It is not just the people and the students who have taken to the streets. CNN has a picture that shows several Mullahs also took to the streets of Tehran on the Sunday:
I count 5 Mullahs amongst the protesters. This is really quite significant because it shows the cracks in the ranks of the mullahs. They believe that the people have the right to peacefully protest. In fact it is written into the Iranian constitution that they have the right to protest.
I have been watching intensely the situation in Iran that has erupted after the coup perpetrated by Ahmanutjob and Khamenei (who is also a believer in the 12th Iman). The people know that they were defrauded because they did not vote for Ahmadinejad, such that when Khamenei makes claims like the big turnout was in favour of Ahmanutjob they are ready to continue their waves of protests despite the not so veiled threats to beware the consequences. They have sent the Basij into the streets to bash the protesters with their batons. Some in plainclothes have weapons. There are sharpshooters on buildings, taking aim and murdering people on the streets (this is probably the one thing that reminds people of what took place at Kent University when six students were killed). One of the victims of the Basij, a girl, an innocent bystander was Neda, and she was standing on a street corner, away from the protesters when a Basij took aim and shot her through the heart.
I am not going to place the pictures of Neda on this blog, and I am not going to place the video of her death on my blog, but I am linking to other blogs that are covering the story. One blog is Paul Coelho, the author, who is also blogging for the Iranians. He has a friend, a doctor, who was at the scene when Neda died. It was Paul’s friend who has provided the witness account of Neda’s death, testifying that it was the Basij that killed her – the Basij was on the rooftop, not on a drive-by motorcycle as some have reported.
I hope that Paul will not mind if I copy a few comments from his blog and repeat them here, because these brave Iranians are telling their story, and I think that more people need to hear from the doctors not just from Tehran, but from other cities in Iran where there has been protests and violence caused by the regime, not the protesters:
Hi
I`m from Shiraz , the city you once came in.Neda ` death was shocking for all of us in Iran. We witnessed 2 days ago the brutal beatting of an old lady near Shiraz Univercity by police. My sister in law was beatten badly 4 days ago with batune in the street and I as a doctor personally had a hard time treating 2 other victims of these brutalities. We feel raped by the goverment. It feels bad , very bad witnessing these things and only you can shout God is the Great at 10 pm every night. Because we are not worriors , we can not beating or killing these dictators , we only can tell them that we are here ,alive and alert. We love our country , we wish for it a future that contains hope for our children. A country that respects dignity of every human apart from relligious barriers.
This week I had 2 ways to rise hope for myself. First pray to god , second reading your 2 books : Zahir and Valkyries . They gave my the motivation to resist the waves of govermental propaganda who tries to kill our hope. I think the feeling of not being alone in this world, and following our dreams to the end is what you told me by your book. I appreciate that . Neda and Nedas are killing or beatten here for following the dream of a nation : FREEDOME .God bless you.
IRAN
SHIRAZ
They tried to silence the protests and they killed Neda. Her name which is really significant as a call to justice, will live on as the spirit of the protest. We will not forget Neda. Her life here on earth is ended but her voice will not be silenced as she becomes the voice of all who are now standing up to both Khamenei the dictator and Ahmadinejad the defeated President who has staged a coup to seize and retain power.
The Presidential elections in Iran did not promise to have an extraordinary outcome about 1 month ago. However, Mr. Mousavi managed to convince the people of Iran that he was an alternative to the nutcase Ahmadinjad. Instead of the poor voter turnout of 2005 when roughly 52% of the eligible population voted, there was a voter turnout of about 81%. With an increase of that size, one would expect that the people were voting for a change in their President. Imagine their surprise when it was announced that Ahmadinejad had won by a landslide – one that in fact seemed impossible.
Mousavi’s and Khourabi’s supporters are absolutely furious. They took to the streets in protest. To them it seems that there has been a coup engineered by Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei. A lot of things are happening behind the scenes yet at the same time the Basiji have been out in force killing the people who have been protesting. To date the official death toll is at least 7 – it should be at least 10 times that number according to eye-witness accounts.
So, what exactly is happening in Iran at the moment? Personally, I think that this is a protest that is the same size as events back in 1979. It is not a few thousand, or a few hundred, or even hundreds of thousands, for it is more likely that over 1 million people have taken to the streets in protest over the election results. The constant demand from the people is “Where’s my vote”.
Despite the fact that the Iranian regime has tried to prevent news from leaking to the world at large, the Iranians have used other resources to get out their message, including videos on Youtube that show the extent of the bashing, death, and damage that has been done by the Basij. It seems that some of the Police and the Revolutionary Guard are on the side of the people and they are not taking action against them. However, Ahmadinejad has imported Hezbollah from Lebanon to take on the work of the Basiji.
As a result of the information flow there are many good sites that have provided up to the minute news about what is happening, including graphic footage. The Christian Monitor has a good analysis from an expert on Iranian elections, which indicates that the figures were purely made up when Ahmadinejad was named the winner. You can read the article here.
Andrew Sullivan from the Atlantic has also been doing a good job covering the situation. You can find up to the minute information from Sullivan here. Another one who is doing an excellent job (even better than Sulivan is Nico from the Huffington Post. (I normally do not read the HuffPo but the quality of Nico’s work on this subject is excellent and he deserves a pat on the back for his dedication).
I did not blog on the murder and mayhem in Mumbai. What happened there was yet another shameful episode where the finger is once again pointed at Muslim extremists – this time they are associated with a group that has been outlawed in Pakistan – a group with links to Osama Bin Laden.
One of the targets in that attack was Chabad house which was the centre run by a Jewish group. The rabbi and his wife Ritvka were amongst the dead on that dreadful day. However, their 2 year old son survived and was rescued by his nanny. He is now safe in Israel.
So now we come to the Christian celebration of Christmas that coincides with the Jewish festival of Hannukah – a festival of lights that commemorates the cleansing and rededication of the Temple after it was defiled by the pagan Greeks.
In Mumbai the fathers of those slain have lit the mennorah:
The rabbi, Gavriel Holtzberg, and his wife, Rivka, were among six people killed when attackers assaulted the Chabad House, one of several targets hit in the coordinated terrorist strike.
Holtzberg, who was affiliated with the Orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement, in past years was the one to light the Hanukkah candles at those same places.
In addition to commemorating the slain, the ceremonies underscored the religious movement’s determination to rebuild the center, continue its activities and impart its spirit in Mumbai, where it has served the Jewish community for many years.
The Chabad Web site said Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, Rivka’s father, lit the menorah at the Gateway to India, a stone arch near the Taj Mahal Hotel that was the entry point for the people who launched the attack.
This is a people who have not given up hope despite the terrible deed that was done to them. The lighting of the mennorah on the 5th day of the festival is a sign of hope, a symbol of peace.
Rusty from the Jawa Report has reported on the declaration of the leader of the Chechen rebels who has declared war on the U.S. as well as on Russia and has at the same time declared the caliphate of the Caucasus.
Here is what Rusty has reported, and keep in mind that once again we are faced with Islamist revisionist history, because the Caucasus did not ever belong to Muslims.
I appeal to the Mujahideen who are fighting in the Caucasus and the oppressed Muslims of Idel-Ural, Siberia and other parts of the occupied Rusnya (Russia).
I would like to remind the fact that many Muslims are inclined to forget: Russian kafirs (infidels) have occupied our land and swinish life is being imposed on us for a long period of time. This is a punishment of Allah because we have moved away from his right path, because nothing could happen in the world without the will of Allah, praise to Him the Almighty….
Our glorious ancestors were waging Jihad against these enemies, and today Allah is testing our generation, as he tested our fathers. Everything is repeating. The Jihad reveals faith and disbelief. Today, as in earlier times, people are divided on Mujahideen, hypocrites, and apostates….
We, the Mujahideen, went out to fight the infidels not for the sake of fighting but to restore the Shariah of Allah in our land….Today, as throughout history, our condition can only be changed with a weapon in hand. If Allah’s Religion could be established on Earth using another method, then our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would not have engaged in twenty seven battles….
I am officially declaring of creation of the Caucasus Emirate.
All lands in Caucasus, where Mujahideen who gave bayah (oath) to me wage Jihad, I declare velayats (states) of the Caucasus Emirate including Dagestan, Nokhchiycho (Chechnya), Ghalghaycho (Ingushetia), Iriston (Ossetia), the Nogay steppe and the combined areas of Kabarda, Bulkar and Karachay….
I do not believe it is necessary to draw the borders of the Caucasus Emirate.
Firstly, because Caucasus is occupied by infidels and apostates and it is Dar al-Harb, the territory of war. Our first task is to make the Caucasus Dar al-Islam, establishing the Shariah throughout the land and expelling the infidels.
Secondly, after expelling the infidels we must reclaim all historical lands of Muslims, and these borders are beyond the boundaries of Caucasus….
We will wage irreconcilable war with anyone who would oppose the establishment of the Shariah, inshaAllah. Let not think those who openly violate the establishments of God, defying Islamic religion, leave it with impunity. This is a serious mistake….
Today in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Palestine our brothers are fighting. Those who attack Muslims are our common enemies wherever they are. Our enemy is not Russia only, but also anyone who wages war against Islam and Muslims. They are our enemies because they are enemies of Allah.
Hat tip: Beowulf
Saudi Arabia has announced that following an investigation lasting several months more than 200 Saudi and foreign nationals have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in terrorism.
The arrests took place over the past few months but were kept secret so as not to jeopardize ongoing investigations, a Ministry of the Interior official said Wednesday.
Eight of those being held are accused of involvement in a plot to attack an oil facility in the Eastern Province, where much of the nation’s oil industry is based, and had set a date for the attack.
Another militant cell is alleged to have planned to assassinate Saudi religious figures and security officials, while a separate cell allegedly planned to smuggle eight shoulder-fired rockets into the kingdom from Yemen for terrorist operations.
The official said 112 of those arrested were “linked in with elements stationed abroad who facilitate the exit and travel of those to conflict zones” such as Iraq.
U.S. military officials have said that Saudis make up the largest contingent of foreign fighters in Iraq, while a Saudi Counterterrorism official noted that fighters returning from Iraq to Saudi Arabia represent a “troubling” phenomenon.
Thirty-two individuals — Saudis and non-Saudis — were arrested for allegedly providing financial support to other militants; 16 others were arrested for alleged involvement in the publication of a militant newsletter called Sada Alrafidain.
According to the Saudi counter-terrorism official, the number of arrests is the largest ever announced by the ministry.
The Saudi official said the Saudi government released the information before the Hajj pilgrimage season, when 2 million pilgrims travel to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina, in order “to alert the public of the ongoing threat to security in the kingdom.
It should be noted that Yemen has close links with Al Qaeda, therefore the arrests could represent a very big blow to the efforts of Al Qaeda to gain world domination via the setting up of a world wide caliphate which is one of the aims of Osama Bin Laden.
An Israeli air strike on Wednesday has successfully hit an Hamas controlled post where rockets are being constantly fired into Israeli territory.
Despite the bleating about the alleged “oppression” of Palestinians, there is in fact very little evidence to prove the complaints. Instead, the Hamas controlled Palestinians have been constantly firing their rockets at the town of Sderot, and threaten the lives of at least 300,000 citizens at intervals of every 3 hours.
If Hamas refuses to be a part of the present peace process, then there is little chance of any resolution to the conflicts, because the aims of Hamas happen to be that they should be the ones who control the whole region. As a result Israel’s existence remains threatened, first by the existence of Hamas, and secondly by the backers of Hamas, Syria and Iran.
GAZA CITY (CNN) — An Israeli airstrike Wednesday hit a Hamas post in southern Gaza, killing two Hamas security men in Khan Yunis, according to Hamas sources.
Hamas members in Gaza City watch TV coverage of the Mideast summit on Tuesday.
The Israeli army said the airstrike — the third in Gaza this week — was in response to the firing of mortars into Israel.
According to the Israeli military, 11 mortars and Qassam rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday.
Reacting to incessant rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel’s government labeled the Hamas-controlled region a “hostile territory” in September, setting in motion a wide-ranging crackdown that includes military operations and limiting Gaza’s power supply.
Gaza militants fire rockets into Israel every three hours, on average, according to the Israeli military.
Speaking at the Mideast peace summit in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said “the continued shooting of Qassam rockets against tens of thousands of residents in the south of Israel, particularly in the city of Sderot, serves as a warning sign — one which cannot be overlooked.”
He said the ongoing attacks are a hurdle to achieving peace with the Palestinians and are the result of “the absence of governmental institutes and effective law enforcement mechanisms” in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
As a follow up to the story about the woman who has been sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in jail because she was raped, the Saudi authorities have now claimed that the young woman has confessed to having an affair with her male companion, even though she was recently married.
Considering the way in which women are treated in a country such as Saudi Arabia, I feel certain that torturing a person can get a confession even if the confession is not true. We have no reliable way of proving that the young woman did in fact confess to “adultery”, or whether she was tortured in order to obtain the confession. Such a confession, though has nothing at all to do with the fact that she and her companion were raped by 4 men.
It is a very barbaric society where women who have been raped end up being punished viz 200 lashes, or 6 months in jail. The message that is being sent to these young women is that they do not have the right to legally complain about rape because they will end up being punished, and probably tortured in order to extract a false confession.
Whilst I am against adultery, I do not believe in these barbaric punishments that are meted out under Sharia law. Everything is against the woman, and the perpetrators are allowed to get off with their crime. However, in this case the perpetrators had their sentences increased as well.
Officials: Lebanese troops fired on IAF jets – Israel News, Ynetnews
I bet the MSM will remain quiet over the fact that Lebanese troops, (probably ones not loyal to the government but to Nasrallah) fired upon Israeli aircraft doing routine reconnaissance. This might be a situation that needs to be watched more carefully because it could signal another “war”, and yes Syria and her master Iran want that war to take place.
Jihad Watch: CAIR gloats over HLF mistrial, but the celebration may be premature
The HLF verdict ended up as a mistrial because of jurors changing their minds after the initial verdict was made (were they paid off or threatened?). CAIR and those who were placed on trial are celebrating what they see as a victory, but as Jihad Watch observes, the victory celebration might be a little bit premature:
“War is deception” is, of course, a quote from Muhammad himself. “Motion For Retrial,” from Investor’s Business Daily (thanks to Doc Washburn):
Trail Of Terror: The Council on American-Islamic Relations is cheering a mistrial in a major terror case as a “stunning defeat” for the U.S. government. But the celebration may be premature.Federal prosecutors say they’ll retry the case against leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, the nation’s largest Muslim charity, which they accused of funneling more than $12 million to Hamas terrorists.
CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator in the case, also cheered a similar outcome in a federal case against Muslim activist Sami al-Arian in Florida. As in the Holy Land case, jurors deadlocked on several terror counts. But prosecutors threatened a retrial and al-Arian later pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
He was defended by the same lawyer defending one of the accused Holy Land leaders, Ghassan Elashi, who happens to also be a founding member of CAIR.
Barring plea bargains, the U.S. will narrow its charges and refile them — hopefully with a new judge. U.S. District Judge Joe Fish barred key evidence helping prosecutors prove willful intent to support terror on the part of defendants.
For example, he threw out a dozen documents seized by the Israeli government in raids of Hamas fronts that would have tied the Dallas-based charity closer to the terror group. Fish also allowed defendants to intimidate jurors.
Not long after the trial opened, after a morning of testimony by government witnesses, a visibly angry Elashi shouted and pointed as jurors exited the courtroom for lunch. The judge scolded him for the outburst — which included a rant about “a Zionist conspiracy” — but decided not to kick him out of the courtroom.
[...]
No doubt they’ll streamline their evidence, highlighting the more powerful exhibits, including:
• FBI wiretaps of a meeting in Philadelphia between Holy Land and Hamas big shots in which Holy Land’s director is overheard scheming to disguise payments to Hamas as charity, noting that “war is deception.”
• Testimony from FBI agents that Holy Land flew Hamas clerics to the U.S. to help raise funds at mosques.
• Videos of a Holy Land defendant pretending to kill an Israeli during a Hamas fundraising skit held at one mosque.
• Key chains, videos and posters praising suicide bombers found inside the Hamas front “committees” that Holy Land helped bankroll.
The defendants also kept two sets of records at their Dallas offices — one in English, the other in Arabic — which they destroyed during the FBI’s probe.
Lawyers for the accused expect us to believe that all this suspicious activity was merely an attempt to help needy Palestinians with “vaccinations” and “rice.” Civil juries haven’t fallen for the subterfuge.
[...]
The evidence is clear. Now it’s up to the PC-plagued Justice Department to present it to jurors in a way that doesn’t make their eyes glaze over. Retry the case. Only this time, don’t try their patience.
