Who is Behind the Iranian Coloured Badges Psy-Op Story?

On Friday May 19, 2006 one of Canada's national English language newspapers (The National Post) published a shocking story that has since made headlines around the world.

In a story designed to evoke images of Hitler's Nazi Germany and memories of the Holocaust, it was reported that a new law would require non-Muslims in Iran to wear coloured "badges" on their clothing to identify which religious group they belonged to (yellow for Jews, red for Christians etc.).

The one and only source for this story is the author, Amir Taheri. The story has not been confirmed by any other source and has been denied by several people, including a Jewish Member of Parliament in Iran. (I bet there are many who are surprised that there are Jewish MPs in Iran - I know I was). Even The National Post has since distanced itself from the story.

Let's do a little digging shall we?

The National Post: A division of Canadian media company CanWest Global Communications Corp.

The Post was founded in 1998 by Conrad Black to combat what he saw as an 'over-liberalizing' of editorial policy in Canadian newspapers.

From the beginning the Post has had a strongly conservative editorial stance, and has an editorial page featuring the writings of many prominent neo-conservatives and libertarians from the United States and Canada, ... This stance is typically mocked by those who refer to the paper as the "Fascist Post" or the "Zionist Post". A number of newspaper stands in Toronto holding the National Post for sale have been vandalized with these statements.

In 2001 the paper was sold to CanWest Global Communications, run by Israel Asper until his death in 2003. ... now managed by Asper's sons, Leonard and David. The Aspers openly admit that they control the editorial content of the paper. ...the paper endorsed the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2006 election, and Leonard Asper appeared with Conservative leader Stephen Harper on the campaign trail. [Canada's new Prime Minister] - source

So we have Canada most conservative right wing newspaper as the sole source of the story anywhere in the world.

What about the author, Amir Taheri?

Amir Taheri is an Iranian-born journalist and author based in Europe.

He is a supporter of US neoconservative circles. His writings focus on the Middle East affairs and topics related to Islamist terrorism.

Mr Taheri is a member of Benador Associates, a Public Relations firm that is a clearing house for international Public Policy Speakers. - source

Who are Benador Associates?

New York-based Benador Associates is less than two years old, but has a star-studded client roster of 38 people, most of them Middle East specialists. [note:story written in 2003 so estimate 2001 as date of founding]

[Founded by]... Eleana Benador, the Peruvian-born publicist for Perle, Woolsey, Michael Ledeen, Frank Gaffney and a dozen other prominent neo-conservatives whose hawkish opinions proved very hard to avoid for anyone who watched news talk shows or read the op-ed pages of major newspapers over the past 20 months. [in the run-up to the Iraqui invasion]

Also found among her client list are other major war-boosters, including former New York Times executive editor and now New York Daily News columnist, A M Rosenthal; Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer; the Council on Foreign Relations' resident imperialist, Max Boot; and Victor Davis Hanson, a blood-and-guts classicist and one of Vice President Dick Cheney's favorite dinner guests. - source

More on Benador Associates:

The CEO and founder of the firm, Eleana Benador, is a Peruvian-born linguist-turned-publicist whose client list of prominent and influential neoconservatives includes Richard Perle, the former chairman of the Defense Policy Board; former CIA director James Woolsey; Daily News columnist A.M. Rosenthal; American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Michael Ledeen; National Review contributing editor Frank Gaffney Jr.; former Washington Times editor in chief Arnaud de Borchgrave; former Secretary of State Alexander Haig Jr.; and Iraqi dissident Kanan Makiya, a Brandeis professor who advocated the 2003 invasion of Iraq. - source

There are many discussions on ATS about public relations firms and think tanks whose mission it is to plant stories in foreign media is support of the neocon agenda.

Here's a sampling:

ATS: Pentagon To Place Pro USA Propaganda In Foreign Media
ATS: The Lincoln Group - Source of Fake Iraqi News
ATS: Paying for the Spin: How Bush Spent $1.6 billion on public relations and media spending.
ATS: U.S. Military Pays Iraqi Newspapers to Run Pro U.S. Stories

Two-plus-two usually equals four, and Occam's Razor is a good guide.

Are we are witnessing the results of a planted psy-ops story designed to vilify the leader of Iran in support of the upcoming war? It'll be interesting to see the Sunday morning roundtable "news" shows tomorrow.

What's clear to me is that the National Post has seized on their willingness to believe such a story as well as the general public's willingness to see evil where they are told.

One more point.

Leonard Asper appeared with Conservative leader Stephen Harper on the campaign trail.

Before the story could be confirmed or denied, or at least the background facts checked out by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Stephen Harper also let his willingness to believe such a story get the better of him:

Harper seized on a newspaper report that said Iran's hardline government would require Jews and Christians to wear coloured labels in public.

The prime minister couldn't vouch for the accuracy of the National Post report, but he added that Iran was capable of such actions and compared them to Nazi practices. - source - more

It's also clear,(to this Canadian at least) that our current leadership will go along for the ride into Iran.

After all, they're helping to pave the way. :shk:
.
edit: title tweek for more discussion

[edit on 5/21/2006 by Gools]

[edit on 5/21/2006 by Gools]

Pease note the ATSNN and ATS threads discussing and debunking the original story I forgot to include.

I also forgot to include this excellent source that is keeping an eye on this developping story: Is the Iranian Yellow Badges Story True?

Unfortunately the character limit won't allow me to add these to the above post.

NOTE: The last link has just updated with a report that the New York Post has re-run the story today!

AND

There has been a letter written by the Simon Wiesenthal Center to the United Nation's Kofi Annan demanding immediate action against Iran based on this. ¬oc=1]link

Let's see how far this psy-ops operation gets...
.

[edit on 5/20/2006 by Gools]

Bravo for posting this!

As we come into the age where Internet News is getting as much attention as mainstream media news, coupled with the fact that some of the Powers that Be don't particularly like what we, the people are learning from our plethora of sources... we need to be aware that some of the stories might be planted to sway our opinions. It's more important than ever to dig deeper and find second sources before deciding what to believe.

Also, a perfect way to discount the 'alternative' news sources is to 'leak' disinformation. So, that may be happening, too.

This story and the 'Rove Indictment' story coming so close together makes me wonder if there isn't some sort of attempt at manipulation of the people to turn them back to a more controllable mainstream media. - using the very media many of us rely on.

I hope that makes sense...

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Bravo for posting this!

As we come into the age where Internet News is getting as much attention as mainstream media news, coupled with the fact that some of the Powers that Be don't particularly like what we, the people are learning from our plethora of sources... we need to be aware that some of the stories might be planted to sway our opinions. It's more important than ever to dig deeper and find second sources before deciding what to believe.

Also, a perfect way to discount the 'alternative' news sources is to 'leak' disinformation. So, that may be happening, too.

This story and the 'Rove Indictment' story coming so close together makes me wonder if there isn't some sort of attempt at manipulation of the people to turn them back to a more controllable mainstream media. - using the very media many of us rely on.

I hope that makes sense...

I swallowed this story wholeheartedly and now I feel like an ass. I should know better, thanks for the research, (minimal granted, but if I would have researched it myself before getting all worked up, I wouldn't be braying right now). Good Post.

Jason Kenney got up in parliament yesterday and made some very supportive statements with the "if this true qualifier"... seems the "Little Knesset" is still alive and well despite the change in regime in Ottawa... The Blackberry's are smokin' on this and Capt. Goddard's 8 hour or so plane "delay" arriving in Trenton (speed bonnie boat). The piper's tune lies to my ears and the truth is only spoken "out here walking perimeter." Way to "kick it" Gools... ATS Max Kudos.

Respectfully,

Victor K.

[edit on 20-5-2006 by V Kaminski]

I don't think there's any reason to feel like an ass for believing what we're told. Especially when what we're told makes sense and there are other similar stories floating around.

But it's true, the best and most believable conspiracy theorist is a skeptic.

We just need to make a conscious move to evaluate and be more critical when deciding what to believe.

I'm sorry, Gools, that you'll be joining us in Iran...

exellent work!
once the story is out there,.... a lie told over and over.... a desensatizing of the sheople to an attack on iran. but, in the end AMERIKA will do what it wants despite public opinion AND THE FACTS.....
once again good work

Excellent research. I was wondering the source of this article this morning, but didn't look into it.

Blatant propaganda.

I have already posted this in the other two relevant threads, I just wanted to post it here as well.

UPDATE:

The 13-article bill — which focuses on economic incentives for Islamic dress — has been touted by conservatives as a vital tool to curb Western influence in the conservative Islamic Republic. No date has been set yet on a final vote on the bill.

"This bill brings no obligation, no imposition," said Emad Afresh, an Iranian lawmaker.

"It only requires the government to support the private sector," he said, adding that it was a way to "resist the (Western) cultural onslaught in a world where globalization is being imposed."

The bill does not call for police or other bodies to enforce stricter styles of dress for women. Instead, it rallies state agencies to promote Islamic dress and "encourage the public to abstain from choosing clothes that aren't appropriate to the culture of Iran," according to the copy received from the parliament's press office.

Also this in regards to the original accusations of Tagging religious minorities.

On Friday, a Canadian newspaper, The National Post, quoting Iranian exiles, said the law would force Jews, Christians and other religious minorities to wear special patches of colored cloth to distinguish them from Muslims. The report drew a condemnation from the United States, which said such a law would carry "clear echoes of Germany under Hitler."

A copy of the draft law obtained by The Associated Press made no mention of religious minorities or any requirement of special attire for them, and the Post later posted an article on its Web site backing off the report.

Yahoo.com

The canadian post backed off the story, and the Associated press themselves has a copy of the draft law which they claim has nothing to do with religious minorities.

As far as I can see is that the draft law is an incentive to bring traditional Islamic dress code for women by favoring companies which manufacture the clothes, as well as a way to "resist the (Western) cultural onslaught in a world where globalization is being imposed."

Just found this article on Benador stating they will be getting involved with some heavy hitters in the homeland security arena.

Gerard Group International Selects Benador Associates Public Relations

BOSTON, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Gerard Group International LLC (GGi), Massachusetts-based specialists in homeland security and counter-terrorism, have chosen the New York firm Benador Associates Public Relations to promote their programs and services.

Gerard Group International has made its name in the international strategic consulting arena since it was founded in Israel in 1983 and has been operating from Boston since 1995.

Ms Benador's internationally recognized expertise as head of Benador Associates Public Relations places her firm in a particularly privileged position to handle the needs of Gerard Group International LLC, given Benador's involvement during the last years in the fields of national security, foreign affairs, international and global activities with the printed, visual and audio-visual media worldwide.

Not bad for a little 4 year old start-up company eh? And check out this unbelievable quote from the article from Ms. Benador hereself:

"One of the major problems in the current administration, is once more the lack of communication with the American public. The constant threat of terrorism coming from Islamist fundamentalists against our civilization is barely mentioned and plainly overseen on a daily basis. The lethal nature of the threat needs that it be incessantly explained and reminded. Our enemies are relentlessly at war against us.

Is she for real? All we've heard from the current administration is "terrorism... terrorism... terrorism! ... war... war... war!"

I guess it's just not enough for some people, so they go ahead and make up threats as they go along.
And they call us paranoid! :shk:
.

Humm...so i guess you are trying to claim that nomatter who shows that there is some truth in the story it is all just propaganda?...

Riight... Hey, does this includes Beijing as a propaganda machine for the "neo-cons"?.......

Iran's parliament approves "national dress" bill
Last Updated(Beijing Time):2006-05-16 14:28

Iran's Majlis (parliament) has adopted a "national dress" bill in a bid to boycott current Western-style fashion trend, local press reported on Monday.
The bill was approved on Sunday with 137 votes in favor, 45 against and 11 abstentions. It has to be finalized by the Guardian Council before coming into effect.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for introduction of a "dress code" in line with Iran's national and Islamic identification and culture.

He said that the new outfit should have a variety of forms and colors and must be economical.

It is still unclear how exactly the national outfit is supposed to look like.

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) will have the primary responsibility of promoting the required dress and prevent Western-style fashion that are against Islamic teachings.

en.ce.cn...

Police in Tehran ordered to arrest women in 'un-Islamic' dress

· Taxi drivers responsible for clothes of passengers
· Purge allied with effort to cut viewing of western TV

Robert Tait in Tehran
Thursday April 20, 2006
The Guardian

Iran's Islamic authorities are preparing a crackdown on women flouting the stringent dress code in the clearest sign yet of social and political repression under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
From today police in Tehran will be under orders to arrest women failing to conform to the regime's definition of Islamic morals by wearing loose-fitting hijab, or headscarves, tight jackets and shortened trousers exposing skin.

Offenders could be punished with £30 fines or two months in jail. Officers will also be authorised to confront men with outlandish hairstyles and people walking pet dogs, an activity long denounced as un-Islamic by the religious rulers.

www.guardian.co.uk...

2006-04-29 Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Police in Tehran ordered to arrest women in 'un-Islamic' dress
Iran's Islamic authorities are preparing a crackdown on women flouting the stringent dress code in the clearest sign yet of social and political repression under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

From today police in Tehran will be under orders to arrest women failing to conform to the regime's definition of Islamic morals by wearing loose-fitting hijab, or headscarves, tight jackets and shortened trousers exposing skin.

Offenders could be punished with £30 fines or two months in jail. Officers will also be authorised to confront men with outlandish hairstyles and people walking pet dogs, an activity long denounced as un-Islamic by the religious rulers.

The clampdown coincides with a bill before Iran's conservative-dominated parliament proposing that fines for people with TV satellite dishes rise from £60 to more than £3,000. Millions of Iranians have illegal dishes, enabling them to watch western films and news channels.

The dress purge is led by a Tehran city councillor, Nader Shariatmaderi, a close ally of Mr Ahmadinejad who helped to plot last year's election victory.

rantburg.com...


The propaganda seems to come from those people claiming this is just some sort of propaganda.

[edit on 21-5-2006 by Muaddib]

Originally posted by Muaddib
Humm...so i guess you are trying to claim that nomatter who shows that there is some truth in the story it is all just propaganda?...

The propaganda seems to come from those people claiming this is just some sort of propaganda.

Nothing in those articles talks about putting badges on Jews Muadibb. You are the one trying to spin this story. Others have already noted that the story was meant to address Islamic dress for Muslims as well as others in the country. The whole point of "spin" and "propaganda" is that there is truth, but someone is trying to change it to fit their agenda, in this case, a warhawk agenda. Otherwise it would be considered a lie.

From Gools' original post...

In a story designed to evoke images of Hitler's Nazi Germany and memories of the Holocaust, it was reported that a new law would require non-Muslims in Iran to wear coloured "badges" on their clothing to identify which religious group they belonged to (yellow for Jews, red for Christians etc.).

Tell me, what do your articles have to do with the false report on badges "designed to evoke images of Hitler's Nazi Germany"? Nothing, you are just trying to make it seem like you didn't just post a false story in ATSNN.

Thanks for posting this. As soon as I saw the original story (sorry to sound like a smug git, but it is true) I thought, this is propaganda. And on one of the original threads I did find a link to suggest it was BS, but as so often on such a popular board, it got lost in the noise.

It's all a pretty transparent ploy in the continuing effort to demonise Iran. The comment - which everyone cites - about "wiping Israel off the map" is a spun translation too, as it comes from MEMRI, a Zionist ultra-right think tank. Israel and the US want any excuse to continue with the PNAC plan, and one wonders if they don't have another fake terrorist action up their sleeves to keep the ball rolling.

Originally posted by Jamuhn

Nothing in those articles talks about putting badges on Jews Muadibb. You are the one trying to spin this story. Others have already noted that the story was meant to address Islamic dress for Muslims as well as others in the country. The whole point of "spin" and "propaganda" is that there is truth, but someone is trying to change it to fit their agenda, in this case, a warhawk agenda. Otherwise it would be considered a lie.

Nope, but they do talk about a dress code using different forms and colors in "line with Iran's national and Islamic Identification and culture...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for introduction of a "dress code" in line with Iran's national and Islamic identification and culture.

He said that the new outfit should have a variety of forms and colors and must be economical.

en.ce.cn...

So really...who is trying to dismiss what is really happening over there and is backed by several sources, which contradicts what Gools said in his post?...

And "again"...where did i say this is grounds for going to war with Iran?.....

A variety of forms and colors means Blue, green, red, yellow, black, ect.. ect..

These people are not tasteless you know. I am sure you have a dress code at work, it doesn't mean everyone wears the same types of clothes or colors. I know you want very hard for this to be something it is not, but it isn't.

Originally posted by DYepes
A variety of forms and colors means Blue, green, red, yellow, black, ect.. ect..

These people are not tasteless you know. I am sure you have a dress code at work, it doesn't mean everyone wears the same types of clothes or colors. I know you want very hard for this to be something it is not, but it isn't.

Right, and the part about "Islamic identification" in line with traditional Islamic dress codes? Islamic traditional dress codes in colors was a way to differentiate the different religious beliefs of the Iranian people, before the Iranian Revolution, but now it appears that the dress code has come back once again and colors are going to be used in accordance to the "traditional Islamic identification".

Originally posted by Muaddib
Nope, but they do talk about a dress code using different forms and colors in "line with Iran's national and Islamic Identification and culture...

Now you are stressing Muadibb. Iran calls themselves the Islamic Republic of Iran, of course they are going to identify themselves as Islamic. Once again, your article states NOTHING AT ALL about giving different colors to religious minorities....NOTHING. The colors you are talking about have been in existence since the beginning of the Islamic revolution when the Ayatollah & Co. required only Black, Brown, and Navy Blue (I believe) as appropriate colors for dress. Then, in the past couple years, they allowed more color to flourish. Perhaps, once again, they are trying to restrict the dress code.

So really...who is trying to dismiss what is really happening over there and is backed by several sources, which contradicts what Gools said in his post?...

Still trying to pretend that you didn't post about a fake story to put badges on Jews?

And "again"...where did i say this is grounds for going to war with Iran?.....

You are trying to villify them for something that hasn't occurred, and trying to evoke images of the Holocaust to garner support for action against Iran. You don't have to explicitly state it for us to know what you want to happen. From your ATSNN post...

IOriginally posted by Muaddibn an act reminiscent of the third reich, Iran is about to pass a controversial law in which Jewish people, Christians and other religious minorities are required to wear colored badges to distinguish them from Muslims.

Originally posted by rich23
..............
The comment - which everyone cites - about "wiping Israel off the map" is a spun translation too, as it comes from MEMRI, a Zionist ultra-right think tank. Israel and the US want any excuse to continue with the PNAC plan, and one wonders if they don't have another fake terrorist action up their sleeves to keep the ball rolling.

False, the comments about wiping Israel off the map and other comments were also excerpted from another Iranian newspaper....and here is the proof.

The president then said: "And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism," according to a quote published by Iran's state news outlet, the Islamic Republic News Agency.

www.cnn.com...

[edit on 21-5-2006 by Muaddib]

Originally posted by Jamuhn
..............
Still trying to pretend that you didn't post about a fake story to put badges on Jews?
.............

Still trying to pretend that I did not mention the retraction, and now you continue to try to defend the actions of the Iranian regime trying to dismiss the facts?....

[edit on 21-5-2006 by Muaddib]

Here is another article which proves whether or not the Iranian president said that "Israel should be wiped off the map", from a source that quite a few members around here say is relibale.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly called for Israel to be wiped off the map.


"The establishment of the Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world," the president told a conference in Tehran on Wednesday, entitled The World without Zionism.

"The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of a war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land," he said.

"As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map," said Ahmadinejad, referring to Iran's revolutionary leader Ayat Allah Khomeini.

english.aljazeera.net...