against unnecessary travel to Canada, saying the country has become very dangerous for Iranian nationals. The announcement appeared to be less a serious travel warning and more an effort at retaliating against Canada for sponsoring the resolution that just passed the UN General Assembly criticizing Iran’s performance on human rights. The statement released last Tuesday cautioned that Islamophobia was spreading in the West and that the increasing rates of violent crimes in Canada meant Iranian travelers could easily become targets. The ministry said numerous Muslims, particularly Iranians, have been deported and/or had their social and political rights violated. It also said the Canadian justice system has neglected to follow up on claims filed by Iranians. The assertion that crime rates in Canada are rising is false. The rate of violent crime has been dropping since 1992. The country has indeed tried to deport six Iranian immigrants, including a man who was convicted 23 times of various crimes, but Iran has refused to take them back. Earlier this month, Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned against travel to France, citing unrest and pointing to recent riots opposing budget cutbacks. That was the first travel warning issued by Iran. It appears the Islamic Republic may now be planning to use travel warnings as part of its propaganda exercises against states critical of it.
