Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I"m lost here, but maybe there's a translation error. Iran is not an Arab nation (Iran is majority Persian) and Iran is not a member of the Arab League. And plenty of people report visiting restrictive Arab countries hostile to Israel after visiting Israel under the circumstances I outlined before (i.e. Israel stamps a separate, detached page that is not part of your passport book). My guess is that if you're flying El Al (national flag carrier of Israel) into Tel Aviv, Israeli authorities are not exactly going to share the passenger list with unfriendly nations; if they did, then we wouldn't see so many stories of people traveling to both Iran and Israel, whether on one or two separate passports.
Israel is very pro-Western although its official holidays are only Jewish ones.
Israel should not be an official religious state - the government should remain secular. Soon the Orthodox Jews will take over the government and stone secular Israelis to death for violating Jewish law (They already do in some areas, such as Beit Shamesh - try driving there on Saturdays)
There is also some discrimination against Christians in Israel...
I have a friend who has lived in Israel(Jerusalem) for some time and she said that it's not exactly an ideal place to live in. She said that's it's terribly expensive and the overall quality of life isn't good.
But I can't imagine it being worse than Iran, though.
Which country/culture do you prefer and why? Which one would you visit given a choice (if you've visited both - do tell...though i know that's easier said than done).
Israel over Iran in terms of government (although that hardly means that I approve of many of Israel's actions as of late), Iran over Israel in terms of history, and it's a toss up when it comes to the people/culture.
Of the two countries I've only been to Israel, and I'll probably never visit Iran unless they have a regime change. I have this thing about not visiting places that hang gay people. Anyway, in Israel I used Jerusalem as my home base, and I really enjoyed my trip. If I get the chance to go again I hope to see Tel Aviv, as I only saw it from the window of the plane flying into Ben Gurion.
There is also some discrimination against Christians in Israel...
There is, although it's more subtle than the Palestinian issues that grab headlines, and yes, I know that there are Christian Palestinians.
There's restrictions on church construction and some holy sites, and many Christians have a hard time getting a decent job if they didn't serve in Israel's army. I know someone who's a Christian who was born and raised in Jerusalem, and she came to the States for college and grad school. She plans on staying there in the long run instead of moving back to Jerusalem.
Israel should not be an official religious state - the government should remain secular. Soon the Orthodox Jews will take over the government and stone secular Israelis to death for violating Jewish law (They already do in some areas, such as Beit Shamesh - try driving there on Saturdays)
There is also some discrimination against Christians in Israel...
Even the US is an official religious state as the Americans have "In God We Trust" on American currency. Israel is a Jewish state and that was the reason for its formation. There is more discrimination in Israel against Christians than there is discrimination against non-Christians in the USA.
There's restrictions on church construction and some holy sites, and many Christians have a hard time getting a decent job if they didn't serve in Israel's army. I know someone who's a Christian who was born and raised in Jerusalem, and she came to the States for college and grad school. She plans on staying there in the long run instead of moving back to Jerusalem.
Army veterans even in the USA have certain benefits than non-military veterans don't. More Christian Israelis are now serving in the IDF.
scroll down to "passport restrictions" - iran being included in said table regardless.
i am not saying it's impossible, just saying it's not as easy.
That just goes to the unreliability of Wikipedia in many instances (I only use Wikipedia for the sources). True, Iran has those restrictions, but it shouldn't be in the list on a page about restrictions by members of the Arab League. Ultimately, though, there is far more evidence out there supporting that it is not difficult to travel to both countries under the current policies (i.e. passport stamped on a detached page) than the other way around.
Just to clarify a few points, Iran and Israel both have restrictive border-entry policies (so does the USA) in the interest of national security. People coming from countries that are perceived as "enemy" are, of course, scrutinized on arrival. Last I heard, visitors from any western country except the USA are granted a visa on sight at the point of entry into Iran. Only Americans are required to get a visa in advance, which is only granted under certain controlled conditions.
Iran recognizes the full civil rights of all persons of all religions, except Bahai, which has been declared to be an enemy of the state, not out of religious persecution, but because its past association with anti-government activities. Non-Muslim Iranians and visitors are treated with the same courtesy and dignity as Muslims, but are (as in the USA) expected to obey the laws of the land, and proselytization is illegal. There are at least 25,000 Jews living, perfectly peaceably, in Iran. IRAN: Life of Jews Living in Iran
Your chances of being "thrown in jail" in Iran are about the same as in the USA (ask Cat Stevens. Or the two million Americans who are currently in jail.) You are more likely to be killed or injured as a bystander in a civil disorder or as a victim in a civilian crime, in Israel than in Iran. Iran has a very, very low crime rate. Theft is extremely rare, and punished severely.
You can't compare the two countries in treatment of foreigners and its citizens. Gays in Iran can be imprisoned and, in some cases, are beaten or executed. IF you're Jewish or simply not Muslim, you can't serve in many government positions, regardless of how deep your family ties run in the region. As far as other religious discrimination goes, even if only the Bahai were persecuted in Iran (of course, that's not true), that alone would be a dark stain and key area of difference between Iran and the US. Yes, we can point to the number of Jews living in Iran (those Jews for the most part aren't going anywhere as they view the country as theirs just as much as it is others' country), but let's also point out that many Jews fled Iran due to the inequalities they face. While Iran is more progressive (I hate that word) than most of its Arab neighbors, compared with the US things still are night and day as far as freedoms go. Let's be serious here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
