The US must support Iranian dissidents who desire to overthrow the mullah led theocracy

				Issue 47 07.28.11

Natan Sharansky

 

 

 

 

Iranian dissidentswho speak out against religious oppression and social persecution in Iran are routinely rounded up and thrown in prison.

Human rights activist and former Soviet political prisoner Natan Sharansky speaks of the importance of knowing the names of these brave individuals and learning their stories.

Remember Jafar Panahi, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki, Navid Khanjani, and the other Iranian dissidents, and urge your elected officials to consider their fate when making decisions regarding the Iranian regime.

Take Action!

Empowering the people of Iran is a risk-free way to promote democracy and battle a hostile regime. Contact your elected officials about supporting the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom, and urge them to consider the fates of Jafar Panahi, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki, and Navid Khanjani, when making decisions regarding the Iranian regime.  Click here to send a pre-prepared letter to your U.S. elected officials. For those outside the U.S., please copy and paste the letter and send to your elected officials whose contact information can be found here: The European Union, Canada, UK, Australia, Israel, Germany.

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Iranian Power Projection in the Persian Gulf

Stratfor Global Intelligence Security Report

A report emerged today in the Iranian press that a group of humanitarian activists would take part in a flotilla that would set sail May 16. Now this scenario should sound familiar. Last June when a group of Turkish humanitarian activists attempted to send a flotilla to Gaza, Israeli commandos boarded the ship, killing nine civilians and sparking a major diplomatic crisis.

Analyst Reva Bhalla explains the constraints and opportunities Iran faces in trying to expand influence in the Persian Gulf region.

A similar scenario playing out in energy-vital Persian Gulf region would carry much more severe implications. In the Gaza situation you had the receiving party, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, welcoming the flotilla. In this case you would have the Bahraini government, the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council], not to mention the U.S. Fifth Fleet highly resistant to an Iranian ship trying to dock on Bahraini shores. So why would Iran be supporting this aid flotilla?

Iraq -Iran and the next move

Editorial Comment by Jim Campbell

Will US troops leave Iraq as scheduled?

The current administration  led by Barack Hussein Obama appears to have adopted an incoherent foreign policy.  His dithering and neglect with Mubarak in Egypt, an ally against theocracy has purchased significant state of the art weapons from the US made no sense.

With a response only when pushed by Sarkozy in France to enter the fight in Libya.  With a promise of “No boots of the ground,”  two-thousand members are there already. He immediately abandons those boots placing them under NATO command.

Perhaps the biggest failure of the Obama Presidency, a difficult choice indeed as there have been so many is his abject bungling in dealing with the theocracy of the mullah driven fascist state, Iran. Obama’s incompetence  lead to the recent announcement by Iran that is has finally developed enriched uranium to make weapons. (a dubious source) 

Closely behind this  is Obama’s failure to support Iranian protesters in the streets millions strong rallying for their freedom.  The demonstrations happened twice Obama just sat on his hands. No verbal acknowledgement of support.

Obama’s failure to support the State of Israel makes this individual unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.  It sends a chilling message to the entire world, Obama is a paper tiger, and worse the world can no longer look to the US for support or guidance because the office of the president is vacant.

Tacked on the door of the Oval office reads a sign, “Gone on vacation.”

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, I’m J.C. and I approve this message.

By George Friedman

Stratfor Global Geopolitical Intelligence Reports

The United States told the Iraqi government last week that if it wants U.S. troops to remain in Iraq beyond the deadline of Dec. 31, 2011, as stipulated by the current Status of Forces Agreement between Washington and Baghdad, it would have to inform the United States quickly. Unless a new agreement is reached soon, the United States will be unable to remain. The implication in the U.S. position is that a complex planning process must be initiated to leave troops there and delays will not allow that process to take place.

The Truth About Iran’s Support of Arab Terrorists

When it comes to Shia and Sunni, Islamism knows no sect.

by Brian Fairchild

Pajamas Media

On April 15, 2011, a prominent news story described Iran’s support for Syria’s draconian crackdown on protestors. The story focused on Iran’s widespread meddling in the region, but it missed the key point: Shia Iran’s closest ally in the Middle East is Sunni Syria. Iran deals freely with Sunni Muslims and Sunni countries when it’s in its interest to do so.

Many folks can only see in black and white. As a result, contrary to a mountain of evidence, many policymakers, counterterror specialists, and citizens continue to believe that there is no cooperation between Sunni and Shia because of religious hatred.

Obama’s continued failure to lead makes the US and the world unsafe

by Jim Campbell

On last night’s Factor, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly discussed President Barack Obama’s speech on the current turmoil in Libya, calling it “beyond wimpy.”

Once again President Obama has failed to act decisively in a manner concerning not just the US, but also the entire world.

Qaddafi is the poster boy for terrorism. He is responsible for perhaps the loss of more lives than any terrorist in history prior to the devastating attack on the twin towers.  Information has just surfaced that Gaddafi ordered the Pan-Am Lockerbie bombing.

The Telegraph has reported that Gaddafi has ordered snipers to massacre at least 140 protestors some mourning their fallen family and friends at the cemetery.

Women and children have leapt from bridges to their death as they tried to escape this ruthless crackdown by Gaddafi’s Libyan forces, at the moment still loyal to this murdering dictator.

Apparently not satisfied with the results of gunfire, this madman ordered his air force to bomb his own cities on February 21st.

The LA Times reported on the same day that two Libyan Air Force Colonels defected to Malta rather than bomb protestors.

As usual incapable of making a decision, Obama finally spoke out warning Gaddafi to end the violence as reported by Hayley Peterson of the Examiner on February 23rd.

“President Obama warned Libya to halt attacks on political protesters Wednesday evening, ending a period of White House silence that had begun to draw criticism.”

Egypt crisis: Israel faces danger in every direction The Egyptian crisis is ringing alarm bells in Jerusalem

REUTERS By David Horovitz

The Middle East is in ferment at the moment – but despite the general excitement, the outcome could be a grim one for Israel, and for the West more generally.

In the past few weeks, we have seen a president ousted in Tunisia. We’ve seen protests in Yemen. We’ve seen Iran essentially take control of Lebanon, where its proxy, Hizbollah, has ousted a relatively pro-Western prime minister and inserted its own candidate.

Protesters take part in an anti-Mubarak protest at Tahrir square in Cairo  Photo:We’ve seen the King of Jordan rush to sack his cabinet amid escalating protests. We’ve seen reports that similar demonstrations are planned for Syria, where the president, Bashar Assad, will find it far harder to get away with gunning down the crowds than his father did in 1982. And most dramatically, we are seeing the regime in Egypt – the largest, most important Arab country – totter, as President Mubarak faces unprecedented popular protest, and the likelihood that he will have to step down sooner rather than later.

Iran: Middle East demonstrations “an Islamic reawakening”

Posted by Women Against Shariah

From Jihad Watch:

Actually Iran’s Foreign Minister is Ali Akbar Salehi, as noted here. Ramin Mehman-Parast is not Foreign Minister; he is a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The lying dirt bag that kept inspectors from determining the extent of Iraq’s capacity

“Egypt: Iran, An Islamic Middle East Against Israel,” from ANSAmed, February 1 (thanks to Insubria):

Former Member Of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Says Iran Uses Mosques In U.S. And Europe To Plot Jihad Terror

Jihad Watch:

There is no surprise in this, except for those Westerners who buy the politically correct line that mosques are benign houses of worship that are never used for any nefarious purposes. In reality, mosques have been used to preach hatred; to spread exhortations to terrorist activity; to house a bomb factory; to store weapons; to disseminate messages from bin Laden; to demand (in the United States) that non-Muslims conform to Islamic dietary restrictions; to fire on American troops; to fire upon Indian troops; or to train jihadists.

“Iran Using Western Mosques to Plot Terrorism?,” from CBN, December 16:

[...] Reza Khalili: Mosques are supposed to be a place for prayer. A place for submission to God. But they are used as a recruitment center, for backdoor meetings, transfer of arms and cash and putting together terrorist activities and I was involved in some of their meetings.

Black coats, little hats, and moneybags

Money Jihad

 

First we found out that Iran is funding the Taliban to kill NATO troops.  Now we find that Iran is also filling stuffing sacks of full of euros for Hamid Karzai.  That’s called hedging your bets.  From Dawn on Oct. 25 (hat tip to Rantburg):

Karzai admits receiving ‘bags of money’ from Iran

Hamid Karzai and Uncle Moneybags

KABUL: Afghan president Hamid Karzai admitted Monday that his chief of staff had received “bags of money” from Iran but insisted the payment was transparent and a form of aid from a friendly country.

Iran Stoning Case Woman Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani To Be Hanged

Women Against Shariah

From the Herald Sun:

THE Iranian woman who became the centre of an international outcry after being sentenced to death by stoning for adultery will now be hanged for murdering her husband.

The new fate planned for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was announced by Iran’s national prosecutor general, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, at a news conference in Tehran today.

“According to the court’s ruling, she is convicted of murder and her death sentence has priority over her punishment [for committing adultery]”, the Tehran Times reported, citing Mohseni-Ejei.

Iranian-Canadian Blogger Could Face Death Penalty

Women Against Shariah

From The Gazette:

Canadian-Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan may face the death sentence, two Canadian freedom of expression organizations confirmed Tuesday.

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and PEN Canada, an international organization working for writers who are persecuted, imprisoned and exiled, learned from Derakhshan’s family that the Iranian prosecutor in his case has called for the death penalty.

Lawyer: Iran Woman Could Be Stoned To Death Soon

Women Against Sharia

Associated Press

The lawyer for an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned on an adultery conviction said Monday that he and her children are worried the delayed execution could be carried out soon with the end of a moratorium on death sentences for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In an unusual turn in the case, the lawyer also confirmed that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was lashed 99 times last week in a separate punishment meted out because a British newspaper ran a picture of an unveiled woman mistakenly identified as her.
Under Iran’s clerical rule, women must cover their hair in public. The newspaper later apologized for the error.

Iran newspaper calls French first lady a ‘prostitute’ and says that she deserves to die, for voicing support of mother of 2 to be stoned

Islamization Watch

To many in the Islamic world all western women are prostitutes. As the only women with an outward measure of freedom in most of these places are prostitutes. For many Muslims ~ freedom for women equals prostitution. If you travel to the Islamic world as a western woman you should expect people to assume you are a prostitute.

It is difficult to spot the prostitutes at first in the Islamic world because they are all/the vast majority are in traditional Islamic dress. Prostitutes wear headscarves and full covering dress ~ like any Muslim woman does in the west.

In Iran of course ~ this thinking is raised to another level. And any woman who is seen as not abiding by Islam’s religious laws should be in their books be killed.

“Fallout” from the Iranian nuclear program

MiddleEastPerspectives

Rick Francona

Anyone who has had access to any form of media over the last few weeks is aware that Iranian and Russian technicians have begun loading uranium fuel rods into the nuclear reactor at Bushehr, a port city in the northern Persian Gulf.

While much has been made of this reactor and possible ties to a suspected (and fairly well accepted) Iranian nuclear weapons program, the Bushehr reactor is under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

Theoretically, the fuel for the Bushehr reactor will be supplied by the Russians, and spent uranium fuel rods will be returned to Russia for disposal or further processing – but will not be available to the Iranians. There are IAEA inspectors at the plant to make sure this happens. It is important that the inspectors do their jobs – the reactor will produce as a byproduct of its operations a fissile isotope of plutonium, plutonium-239 (P-239).

Iran To Raise Baby Girls As Basij Members

Women Against Shariah

From Iran Focus:

A female commander of the pro-government Basij militia, Zohreh Abbasi, has said that her unit has introduced a special program that allows baby girls to be registered as members of the force and receive training.

Abbasi, who heads the Hossein Haj Mousaee unit, said that in the past six years 23 baby girls had been trained as Basij members through “Koranic, cultural, educational, and military” classes.