Justice, Israel, and the Holocaust:  President Ahmadinejad Repeats His Statements

by Dr. Robert Dickson Crane

  In an interview with Der Spiegel at the end of May, 2006, President Ahmadinejad repeats the original statements that were distorted earlier this month in some Western media.  It seems that both Iran and Germany now feel the need to counter the disinformation perpetrated by those who cannot understand the poetic indirection of speech preferred in Persian culture and by those who fear the independence of Iran.

  President Ahmadinejad always emphasizes the traditional Shi’a approach to all human life, which puts at the top of the Islamic creed tawhid (respect for the coherent order of all creation), and ‘adl, which means recognition of this purposeful meaning of existence by the search for and implementation of justice.  Unfortunately, President Bush has not once during his presidency used the term “justice” except as a warning word for revenge.

  The key points in President Ahmadinejad’s statement of Iranian foreign policy are the following six short sentences:


“Relationships have to be regulated on the basis of justice. When justice reigns, peace reigns. Unjust conditions aren’t sustainable.  ... We need a new approach.  ... We need sustainable principles that enjoy universal acceptance - such as justice.  Iran and the West agree on this.”