19 May, 2006
The Iranian parliament has passed a law that will requires the country's Jews and Christians to wear colored badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims. The Islamic Majlis's law setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments." The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims. Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth. Bernie Farber, the chief executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said he was "stunned" by the measure. "We thought this had gone the way of the dodo bird, but clearly in Iran everything old and bad is new again," he said. "It's state-sponsored religious discrimination." The law was already drafted two years ago but was stuck in the Iranian parliament until recently, when it was revived at the behest of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Read about the WJC's compaign for international condemnation of President Ahmadinejad
