It seems Iran’s Ahmadinejad has made quite a splash at the UN gathering in New York. See his address to the UN General Assembly and this review article in the Guardian entitled I love Everyone says smiling Ahmadinejad.
Justin Raimondo also weighs in with some good commentary on Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Dubya and the rolling UN show in World Politics and Show Biz over at AntiWar.com.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
It is good to see some thoughtful analysis rather than the routine right-wing demonising and sloganeering disinformation about Iran, particularly the oft-made allegation that Ahmadinejad has said he wanted Israel “wiped off the map”.
There is much contention over these remarks and their translation and respected Middle East scholars like Juan Cole who speak the language have disputed this (mis)translation.
This is important because it hinges upon providing those we know as “neocons” the pretext for demonising and ultimately bombing Iran. As we all know as the informed public, journalists and researchers, language matters.
There is no denying the Iranian leader’s antipathy towards the ideology of zionism, but the turn of phrase was a literary allusion that referred to a desire for, in our terms, regime change in Israel rather than an ostensible wish to nuke it off the map.
Virginia Tilley also asserts that the phrase was lost in translation and then siezed upon by belligerent pro-war neocons in a good Counterpunch article entitled ‘Putting Words in Ahmadinejad’s Mouth: Is Iran’s President Really a Jew-Hating, Holocaust-Denying Islmao-fascist who has threatened to “wipe Israel off the map?” Well worth a read.
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