WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Thursday lumped Iran with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group as "two of the greatest threats to America in this new century" and said both hoped for a US defeat in Iraq.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080410/pl_afp/usiraqpoliticsiranbush_080410223446
Friday, April 11, 2008
Concern about Iran is mounting
By Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers Thu Apr 10, 2:15 PM ET
WASHINGTON — The hours of congressional testimony, the speeches and the press conferences this week were all, nominally, about Iraq .
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080410/wl_mcclatchy/2905702_1
WASHINGTON — The hours of congressional testimony, the speeches and the press conferences this week were all, nominally, about Iraq .
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080410/wl_mcclatchy/2905702_1
Swiss-Iran gas deal under attack
Swiss-Iran gas deal under attack
Atul Aneja
DUBAI: Opposed by Israel and the U.S., the multi-billion dollar Iran-Switzerland gas deal signed last month has now come under attack from an influential U.S. based Jewish interest group.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/11/stories/2008041160331600.htm
Atul Aneja
DUBAI: Opposed by Israel and the U.S., the multi-billion dollar Iran-Switzerland gas deal signed last month has now come under attack from an influential U.S. based Jewish interest group.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/11/stories/2008041160331600.htm
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Islam & the Iranian Dilemma
Islam & the Iranian Dilemma
By: Amil Imani
Since its inception fourteen hundred years ago, Islam has been at war with the people of this planet. Millions of people have been literally butchered with the sword of Islam.
Some may argue that all religions at one point in time have committed crimes against humanity. That may be so, but none of the existing world religions' foundation has been based upon shedding the blood of its innocent conquered. Islam lives, breathes and grows on blood. Once we take away this red element from Islam, Islam will vanish completely. Islam cannot possibly live in the hearts and minds of its believers. Islam needs to shed the blood of the infidels, meaning all non-Muslims. Islam is about world domination. Fear of pain and punishment for non-conformism is part of being a Muslim.
Muslims are radical even in their intrafaith dealings. Various sects and sub-sects pronounce other sects and sub-sects as heretics worthy of death; women are treated as chattel, deprived of many rights; hands are chopped for stealing even a loaf of bread; sexual “violations” and “indiscretions”, as defined and delimited by Islamic Sharia is punishable by stoning, and much much more. These are standard day-to-day ways of the mainstream “moderate” Muslims living under the stone-age laws of Sharia (Islamic jurisprudence).
The “moderate” mainstream of Islam has been outright genocidal from inception. Their own historians record that Ali, the first imam of the Shiite and the son-in-law of Muhammad, with the help of another man, beheaded 700 Jewish men in the presence of the Prophet himself. The Prophet of Allah and his disciples took the murdered men’s’ women and children into slavery.
“Ali, who is the successor of God on the earth, and known to fight with a double edged sword, ordered the warriors to cut off the heads of the nonbelievers. Zobair assisted him in finishing this job. Ali also ordered the distribution of the captives and their property [i.e. the ‘booty’] among the Muslims, in accord with Sa’ad’s (b. Mu’adh) decision regarding the fate of the defeated Jews [i.e., the Qurayzah]. After the battle [and executions], Ali ordered everyone [of the Muslims] to return home. Sa’ad (b. Mu’adh) who had been very anxious during the battle, was now happy and praised God upon completion of his task. Then [later] they [i.e., the Muslims] celebrated and enjoyed beautiful women.”
Muslims are taught deception and lying in the Quran itself—something that Muhammad practiced during his life whenever he found it expedient. Successive Islamic rulers and leaders have done the same.
Khomeini, the founder of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, for instance, rallied the people under the banner of democracy. All along his support for democracy was not a commitment of an honest man, but a ruse. As soon as he gathered the reins of power, Khomeini went after the “Useful Idiots” of his time with vengeance. These best children of Iran, having been thoroughly deceived and used by the crafty phony populist-religionist, had to flee the country to avoid the fate of tens of thousands who were imprisoned or executed by the double-crossing “imam Khomeini.
Throughout centuries, Iranians continued to prevent Islam from making inroads into their cultural identity and divesting them of their heritage. Knowing their culture well, they influenced events and paved the way for posterity to turn the tide. From the beginning, three lines of resistance has become distinct: administrative manipulation, political resistance, and intellectual nonconformity.
Almost three decades after the tragic Islamic Revolution of 1979, the suffocating rule of Islam casts its death-bearing pall over Iranians. A proud people with enviable heritage is being systematically purged of its sense of identity and forced to think and behave like the barbaric and intolerant Muslims.
Iranians who had always treated women with equality, for instance, have seen them reduced by the stone-age clergy to sub-human status of Islamic teaching. Any attempt by the women of Iran to counter the misogynist rule of Muhammad’s mullahs is mercilessly suppressed. Women are beaten, imprisoned, raped and killed just as men are slaughtered without due process or mercy.
One must pay attention to how Islamists engage others in discussion. When they don't like what they hear, they resort to ridicule, accusations and name-calling. Wouldn't it be wonderful if these people would, for once, were to abandon their primitive mindset and use a civilized method of dialogue?
What are the facts the Islamists dispute? The truth that they don't like? Well, that's tough. Truth is often unwelcome. If truth were to spread, it would reveal the true nature of Islam—something that is unacceptable to an Islamic ruling class. Yet, it is light to our feet. We really must be truthful even if it hurts and often it does. Are there any questions about the facts?
1. Muhammad died and did not leave a written will (he was illiterate, that's understandable). So, his high-ranking disciples began scheming for leadership. The Shias claim that Muhammad verbally indicated that Ali was to lead his Ummah. Well, 90% of the Muslims say, no he did not and the Caliphate system was the way to go.
2. Shortly after Muhammad's death, Ali was killed by some disgruntled Muslim, for whatever reason. Violence was part and parcel of Islam from the get-go.
3. Then, there was a battle between Yazid's forces and Hussein, wasn't there? Hussein and his band of relatives-followers got butchered. Well, friends, that's the nature of the beast called war.
4. To this day, Shias bloody themselves, their children, even their babies with self-flagellation in a most horrid way in aza dari (mourning) for what happened to Hussein. What good does this do, other than perpetuate a sense of defeatism and fanaticism that mitigates against Iranians freeing themselves from the yoke of the conniving mullahs? In fact Hussein’s decree to murder and enslave the “inferior Iranians” has been recorded in history, but is kept a secret from the average Iranian Muslim—part of the culture of deceit that is built into Islam. Yet, Iranians are told by the mullahs to go out during the month of Ashura and beat themselves over the death of Hussein, their sworn enemy!!!
The long-suffering Iranian people must put the past behind them and use their excellent talents to not only join the advanced world, but lead it. What a shame to remain stuck in this horrid mentality of victimization. Iranians deserve better than being manipulated by a bunch of mullahs who have been having a great ride on the back of the ignorant poor by deceiving the poor and the ignorant with empty promises of all the goodies, promised in the afterlife.
Forget the afterlife and pay attention to the plight of the suffering masses. Stop playing politics with the lives of the people. Those responsible for this sham have no heart and no shame. Let the bad bygones be bygones, and use the marvelous human potential of Iranians to provide, opportunities to better themselves and their families.
The most important step in the direction of emancipation of our people is the establishment of the rule of law -- not the barbaric Sharia -- to grant all Iranians, male and female, young and old, of any and all beliefs, equal rights.
We Iranians don’t have a dog in this fight. In fact we should rid ourselves of all Islamic stains, Shia, Sunni, or whatever, and with it stop playing victims of one power or another. Playing victim may give psychological relief but doesn’t solve and problems on the ground, and problems on the ground we have aplenty.
Let's look forward and do something about the sorry plight of the Iranian people today so that future generation can recall this generations of Iranians as trailblazers who had the courage to break from the bleak past and launch a bright future.
By: Amil Imani
Since its inception fourteen hundred years ago, Islam has been at war with the people of this planet. Millions of people have been literally butchered with the sword of Islam.
Some may argue that all religions at one point in time have committed crimes against humanity. That may be so, but none of the existing world religions' foundation has been based upon shedding the blood of its innocent conquered. Islam lives, breathes and grows on blood. Once we take away this red element from Islam, Islam will vanish completely. Islam cannot possibly live in the hearts and minds of its believers. Islam needs to shed the blood of the infidels, meaning all non-Muslims. Islam is about world domination. Fear of pain and punishment for non-conformism is part of being a Muslim.
Muslims are radical even in their intrafaith dealings. Various sects and sub-sects pronounce other sects and sub-sects as heretics worthy of death; women are treated as chattel, deprived of many rights; hands are chopped for stealing even a loaf of bread; sexual “violations” and “indiscretions”, as defined and delimited by Islamic Sharia is punishable by stoning, and much much more. These are standard day-to-day ways of the mainstream “moderate” Muslims living under the stone-age laws of Sharia (Islamic jurisprudence).
The “moderate” mainstream of Islam has been outright genocidal from inception. Their own historians record that Ali, the first imam of the Shiite and the son-in-law of Muhammad, with the help of another man, beheaded 700 Jewish men in the presence of the Prophet himself. The Prophet of Allah and his disciples took the murdered men’s’ women and children into slavery.
“Ali, who is the successor of God on the earth, and known to fight with a double edged sword, ordered the warriors to cut off the heads of the nonbelievers. Zobair assisted him in finishing this job. Ali also ordered the distribution of the captives and their property [i.e. the ‘booty’] among the Muslims, in accord with Sa’ad’s (b. Mu’adh) decision regarding the fate of the defeated Jews [i.e., the Qurayzah]. After the battle [and executions], Ali ordered everyone [of the Muslims] to return home. Sa’ad (b. Mu’adh) who had been very anxious during the battle, was now happy and praised God upon completion of his task. Then [later] they [i.e., the Muslims] celebrated and enjoyed beautiful women.”
Muslims are taught deception and lying in the Quran itself—something that Muhammad practiced during his life whenever he found it expedient. Successive Islamic rulers and leaders have done the same.
Khomeini, the founder of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, for instance, rallied the people under the banner of democracy. All along his support for democracy was not a commitment of an honest man, but a ruse. As soon as he gathered the reins of power, Khomeini went after the “Useful Idiots” of his time with vengeance. These best children of Iran, having been thoroughly deceived and used by the crafty phony populist-religionist, had to flee the country to avoid the fate of tens of thousands who were imprisoned or executed by the double-crossing “imam Khomeini.
Throughout centuries, Iranians continued to prevent Islam from making inroads into their cultural identity and divesting them of their heritage. Knowing their culture well, they influenced events and paved the way for posterity to turn the tide. From the beginning, three lines of resistance has become distinct: administrative manipulation, political resistance, and intellectual nonconformity.
Almost three decades after the tragic Islamic Revolution of 1979, the suffocating rule of Islam casts its death-bearing pall over Iranians. A proud people with enviable heritage is being systematically purged of its sense of identity and forced to think and behave like the barbaric and intolerant Muslims.
Iranians who had always treated women with equality, for instance, have seen them reduced by the stone-age clergy to sub-human status of Islamic teaching. Any attempt by the women of Iran to counter the misogynist rule of Muhammad’s mullahs is mercilessly suppressed. Women are beaten, imprisoned, raped and killed just as men are slaughtered without due process or mercy.
One must pay attention to how Islamists engage others in discussion. When they don't like what they hear, they resort to ridicule, accusations and name-calling. Wouldn't it be wonderful if these people would, for once, were to abandon their primitive mindset and use a civilized method of dialogue?
What are the facts the Islamists dispute? The truth that they don't like? Well, that's tough. Truth is often unwelcome. If truth were to spread, it would reveal the true nature of Islam—something that is unacceptable to an Islamic ruling class. Yet, it is light to our feet. We really must be truthful even if it hurts and often it does. Are there any questions about the facts?
1. Muhammad died and did not leave a written will (he was illiterate, that's understandable). So, his high-ranking disciples began scheming for leadership. The Shias claim that Muhammad verbally indicated that Ali was to lead his Ummah. Well, 90% of the Muslims say, no he did not and the Caliphate system was the way to go.
2. Shortly after Muhammad's death, Ali was killed by some disgruntled Muslim, for whatever reason. Violence was part and parcel of Islam from the get-go.
3. Then, there was a battle between Yazid's forces and Hussein, wasn't there? Hussein and his band of relatives-followers got butchered. Well, friends, that's the nature of the beast called war.
4. To this day, Shias bloody themselves, their children, even their babies with self-flagellation in a most horrid way in aza dari (mourning) for what happened to Hussein. What good does this do, other than perpetuate a sense of defeatism and fanaticism that mitigates against Iranians freeing themselves from the yoke of the conniving mullahs? In fact Hussein’s decree to murder and enslave the “inferior Iranians” has been recorded in history, but is kept a secret from the average Iranian Muslim—part of the culture of deceit that is built into Islam. Yet, Iranians are told by the mullahs to go out during the month of Ashura and beat themselves over the death of Hussein, their sworn enemy!!!
The long-suffering Iranian people must put the past behind them and use their excellent talents to not only join the advanced world, but lead it. What a shame to remain stuck in this horrid mentality of victimization. Iranians deserve better than being manipulated by a bunch of mullahs who have been having a great ride on the back of the ignorant poor by deceiving the poor and the ignorant with empty promises of all the goodies, promised in the afterlife.
Forget the afterlife and pay attention to the plight of the suffering masses. Stop playing politics with the lives of the people. Those responsible for this sham have no heart and no shame. Let the bad bygones be bygones, and use the marvelous human potential of Iranians to provide, opportunities to better themselves and their families.
The most important step in the direction of emancipation of our people is the establishment of the rule of law -- not the barbaric Sharia -- to grant all Iranians, male and female, young and old, of any and all beliefs, equal rights.
We Iranians don’t have a dog in this fight. In fact we should rid ourselves of all Islamic stains, Shia, Sunni, or whatever, and with it stop playing victims of one power or another. Playing victim may give psychological relief but doesn’t solve and problems on the ground, and problems on the ground we have aplenty.
Let's look forward and do something about the sorry plight of the Iranian people today so that future generation can recall this generations of Iranians as trailblazers who had the courage to break from the bleak past and launch a bright future.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Watch this
They removed the other one. Here is the Youtube..this will be removed shortly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCrCsTMokTU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCrCsTMokTU
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The film Muslims want to shut down
If you want to see the Wilders film from The Netherlands that has given Muslims a fit, go to
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103
The film is 15 minutes. You may have to see it quickly if interested before the Muslims force it down.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103
The film is 15 minutes. You may have to see it quickly if interested before the Muslims force it down.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Courageous Iranian Woman challanges the Islamic Regime in Iran
متن فارسی Persian Texthttp://mehr.org/Soraya_Malekzadeh_persian.htm
Iranian woman looks to flee after years of battling regime
March 12, 2008
George McLeod
Toronto Star
TEHRAN–Soroya Malekzadeh wanted to test Iran 's claim to being an open democracy, so she submitted her nomination papers to be a candidate for this month's parliamentary elections.
The reply came from the Interior Ministry, formally disqualifying her for failing to meet Iran 's strict Islamic requirements. Now, exhausted by state harassment and imprisonment, she has submitted another set of papers, this time to the Canadian embassy in Tehran in hope of obtaining refugee status.
From a small, one-bedroom apartment in central Tehran , Malekzadeh trembles and blinks nervously as she describes her failed bid to run in Iran 's elections.
Visibly exhausted from years of run-ins with the authorities, Malekzadeh, 38, says her vocal stance on women's issues in Iran has left her with little option but to leave.
"I have lost almost everything," she says. "My job, my future, everything," the medical nurse adds.
"Women can't do anything in this country. The government tells us how to dress, whether we can see boys and what we can say ... I want to go to Canada where I can have freedom."
The former lecturer and author with a Masters degree in medicine now spends her days reading and pleading her case for asylum.
"I am not a criminal," she says, sipping tea. "It is my choice whether I want to wear a chador."
"Eighty per cent of Iran women do not want to be forced to wear the chador," she says, referring to the black headdress that covers all but a woman's face.
"Muslims in Turkey don't wear chadors, so why should I? The government can't tell me how to dress."
Unfortunately for Malekzadeh, however, the Iranian government did tell her how to dress – and refusing to listen cost her a chance to run for political office.
She received a letter from the Interior Ministry disqualifying her from standing for office for failing to adhere to Iran 's stringent Islamic rules.
Malekzadeh's story is not unique. As Iran heads to the polls Friday, hundreds of candidates deemed critical of the conservative status quo have been blacklisted while dissident newspapers and journalists have been tamed or silenced.
Up for grabs are 290 seats in the Iranian parliament, or Majlis, in an election many see as a referendum on the hard-line administration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
More than 100 political parties are registered in Iran , but stringent religious regulations have allowed conservatives to screen undesirable candidates.
"People are frustrated with the system ... There really isn't much choice in this election," says a professor at Tehran University who wouldn't to give her name for fear of reprisals.
"They don't have faith in either the reformists or the conservatives.
"On the one hand, you have conservatives who are completely paranoid of anything or anyone they deem un-Islamic.
"On the other hand, you have reformers who are often dishonest and unwilling or unable to make change . .. . If you are a true reformer, generally speaking, you are kept from political office and can even be imprisoned."
Malekzadeh says her open criticisms of the government have landed her in prison. Being banned from the 2008 elections was the final straw, and she says she is trying to leave Iran for Canada .
Her first major run-in with authorities was in 2004 when she published an article on women's rights in a reformist newspaper. The article argued that women deserve equal status in Iran and should be able to dress as they like, says Malekzadeh.
She was slapped with a 15-day prison sentence and says she was beaten while in captivity.
"They kicked me in the head until I passed out. I had to be hospitalised for head injuries and a broken nose," she says.
One year later, she was jailed again for an article on women's rights, and one exposing drug problems in Iran . She was given 10-day and seven-day sentences respectively, but was never formally charged with a crime.
Malekzadeh says even though she is out of jail, being labelled a dissident has destroyed her career and hurt her family.
Following government orders, her university fired her from her lecturing job, and she has been forced to give up her house and move in with her sons in a small Tehran apartment.
Her degree in medicine and her strong track record as a lecturer at one of Iran 's most respected medical universities have not helped her find work.
"When the authorities are against you in this country – they can take everything," she says, showing two books she published on medicine.
"They ordered me not to go to the campus again – so I can't work anymore. My son was also kicked out of high school because of me – they are hitting me from all sides."
Without a job or political future, Malekzadeh has applied for refugee status in Canada to start a new life.
Her application is currently being reviewed by the embassy.
With elections only days away, many Iranians are often eager to express similar frustrations, but unlike Malekzadeh, they usually refuse to give their full names.
"They are a joke," says Ali of the elections, standing with his girlfriend outside Tehran University .
"The government has hand-picked the candidates and wants to put on a show for the world – it is a joke. Believe me – if these elections were free and fair, the hard-liners wouldn't even get 20 per cent of the vote."
Instead of expressing their discontent through mainstream political lines, many young people say they simply disobey the conservative Islamic laws in secret and with the help of modern technology.
In Tehran 's subways, mobile phones are often bombarded with pornographic images sent by rebellious youngsters.
On Tehran 's streets, young women openly flout the conservative Islamic dress rules by wearing makeup, draping their veils over their shoulders and holding hands with their boyfriends.
George McLeod is a Canadian freelance journalist.
MEHRP.O. Box 2037P.V.P., CA 90274 Tel: (310) 377- 4590Fax: (310)377- 3103 URL: http://mehr.org
Iranian woman looks to flee after years of battling regime
March 12, 2008
George McLeod
Toronto Star
TEHRAN–Soroya Malekzadeh wanted to test Iran 's claim to being an open democracy, so she submitted her nomination papers to be a candidate for this month's parliamentary elections.
The reply came from the Interior Ministry, formally disqualifying her for failing to meet Iran 's strict Islamic requirements. Now, exhausted by state harassment and imprisonment, she has submitted another set of papers, this time to the Canadian embassy in Tehran in hope of obtaining refugee status.
From a small, one-bedroom apartment in central Tehran , Malekzadeh trembles and blinks nervously as she describes her failed bid to run in Iran 's elections.
Visibly exhausted from years of run-ins with the authorities, Malekzadeh, 38, says her vocal stance on women's issues in Iran has left her with little option but to leave.
"I have lost almost everything," she says. "My job, my future, everything," the medical nurse adds.
"Women can't do anything in this country. The government tells us how to dress, whether we can see boys and what we can say ... I want to go to Canada where I can have freedom."
The former lecturer and author with a Masters degree in medicine now spends her days reading and pleading her case for asylum.
"I am not a criminal," she says, sipping tea. "It is my choice whether I want to wear a chador."
"Eighty per cent of Iran women do not want to be forced to wear the chador," she says, referring to the black headdress that covers all but a woman's face.
"Muslims in Turkey don't wear chadors, so why should I? The government can't tell me how to dress."
Unfortunately for Malekzadeh, however, the Iranian government did tell her how to dress – and refusing to listen cost her a chance to run for political office.
She received a letter from the Interior Ministry disqualifying her from standing for office for failing to adhere to Iran 's stringent Islamic rules.
Malekzadeh's story is not unique. As Iran heads to the polls Friday, hundreds of candidates deemed critical of the conservative status quo have been blacklisted while dissident newspapers and journalists have been tamed or silenced.
Up for grabs are 290 seats in the Iranian parliament, or Majlis, in an election many see as a referendum on the hard-line administration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
More than 100 political parties are registered in Iran , but stringent religious regulations have allowed conservatives to screen undesirable candidates.
"People are frustrated with the system ... There really isn't much choice in this election," says a professor at Tehran University who wouldn't to give her name for fear of reprisals.
"They don't have faith in either the reformists or the conservatives.
"On the one hand, you have conservatives who are completely paranoid of anything or anyone they deem un-Islamic.
"On the other hand, you have reformers who are often dishonest and unwilling or unable to make change . .. . If you are a true reformer, generally speaking, you are kept from political office and can even be imprisoned."
Malekzadeh says her open criticisms of the government have landed her in prison. Being banned from the 2008 elections was the final straw, and she says she is trying to leave Iran for Canada .
Her first major run-in with authorities was in 2004 when she published an article on women's rights in a reformist newspaper. The article argued that women deserve equal status in Iran and should be able to dress as they like, says Malekzadeh.
She was slapped with a 15-day prison sentence and says she was beaten while in captivity.
"They kicked me in the head until I passed out. I had to be hospitalised for head injuries and a broken nose," she says.
One year later, she was jailed again for an article on women's rights, and one exposing drug problems in Iran . She was given 10-day and seven-day sentences respectively, but was never formally charged with a crime.
Malekzadeh says even though she is out of jail, being labelled a dissident has destroyed her career and hurt her family.
Following government orders, her university fired her from her lecturing job, and she has been forced to give up her house and move in with her sons in a small Tehran apartment.
Her degree in medicine and her strong track record as a lecturer at one of Iran 's most respected medical universities have not helped her find work.
"When the authorities are against you in this country – they can take everything," she says, showing two books she published on medicine.
"They ordered me not to go to the campus again – so I can't work anymore. My son was also kicked out of high school because of me – they are hitting me from all sides."
Without a job or political future, Malekzadeh has applied for refugee status in Canada to start a new life.
Her application is currently being reviewed by the embassy.
With elections only days away, many Iranians are often eager to express similar frustrations, but unlike Malekzadeh, they usually refuse to give their full names.
"They are a joke," says Ali of the elections, standing with his girlfriend outside Tehran University .
"The government has hand-picked the candidates and wants to put on a show for the world – it is a joke. Believe me – if these elections were free and fair, the hard-liners wouldn't even get 20 per cent of the vote."
Instead of expressing their discontent through mainstream political lines, many young people say they simply disobey the conservative Islamic laws in secret and with the help of modern technology.
In Tehran 's subways, mobile phones are often bombarded with pornographic images sent by rebellious youngsters.
On Tehran 's streets, young women openly flout the conservative Islamic dress rules by wearing makeup, draping their veils over their shoulders and holding hands with their boyfriends.
George McLeod is a Canadian freelance journalist.
MEHRP.O. Box 2037P.V.P., CA 90274 Tel: (310) 377- 4590Fax: (310)377- 3103 URL: http://mehr.org
Saturday, February 09, 2008
FBI director praises S.C. for arrest of 2 Egyptians
FBI director praises S.C. for arrest of 2 Egyptians
By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press
Saturday, February 9, 2008
COLUMBIA — FBI Director Robert Mueller on Friday commended South Carolina authorities for quickly alerting federal officials when they arrested two Egyptian college students on explosives charges last year.
"It's an excellent example of the local, state and federal cooperation and is an example of the coordination between the excellent local police activity when the stop was made and understanding the significance of what is found," Mueller told reporters during a visit to the Columbia FBI field office.
Earlier this week, a federal prosecutor disputed a defense attorney's claim that Youssef Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 26, were carrying harmless fireworks when they were stopped in Goose Creek. The University of South Florida students were transferred to federal custody in Florida after a Berkeley County sheriff's deputy found what appeared to be bomb-making materials in the trunk of their car.
Sheriff's Cpl. Lamar Blakely was doing routine traffic control on St. James Avenue on Aug. 4, keeping an eye out for a stolen car, when he turned the blue lights on a Toyota that his incident report said was traveling 60 mph in a 45 mph zone.
"To me, it's just a traffic stop," he said at the time. But as he talked to Megahed and Mohamed, the stories kept changing — where they were coming from, where they were going. "It just didn't seem right." He called in the bomb squad.
Blakely was praised by his superiors and the solicitor for his professionalism.
Megahed and Mohamed have been charged with illegally transporting explosives. Mohamed also faces a terrorism-related charge for allegedly making a video demonstrating how to convert a remote-control toy into a detonator for a bomb.
Megahed's attorney asked a judge Jan. 30 to reconsider bail for his client, citing an FBI report characterizing the items found in the trunk of the car as a pyrotechnic mixture that burned but didn't explode when tested.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/feb/09/fbi_director_praises_s_c_arrest_egyptian30126/
By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press
Saturday, February 9, 2008
COLUMBIA — FBI Director Robert Mueller on Friday commended South Carolina authorities for quickly alerting federal officials when they arrested two Egyptian college students on explosives charges last year.
"It's an excellent example of the local, state and federal cooperation and is an example of the coordination between the excellent local police activity when the stop was made and understanding the significance of what is found," Mueller told reporters during a visit to the Columbia FBI field office.
Earlier this week, a federal prosecutor disputed a defense attorney's claim that Youssef Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 26, were carrying harmless fireworks when they were stopped in Goose Creek. The University of South Florida students were transferred to federal custody in Florida after a Berkeley County sheriff's deputy found what appeared to be bomb-making materials in the trunk of their car.
Sheriff's Cpl. Lamar Blakely was doing routine traffic control on St. James Avenue on Aug. 4, keeping an eye out for a stolen car, when he turned the blue lights on a Toyota that his incident report said was traveling 60 mph in a 45 mph zone.
"To me, it's just a traffic stop," he said at the time. But as he talked to Megahed and Mohamed, the stories kept changing — where they were coming from, where they were going. "It just didn't seem right." He called in the bomb squad.
Blakely was praised by his superiors and the solicitor for his professionalism.
Megahed and Mohamed have been charged with illegally transporting explosives. Mohamed also faces a terrorism-related charge for allegedly making a video demonstrating how to convert a remote-control toy into a detonator for a bomb.
Megahed's attorney asked a judge Jan. 30 to reconsider bail for his client, citing an FBI report characterizing the items found in the trunk of the car as a pyrotechnic mixture that burned but didn't explode when tested.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/feb/09/fbi_director_praises_s_c_arrest_egyptian30126/
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Religion is Fire
Religion is Fire
By: Amil Imani
Fire, arguably, is important to life after air, water, and food. Fire, broadly defined, is energy. And energy runs the world. It fuels the body, operates the mind, heats homes, and runs endless machines and instruments.
When energy is put to good use, it is the boon of mankind. And when it is misused or abused it is the bane of humanity. Therefore, credit or blame rests with the user of energy.
Religion is a special case of energy in the same way that steam is a derivation of fire. Steam engines move mass in physical space. Religion, emotional energy, propels people’s mind in the metaphysical realm.
Please read more…
Religion is Fire
By: Amil Imani
Fire, arguably, is important to life after air, water, and food. Fire, broadly defined, is energy. And energy runs the world. It fuels the body, operates the mind, heats homes, and runs endless machines and instruments.
When energy is put to good use, it is the boon of mankind. And when it is misused or abused it is the bane of humanity. Therefore, credit or blame rests with the user of energy.
Religion is a special case of energy in the same way that steam is a derivation of fire. Steam engines move mass in physical space. Religion, emotional energy, propels people’s mind in the metaphysical realm.
Please read more…
Religion is Fire
Monday, January 28, 2008
In Remembrance of Cyrus the Great
By: Amil Imani
It happened here, on January 26, 2008 at the UCLA Freud PlayHouse, in Los Angeles, California. It brought the world's most renowned scholars and top performing artists to a remembrance of the life of Cyrus the Great, the founding father of Persia and the mighty Persian Empire— perhaps the most exemplary, magnificent and just king the world has ever known.
This event put together visual arts, the ambience of the theater, the inspirational young and beautiful Anna Djanbazian’s dancers who, in precise rows executed, perfectly harmonious and breathtaking dances.
The entertainment continued with delightful music by the legendary Iranian pop singer, Dariush, who selflessly and quickly accepted the offer to perform without any compensation for this noble cause. And, the same goes for the always magnificent, Oscar-Nominated composer, vocalist and performance artist, the beautiful Sussan Deyhim. The evening evolved and was cultivated by an impresario of Persian archeology, the adventurous, the explorer, the film maker of our ancient past and simply an Iranian hero, Cyrus Kar himself, daring to lure and captivate the audience for a mystical night of remembering Cyrus the Great.
The Iranian communities around the world are grateful and appreciative when singers, dancers, performers and artists are willing to set aside their time and perform freely to promote justice and freedom. This would indeed register them forever and ever not only as who they are, but as what they did for a noble cause. We hope to see more and more Iranian artists participating in this kind of gathering. ”An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.” said, James MacNeill Whistler.
It all began like a lyrical poem, evolving into the contemplative national epic. In the ancient tradition of historical epics, all the elements were perfectly matched to the image of the inspirational melody.
The opening ceremony started with the Mistress of Ceremonies, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, the charming and beautiful, singer, songwriter and International Human Rights Activist. She was also Miss World Canada. Beyond a doubt her presence gave euphoria and excitment to the entire ceremony.
And finally, the very gracious audience came from near and far to gather to do what every Iranian understands; the recognition and perseverance of our national heritage from the ravages of time and calamities of the present ruling regime in Iran. They came to support their fellow Iranian, Cyrus Kar, who has been, painstakingly, trying to make a documentary film about the life of the benevolent king, Cyrus the Great.
There were many distinguished and honorable speakers who contributed to this event. The first was Dr. David Stronach, the renowned Scottish archaeologist of ancient Iran and Iraq. He is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Also speaking were Dr. Jennifer Rose, Professor at Stanford University, Dr. Abbas Milani, an Iranian-American historian and author, Professor Mark D. Rosenbaum, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Los Angeles, where he has worked since 1974.
Having programs to support artists for who they are and what they do is a great thing one can do. Artists always need our support. It is our encouragement and financial support that enables them to continue in their endeavors and passions. As an example, many colleges and universities have created the largest system of supporting patronage the world has ever seen. “This system of education and patronage spends, each year, hundreds of millions of dollars on salaries for poets, writers, on reading series; on conferences and classes; and on university presses and little magazines. This support benefits poets, students, and general readers and the public.”
Notwithstandingly, what the Islamic Republic despotic rulers have set out to do is defeat the Iranian spirit inside Iran and extinguish Cyrus’ spirit around the world through brainwashing, coercion, and terrorist acts. It has given Cyrus Kar all the more impetus to re-create and show the world who and what Cyrus the Great truly was, the embodiment of the human spirit. This documentary is in its final stages and is in dire need of your support.
It is ironic that a man whom the Jews called Messiah and died 2500 years ago can be a threat to the very existence of this brutal, un-Iranian current Islamic regime. The Islamic Republic of Iran seems to be fearful both of the dead and the living. Yet, Iran has survived despite her enemies, the course of innumerable wars, invasions, pillages and captivity at the hands of barbaric tribes and being forced into an un-Iranian religion.
Our message to the world is clear. We, the diverse people of Iran are descendants of an optimistic, enlightened, and positive people. We “are” the children of Cyrus the Great. We meet any challenge and pay any price to defeat tyranny and we will not rest until Iran is completely free of the despotic rule of Islamofascism.
It happened here, on January 26, 2008 at the UCLA Freud PlayHouse, in Los Angeles, California. It brought the world's most renowned scholars and top performing artists to a remembrance of the life of Cyrus the Great, the founding father of Persia and the mighty Persian Empire— perhaps the most exemplary, magnificent and just king the world has ever known.
This event put together visual arts, the ambience of the theater, the inspirational young and beautiful Anna Djanbazian’s dancers who, in precise rows executed, perfectly harmonious and breathtaking dances.
The entertainment continued with delightful music by the legendary Iranian pop singer, Dariush, who selflessly and quickly accepted the offer to perform without any compensation for this noble cause. And, the same goes for the always magnificent, Oscar-Nominated composer, vocalist and performance artist, the beautiful Sussan Deyhim. The evening evolved and was cultivated by an impresario of Persian archeology, the adventurous, the explorer, the film maker of our ancient past and simply an Iranian hero, Cyrus Kar himself, daring to lure and captivate the audience for a mystical night of remembering Cyrus the Great.
The Iranian communities around the world are grateful and appreciative when singers, dancers, performers and artists are willing to set aside their time and perform freely to promote justice and freedom. This would indeed register them forever and ever not only as who they are, but as what they did for a noble cause. We hope to see more and more Iranian artists participating in this kind of gathering. ”An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.” said, James MacNeill Whistler.
It all began like a lyrical poem, evolving into the contemplative national epic. In the ancient tradition of historical epics, all the elements were perfectly matched to the image of the inspirational melody.
The opening ceremony started with the Mistress of Ceremonies, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, the charming and beautiful, singer, songwriter and International Human Rights Activist. She was also Miss World Canada. Beyond a doubt her presence gave euphoria and excitment to the entire ceremony.
And finally, the very gracious audience came from near and far to gather to do what every Iranian understands; the recognition and perseverance of our national heritage from the ravages of time and calamities of the present ruling regime in Iran. They came to support their fellow Iranian, Cyrus Kar, who has been, painstakingly, trying to make a documentary film about the life of the benevolent king, Cyrus the Great.
There were many distinguished and honorable speakers who contributed to this event. The first was Dr. David Stronach, the renowned Scottish archaeologist of ancient Iran and Iraq. He is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Also speaking were Dr. Jennifer Rose, Professor at Stanford University, Dr. Abbas Milani, an Iranian-American historian and author, Professor Mark D. Rosenbaum, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Los Angeles, where he has worked since 1974.
Having programs to support artists for who they are and what they do is a great thing one can do. Artists always need our support. It is our encouragement and financial support that enables them to continue in their endeavors and passions. As an example, many colleges and universities have created the largest system of supporting patronage the world has ever seen. “This system of education and patronage spends, each year, hundreds of millions of dollars on salaries for poets, writers, on reading series; on conferences and classes; and on university presses and little magazines. This support benefits poets, students, and general readers and the public.”
Notwithstandingly, what the Islamic Republic despotic rulers have set out to do is defeat the Iranian spirit inside Iran and extinguish Cyrus’ spirit around the world through brainwashing, coercion, and terrorist acts. It has given Cyrus Kar all the more impetus to re-create and show the world who and what Cyrus the Great truly was, the embodiment of the human spirit. This documentary is in its final stages and is in dire need of your support.
It is ironic that a man whom the Jews called Messiah and died 2500 years ago can be a threat to the very existence of this brutal, un-Iranian current Islamic regime. The Islamic Republic of Iran seems to be fearful both of the dead and the living. Yet, Iran has survived despite her enemies, the course of innumerable wars, invasions, pillages and captivity at the hands of barbaric tribes and being forced into an un-Iranian religion.
Our message to the world is clear. We, the diverse people of Iran are descendants of an optimistic, enlightened, and positive people. We “are” the children of Cyrus the Great. We meet any challenge and pay any price to defeat tyranny and we will not rest until Iran is completely free of the despotic rule of Islamofascism.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Most Reformists Appear Purged From Iran Ballot
TEHRAN — When voters go to the polls on March 14 to select members of Parliament, they may be able to choose only between conservative candidates and other conservative candidates, leaders of Iran’s main reform party said Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/world/middleeast/24iran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/world/middleeast/24iran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Have the Courage to Say No to Islam
By: Amil Imani
Nearly 1400 years ago, a group of nomads from across the scorching Arabian Desert conquered Iran (Persia), the greatest empire known to the history of mankind. With that, they injected their Islamic virus into the veins of their victim: the Iranian people.
Isn’t it time for the Iranians, in a show of solidarity, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the civilized free people of the world to defeat this virulent disease of Islam? In most other lands conquered by Islam, the conquered peoples have lost their identity and heritage and embraced the ways of their new rulers, under an “Arab” identity. Conversely, in Iran a band of indigenous victims, “infected” by Islam, has mindlessly turned on their Iranian countrymen and tried to rob them of their remaining ancient heritage. It is exactly this savage minority that has established an oppressive tyrannical rule and wields power against the Iranian people. Yet even under the rule of Islamofascism, the overwhelming majority of Iranians of various ethnicities and religions remain faithful to their ancient creed – a creed that was given to the world by Zoroaster.
The twenty-first century presents great challenges and opportunities that demand new ways of thinking and behaving. The doctrine of Islam may have been appropriate for the desert dwellers of Arabia some 1400 years ago, for the very people stigmatized in Islamic literature as “Jahil” (ignoramus). But it is dysfunctional today, to say the least. As a matter of fact, Islam went astray from the very beginning and inflicted a great deal of suffering on both its followers as well as those who resisted its advance.
All pre-Islamic achievements that may strengthen the attraction on the part of the Iranian populace are de-emphasized and sometimes even falsely attributed to Islam, to prevent the average Iranian and the world at large from finding out the historical truths about the destruction and retardation Islam has brought to the region. Islam continues to take credit for the arts and sciences produced by the peoples it has conquered -- and they were mostly Iranians, Egyptians, Syrians, Mesopotamians, and Babylonians.
Keep in mind that Islamists go by their 1400-year-old charter of Allah --the Qur'an-- the same charter that they held in one hand while slashing the throats of millions of innocent Iranians and yelling joyously "Allah is the greatest" the whole time.
Dear Iranians, I am compelled to write this today and the words just stream through me without any outline or preconceptions. I am talking about this today, partly because it is timely, partly because it is good to know what Islam has done to our precious culture. Some things did not have to turn out as they did. Truth and provocative ideas ought to be welcomed by all of us. “A Slave is he who cannot speak his thoughts” said Euripides. Yet provocative ideas by themselves may not be enough. Actions are needed to correct the past mistakes and that starts with you.
Dear Iranians, as long as you remain a “Muslim” (as you are by default and not by choice), you will remain enslaved by a violent foreign creed and culture. You are unable to think for yourselves and break free. As long as you remain Muslim, you cannot possibly be called an Iranian. Being Iranian is defined by a state of mind, not by a place of residence, your language, your dialect, or even your genetic makeup or race. The barbaric Islamist mullahs and their mercenaries presently ruling Iran are not Iranians by any definition, except by virtue of an identity card. They are Islamofascists who have betrayed their magnificent heritage and have enlisted themselves in the service of a most oppressive and demeaning ideology, Islam.
The detoxification of Islam must start with you. It is you who should pick up the flag of freedom and march in the streets and defend your ancestors who were brutally murdered by the hands of the Arab invaders and forced you to become like them.
Remember, life is precious. It is to be protected, nurtured and celebrated. Humankind is moving, perhaps at a glacier pace, toward reconciliation, ever-expanding inclusiveness without any group or ideology imposing itself on others. Any attempt against this trend of unity in diversity is doomed to failure, as exemplified by the demise of fascism and communism. The charter of Islam, the Quran, for the most part, preaches discrimination, death and imposition of its dogma on everyone. Islam, just like fascism and communism, is a dysfunctional ideology that needs to be abandoned.
Humanity has matured considerably since the time of Muhammad. In order to continue its forward march, mankind must follow a roadmap appropriate for its age and state of development. It is foolish to insist that a book, which demands terrorism and was written over 1400 years ago, must serve as the one and only guide for humanity.
Let us remember that the Arabs who sallied out of the deserts of Arabia did not fan out to the outside world with the Quran in one hand and flowers in the other, preaching love and peace from street corner to street corner, aiming to capture the hearts and minds of the people. Islam was forced on every culture it encountered at the point of the sword. The kinder, gentler alternative was death or imposition of the backbreaking “jizyah” (poll tax) levied on those who were spared the sword and allowed to retain their religious beliefs as “infidels”. In spite of paying the heavy jizyah, non-Muslims were consistently treated, at best, as second-class citizens in their own homelands all across the Middle East.
Iran is our beloved motherland. She deserves love and respect from all her children. Iran is not a land of the evil, even though presently it is in its yoke. Persians often take great umbrage at being confused with Arabs. Authors like Robert Kaplan and V. S. Naipaul have documented the Persian antipathy toward the Arabs, all the while espousing the Arab religion enthusiastically.
Dear Iranians, you have a dilemma. You require reconciliation with the self. You are either the children of Cyrus the Great, who was the founding father of Iran and symbolized justice and respect for diversity, or you can claim to be the descendent of a man who was not an exemplary prophet. In other words, you are either a “Seyyed” (itself a laughable farce), which is another word for an Arab “lord”, or you are a magnificent Iranian who believes in the lofty tenets of Good Words, Good Thoughts and Good Deeds. You cannot be both. It is time to reconcile. The choice is yours.
My aspiration for my motherland is to see it freed from the evil that has been visited upon it ever since our people bought into a most depraved version of Islam. Whether people become Baha'is or Zoroastrians or Christians, it should be a free choice by each person. Even if a person insists on remaining Muslim, that is his or her prerogative. Yet, imposing the suffocating intolerant Islam on an entire nation is something that neither I, nor any freethinking person can accept. Our beloved Iran deserves to be a country where, once again, we take pride in being its children instead of the present when we often do all we can to conceal our nation of birth when visiting abroad.
Those of you who are still entrapped in the cult of Muhammad of the 7th century are victims of the Islamic virus that has destroyed in you the traditional respect for diversity. Iran is now a nation whose residents are most rapidly abandoning Islam as they learn the truth about it. It is the fundamental ancient Iranian belief in the validity and value of diversity that has held the nation together over the millennia.
Islam, with its barbaric exclusionary and primitive Bedouin Arab dogma, overtook Iran and brutally strove to replace the traditional lofty Iranian belief in human rights and diversity. Regrettably, the forced subjugation of the Iranians succeeded to some degree in transmitting the Islamic psychosocial virus to many Iranians—the virus that transforms the person into a bigot who sees only his way and his belief as the right way and the only right mandate. Any and all people who do not see things “his” way are wrong and must be reformed by whatever means, including eradication, if the bigot sees fit.
The diverse people who give Iran its enduring strength include Persians, Azaris, Kurds, Baluchis, Turkmen, and more. One and all have their allegiance to Iran as an idea and a nation and they all have shaped Iran into a unified nation. Iranians are the spiritual children of Cyrus the Great and adherents to his Charter—the first Charter of Human Rights—that clearly proclaims the equal rights and worth of the beliefs and practices of all peoples.
Iranians are ashamed by the appearance of Ahmadinejad, “the Monkey”, on the international scene and his declared intent to wipe the Jewish homeland from the face of the earth. Ahmadinejad is not an Iranian. Just look at the numerous photos showing him proudly donning the Arab headscarf around his neck—a Palestinian headscarf that presently stands as a symbol of the Arabo-Islamic genocidal hate campaign against the “non-believers” of all stripes. One quick look at his willingness to give away territorial and political rights of Iran is another testament to his “un-Iranian” nature.
This shameless Ahmadinejad and his cronies, the criminal mullahs, are personifications and agents of Ahriman “evil”. Nothing whatsoever is beyond their evil intentions. Keeping themselves in power by devastating our land, heritage and people is a small price that they are more than happy to pay. Shame, eternal shame on them. Iran shall rise again. It shall rise from its ashes. I am certain of that.
We do recognize that the dysfunctional Islamic “software” is deeply engrained in the minds of its victims who opt to remain in mental bondage rather than purge their minds of the Islamic “blueprint of destruction” and join the rest of the human family with a new emancipating program for life—that of liberty and progress. However, you must avoid any and all Islamic propaganda and join the forces of liberty and gain your freedom from this dark and alien cult of death. For 1300 years, the Islamists have forced you to choose and celebrate death over life, to cry instead laugh and to mourn instead of dance. The crown jewel of Islam simply does not fit the Persians. It never has and it never will.
Keep in mind that Islam hates the power of the individual. Islam hates the achievements of women. Islam hates progress. Islam hates the religious freedom of others. Islam hates the pre-Islamic heritage of Iran and other nations. Islam hates the light of truth. Islam is against free-will and hates democracy, liberty and justice for all. Islam simply loves to crush and eat you alive. That is what Islam does and that is what Islam is. Are you going to worship that? Just Say no, because you are not a robot, you are a human being.
Now, “praise be to the core of goodness” that binds all of us together as devoted lovers of our ancient heritage of respect and diversity. Our motherland is bleeding under the dark cloaks of the oppressive mullahs. Yet, our people shall overcome the poison that courses in their veins and will choose to turn away from the doctrine of death and destruction to, hopefully, pursue life and construction. All of you hold the key and promise for our homeland's revival and its complete freedom from the centuries old yoke of the barbaric rule of Islam and its “Sharia”.
The light of freedom must be preserved for humanity. To save the motherland, all Iranians must unite and JUST SAY NO to Islam and SAY YES to liberty.
Nearly 1400 years ago, a group of nomads from across the scorching Arabian Desert conquered Iran (Persia), the greatest empire known to the history of mankind. With that, they injected their Islamic virus into the veins of their victim: the Iranian people.
Isn’t it time for the Iranians, in a show of solidarity, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the civilized free people of the world to defeat this virulent disease of Islam? In most other lands conquered by Islam, the conquered peoples have lost their identity and heritage and embraced the ways of their new rulers, under an “Arab” identity. Conversely, in Iran a band of indigenous victims, “infected” by Islam, has mindlessly turned on their Iranian countrymen and tried to rob them of their remaining ancient heritage. It is exactly this savage minority that has established an oppressive tyrannical rule and wields power against the Iranian people. Yet even under the rule of Islamofascism, the overwhelming majority of Iranians of various ethnicities and religions remain faithful to their ancient creed – a creed that was given to the world by Zoroaster.
The twenty-first century presents great challenges and opportunities that demand new ways of thinking and behaving. The doctrine of Islam may have been appropriate for the desert dwellers of Arabia some 1400 years ago, for the very people stigmatized in Islamic literature as “Jahil” (ignoramus). But it is dysfunctional today, to say the least. As a matter of fact, Islam went astray from the very beginning and inflicted a great deal of suffering on both its followers as well as those who resisted its advance.
All pre-Islamic achievements that may strengthen the attraction on the part of the Iranian populace are de-emphasized and sometimes even falsely attributed to Islam, to prevent the average Iranian and the world at large from finding out the historical truths about the destruction and retardation Islam has brought to the region. Islam continues to take credit for the arts and sciences produced by the peoples it has conquered -- and they were mostly Iranians, Egyptians, Syrians, Mesopotamians, and Babylonians.
Keep in mind that Islamists go by their 1400-year-old charter of Allah --the Qur'an-- the same charter that they held in one hand while slashing the throats of millions of innocent Iranians and yelling joyously "Allah is the greatest" the whole time.
Dear Iranians, I am compelled to write this today and the words just stream through me without any outline or preconceptions. I am talking about this today, partly because it is timely, partly because it is good to know what Islam has done to our precious culture. Some things did not have to turn out as they did. Truth and provocative ideas ought to be welcomed by all of us. “A Slave is he who cannot speak his thoughts” said Euripides. Yet provocative ideas by themselves may not be enough. Actions are needed to correct the past mistakes and that starts with you.
Dear Iranians, as long as you remain a “Muslim” (as you are by default and not by choice), you will remain enslaved by a violent foreign creed and culture. You are unable to think for yourselves and break free. As long as you remain Muslim, you cannot possibly be called an Iranian. Being Iranian is defined by a state of mind, not by a place of residence, your language, your dialect, or even your genetic makeup or race. The barbaric Islamist mullahs and their mercenaries presently ruling Iran are not Iranians by any definition, except by virtue of an identity card. They are Islamofascists who have betrayed their magnificent heritage and have enlisted themselves in the service of a most oppressive and demeaning ideology, Islam.
The detoxification of Islam must start with you. It is you who should pick up the flag of freedom and march in the streets and defend your ancestors who were brutally murdered by the hands of the Arab invaders and forced you to become like them.
Remember, life is precious. It is to be protected, nurtured and celebrated. Humankind is moving, perhaps at a glacier pace, toward reconciliation, ever-expanding inclusiveness without any group or ideology imposing itself on others. Any attempt against this trend of unity in diversity is doomed to failure, as exemplified by the demise of fascism and communism. The charter of Islam, the Quran, for the most part, preaches discrimination, death and imposition of its dogma on everyone. Islam, just like fascism and communism, is a dysfunctional ideology that needs to be abandoned.
Humanity has matured considerably since the time of Muhammad. In order to continue its forward march, mankind must follow a roadmap appropriate for its age and state of development. It is foolish to insist that a book, which demands terrorism and was written over 1400 years ago, must serve as the one and only guide for humanity.
Let us remember that the Arabs who sallied out of the deserts of Arabia did not fan out to the outside world with the Quran in one hand and flowers in the other, preaching love and peace from street corner to street corner, aiming to capture the hearts and minds of the people. Islam was forced on every culture it encountered at the point of the sword. The kinder, gentler alternative was death or imposition of the backbreaking “jizyah” (poll tax) levied on those who were spared the sword and allowed to retain their religious beliefs as “infidels”. In spite of paying the heavy jizyah, non-Muslims were consistently treated, at best, as second-class citizens in their own homelands all across the Middle East.
Iran is our beloved motherland. She deserves love and respect from all her children. Iran is not a land of the evil, even though presently it is in its yoke. Persians often take great umbrage at being confused with Arabs. Authors like Robert Kaplan and V. S. Naipaul have documented the Persian antipathy toward the Arabs, all the while espousing the Arab religion enthusiastically.
Dear Iranians, you have a dilemma. You require reconciliation with the self. You are either the children of Cyrus the Great, who was the founding father of Iran and symbolized justice and respect for diversity, or you can claim to be the descendent of a man who was not an exemplary prophet. In other words, you are either a “Seyyed” (itself a laughable farce), which is another word for an Arab “lord”, or you are a magnificent Iranian who believes in the lofty tenets of Good Words, Good Thoughts and Good Deeds. You cannot be both. It is time to reconcile. The choice is yours.
My aspiration for my motherland is to see it freed from the evil that has been visited upon it ever since our people bought into a most depraved version of Islam. Whether people become Baha'is or Zoroastrians or Christians, it should be a free choice by each person. Even if a person insists on remaining Muslim, that is his or her prerogative. Yet, imposing the suffocating intolerant Islam on an entire nation is something that neither I, nor any freethinking person can accept. Our beloved Iran deserves to be a country where, once again, we take pride in being its children instead of the present when we often do all we can to conceal our nation of birth when visiting abroad.
Those of you who are still entrapped in the cult of Muhammad of the 7th century are victims of the Islamic virus that has destroyed in you the traditional respect for diversity. Iran is now a nation whose residents are most rapidly abandoning Islam as they learn the truth about it. It is the fundamental ancient Iranian belief in the validity and value of diversity that has held the nation together over the millennia.
Islam, with its barbaric exclusionary and primitive Bedouin Arab dogma, overtook Iran and brutally strove to replace the traditional lofty Iranian belief in human rights and diversity. Regrettably, the forced subjugation of the Iranians succeeded to some degree in transmitting the Islamic psychosocial virus to many Iranians—the virus that transforms the person into a bigot who sees only his way and his belief as the right way and the only right mandate. Any and all people who do not see things “his” way are wrong and must be reformed by whatever means, including eradication, if the bigot sees fit.
The diverse people who give Iran its enduring strength include Persians, Azaris, Kurds, Baluchis, Turkmen, and more. One and all have their allegiance to Iran as an idea and a nation and they all have shaped Iran into a unified nation. Iranians are the spiritual children of Cyrus the Great and adherents to his Charter—the first Charter of Human Rights—that clearly proclaims the equal rights and worth of the beliefs and practices of all peoples.
Iranians are ashamed by the appearance of Ahmadinejad, “the Monkey”, on the international scene and his declared intent to wipe the Jewish homeland from the face of the earth. Ahmadinejad is not an Iranian. Just look at the numerous photos showing him proudly donning the Arab headscarf around his neck—a Palestinian headscarf that presently stands as a symbol of the Arabo-Islamic genocidal hate campaign against the “non-believers” of all stripes. One quick look at his willingness to give away territorial and political rights of Iran is another testament to his “un-Iranian” nature.
This shameless Ahmadinejad and his cronies, the criminal mullahs, are personifications and agents of Ahriman “evil”. Nothing whatsoever is beyond their evil intentions. Keeping themselves in power by devastating our land, heritage and people is a small price that they are more than happy to pay. Shame, eternal shame on them. Iran shall rise again. It shall rise from its ashes. I am certain of that.
We do recognize that the dysfunctional Islamic “software” is deeply engrained in the minds of its victims who opt to remain in mental bondage rather than purge their minds of the Islamic “blueprint of destruction” and join the rest of the human family with a new emancipating program for life—that of liberty and progress. However, you must avoid any and all Islamic propaganda and join the forces of liberty and gain your freedom from this dark and alien cult of death. For 1300 years, the Islamists have forced you to choose and celebrate death over life, to cry instead laugh and to mourn instead of dance. The crown jewel of Islam simply does not fit the Persians. It never has and it never will.
Keep in mind that Islam hates the power of the individual. Islam hates the achievements of women. Islam hates progress. Islam hates the religious freedom of others. Islam hates the pre-Islamic heritage of Iran and other nations. Islam hates the light of truth. Islam is against free-will and hates democracy, liberty and justice for all. Islam simply loves to crush and eat you alive. That is what Islam does and that is what Islam is. Are you going to worship that? Just Say no, because you are not a robot, you are a human being.
Now, “praise be to the core of goodness” that binds all of us together as devoted lovers of our ancient heritage of respect and diversity. Our motherland is bleeding under the dark cloaks of the oppressive mullahs. Yet, our people shall overcome the poison that courses in their veins and will choose to turn away from the doctrine of death and destruction to, hopefully, pursue life and construction. All of you hold the key and promise for our homeland's revival and its complete freedom from the centuries old yoke of the barbaric rule of Islam and its “Sharia”.
The light of freedom must be preserved for humanity. To save the motherland, all Iranians must unite and JUST SAY NO to Islam and SAY YES to liberty.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
OBAMA'S MUSLIM CONNECTION
By Jon Christian Ryter
January 16, 2008
NewsWithViews.com
In 1991 a young Muslim Harvard Law College graduate named Barack Hussein Obama (who has denied his Islamic past and Muslim roots for as long as he has been a public figure) became a civil rights community activist working out of the Trinity United Church of Christ. Obama worked as a community organizer for Trinity in poor black neighborhoods. Trinity's senior pastor Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr, a black racist, who preached radical Afrocentric theology and didn't mind delivering profanity-spiked sermons found a congregation-builder in Obama. Because of what Wright called Obama's multiple-faith background and his Harvard education, he was a natural community-builder.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Ryter/jon212.htm
January 16, 2008
NewsWithViews.com
In 1991 a young Muslim Harvard Law College graduate named Barack Hussein Obama (who has denied his Islamic past and Muslim roots for as long as he has been a public figure) became a civil rights community activist working out of the Trinity United Church of Christ. Obama worked as a community organizer for Trinity in poor black neighborhoods. Trinity's senior pastor Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr, a black racist, who preached radical Afrocentric theology and didn't mind delivering profanity-spiked sermons found a congregation-builder in Obama. Because of what Wright called Obama's multiple-faith background and his Harvard education, he was a natural community-builder.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Ryter/jon212.htm
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Why Hezbollah LOST the War in Lebanon!
Why Hezbollah LOST the War in Lebanon!
And the Current 'Present' Situation in Southern Lebanon
By Gabriel al-Amin
Beirut, Lebanon
On July 12, 2006 Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers that led to Israel's war with them and, by extension, Lebanon itself. Hezbollah has been on Israel's fence since the latter's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Israel always requested from the international community and from the Lebanese government to deploy its Lebanese Army there instead of Hezbollah militants. Hezbollah, quite naturally, refused! Hezbollah vowed to NEVER allow any other force other than itself to occupy southern Lebanon.
http://www.lebanonwire.com/0709MLN/07092429MN.asp
And the Current 'Present' Situation in Southern Lebanon
By Gabriel al-Amin
Beirut, Lebanon
On July 12, 2006 Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers that led to Israel's war with them and, by extension, Lebanon itself. Hezbollah has been on Israel's fence since the latter's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Israel always requested from the international community and from the Lebanese government to deploy its Lebanese Army there instead of Hezbollah militants. Hezbollah, quite naturally, refused! Hezbollah vowed to NEVER allow any other force other than itself to occupy southern Lebanon.
http://www.lebanonwire.com/0709MLN/07092429MN.asp
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Iran And Human Rights
Iran And Human Rights
15 January 2008
Iran And Human Rights (MP3) Listen to Iran And Human Rights (MP3) Iran And Human Rights (Real Player) - Download Listen to Iran And Human Rights (Real Player)
It’s been sixty years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. President George W. Bush says the standards of that declaration should guide the conduct of nations:
“It stands as a landmark achievement in the history of human liberty. The declaration opens by recognizing ‘the inherent dignity’ and the ‘equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family’ as ‘the foundation of freedom and justice and peace in the world.’”
In December, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution that invoked the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and expressed deep concern over the human rights situation in Iran.
The resolution cited “ongoing, systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms” of the Iranian people. It spoke of “increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities.” It noted the “arrests, violent repression, and sentencing of women exercising their right to peaceful assembly.” It cited the “systemic and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of opinion and expression, including those imposed on the media and trade unions.” And it cited “the persecution of political opponents. . . .from all sectors of Iranian society.”
The U.N. resolution deplored “confirmed instances” of torture in Iran “and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations.” And it cited the Iranian government’s “persistent failure to uphold due process of law.”
President Bush has pointed out that when Cyrus the Great led the Iranian people more than two thousand years ago, he delivered one of the world’s first declarations of individual rights. Mr. Bush says that the U.S. looks forward to the day when the people of Iran enjoy “the full fruits of liberty” they deserve.
http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/2008-01-15-voa5.cfm
15 January 2008
Iran And Human Rights (MP3) Listen to Iran And Human Rights (MP3) Iran And Human Rights (Real Player) - Download Listen to Iran And Human Rights (Real Player)
It’s been sixty years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. President George W. Bush says the standards of that declaration should guide the conduct of nations:
“It stands as a landmark achievement in the history of human liberty. The declaration opens by recognizing ‘the inherent dignity’ and the ‘equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family’ as ‘the foundation of freedom and justice and peace in the world.’”
In December, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution that invoked the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and expressed deep concern over the human rights situation in Iran.
The resolution cited “ongoing, systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms” of the Iranian people. It spoke of “increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities.” It noted the “arrests, violent repression, and sentencing of women exercising their right to peaceful assembly.” It cited the “systemic and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of opinion and expression, including those imposed on the media and trade unions.” And it cited “the persecution of political opponents. . . .from all sectors of Iranian society.”
The U.N. resolution deplored “confirmed instances” of torture in Iran “and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations.” And it cited the Iranian government’s “persistent failure to uphold due process of law.”
President Bush has pointed out that when Cyrus the Great led the Iranian people more than two thousand years ago, he delivered one of the world’s first declarations of individual rights. Mr. Bush says that the U.S. looks forward to the day when the people of Iran enjoy “the full fruits of liberty” they deserve.
http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/2008-01-15-voa5.cfm
Monday, January 14, 2008
Iranians are leaving Islam
by Emir Reza
14 Jan, 2008
I was born in the early years of Islamic Revolution in Iran and just before the start of Iran-Iraq war. It is safe to say that the first music I heard must have been a revolutionary music, and the first face I saw on our black and white TV was that of Ayatollah Khomeini. I'm what they call "child of Revolution."
My Father was a simple clerk and my mother a house wife, both practicing Muslims and firm believers in Allah and Muhammad. No blasphemy was allowed in our house and we were perfectly convinced Khomeini was a holy man and a "favorite of Allah and His prophet." It sounds funny to me now but among my first childish drawings was the face of that old man, turban, beard and all.
http://www.islam-watch.org/Emir/Leaving-Islam-When-truth-comes-in-Mullahs-jump-out-the-window.htm
14 Jan, 2008
I was born in the early years of Islamic Revolution in Iran and just before the start of Iran-Iraq war. It is safe to say that the first music I heard must have been a revolutionary music, and the first face I saw on our black and white TV was that of Ayatollah Khomeini. I'm what they call "child of Revolution."
My Father was a simple clerk and my mother a house wife, both practicing Muslims and firm believers in Allah and Muhammad. No blasphemy was allowed in our house and we were perfectly convinced Khomeini was a holy man and a "favorite of Allah and His prophet." It sounds funny to me now but among my first childish drawings was the face of that old man, turban, beard and all.
http://www.islam-watch.org/Emir/Leaving-Islam-When-truth-comes-in-Mullahs-jump-out-the-window.htm
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Ways to Defeat Islamic Jihadism
This is an urgent call to all free people to rise and defeat the Islamic Jihadists who are marching under the banner of the Qur’an to subdue all non-Muslims.
It is imperative that the values and the way of life of civilized people be protected against the assault of Jihadists’ savagery born from a primitive culture of long ago Arabia. There is nothing to negotiate here. Nothing to compromise, for the Jihadists are on a non-negotiable campaign of Allah. The goal of this mission from Allah is the eradication of just about everything that falls under the rubric of human rights.
It takes every free human to do his or her share in defeating Jihadism. Below is a partial list of what can be done.
* You don’t have to take up arms and go around killing the Jihadists. That’s the Jihadists’ way of dealing with us and anyone they don’t approve of. Decent humans value life, even the life of a Jihadist. By contrast, the Jihadists have no compunctions at amputating limbs, stoning, beheading and hanging people even en mass. The brutal mullahs ruling the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomed the new-year by hanging thirteen people, one of them the mother of two young children. We need to dry up their sources of support and beat them in the battle of ideas. We need to show them the fallacy and danger of their pathological belief.
* Fight to end the deadly practice of political correctness. Truth, only naked truth, can set us free. And freedom is our greatest gift of life. Life without freedom is death disguised as life. Remember Patrick Henry’s cry: Give me liberty or give me death. We must fight for life, for liberty and freedom.
* Demand that politicians, Islamic apologists, and paid-for media do not abuse freedom by lying about Islam. When these people portray Islam as a religion of peace, they are lying through their teeth. Just take a quick look at Islam’s history as well as what is happening today in the Islamic lands. Islam is not a religion of peace and it has never been. Islam is violent, oppressive, racist, and irrational at its very core. It is treachery for people to present it as otherwise, either out of ignorance or because of their own personal reasons.
* Challenge your leftist professors who may be retained by Islamic front organizations to trumpet Islam’s virtues. Demand transparency from hired lobbyists and the liberal mainstream media. Sadly, a percentage of people in Western Democracies are born alienated. These people seem to a have congenital hatred of their own societies; they ally themselves with any and all people and forces that aim to destroy our cherished way of life, and they live by the motto: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They eagerly join forces with the Saddam Husseins and Hugo Chavezes of the world.
* Demand that Islamic literature, including the hate and violence manual called the Qur’an, be purged of all violent and hate spewed toward non-Muslims. Is it too much to ask that non-Muslims not be targeted for hate by the so-called sacred religious text? What kind of religion is this? Religion is supposed to bring people together, and not put them at each others’ throats. The Muslims must be made to understand that and they must reciprocate the tolerance that the non-Muslims voluntarily afford them.
* Do not allow any special privileges whatsoever granted to Muslims. Demand that all Muslims have their first and foremost loyalty to the United States and its Constitution and not to the Islamic Ummeh, the Qur’an, and the shariah law. Europe is rapidly buckling under the pressure of Islamism. Just a couple of examples: Germany has legalized polygamy to placate Muslim men, Italy is forced to plan separate beaches for Muslim women
* Demand that none of the barbaric provisions of Islamic sharia be practiced. Just because a woman is born into a Muslim family, that shouldn’t force her to lead a subservient life to a man, for example. All family matters and disputes, without exceptions, must be adjudicated according to the civil laws of the country.
* A Muslim is, first and foremost, an Ummehist, a citizen of international Islam. So, when a Muslim takes the United States’ Pledge of Allegiance, he is either ignorant of the implications of his pledge or is lying willfully. Sadly enough, taqqiyeh (lying, or dissimulation) is not only condoned, it is recommended to the Muslims in their scripture. Hence, a Muslim can and would lie without any compunctions, whenever it is expedient.
* Require that the large number of recent arrival Muslims be carefully vetted for their terrorism and Jihadists backgrounds and beliefs. Many recent arrivals from places such as Somalia, Iraq and Pakistan come as refugees and bring with them their pathological anti-American system of belief. It is criminal to admit these refugees without demanding that they completely renounce their allegiance to the hate dogma of Islam. Those diehard devotees of Islam should make any of the eighteen or so Islamic countries home, rather than invade the secular societies and aim to subvert them.
* Demand that Muslims, without the least reservation, adhere to the provisions of the human rights. Muslims, by belief and practice, are the most blatant violators of human rights. We hardly need to detail here Muslims’ systemic cruel treatment of the unbelievers, women of all persuasions, and any and all minorities across the board. To Muslims, human rights have a different meaning, and its protective provisions are reserved strictly, primarily for Muslim men.
* Go and talk to Muslims, particularly the young and the better educated, about the horror and the fallacy of a primitive belief that has been handed down to them through an accident of birth. Show them the magnificence of freedom, in all its forms; the indispensability of tolerance for all; and, the futility of clinging to an obsolete hodge-podge of delusional ideology. The onus is clearly on the Muslims to prove the validity, utility, and sanctity of the belief they intend to impose on all of us.
* As for democracy, our cherished way of life, Muslims have no use for it at all. Muslims believe that Allah’s rule must govern the world in the form of Caliphate: a theocracy. Making mockery of democracy, subverting its working, and ignoring its provisions is a Muslim’s way of falsifying what he already believes to be a sinful and false system of governance invented by the infidels. Reason, if you can, with the Muslims that their belief is an outright rejection of the greatest gift of life: Freedom.
* Support financially and in every other legal way those individuals and organizations that are fighting the Jihadists’ relentless encroachment. Many European countries are already on the verge of capitulation to the Islamists. The Supreme Guide of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, confidently proclaimed recently that Europe will be Islamic in a dozen years. He has good reason to say that. Muslims are forming states within states in much of European towns and cities. In Britain, for instance, non-Muslims are in serious danger entering Muslim neighborhoods
In conclusion: Folks, get off your duff. Stop saying, “let George do it.” Neither George the President, nor the “other guy” George can do it by themselves. This is a battle for survival that every one of us can help wage. Let’s get on with it before, if not you, then your children and grandchildren end up under the barbaric rule of the Jihadists.
It is imperative that the values and the way of life of civilized people be protected against the assault of Jihadists’ savagery born from a primitive culture of long ago Arabia. There is nothing to negotiate here. Nothing to compromise, for the Jihadists are on a non-negotiable campaign of Allah. The goal of this mission from Allah is the eradication of just about everything that falls under the rubric of human rights.
It takes every free human to do his or her share in defeating Jihadism. Below is a partial list of what can be done.
* You don’t have to take up arms and go around killing the Jihadists. That’s the Jihadists’ way of dealing with us and anyone they don’t approve of. Decent humans value life, even the life of a Jihadist. By contrast, the Jihadists have no compunctions at amputating limbs, stoning, beheading and hanging people even en mass. The brutal mullahs ruling the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomed the new-year by hanging thirteen people, one of them the mother of two young children. We need to dry up their sources of support and beat them in the battle of ideas. We need to show them the fallacy and danger of their pathological belief.
* Fight to end the deadly practice of political correctness. Truth, only naked truth, can set us free. And freedom is our greatest gift of life. Life without freedom is death disguised as life. Remember Patrick Henry’s cry: Give me liberty or give me death. We must fight for life, for liberty and freedom.
* Demand that politicians, Islamic apologists, and paid-for media do not abuse freedom by lying about Islam. When these people portray Islam as a religion of peace, they are lying through their teeth. Just take a quick look at Islam’s history as well as what is happening today in the Islamic lands. Islam is not a religion of peace and it has never been. Islam is violent, oppressive, racist, and irrational at its very core. It is treachery for people to present it as otherwise, either out of ignorance or because of their own personal reasons.
* Challenge your leftist professors who may be retained by Islamic front organizations to trumpet Islam’s virtues. Demand transparency from hired lobbyists and the liberal mainstream media. Sadly, a percentage of people in Western Democracies are born alienated. These people seem to a have congenital hatred of their own societies; they ally themselves with any and all people and forces that aim to destroy our cherished way of life, and they live by the motto: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. They eagerly join forces with the Saddam Husseins and Hugo Chavezes of the world.
* Demand that Islamic literature, including the hate and violence manual called the Qur’an, be purged of all violent and hate spewed toward non-Muslims. Is it too much to ask that non-Muslims not be targeted for hate by the so-called sacred religious text? What kind of religion is this? Religion is supposed to bring people together, and not put them at each others’ throats. The Muslims must be made to understand that and they must reciprocate the tolerance that the non-Muslims voluntarily afford them.
* Do not allow any special privileges whatsoever granted to Muslims. Demand that all Muslims have their first and foremost loyalty to the United States and its Constitution and not to the Islamic Ummeh, the Qur’an, and the shariah law. Europe is rapidly buckling under the pressure of Islamism. Just a couple of examples: Germany has legalized polygamy to placate Muslim men, Italy is forced to plan separate beaches for Muslim women
* Demand that none of the barbaric provisions of Islamic sharia be practiced. Just because a woman is born into a Muslim family, that shouldn’t force her to lead a subservient life to a man, for example. All family matters and disputes, without exceptions, must be adjudicated according to the civil laws of the country.
* A Muslim is, first and foremost, an Ummehist, a citizen of international Islam. So, when a Muslim takes the United States’ Pledge of Allegiance, he is either ignorant of the implications of his pledge or is lying willfully. Sadly enough, taqqiyeh (lying, or dissimulation) is not only condoned, it is recommended to the Muslims in their scripture. Hence, a Muslim can and would lie without any compunctions, whenever it is expedient.
* Require that the large number of recent arrival Muslims be carefully vetted for their terrorism and Jihadists backgrounds and beliefs. Many recent arrivals from places such as Somalia, Iraq and Pakistan come as refugees and bring with them their pathological anti-American system of belief. It is criminal to admit these refugees without demanding that they completely renounce their allegiance to the hate dogma of Islam. Those diehard devotees of Islam should make any of the eighteen or so Islamic countries home, rather than invade the secular societies and aim to subvert them.
* Demand that Muslims, without the least reservation, adhere to the provisions of the human rights. Muslims, by belief and practice, are the most blatant violators of human rights. We hardly need to detail here Muslims’ systemic cruel treatment of the unbelievers, women of all persuasions, and any and all minorities across the board. To Muslims, human rights have a different meaning, and its protective provisions are reserved strictly, primarily for Muslim men.
* Go and talk to Muslims, particularly the young and the better educated, about the horror and the fallacy of a primitive belief that has been handed down to them through an accident of birth. Show them the magnificence of freedom, in all its forms; the indispensability of tolerance for all; and, the futility of clinging to an obsolete hodge-podge of delusional ideology. The onus is clearly on the Muslims to prove the validity, utility, and sanctity of the belief they intend to impose on all of us.
* As for democracy, our cherished way of life, Muslims have no use for it at all. Muslims believe that Allah’s rule must govern the world in the form of Caliphate: a theocracy. Making mockery of democracy, subverting its working, and ignoring its provisions is a Muslim’s way of falsifying what he already believes to be a sinful and false system of governance invented by the infidels. Reason, if you can, with the Muslims that their belief is an outright rejection of the greatest gift of life: Freedom.
* Support financially and in every other legal way those individuals and organizations that are fighting the Jihadists’ relentless encroachment. Many European countries are already on the verge of capitulation to the Islamists. The Supreme Guide of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, confidently proclaimed recently that Europe will be Islamic in a dozen years. He has good reason to say that. Muslims are forming states within states in much of European towns and cities. In Britain, for instance, non-Muslims are in serious danger entering Muslim neighborhoods
In conclusion: Folks, get off your duff. Stop saying, “let George do it.” Neither George the President, nor the “other guy” George can do it by themselves. This is a battle for survival that every one of us can help wage. Let’s get on with it before, if not you, then your children and grandchildren end up under the barbaric rule of the Jihadists.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Dear Dr. Jasser
This is a letter to Dr. Jasser from a decent, concerned American.
December 26, 2007
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser
c/o AIFD
Dear Dr. Jasser:
I am a non-religious yet spiritual individual who has for many years endeavored to educate people about the dangers of radical Islam (or Islamism, as it is now often called), which I consider to be the greatest extant threat to mankind. Since learning about your website a few months ago, I have read most if not all of your articles. While I admire your courage in acknowledging the serious problem we all face from radical Islam, I can’t help but feel that your articles are at best misleading, at worst deceptive. Before justifying my position I would like to state in all sincerity that I believe you to be a moral and righteous man. But now to the matter at hand.
A recurring theme in many of your articles is to blame terrorism and radical Islam on “political Islam.” To the best of my knowledge, you have never explicitly defined this term, nor described what precisely it encompasses. Do you consider the following to be caused by political Islam?
hatred of Christians and Jews women’s subjugation people crashing airplanes into buildings
acceptance of the hatred literature which permeates Mosques in the United States
physicians attempting to blow up airports “honor killings” by men of their daughters and/or wives
In my opinion these actions and beliefs are not the result of political Islam, or at least not solely so, but instead have their origins in Islam itself. But even if, arguendo, one conceded that they are attributable to political Islam, one would still have to ask why there exists political Islam, but not political Christianity, or political Judaism, or political Hinduism, or political Buddhism. In at least two of your essays you have stated that people get the governments they deserve, but you have never taken this to its logical conclusion. Simply put, political Islam exists because of the very essence of Islam itself.
I am not a religious scholar, but virtually every author I have read, both Moslem and non-Moslem (I almost wrote “infidel’) alike, agree on two points: First, that Islam is more than just a religion but rather, a set of rules that regulate almost all aspects of life, and second, that Islam teaches that religion and government are inseparable. As such, political Islam is an integral part of Islam.
You seek to reform/modernize Islam, specifically advocating the practice of that which is peaceful and applicable to a modern society, and rejection of that which is not. At the risk of trivializing a serious - - deadly serious - - situation, when I read your articles I am reminded of the old saying “if my Aunt had a mustache, she’d be my Uncle.” All religions need to grow and adapt but what you are advocating is in essence, a complete re-structuring of Islam. What you apparently fail to consider is that such a religion would cease to be Islam; you might as well call it “Jasserism.”
I apologize for being so forthright, especially as we have never met, but there is no way for me to make my point by tap dancing around the issues. With all due respect Doctor, you have become an apologist for Islam. Each time I read one of your articles I feel I am reading the words of a desperate man, one who is trying with every fiber of his being to convince others, and ultimately himself, that Islam is good and moral, when everything he sees tells him otherwise. No matter how you and others may try to give it a positive spin, the facts as best we can determine them, are that Islam - - literally from its inception - - has been characterized by violence, aggression, dominance and subjugation. I am not a big fan of any organized religion, but Islam seems to truly be in a class by itself. Are there other religions in which the prophet of God killed, either by his own hand or by his commandments, those who opposed his teachings? Are there other religions which teach methods of warfare? Are there other religions which so specifically divide the world into believers and non-believers? Are there other religions which explicitly teach that non-believers be subjugated, and forced to pay a special tax? Are there other religions which advocate death for apostasy? And last but not least, are there other religions which promise the rewards of heaven for killing those of different faiths? I am not aware of any. This is the reality of Islam.
In closing, I would like to repeat something I said earlier, namely that I consider you to be a moral and just human being. But I would now like to add something that I truly hope you will consider: Your morality stems not from your being a Moslem but occurs only because you reject so much of Islam. If you adhered strictly to the teachings of the Koran, you would be a very different man. You consider yourself a devout Moslem yet most Moslems would probably classify you very differently. The significance of this cannot be overstated. There are many paths to God, yet you hang tenaciously to Islam, despite recognizing what it has brought to the world. Alas, there are no more difficult bonds to shed than those of religious indoctrination. For what it’s worth, I daresay any other religion would be proud to have you as a member.
Sincerely,
L. B, Ph.D.
December 26, 2007
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser
c/o AIFD
Dear Dr. Jasser:
I am a non-religious yet spiritual individual who has for many years endeavored to educate people about the dangers of radical Islam (or Islamism, as it is now often called), which I consider to be the greatest extant threat to mankind. Since learning about your website a few months ago, I have read most if not all of your articles. While I admire your courage in acknowledging the serious problem we all face from radical Islam, I can’t help but feel that your articles are at best misleading, at worst deceptive. Before justifying my position I would like to state in all sincerity that I believe you to be a moral and righteous man. But now to the matter at hand.
A recurring theme in many of your articles is to blame terrorism and radical Islam on “political Islam.” To the best of my knowledge, you have never explicitly defined this term, nor described what precisely it encompasses. Do you consider the following to be caused by political Islam?
hatred of Christians and Jews women’s subjugation people crashing airplanes into buildings
acceptance of the hatred literature which permeates Mosques in the United States
physicians attempting to blow up airports “honor killings” by men of their daughters and/or wives
In my opinion these actions and beliefs are not the result of political Islam, or at least not solely so, but instead have their origins in Islam itself. But even if, arguendo, one conceded that they are attributable to political Islam, one would still have to ask why there exists political Islam, but not political Christianity, or political Judaism, or political Hinduism, or political Buddhism. In at least two of your essays you have stated that people get the governments they deserve, but you have never taken this to its logical conclusion. Simply put, political Islam exists because of the very essence of Islam itself.
I am not a religious scholar, but virtually every author I have read, both Moslem and non-Moslem (I almost wrote “infidel’) alike, agree on two points: First, that Islam is more than just a religion but rather, a set of rules that regulate almost all aspects of life, and second, that Islam teaches that religion and government are inseparable. As such, political Islam is an integral part of Islam.
You seek to reform/modernize Islam, specifically advocating the practice of that which is peaceful and applicable to a modern society, and rejection of that which is not. At the risk of trivializing a serious - - deadly serious - - situation, when I read your articles I am reminded of the old saying “if my Aunt had a mustache, she’d be my Uncle.” All religions need to grow and adapt but what you are advocating is in essence, a complete re-structuring of Islam. What you apparently fail to consider is that such a religion would cease to be Islam; you might as well call it “Jasserism.”
I apologize for being so forthright, especially as we have never met, but there is no way for me to make my point by tap dancing around the issues. With all due respect Doctor, you have become an apologist for Islam. Each time I read one of your articles I feel I am reading the words of a desperate man, one who is trying with every fiber of his being to convince others, and ultimately himself, that Islam is good and moral, when everything he sees tells him otherwise. No matter how you and others may try to give it a positive spin, the facts as best we can determine them, are that Islam - - literally from its inception - - has been characterized by violence, aggression, dominance and subjugation. I am not a big fan of any organized religion, but Islam seems to truly be in a class by itself. Are there other religions in which the prophet of God killed, either by his own hand or by his commandments, those who opposed his teachings? Are there other religions which teach methods of warfare? Are there other religions which so specifically divide the world into believers and non-believers? Are there other religions which explicitly teach that non-believers be subjugated, and forced to pay a special tax? Are there other religions which advocate death for apostasy? And last but not least, are there other religions which promise the rewards of heaven for killing those of different faiths? I am not aware of any. This is the reality of Islam.
In closing, I would like to repeat something I said earlier, namely that I consider you to be a moral and just human being. But I would now like to add something that I truly hope you will consider: Your morality stems not from your being a Moslem but occurs only because you reject so much of Islam. If you adhered strictly to the teachings of the Koran, you would be a very different man. You consider yourself a devout Moslem yet most Moslems would probably classify you very differently. The significance of this cannot be overstated. There are many paths to God, yet you hang tenaciously to Islam, despite recognizing what it has brought to the world. Alas, there are no more difficult bonds to shed than those of religious indoctrination. For what it’s worth, I daresay any other religion would be proud to have you as a member.
Sincerely,
L. B, Ph.D.
Inside the Ring
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080104/NATION04/410150204&template=printart
Article published Jan 4, 2008Inside the Ring
January 4, 2008 By Bill Gertz -
Coughlin sacked Stephen Coughlin, the Pentagon specialist on Islamic law and Islamist extremism, has been fired from his position on the military's Joint Staff. The action followed a report in this space last week revealing opposition to his work for the military by pro-Muslim officials within the office of Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England.
Mr. Coughlin was notified this week that his contract with the Joint Staff will end in March, effectively halting the career of one of the U.S. government's most important figures in analyzing the nature of extremism and ultimately preparing to wage ideological war against it.
He had run afoul of a key aide to Mr. England, Hasham Islam, who confronted Mr. Coughlin during a meeting several weeks ago when Mr. Islam sought to have Mr. Coughlin soften his views on Islamist extremism.
Mr. Coughlin was accused directly by Mr. Islam of being a Christian zealot or extremist "with a pen," according to defense officials. Mr. Coughlin appears to have become one of the first casualties in the war of ideas with Islamism.
Article published Jan 4, 2008Inside the Ring
January 4, 2008 By Bill Gertz -
Coughlin sacked Stephen Coughlin, the Pentagon specialist on Islamic law and Islamist extremism, has been fired from his position on the military's Joint Staff. The action followed a report in this space last week revealing opposition to his work for the military by pro-Muslim officials within the office of Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England.
Mr. Coughlin was notified this week that his contract with the Joint Staff will end in March, effectively halting the career of one of the U.S. government's most important figures in analyzing the nature of extremism and ultimately preparing to wage ideological war against it.
He had run afoul of a key aide to Mr. England, Hasham Islam, who confronted Mr. Coughlin during a meeting several weeks ago when Mr. Islam sought to have Mr. Coughlin soften his views on Islamist extremism.
Mr. Coughlin was accused directly by Mr. Islam of being a Christian zealot or extremist "with a pen," according to defense officials. Mr. Coughlin appears to have become one of the first casualties in the war of ideas with Islamism.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Where Are The Americans?
Where Are The Americans
by Michael D. Shaw
Amil Imani, an ex-pat Iranian now living in the US, recently posted an interesting article to the American Thinker website.
His premise is that the current theocratic and despotic rulers of Iran are not true Iranians in the sense that they do not portray the ancient traditions started by King Cyrus the Great. This Cyrus II, besides founding Persia by uniting the Medes and the Persians, conquering Babylon and liberating the Jews, also wrote the very first Charter of Human Rights.
Exhibiting qualities that were not exactly common in his era, Cyrus respected the religious beliefs and cultural traditions of other races, earning him the devotion of all his subjects.
Imani holds that the real descendants of Cyrus are those people—scattered throughout the world—who adhere to Cyrus' Charter: Free humans with human beliefs. Noting that even racially different humans have precious little genetic variation, he contends—and I must agree—that what makes people different is not their biology, but the "software" that runs them.
Are there any lesson here for Americans?
We first have to pin down our origins...
Ethnically, the founders of our country were primarily of Anglo-Saxon extraction. Religiously, some were devout, many were not. And, some who were overtly religious, such as John Jay, were paradoxical in their concurrent anti-slavery and anti-Catholic activities.
Although most were from privileged backgrounds, some, including Alexander Hamilton, certainly were not. In any case, all distinguished themselves in their professional lives, demonstrating the qualities of industry, charity, and self-sacrifice.
Few of the founders would fit the stereotype of a "rebel," yet, rebels they were. And, it was this very rebellion against an overarching imperial power that would unite men whose professional and commercial interests were disparate enough to cause a civil war a mere 85 years later.
But, if we want to look at the "software" that ran these men, the legacy is our Constitution. Originally written in the summer of 1787, it would not be until May 29, 1790 that the last holdout (Rhode Island) would ratify the document, and then only barely. Still, if this Constitution defines America, or is at least one way of defining America, it is at once simple—and sobering—to hold our leaders to this standard.
Since the colonies came together voluntarily, and secession was always on the table, the very notion of a War Between the States was a hideous affront, a bloody travesty, and a supreme betrayal. No American could advocate this, and few outside the leadership class actually did. Indeed, a goodly number within the leadership class protested vigorously. Even this cultural blasphemy would not be enough to destroy the Republic, but it did change it.
The way was paved for a Federal Leviathan, orders of magnitude beyond what was imagined by the most ardent Federalists of the 18th century. Power-hungry career politicians could now build their own personal empires in a manner that would have disgusted all the founders.
Massive classes of victims would be created, to justify ever more expansion of the monster. Neither these victims, nor their political pimps bear any resemblance to the American ideal, even if they dominate political discourse. And all the while, the Constitution is relegated to little more than ceremonial status, since more than 90 percent of what goes on these days is neither mentioned, nor even remotely anticipated by this document and its amendments.
Of course, appearances are kept up, with fatuous bloviating about "Constitutional Law," a branch of law that has become little more than a trivial pursuit of the dubious—if devastating—rulings of a Supreme Court, that has sadly become a Supreme farce, aided and abetted by an increasingly feckless Legislative and Executive Branch. None of this, I would remind you, is faintly American.
Somewhere, though, within our 300 million souls, the original fire is burning; only don't bother looking for it in the hearts of our leaders.
—12/19/06
[Discuss This Article.]
by Michael D. Shaw
Amil Imani, an ex-pat Iranian now living in the US, recently posted an interesting article to the American Thinker website.
His premise is that the current theocratic and despotic rulers of Iran are not true Iranians in the sense that they do not portray the ancient traditions started by King Cyrus the Great. This Cyrus II, besides founding Persia by uniting the Medes and the Persians, conquering Babylon and liberating the Jews, also wrote the very first Charter of Human Rights.
Exhibiting qualities that were not exactly common in his era, Cyrus respected the religious beliefs and cultural traditions of other races, earning him the devotion of all his subjects.
Imani holds that the real descendants of Cyrus are those people—scattered throughout the world—who adhere to Cyrus' Charter: Free humans with human beliefs. Noting that even racially different humans have precious little genetic variation, he contends—and I must agree—that what makes people different is not their biology, but the "software" that runs them.
Are there any lesson here for Americans?
We first have to pin down our origins...
Ethnically, the founders of our country were primarily of Anglo-Saxon extraction. Religiously, some were devout, many were not. And, some who were overtly religious, such as John Jay, were paradoxical in their concurrent anti-slavery and anti-Catholic activities.
Although most were from privileged backgrounds, some, including Alexander Hamilton, certainly were not. In any case, all distinguished themselves in their professional lives, demonstrating the qualities of industry, charity, and self-sacrifice.
Few of the founders would fit the stereotype of a "rebel," yet, rebels they were. And, it was this very rebellion against an overarching imperial power that would unite men whose professional and commercial interests were disparate enough to cause a civil war a mere 85 years later.
But, if we want to look at the "software" that ran these men, the legacy is our Constitution. Originally written in the summer of 1787, it would not be until May 29, 1790 that the last holdout (Rhode Island) would ratify the document, and then only barely. Still, if this Constitution defines America, or is at least one way of defining America, it is at once simple—and sobering—to hold our leaders to this standard.
Since the colonies came together voluntarily, and secession was always on the table, the very notion of a War Between the States was a hideous affront, a bloody travesty, and a supreme betrayal. No American could advocate this, and few outside the leadership class actually did. Indeed, a goodly number within the leadership class protested vigorously. Even this cultural blasphemy would not be enough to destroy the Republic, but it did change it.
The way was paved for a Federal Leviathan, orders of magnitude beyond what was imagined by the most ardent Federalists of the 18th century. Power-hungry career politicians could now build their own personal empires in a manner that would have disgusted all the founders.
Massive classes of victims would be created, to justify ever more expansion of the monster. Neither these victims, nor their political pimps bear any resemblance to the American ideal, even if they dominate political discourse. And all the while, the Constitution is relegated to little more than ceremonial status, since more than 90 percent of what goes on these days is neither mentioned, nor even remotely anticipated by this document and its amendments.
Of course, appearances are kept up, with fatuous bloviating about "Constitutional Law," a branch of law that has become little more than a trivial pursuit of the dubious—if devastating—rulings of a Supreme Court, that has sadly become a Supreme farce, aided and abetted by an increasingly feckless Legislative and Executive Branch. None of this, I would remind you, is faintly American.
Somewhere, though, within our 300 million souls, the original fire is burning; only don't bother looking for it in the hearts of our leaders.
—12/19/06
[Discuss This Article.]
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