not only denying the greatest atrocity in human history, he is promising to commit another one. The only twist that could make his genocidal goals more bizarre would be if he actually is Jewish. Many in Hitler's hierarchy were at least part Jewish as well.
The story of the Nazi atrocities begins and ends with the concept of evil, and is documented with the books, films, and human remains that will forever testify to what was arguably the worst act in human history. The holocaust is a permanent scar on the human psyche, and the act of denying it deserves the harshest condemnation, and is evil itself.
It is hard to believe that the world now sees the uber extremist, 12th Imam zealots, like Ahmadinejad, and the Iranian Ayatollahs, not only denying the holocaust, but threatening another one with nuclear weapons. Their intentions are evil.
Why isn't the world condemnation of Iran commensurate with their admitted goal of genocide for Israel? Is the world going to stand by passively again? This time, if we, and the world's nations, don't prevent the insane zealots like Ahmadinejad from carrying out their evil Jihad, the whole world will pay when we are inexorably get sucked into the maelstrom of WWIII.
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Truth
3:21AM Oct 5th 2009
If Ahmadinejad truly is Jewish, it could be problematic for the Iranian leadership in their zeal to destroy Israel. I hope it is true.
Ahmadinejad is not only denying the greatest atrocity in human history, he is promising to commit another one. The only twist that could make his genocidal goals more bizarre would be if he actually is Jewish. Many in Hitler's hierarchy were at least part Jewish as well.
The story of the Nazi atrocities begins and ends with the concept of evil, and is documented with the books, films, and human remains that will forever testify to what was arguably the worst act in human history. The holocaust is a permanent scar on the human psyche, and the act of denying it deserves the harshest condemnation, and is evil itself.
It is hard to believe that the world now sees the uber extremist, 12th Imam zealots, like Ahmadinejad, and the Iranian Ayatollahs, not only denying the holocaust, but threatening another one with nuclear weapons. Their intentions are evil.
Why isn't the world condemnation of Iran commensurate with their admitted goal of genocide for Israel? Is the world going to stand by passively again? This time, if we, and the world's nations, don't prevent the insane zealots like Ahmadinejad from carrying out their evil Jihad, the whole world will pay when we are inexorably get sucked into the maelstrom of WWIII.
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WADE...
3:40PM Oct 5th 2009
In case you'd like to know who Obama's COMMIES are....
Here's all of Obama's Czars Pictures of them and their Commie agenda !!!
What the mainstream media refuses to tell you….
Obama is side stepping the confirmation process to get his CRONIES into the power…These, Communist, far left-loon Socialists, anti-American Racists and Crooks are( shaping A Radical Socialist Agenda ) writing laws and whispering in Obama’s ear. http://wadesayswhat.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/czars/#respond
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Truth
8:26PM Oct 5th 2009
If you don't know about Ahmadinejad's uber exremist beliefs in the 12th Imam, you don't really have any idea how close the world is to nuclear war. He, and his cabinet have signed a "contract" to prepare the way for the 12th Imam, who he believes will come and rule over the world but only after tremendous upheaval, war, and bloodshed.
The "Twelvers" as they are known, are the most radical of the radical Islamic Jihadists, and believe that starting a world war is a BLESSED EVENT, and the precursor to the return of Muhammed al Mahdi, the 12th Imam, and descendant of Mohammed.
This group is more extreme than any on earth, and is preparing to start a world war. As usual, most of of media is ignoring this FACT.
Will the 12th Imam cause war with Iran?
By Con Coughlin Published: 12:01AM BST 28 Sep 2007 Comments 83 | Comment on this article InsideAbroad Not since the prime minister of the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada presented an address claiming that UFOs posed a mortal threat to the future of mankind has the United Nations been treated to such a bizarre spectacle. Many people believe the greatest threat to world peace concerns Iran's nuclear programme, so there was understandably great interest at this week's general assembly in New York when the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took the platform. But instead of seeking to reassure delegates that Iran's nuclear intentions were purely benign, Mr Ahmadinejad took advantage of his official visit to a country deemed – in the lexicon of the Iranian Revolution – "the Great Satan" to embark on a discourse about the wonders of the 12th Imam. For those unacquainted with the more obscure tenets of Islamic theology, the 12th Imam is held by devout Shi'ite Muslims to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed who went into "occlusion" in the ninth century at the age of five and hasn't been seen since. The Hidden Imam, as he is also known by his followers, will only return after a period of cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed – what Christians call the Apocalypse – and then lead the world into an era of universal peace. Rumours abound of Mr Ahmadinejad's devotion to the 12th Imam, and last year it was reported that he had persuaded his cabinet to sign a "contract" pledging themselves to work for his return. Another example of his messianic tendencies surfaced after 108 people were killed in an aircraft crash in Teheran. Mr Ahmadinejad praised the victims, saying: "What is important is that they have shown the way to martyrdom which we must follow." For many of the hundreds of delegates who attended Mr Ahmadinejad's speech to the UN this week, his discourse on the merits of the 12th Imam finally brought home the reality of the danger his regime poses to world peace. Rather than allaying concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, Mr Ahmadinejad spoke at length about how a Muslim saviour would relieve the world's suffering. The era of Western predominance was drawing to a close, he said, and would soon be replaced by a "bright future" ushered in by the 12th Imam's return. "Without any doubt, the Promised One, who is the ultimate Saviour, will come. The pleasing aroma of justice will permeate the whole world." The really alarming aspect is that – if the world's leading intelligence agencies are to be believed – he is seriously attempting to acquire a nuclear weapons arsenal. Only yesterday, the opposition group that first revealed the existence of Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz claimed that Iran was building a new bomb-proof underground site for developing nuclear weapons. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said the regime was near to completing a vast underground chamber that was linked by two tunnels to the existing complex at Natanz, and was protected against aerial attack. As with so many of the allegations relating to Iran's nuclear activities, the NCRI's claims are impossible to verify, not least because Iran continues to impede UN nuclear inspectors. And even if, as Mr Ahmadinejad claimed in New York, Iran has no interest in developing nuclear weapons, there is every indication that Teheran is preparing itself for war, not least because the clash with Western civilisation that the Iranian president so obviously desires will hasten, or so he believes, the arrival of the 12th Imam. Before flying to the US, Mr Ahmadinejad addressed a military parade in Teheran at which he said Iran would retaliate with missile strikes against Western targets in the event of the West launching air strikes to neutralise Iran's nuclear aspirations. Recent changes to the regime's hierarchy also suggest that the country is now being put on a war footing in anticipation of Western military action. The most significant appointment is that of Mohammed Ali Jaafari as the new head of the Revolutionary Guards. Mr Ahmadinejad – a former Revolutionary Guards commander – regards the 200,000-strong organisation as the storm troops of the Islamic Revolution and, by appointing Mr Jaafari its new commander this month, he is giving the guards primary responsibility for protecting the country against attack. Major-General Rahim Safavi, the previous commander, was hardly a soft touch, having masterminded the capture and subsequent release of 15 British service personnel this year. Mr Safavi, who commanded the guards for 10 years, is understood to have fallen out with Mr Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's spiritual leader, after he argued that the guards were too weak to repel an attack from abroad. Mr Safavi was also criticised within the regime for failing to establish effective supply lines between Teheran and Hizbollah, the Iranian-funded militia in southern Lebanon. A train carrying vital military supplies for Hizbollah from Iran to Syria blew up in mysterious circumstances last May in northern Turkey, severely disrupting Iran's attempts to re-arm Hizbollah following last year's war with Israel. Mr Jaafari, by contrast, has a proven track record as an effective Revolutionary Guards commander. Regarded in Iranian circles as an ultra-conservative, Mr Jaafari was, until recently, in charge of Iran's anti-American activities in Iraq, and narrowly escaped capture by US forces in January when the Americans seized five guards belonging to the secretive Quds force. And, unlike his predecessor, Mr Jaafari is bullish about the Revolutionary Guards' capacity to defend Iran from attack. He attracted international attention this year when he boasted that more than 50,000 volunteers were being trained in Iran to carry out "martyrdom-seeking operations" against the West. Just the kind of carnage Mr Ahmadinejad believes will hasten the arrival of the 12th Imam.
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mannywrd
6:51PM Oct 4th 2009
So!!!! Was Hitler also a Jew? And his hatred of its own people committed all those atrocities? Wow!!!! Speaking of wandering Jews, they really land in bizzar places. But, then really the whole world has some Jewishness in them. I mean, we are really the salt of the Earth.and everybody likes Sodium Chloride...No?
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Somber
9:07PM Oct 4th 2009
actually Hitler feared his maternal grandfather was a jew. He frequently blamed any feelings of weakness or inadiquacy on 'possible jewish blood.' and is one reason why german courts exempted germans with 1/4 or less jewish blood as being considering jews for removal.
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gordonmacwilliam
9:34AM Oct 5th 2009
My understanding was that Hitler's mother was Jewish. Another short man head of state with Jewish ancestors who hates Jews. Do I see a pattern here?
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Splash
10:30AM Oct 5th 2009
Some people just hate who they are and lash out at that identity. But they can still be included somehow. Take the challenge: http://wp.me/pywxb-Dg
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jessica
7:05PM Oct 4th 2009
I love the last line in this article "This is a club where we don't want you." I am not Jewish but anybody who wants this guy is just plain nuts.
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renethom9
3:12AM Oct 5th 2009
Being Jewish is not the issue; we should find a way to prevent a nuclear holocaust among nations with nuclear capabilities. Being Jewish does not make one a Jew either like Muslims to Arabs. Jewish is the proper term for those who practice Judaism. when we say the Jewish people, it doesn't mean Jews in particular, like muslims people doesn't mean Arabs either.
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Bruce
9:33AM Oct 5th 2009
I wanna HIT this guy with MY club...
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kyle76066
7:12PM Oct 4th 2009
I don't think it really matters, as I'd bet most of the Iranian targets will be Nuked before Ahmadouchbag realizes what a mistake it was to threaten to wipe out Israel with Iran's (would-be launched) Nukes. Mahmoud may not believe what the Nazi's did, but he will see with his own eyes, "Never Again". Or as the Israeli Ambassador said, "Quoting Barrack Hussain Obama, 'Yes We Can, Yes We Will' ".
It's just a pity that the U.N. and the American Politicians allowed Ahmanutbag to get away with it this long, as now it will end in Mushroom Clouds. I place blame fully at the feet of the U.N. and B. Hussain O., and G.W. Bush.
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repukeslie7
9:21PM Oct 4th 2009
You all realize that Ahmadinejad is just the front man for Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. The clerics control everything in Iran.
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Splash
10:48AM Oct 5th 2009
repukeslie7 - do you think the clerics fully vetted Mahmoud? I wonder. Anyway, you should take the challenge too: http://wp.me/pywxb-Dg