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Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=13723
The Iranians Mean What They Say
(Israel Hayom) Dr. Nesia Shemer - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blatantly attacked the U.S. - the Great Satan - and Israel - the Little Satan - in a speech on Wednesday. These types of statements are commonplace. How can the Iranian leadership simultaneously sign a deal with the West while spitting in its face? Professor Ze'ev Maghen, head of the Middle Eastern Studies Department at Bar-Ilan University and an Iran expert, explains that there is a cultural-psychological gap that makes it difficult for the West to understand how the Iranian mind works. Iran's goal is to humiliate the U.S., its despised enemy, as much as possible. The West has gotten used to these declarations and is not bothered by them, as "Iran will be judged by its actions, not its words." But Middle Eastern countries operate in a "culture of shame and honor." Leaders in the Arab Muslim world would never accept statements that disparage their dignity and honor. In Iran's eyes, Western restraint is not seen as the behavior of a "responsible adult," rather it is interpreted as a sign of insecurity and lack of honor. The Iranians mean every word they say, and as soon as they have the opportunity and the necessary power, they won't hesitate to turn their words into actions. The writer is a lecturer in the Middle Eastern Studies Department at Bar-Ilan University.