The speaker of Iran's parliament rebuked state television on Wednesday for airing serials that insult the country's ancient but dwindling Jewish community, the official IRNA news agency reported.
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Gholamali Haddadadel was responding to complaints from Jewish lawmaker Moris Motamed, who argued that anti-Semitism on tv was spurring emigration.
"I noticed the same thing when these serials were broadcast and I think you are right," Haddadadel was quoted as saying in parliament.
"I caution (the state media) to respect the rights of religious minorities in the programmes they produce," he said.
IRNA also quoted Motamed urging lawmakers to recall the words of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual father of the revolution, who exhorted Iranians to distinguish between their own ancient Jewish community and Zionists.
Only Jew in parliament
Motamed, the only Jew to have a seat in Iran's
290-seat parliament, told Reuters that drama serials such as "Plot", "The Great Escape" and "Blue Eyes" misrepresented the Jews and their customs.
"They showed Jews as bad people, and not to be trusted," IRNA quoted Motamed telling parliament.
"Insulting Jews and attributing false things to them in TV serials ... has not only hurt the feelings of the Jewish community but has also, it can be said with conviction, led to the emigration of a considerable percentage of the Jewish community," he said.
Jewish groups estimate their Iranian community has plunged to about 25,000 from more than 85,000 at the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
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