Republic of Hate Podcast Two - The Koran and the New Satan

         Hello and welcome to Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism, in which we explore Iran’s hatred of Israel, Jews, and the West. These are essays by Dr. Mark Silinsky, president of Kensington Security Consulting, which brings education to the field of national security. And now to podcast two, which continues with an overview of Iranian anti-Semitism. Koranic and European Anti-Semitic Themes in Iranian Culture          Some Iranian anti-Semitic themes are based on Koranic passages, while others stem from native Persian/Iranian culture. Koranic anti-Semitic themes, discussed in chapter three, reemerged with the revolution. Mullahs revisited motifs that involved Mohammad’s accusations against Jews in Medina and Mecca. Mohammad described Jews as deceitful and treacherous, scheming with enemies of Islam and attempting to kill Muslims. Khomeini stated, “They are a nation of traitors and liars, contrivers of plots, a people born for deeds of treachery.” Regime officials criticize Jews as a nationality and cite the Koran to support their claims. They accuse Jews of tampering with sacred texts, rejecting Allah’s divine message, and persecuting both Jesus and Mohammad. Early Muslim anti-Semitism differed from European anti-Semitism. It did not accuse Jews of widespread conspiracies or ritual murders. The Muslim world, including Iran, did not make claims of Jewish conspiracy and control until the 20th century. Historically, Mohammed expelled, enslaved, or killed Jewish tribes in Arabia. While Muslims viewed Jews as treacherous, dirty, and dishonest, they did not see them as particularly threatening.             There are also European and Christian tropes, discussed in chapter five, that still persist in Iran today. Iranian leaders portray Jews as swindlers, rapists, thieves, charlatans, and parasites, similar to how Europeans once did until the defeat of National Socialism. With the echo of traditional European anti-Semitism, Iranian government-controlled television depicts Jews as villains. Much like medieval and 20th-century European imagery, Jews are dehumanized and portrayed as pigs and apes. Iranian intellectuals blame Jews for impoverishing the developing world and hoarding the globe’s wealth.          Anti-Semitic stereotypes often include accusations of murdering non-Jews for blood and body parts. After the Islamic Revolution, Iranian leaders distorted this theme to blame Israelis for killing Palestinian children for profit and ritual. Blood libel remains a common belief even among scholars and intellectuals. Another ongoing trope is the idea of a Jewish global conspiracy, such as that presented in the Russian fabrication The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Protocols became essential reading in certain European, Middle Eastern, and American circles. Its first publication in Iran was in 1978, after the revolution. Another widespread claim is that Jewish control Wall Street and major parts of Western economies. This claim relies on traditional European anti-Semitic stories of Jewish control over the world’s wealth.             Holocaust denial is common and outspoken in Iran. It seeks to remove Jews' victim status and weaken Israel's legitimacy. Holocaust denial distorts history by depicting Jews as oppressors. An example is a daily newspaper editor’s claim that the real Holocaust was the Jewish massacre of Christians. According to this claim, the Jewish king of Yemen allied with rabbis and ordered that Christians be thrown into a deep, fiery pit.             Some Americans join in this chorus of conspiracy accusations. A regular commentator on Iranian media, Dr. Kevin Barrett, accused British banker Jacob Rothschild of complicity in the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines flight that vanished forever in mystery. He also speculated that the coronavirus was unleashed by the United States as an act of biological warfare against China and Iran. This convert to Islam accused Henry Kissinger of stating, 'We will control governments by means of oil, and we will control nations by means of food.' What this resulted in is a project called “depopulation.”             Iranian key decision makers are regularly fed anti-Semitic propaganda. Mahdi Tayeb, head of the Iranian Ammar think tank advising Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, insisted, “If you pay attention to the Star of David on the Israeli flag, you may understand what the Jews want . . . The one thing that the Jews want is to take over the entire world, but they have to do it in three stages. The first stage is Jerusalem... The second stage is the liberation of the land from the Nile to the Euphrates. The third stage of their operation is to take over the entire world.”              A New Satan – Israel             For the Iranian dictatorship, the Middle Eastern conflict isn't about improving the situation for Palestinians, achieving a two-state solution, or any kind of agreement or compromise; it's explicitly about destroying Israel. In 1997, Ali Khamenei declared in an address to the Revolutionary Guards that Israel would be expunged from history. During a meeting with Sheikh Yassin, he assured the then-leader of Hamas that Iran would "not recognize this cancerous ulcer for a single hour."             Iranian leaders vow to eliminate the world’s only Jewish state. The goal of destroying Israel has been official policy of the Islamic Republic since 1979,Iran’s opposition to the Jews does not imply that criticizing Israeli politics, leaders, policies, or culture is necessarily anti-Semitic. However, Iranian officials assert that Israel is a racist project and compare Israelis to Nazis. Iran applies double standards when judging Israeli actions and blames Jews for Israeli activities.             Khamenei stated that Israel is "a country with no origin or provenance - a fake country, a false nation. Evil men from all corners of the world were gathered together to establish an amalgam called Israel.” Iranian leaders and propagandists argue that Israel and the United States are so closely linked that it is impossible to tell them apart. There are heated debates in Iranian seminaries and on public television about whether Israel controls America or vice versa.             Iran hosts international conferences aimed at delegitimizing Israel and tarnishing the reputation of the world’s Jews, which will be discussed in future podcasts. The Islamic Republic does more than just talk; it supplies weapons, funding, training, and guidance to terrorist groups, most notably its creation—Hezbollah. Schools spread hatred. Iranian teenagers play video games where nuclear weapons destroy Israeli cities. Primary school children chant 'death to Israel' and are led by teachers to walk on flags bearing a Star of David. The website Rasa News, linked to religious seminaries in Qom, promoted Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 'How to Eliminate Israel,' which outlined various methods for destroying Israel. For the Iranian regime, only the elimination of Israel and its re-establishment as a Palestinian state will do. In 2015, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that in twenty-five years, Israel would no longer exist. "You will not live to see another 25 years," he declared. The crowds responded with shouts of "Death to America! Death to England! Death to Israel!" The speech was broadcast on Iran's Channel 1 and shared online.             Motifs of Israel's destruction, tied to anti-Semitism, often appeared in Khamenei's statements. Iran is a major supporter of Hamas and Hizballah, two militant groups that openly promise to erase Israel from the map. If Iran intends to destroy Israel, it is quickly gaining the capability through nuclear development. Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of Iran's Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution, stated on Iranian TV that Iran will destroy Israel and liberate Palestine within twenty-five years. Israelis are very aware of this hatred, and it also appears in their popular culture. A new Israeli espionage TV series examines the covert conflict with Iran. In "Tehran," young Mossad agents disable an Iranian nuclear reactor to facilitate an Israeli airstrike. An Israeli think tank translated a best-selling non-fiction history and commentary on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, aiming to educate Iranians about the Jewish people and Israel.        This concludes this episode of Republic of Hate – Iran, Israel, and Anti-Semitism. We look forward to reading your comments. Dr. Silinsky’s latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Israel, Hamas, and the World, will be available for purchase in summer 2026. Nothing in this podcast or any of Dr. Silinsky’s other podcasts reflects the official position of the United States Department of War, the United States Intelligence Community, or any other U.S. government agency. On behalf of Kensington Security Consulting, thank you for listening, and goodbye until our next podcast.