Debbie Schlussel: No Chocolate (Or Benetton or Coca-Cola) For You: Iran's HAMAS Soup Nazis Riot Against, Burn Down "Zionist" Businesses
In Iran, which has terrible inflation and unemployment, madman leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad must be having a good time, since--temporarily--his citizens are forgetting the problems he's helped bring upon them. Instead, Iranians--in support of HAMAS and against Jews and Israel--are rioting and looting businesses they say are "Zionist." That includes Nestle, Benetton, Coke, Pepsi, and Calvin Klein (forget about their Calvins--there's nothing between them and their hate). For the record, Benetton is not owned by Jews and is anti-Israel (more on that below). Today Iranians torched a fairly new Benetton store and have these dumb "No Chocolate for You" anti-Nestle HAMAS Soup Nazi signs in Farsi.
FYI, the real-life "Soup Nazi," Ali "Al" Yeganeh, is an Iranian-born Muslim. So, it's not actually such a stretch.
TEHRAN--A BRANCH of Italian clothing retailer Benetton was set on fire in Iran amid angry protests against the Israeli onslaught on the Hamas-ruled Gaza, media reports said on Wednesday.The store, located on Dowlat street in upmarket north Teheran, 'was set on fire by unknown people,' conservative Jomhuri Eslami newspaper and several other media reported.
The Teheran fire department said the cause of the incident, which occurred very early on Tuesday, was under investigation, ISNA news agency reported.
Benetton 'is said to be linked with the Zionist network,' government newspaper Iran charged, adding that its opening in the Islamic republic 'has sparked several disputes over the past two years and people and student bodies objected to its activities.'
Several Benetton stores have opened in the past two years in fashion-starved Iran, where global brands have largely been absent since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Last year a group of prominent MPs protested against Benetton's presence in Iran, alleging that it was owned by a 'Zionist millionaire' and that its fashions were a bad influence on female consumers.
Angry protests have been held across Iran since Israel launched a deadly air raid on Gaza on Saturday.
On Tuesday evening a group of Iranian demonstrators stormed the British diplomatic compound in Teheran to protest London's stance towards the Israeli offensive, which has so far killed at least 374 Palestinians.
Iran is a staunch supporter of the Islamist movement Hamas and does not recognise its archfoe Israel.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decreed on Sunday that anyone who died in the defence of Gaza would be deemed a martyr.
Islamic republic conservatives have long urged consumers to boycott 'Zionist' products, ranging from Coca-Cola and Pepsi soft drinks, to Calvin Klein clothing and Nestle food products.
Reality check: Benetton is not a Jewish-owned company, nor is it pro-Israel. In fact, 67% of it is owned by the Benetton family, which is not Jewish. And the company sent out an anti-Israel brochure, entitled "Enemies," which was full of lies. That's not to mention a dumb Benetton Jewish-Arab kiss ad, meant to offend.
Well, no-one ever accused Muslims of being the smartest people in the world. Remember, there's a reason his name was Einstein, not Al-Einawi.
Like I keep saying, we can't say it's a clash of civilizations because when you're dealing with Muslims, you're the only civilization involved.
No Nestle--or United Colors of Benetton--for you.
Posted by Debbie on December 31, 2008 04:17 PM to Debbie Schlussel