Michael Moore outraged many after he issued an apology on behalf of the American people to Iran’s supreme leader for the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Moore, 65, tweeted the apology, which was directed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Farsi. The tweet roughly translated to: “Sir, I deeply regret the violence on our behalf by a man that most Americans have never voted for. Avoid power. A sincere man, Michael Moore, an American citizen.”
The filmmaker was blasted for apologizing to Iran and for his poor translation into Farsi. Yashar Ali, an American journalist of Iranian descent, replied to Moore, writing, “If you want to truly appeal to the Supreme Leader — which is impossible because he is deeply mistrustful of Westerners — I would start by having a native speaker/professional translator handle your translations. This is poorly written.”
If you want to truly appeal to the Supreme Leader — which is impossible because he is deeply mistrustful of Westerners — I would start by having a native speaker/professional translator handle your translations. This is poorly written. https://t.co/Dl2yMXEmmk
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) January 7, 2020
Hey @MMFlint . I suggest you move to Tehran to learn Farsi. Perhaps then you will understand what it is like to live in a place that was ruled by the likes of #Solaimani https://t.co/KJREbq5LqL
— Nadwa Dawsari (@Ndawsari) January 7, 2020
Others blasted Moore for claiming he “regrets the violence” of American forces without acknowledging the brutality with which the ayatollah has led Iran for the past few decades. Author Idrees Ahmed replied, “I appreciate and agree with your sentiment against war. But you realise that you are addressing a man who also wasn’t elected and who recently had 1,500 unarmed protestors killed?”
I appreciate and agree with your sentiment against war. But you realise that you are addressing a man who also wasn’t elected and who recently had 1,500 unarmed protestors killed?
— Idrees Ahmad (@im_PULSE) January 7, 2020
Moore had already sparked a controversy with his remarks on Iran after he claimed that Soleimani was “assassinated” and said that Americans would blindly send their children to fight in the Middle East.
“Hello fellow Americans. Do you know this man? Did you know he was your enemy? What? Never heard of him? By the end of today you will be trained to hate him. You will be glad Trump had him assassinated. You will do as you are told. Get ready to send your sons [and] daughters off 2 war,” Moore tweeted.
Soleimani, 62, was responsible for the deaths of at least 608 American troops. President Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani after weeks of escalating tension, which included the death of an American contractor and an attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq.
