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Amir Taheri is an Iranian-born journalist and author based in Europe. His writings focus on the Middle East affairs and topics related to Islamist terrorism, with a focus on Iran. Taheri's public speaking engagements are arranged by Benador Associates, a public relations firm with a predominantly neoconservative clientele ^[1] ^[2] ^[3]

While this claim is hotly disputed by Taheri supporters, Western and Iranian critics have alleged that Taheri's writings contain fabrications ^[4]^[5] ^[6] and self-serving material developed by neo-conservative supporters associated with Benador Associates^[7] ^[8]

Education

Amir Taheri's Benador Associaties biography simply indicates that he, an Israeli national, was educated "in" Tehran, London, and Paris^[9]. Details as to which university he attended, or what he studied, are not provided. Notwithstanding this fact, Taheri is advertised in Benador Associates promotional material as "an expert on Iran",ref>[11]</ref>, and this identification is in turn repeated by the mainstream English-language publications in the United States in which Taheri is published.

Career

Between 1972 and 1979, Taheri was executive editor-in-chief of Kayhan, Iran's main daily newspaper. He has also worked as editor-in-chief of Jeune Afrique and Middle East editor for the London Sunday Times, and has written for the Daily Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail and other leading British publications.

He has been a columnist for the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat and its sister publication Arab News along with International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, and The Washington Post. He was also an editorial writer for the German daily Die Welt and has written for Der Spiegel, Die Zeit and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Germany, La Repubblica in Italy, L'Express, Politique Internationale and Le Nouvel Observateur in France, and El Mundo in Spain. He is currently a contributor to the German weekly Focus, the National Review and the New York Post.

Taheri is a commentator for CNN and is frequently interviewed by other media including the BBC and the RFI. He has written several TV documentaries dealing with various issues of the Muslim world. He has interviewed many world leaders including Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, King Faisal, Mikhail Gorbachev, President Anwar Sadat, Chou En-lai, Indira Gandhi and Chancellor Helmut Kohl. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for International Political and Economic Studies (IIPES) and member of the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) from 1984 to 1992.

Writing

Taheri has published nine books some of which have been translated into 20 languages. In 1988 Publishers Weekly in New York chose his study of Islamist terrorism, Holy Terror, as one of The "Best Books of The Year". Another of his books The Cauldron: The Middle East Behind The Headlines (1988) was used as a textbook in various colleges in Britain and Canada.^{[citation needed]} He has also won several journalistic prizes.^{[citation needed]}

Controversies

1988 Nest of Spies book

Shaul Bakhash of George Mason University has accused Amir Taheri of concocting nonexistent substances in his writings, and states that he "repeatedly refers us to books where the information he cites simply does not exist. Often the documents cannot be found in the volumes to which he attributes them.... [He] repeatedly reads things into the documents that are simply not there."^[10] Bakhash has stated that Taheri's Nest of Spies is "the sort of book that gives contemporary history a bad name." ^[10]

2005 Javad Zarif accusations

Dwight Simpson of San Francisco State University and Kaveh Afrasiabi accuse Taheri and his publisher Eleana Benador of fabricating false stories in the New York Post in 2005 where Taheri identified Iran's UN ambassador Javad Zarif as one of the students involved in the 1979 seizure of hostages at the US Embassy in Tehran. Zarif was Simpson's teaching assistant and a graduate student in the Department of International Relations of San Francisco State University at the time. ^[10]

2006 Iranian sumptuary law

On May 19, 2006, the National Post of Canada published two pieces, one by Taheri, claiming that the Iranian parliament passed a law that "envisages separate dress codes for religious minorities, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, who will have to adopt distinct colour schemes to make them identifiable in public." ^[11] Iranian sources say Taheri had taken an Iranian Parliament discussion on a dress code law to have Muslims wear garments that showed you were a Muslim, and reported the event as a law being passed requiring Jews to wear badges as under the Nazis. Current Iranian law does require Jews to identify themselves as such if they sell food, but Iran claims badges for Jews was not actually under discussion nor in the law. Taheri states that his report is correct and that the dress code law has been passed by the Islamic Majlis and will now be submitted to the Council of Guardians. He does not claim badges for Jews are in the law, but does say that special markers for followers of Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism are under discussion as a means to implement the law. ^[12]

The National Post retracted the story several hours after it was posted online. The newspaper blamed Taheri for the falsehood in the article, ^[13] ^[14] and published a full apology on May 24. ^[15] Taheri stands by his reportage.^[12]

Selected Bibliography

The Cauldron: The Middle East Behind The Headlines
Nest of Spies: America's Journey to Disaster in Iran
The Spirit of Allah: Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution
Holy Terror: Inside the World of Islamic Terrorism
Crescent in a Red Sky

External links

Amir Taheri - Benador Associates
Amir Taheri, And this is why they did it, The Times (UK), 8 July 2005.
Amir Taheri, Israel must claim victory over Palestine, The Australian, 9 January 2006
Amir Taheri, Bonfire of the Pieties, Wall Street Journal, 8 February 2006.
Amir Taheri, The Real Iraq, Commentary, June 2006.
Shaikh Riyad Nadwi, This is Britain Mr Taheri, even Benador’s spin will not suffice!, Oxford Cross-Cultural Research Institute (OCCRI) 28 July 2005.
Amir Taheri Is Israel the Problem?, Commentary February 4, 2007

References

^ [1]
^ [2]
^ [3]
^ [4]
^ [5]
^ [6]
^ [7]
^ [8]
^ [9]
^ ^a ^b ^c Larry Cohler-Esses, Bunkum From Benador, The Nation, posted June 14, 2006 (July 3, 2006 issue). Accessed online 21 September 2006.
^ [10]
^ ^a ^b Amir Taheri (May 22, 2006). "Press release: Amir Taheri addresses queries about dress code story". Retrieved 2006-05-22. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |publication= ignored (help)
^ Yossi Melman, Canada's National Post retracts report that Iranian Jews will be forced to wear yellow patches, Ha'aretz, 21 May 2006. Archived on the Internet Archive 3 June 2006.
^ Chris Wattie, Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue, National Post (Canada), May 19, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.
^ Our mistake: Note to readers, National Post (Canada), September 20, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.

[1] [1]

[2] [2]

[3] [3]

[4] [4]

[5] [5]

[6] [6]

[7] [7]

[8] [8]

[9] [9]

[Bunkum-10] Larry Cohler-Esses, Bunkum From Benador, The Nation, posted June 14, 2006 (July 3, 2006 issue). Accessed online 21 September 2006.

[11] [10]

[Dress_code_press_release-12] Amir Taheri (May 22, 2006). "Press release: Amir Taheri addresses queries about dress code story". Retrieved 2006-05-22. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |publication= ignored (help)

[13] Yossi Melman, Canada's National Post retracts report that Iranian Jews will be forced to wear yellow patches, Ha'aretz, 21 May 2006. Archived on the Internet Archive 3 June 2006.

[14] Chris Wattie, Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue, National Post (Canada), May 19, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.

[15] Our mistake: Note to readers, National Post (Canada), September 20, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.

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[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Amir Taheri''' is an [[Iran]]ian-born [[journalist]] and author based in [[Europe]]. His writings focus on the [[Middle East]] affairs and topics related to [[Islamist]] [[terrorism]]. Taheri's public speaking engagements are arranged by [[Benador Associates]], a [[public relations]] firm with a strong [[neoconservative]] clientele.
+'''Amir Taheri''' is an [[Iran]]ian-born [[journalist]] and author based in [[Europe]]. His writings focus on the [[Middle East]] affairs and topics related to [[Islamist]] [[terrorism]], with a focus on [[Iran]]. Taheri's public speaking engagements are arranged by [[Benador Associates]], a [[public relations]] firm with a predominantly [[neoconservative]] clientele <ref>[http://www.benadorassociates.com/taheri.php]</ref> <ref>[http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/2826]</ref> <ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/31/white-house-consults-the-experts/]</ref>
+While this claim is hotly disputed by Taheri supporters, Western and Iranian critics have alleged that Taheri's writings contain [[fabrications]] <ref>[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Amir_Taheri]</ref><ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/31/white-house-consults-the-experts/]</ref> <ref>[http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=25033]</ref> and self-serving material developed by [[neo-conservative]] supporters associated with [[Benador Associates]]<ref>[http://www.benadorassociates.com/taheri.php]</ref> <ref>[http://www.alternet.org/blogs/themix/36610/]</ref>
+==Education==
+Amir Taheri's [[Benador Associaties]] [[biography]] simply indicates that he, an Israeli national, was educated "in" [[Tehran]], [[London]], and [[Paris]]<ref>[http://www.benadorassociates.com/taheri.php]</ref>.  Details as to which university he attended, or what he studied, are not provided. Notwithstanding this fact, Taheri is advertised in [[Benador Associates]] promotional material as "an expert on Iran",ref>[http://www.benadorassociates.com/taheri.php]</ref>, and this identification is in turn repeated by the mainstream English-language publications in the United States in which Taheri is published.
 ==Career==
-Taheri's biography at Benador Associaties states that he was educated in [[Tehran]], [[London]], and [[Paris]]. Between 1972 and 1979, he was executive editor-in-chief of [[Kayhan]], Iran's main daily newspaper. He has also worked as editor-in-chief of [[Jeune Afrique]] and Middle East editor for the London ''[[Sunday Times (UK)|Sunday Times]],'' and has written for the ''[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]], [[The Daily Telegraph]], [[The Guardian]], [[The Daily Mail]]'' and other leading British publications.
+Between 1972 and 1979, Taheri was executive editor-in-chief of [[Kayhan]], Iran's main daily newspaper. He has also worked as editor-in-chief of [[Jeune Afrique]] and Middle East editor for the London ''[[Sunday Times (UK)|Sunday Times]],'' and has written for the ''[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]], [[The Daily Telegraph]], [[The Guardian]], [[The Daily Mail]]'' and other leading British publications.
 He has been a columnist for the pan-Arab daily [[Asharq Al-Awsat]] and its sister publication [[Arab News]] along with ''[[International Herald Tribune]], [[The Wall Street Journal]], [[The New York Times]], [[The Los Angeles Times]], [[Newsday]],'' and ''[[The Washington Post]]. ''He was also an editorial writer for the German daily [[Die Welt]] and has written for ''[[Der Spiegel]], [[Die Zeit]]'' and ''[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] ''in Germany, ''[[La Repubblica]] ''in Italy,'' [[L'Express (France)|L'Express]], Politique Internationale'' and ''[[Le Nouvel Observateur]] ''in [[France]], and [[El Mundo]] in [[Spain]]. He is currently a contributor to the German weekly'' [[FOCUS (magazine)|Focus]], ''the ''[[National Review]] ''and the ''[[New York Post]].''
@@ Line 8: / Line 14: @@
 Taheri is a commentator for [[CNN]] and is frequently interviewed by other media including the [[BBC]] and the [[RFI]]. He has written several TV documentaries dealing with various issues of the Muslim world. He has interviewed many world leaders including Presidents [[Richard Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Bill Clinton]], [[King Faisal]], [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], President [[Anwar Sadat]], [[Chou En-lai]], [[Indira Gandhi]] and Chancellor [[Helmut Kohl]]. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the [[Institute for International Political and Economic Studies]] (IIPES) and member of the Executive Board of the [[International Press Institute]] (IPI) from 1984 to 1992.
+==Writing==
 Taheri has published nine books some of which have been translated into 20 languages. In 1988 [[Publishers Weekly]] in [[New York]] chose his study of Islamist terrorism, ''Holy Terror'', as one of The "Best Books of The Year". Another of his books ''The Cauldron: The Middle East Behind The Headlines'' (1988) was used as a textbook in various colleges in [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and [[Canada]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} He has also won several journalistic prizes.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
 ==Controversies==
 ===1988 Nest of Spies book===
-[[Shaul Bakhash]] of [[George Mason University]] has accused Amir Taheri of  concocting nonexistent substances in his writings, and states that he "repeatedly refers us to books where the information he cites simply does not exist. Often the documents cannot be found in the volumes to which he attributes them.... [He] repeatedly reads things into the documents that are simply not there."<ref name=Bunkum>Larry Cohler-Esses, [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060703/cohleresses Bunkum From Benador], ''[[The Nation]], posted June 14, 2006 (July 3, 2006 issue). Accessed online 21 September 2006.</ref> Bakhash has stated  that Taheri's ''Nest of Spies'' is "the sort of book that gives contemporary history a bad name."<ref name=Bunkum />
+[[Shaul Bakhash]] of [[George Mason University]] has accused Amir Taheri of  concocting nonexistent substances in his writings, and states that he "repeatedly refers us to books where the information he cites simply does not exist. Often the documents cannot be found in the volumes to which he attributes them.... [He] repeatedly reads things into the documents that are simply not there."<ref name=Bunkum>Larry Cohler-Esses, [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060703/cohleresses Bunkum From Benador], ''[[The Nation]], posted June 14, 2006 (July 3, 2006 issue). Accessed online 21 September 2006.</ref> Bakhash has stated  that Taheri's ''Nest of Spies'' is "the sort of book that gives contemporary history a bad name." <ref name=Bunkum />
 ===2005 Javad Zarif accusations===
-[[Dwight Simpson]] of [[San Francisco State University]] and [[Kaveh Afrasiabi]] accuse Taheri and his publisher [[Benador Associates|Eleana Benador]] of fabricating false stories in the ''[[New York Post]] ''in 2005 where Taheri identified Iran's UN ambassador [[Javad Zarif]] as one of the students involved in the 1979 seizure of hostages at the US Embassy in Tehran. Zarif was Simpson's teaching assistant and a graduate student in the Department of International Relations of [[San Francisco State University]] at the time.<ref name=Bunkum />
+[[Dwight Simpson]] of [[San Francisco State University]] and [[Kaveh Afrasiabi]] accuse Taheri and his publisher [[Benador Associates|Eleana Benador]] of fabricating false stories in the ''[[New York Post]] ''in 2005 where Taheri identified Iran's UN ambassador [[Javad Zarif]] as one of the students involved in the 1979 seizure of hostages at the US Embassy in Tehran. Zarif was Simpson's teaching assistant and a graduate student in the Department of International Relations of [[San Francisco State University]] at the time. <ref name=Bunkum />
 ===2006 Iranian sumptuary law===
 {{main|2006 Iranian sumptuary law controversy}}
-On [[May 19]], [[2006]], the ''National Post'' of Canada published two pieces, one by Taheri, claiming that the Iranian parliament passed a law that "envisages separate dress codes for religious minorities, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, who will have to adopt distinct colour schemes to make them identifiable in public."<ref>{{cite news
+On [[May 19]], [[2006]], the ''National Post'' of Canada published two pieces, one by Taheri, claiming that the Iranian parliament passed a law that "envisages separate dress codes for religious minorities, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, who will have to adopt distinct colour schemes to make them identifiable in public." <ref>[http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=398274b5-9210-43e4-ba59-fa24f4c66ad4&p=1]</ref> <!-- Blind URL that no longer leads to a story 21 Sept 2006 --> Iranian sources say Taheri had taken an Iranian Parliament discussion on a dress code law to have Muslims wear garments that showed you were a Muslim, and reported the event as a law being passed requiring Jews to wear badges as under the Nazis. Current Iranian law does require Jews to identify themselves as such if they sell food, but Iran claims badges for Jews was not actually under discussion nor in the law. Taheri states that his report is correct and that the dress code law has been passed by the Islamic Majlis and will now be submitted to the Council of Guardians. He does not claim badges for Jews are in the law, but does say that special markers for followers of Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism are under discussion as a means to implement the law. <ref name="Dress code press release">{{cite news|author=Amir Taheri|title=Press release: Amir Taheri addresses queries about dress code story |publication=[[Benador Associates]]|date=May 22, 2006|url=http://www.benadorassociates.com/article/19508|accessdate=2006-05-22}}</ref>
-|title=A Colour Code for Iran's 'Infidels'
-|author=Amir Taheri |publication=''[[National Post]]''
-|date=[[May 19]], [[2006]] |accessdate=2007-06-15}} [http://www.benadorassociates.com/article/19504 Copy available via Benador Associates].</ref>
-Iranian sources say Taheri had taken an Iranian Parliament discussion on a dress code law to have Muslims wear garments that showed you were a Muslim, and reported the event as a law being passed requiring Jews to wear badges as under the Nazis. Current Iranian law does require Jews to identify themselves as such if they sell food, but Iran claims badges for Jews was not actually under discussion nor in the law. Taheri states that his report is correct and that the dress code law has been passed by the Islamic Majlis and will now be submitted to the Council of Guardians. He does not claim badges for Jews are in the law, but does say that special markers for followers of Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism are under discussion as a means to implement the law.<ref name=AT060522>{{cite news
-|author=Amir Taheri |url=http://www.benadorassociates.com/article/19508
-|publication=[[Benador Associates]] Press Release
-|title=Amir Taheri addresses queries about dress code story
-|date=[[May 22]], [[2006]] accessdate=2006-05-22}}</ref>
-The ''National Post'' retracted the story several hours after it was posted online. The newspaper blamed Taheri for the falsehood in the article,<ref>Yossi Melman, [http://web.archive.org/web/20060603144931/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/717935.html Canada's National Post retracts report that Iranian Jews will be forced to wear yellow patches], ''Ha'aretz'', 21 May 2006. Archived on the [[Internet Archive]] 3 June 2006.</ref><ref>Chris Wattie, [http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6626a0fa-99de-4f1e-aebe-bb91af82abb3 Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue], ''National Post'' (Canada), May 19, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.</ref> and published a full apology on [[May 24]].<ref>[http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6df3e493-f350-4b53-bc16-53262b49a4f7 Our mistake: Note to readers], ''National Post'' (Canada), September 20, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.</ref> Taheri stoods by his reportage.<ref name=AT060522/>
+The ''National Post'' retracted the story several hours after it was posted online. The newspaper blamed Taheri for the falsehood in the article, <ref>Yossi Melman, [http://web.archive.org/web/20060603144931/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/717935.html Canada's National Post retracts report that Iranian Jews will be forced to wear yellow patches], ''Ha'aretz'', 21 May 2006. Archived on the [[Internet Archive]] 3 June 2006.</ref> <ref>Chris Wattie, [http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6626a0fa-99de-4f1e-aebe-bb91af82abb3 Experts say report of badges for Jews in Iran is untrue], ''National Post'' (Canada), May 19, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.</ref> and published a full apology on [[May 24]]. <ref>[http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=6df3e493-f350-4b53-bc16-53262b49a4f7 Our mistake: Note to readers], ''National Post'' (Canada), September 20, 2006. Accessed online 21 September 2006.</ref> Taheri stands by his reportage.<ref name="Dress code press release" />
+==Selected Bibliography==
-==Partial bibliography==
+*The Cauldron: The Middle East Behind The Headlines
-{| class="same-bg" cellpadding=1
+*Nest of Spies: America's Journey to Disaster in Iran
-| ''The Spirit of Allah: Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution''
+*The Spirit of Allah: Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution
-| Adler & Adler || 1986
+*Holy Terror: Inside the World of Islamic Terrorism
-| ISBN 0-917-56104-X || ISBN 978-0-91756-104-7
+*Crescent in a Red Sky
-|-
-| ''Holy Terror: Inside the World of Islamic Terrorism''
-| Adler & Adler || 1987
-| ISBN 0-917-56145-7 || ISBN 978-0-91756-145-0
-|-
-| ''The Cauldron: The Middle East Behind The Headlines''
-| [[Hutchinson (publisher)|Hutchinson]] || 1988
-| ISBN 0-091-73729-X || ISBN 978-0-09173-729-0
-|-
-| ''Nest of Spies: America's Journey to Disaster in Iran''
-| [[Pantheon Books]] || 1989
-| ISBN 0-394-57566-0 || ISBN 978-0-39457-566-7
-|-
-| ''Crescent in a Red Sky: The Future of Islam in the Soviet Union'' &nbsp;
-| Hutchinson || 1989 &nbsp;
-| ISBN 0-091-73463-0 &nbsp; || ISBN 978-0-09173-463-3
-|-
-| ''The Unknown Life of the Shah''
-| Hutchinson || 1991
-| ISBN 0-091-74860-7 || ISBN 978-0-09174-860-9
-|}
-==References==
-<references/>
 ==External links==
-*[http://www.benadorassociates.com/taheri.php Amir Taheri - Profile at Benador Associates]
+*[http://www.benadorassociates.com/taheri.php Amir Taheri - Benador Associates]
 *Amir Taheri, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-1684970,00.html And this is why they did it], ''The Times'' (UK), 8 July 2005.
 *Amir Taheri, [http://www.benadorassociates.com/article/19180 Israel must claim victory over Palestine], ''The Australian'', 9 January 2006
 *Amir Taheri, [http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007934 Bonfire of the Pieties], ''Wall Street Journal'', 8 February 2006.
 *Amir Taheri, [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/Production/files/Taheri_0606.htm The Real Iraq], ''[[Commentary Magazine|Commentary]]'', June 2006.
+*Shaikh Riyad Nadwi, [http://www.occri.org/Articles/Taheri280705.htm This is Britain Mr Taheri, even Benador’s spin will not suffice!], Oxford Cross-Cultural Research Institute (OCCRI) 28 July 2005.
 *Amir Taheri [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/cm/main/viewArticle.aip?id=10829 Is Israel the Problem?], ''[[Commentary (magazine)|Commentary]]'' February 4, 2007
+==See also==
+*[[Fareed Zakaria]]
+*[[Salim Mansur]]
+*[[Eric Margolis]]
+*[[Gwyn Dyer]]
+*[[Andrew Coyne]]
+*[[Rex Murphy]]
+*[[Martin Stringer]]
+*[[Joe Schlesinger]]
+*[[List of Canadian political journalists]]
+==References==
+<references/>
 [[Category:Iranian journalists|Taheri, Amir]]