„As the world marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday tweeted that he too, is a fan of The Bard, and highlighted ‚The Merchant of Venice‘ – famous for its derogatory depiction of Jewish moneylender Shylock – as being in „accordance with Western values.“ ‚I have read most of works by Shakespeare and enjoyed them,‘ Khamenei posted. ‚Shakespeare plays, such as the Merchant of Venice or Othello are all in accordance with values, but western values,‘ the supreme leader said. … Khamenei has previously made various virulently anti-Israel statements and anti-Semitic comments.“ (Die Journalistin Tamar Pileggi in der Times of Israel: „Shakespeare fan Khamenei singles out ‚Merchant of Venice‘“)
