True facts of treatment of Jews in Arab lands

I must take issue with Mr Moriarty’s letter (Aug 6), aspects of which do not paint an accurate picture.

In 1950 there were about 125,000 to 160,000 Jews in Iraq. Between 1948-1991, there were 4,000 Jews in Syria. As of 1996 there were 250 left, due to their release. As of 2002, the law to deny Jews Iraqi citizenship was still in force (Ordinance of March 1950). One Iraqi commentator likened it to ethnic cleansing. In Iran, Jews are subjected to dhimmi discrimination.

Members of the Iranian Jewish community have been subject to arrest, conviction and execution on trumped-up charges. The remaining 25,000 have made a conscious decision to stay in Iran because they have been living there some 3,000 years.

Historian Dermot Meleady covered the issue of ethnic cleansing in a letter to the Irish Examiner (Jul 12, 2012). This letter is still accessible online (accessed Aug 6). I strongly advise Mr Moriarty read it. He might be surprised to learn that of the 650,000-700,000 Arabs displaced, 50,000 were expelled.

Alternatively, I will happily purchase a copy of Sir Martin Gilbert’s Israel — A History and a copy of In Ishmael’s House as a gift, providing him with a true insight into both the conflict and the treatment of Jews in Arab lands.

David Newmark

Athy

Co Kildare