Correcting the facts about Zionism

I was incensed by your correspondent M A Moriarty (Letters, Aug 6) who suggested in his letter that curbing Zionism may bring peace to the Middle East.

I take issue with some of his assertions, in particular that Jews residing in Iran, Iraq, and Syria are free to engage in commerce.

The facts are that since these countries gained their freedom from their colonial masters after the Second World War, persecution of their Jewish populations dramatically increased. Jews were prevented from working in professions and denied university education. The result was that most of the Jews emigrated to Israel during the 1950s. As far as Iran was concerned the Jews fled after the Islamic revolution, in fear of their lives, leaving all their possessions behind.