Resources for Religious Threat

10 Things You Need to Know about…the Islamic Republic of Iran

 

1) The head of the Iranian regime is not the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but rather the Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 
2) The Iranian regime, according to its 1989 constitution, is dedicated to jihad to spread the Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolution, to re-establish the Caliphate, and impose Islamic law (sharia) globally. These are precisely the same objectives pursued by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, HAMAS, and Hezbollah—which may explain why they have all been linked together with Iran in operational relationships for so many decades.
3) The primary mission of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is to keep the regime in power. In an especially visible way since the popular uprising after the fraudulent 2009 presidential elections, the IRGC and its subordinate Bassij units have used sheer brutality and terror to suppress the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people. 
4) The Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the IRGC to acquire deliverable nuclear weapons in the mid-1980s. Every Iranian president—including those touted as ‘moderate’—has supported the acquisition of nuclear weapons, but the program has accelerated markedly under the last two presidents: Khatami and Ahmadinejad. 
5) By sheer numbers, Iran is the number two state killer of its own citizens in the world, second only to China, a country with 20 times the size of its population.  Per capita, Iran may be the biggest killer. 
6) The Iranian regime has supported the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in a vocal way ever since the uprising began there in early 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood, a worldwide jihadist organization with a pervasive presence in the U.S. government, intelligence community, and society as a whole, has reached out to the Iranian regime in return and openly expressed interest in forging close ties with it. The Obama administration recently announced that it is expanding its long-standing ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.    
7) Current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes that the Shi’a messianic figure (the Mahdi, or Twelfth Imam), who allegedly disappeared down a well 1,000 years ago—is helping guide his government and manage world affairs.   He has publicly expressed his belief that apocalyptic violence can hasten the return of this figure.  
8) In spite of sanctions, Iran is far from isolated.  It is actively involved with many countries, diplomatically and economically, buying influence at a growing pace.  This includes the viscerally anti-American regime of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and a growing list of other countries in America’s backyard of South and Central America.   Iran also has been developing relations with countries like Eritrea, Sudan,  Algeria,  Afghanistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Qatar, and recently Israel’s neighbor Jordan.
9) “Iran has methodically cultivated a network of sponsored terrorist surrogates capable of conducting effective plausibly deniable attacks against Israel and the United States.”   This includes a network of terror proxies, such as Hezbollah, which has an extensive presence across Latin America, especially in Venezuela, and also in Mexico.  Hezbollah operates at least a dozen cells within the U.S. as well. 
10) The Havlish case (Havlish et al vs Osama bin Laden, Iran, et al.), filed in New York in May 2011, presented compelling evidence that the Iranian regime provided direct and material assistance to al-Qaeda for the 9/11 attacks. 

1) The head of the Iranian regime is not the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but rather the Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

2) The Iranian regime, according to its 1989 constitution, is dedicated to jihad to spread the Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolution, to re-establish the Caliphate, and impose Islamic law (sharia) globally. These are precisely the same objectives pursued by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, HAMAS, and Hezbollah—which may explain why they have all been linked together with Iran in operational relationships for so many decades.

3) The primary mission of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is to keep the regime in power. In an especially visible way since the popular uprising after the fraudulent 2009 presidential elections, the IRGC and its subordinate Bassij units have used sheer brutality and terror to suppress the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people. 

4) The Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the IRGC to acquire deliverable nuclear weapons in the mid-1980s. Every Iranian president—including those touted as ‘moderate’—has supported the acquisition of nuclear weapons, but the program has accelerated markedly under the last two presidents: Khatami and Ahmadinejad. 

5) By sheer numbers, Iran is the number two state killer of its own citizens in the world, second only to China, a country with 20 times the size of its population.  Per capita, Iran may be the biggest killer. 

6) The Iranian regime has supported the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in a vocal way ever since the uprising began there in early 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood, a worldwide jihadist organization with a pervasive presence in the U.S. government, intelligence community, and society as a whole, has reached out to the Iranian regime in return and openly expressed interest in forging close ties with it. The Obama administration recently announced that it is expanding its long-standing ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. 

7) Current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes that the Shi’a messianic figure (the Mahdi, or Twelfth Imam), who allegedly disappeared down a well 1,000 years ago—is helping guide his government and manage world affairs.   He has publicly expressed his belief that apocalyptic violence can hasten the return of this figure.  

8) In spite of sanctions, Iran is far from isolated.  It is actively involved with many countries, diplomatically and economically, buying influence at a growing pace.  This includes the viscerally anti-American regime of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and a growing list of other countries in America’s backyard of South and Central America. Iran also has been developing relations with countries like Eritrea, Sudan,  Algeria,  Afghanistan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Qatar, and recently Israel’s neighbor Jordan.

9) “Iran has methodically cultivated a network of sponsored terrorist surrogates capable of conducting effective plausibly deniable attacks against Israel and the United States.”   This includes a network of terror proxies, such as Hezbollah, which has an extensive presence across Latin America, especially in Venezuela, and also in Mexico.  Hezbollah operates at least a dozen cells within the U.S. as well. 

10) The Havlish case (Havlish et al vs Osama bin Laden, Iran, et al.), filed in New York in May 2011, presented compelling evidence that the Iranian regime provided direct and material assistance to al-Qaeda for the 9/11 attacks. 

 

Glenn Beck in Israeli Knesset, Restoring Courage

 

On Monday July 11th in a speech to the Knesset, Glenn Beck stated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is about the destruction of Israel and the West.  
He also praised the courage of the Israeli public and the bravery of the Jewish people, as anti-Semitism goes “through the roof.” 
The American talk show host said that Israel advocacy is more important than his usual work in the U.S., and asked Israelis to take part in the August 24th  Glenn Beck rally, aimed at restoring courage to Jerusalem. 
The news in Israel reports that the Glenn Beck Jerusalem rally aims to show support for Israel by recreating the Glenn Beck rally Restoring Honor to Washington, D.C. 
The Jerusalem rally, Glenn Beck says, will “unite the people of the world in standing with Israel and remind us of the need to have faith, honor and courage in our own lives.” 
MK Danny Danon, who invited the conservative pundit to Knesset, said he is glad to host Glenn Beck in Israel, and lauded Beck’s ability to advocate for Israel. 

On Monday July 11th in a speech to the Knesset, Glenn Beck stated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is about the destruction of Israel and the West.  

He also praised the courage of the Israeli public and the bravery of the Jewish people, as anti-Semitism goes “through the roof.” 

The American talk show host said that Israel advocacy is more important than his usual work in the U.S., and asked Israelis to take part in the August 24th  Glenn Beck rally, aimed at restoring courage to Jerusalem. 

The news in Israel reports that the Glenn Beck Jerusalem rally aims to show support for Israel by recreating the Glenn Beck rally Restoring Honor to Washington, D.C. 

The Jerusalem rally, Glenn Beck says, will “unite the people of the world in standing with Israel and remind us of the need to have faith, honor and courage in our own lives.” 

MK Danny Danon, who invited the conservative pundit to Knesset, said he is glad to host Glenn Beck in Israel, and lauded Beck’s ability to advocate for Israel. 

Glenn Beck in Jerusalem Knesset in advance of August Rally

 

Why is conservative pundit Glenn Beck in Israel? 
After a rally restoring the honor to Washington last summer, Beck is working on restoring courage to Jerusalem in an August rally. In advance of this rally, MK Danny Danon invited Glenn Beck to Knesset to address the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs Committee. 
Today, in his visit to Knesset, Glenn Beck will discuss ways to combat efforts to delegitimize Israel, and improve the Jewish state’s public diplomacy. 
Scheduled to take place on August 24th, the news in Israel reports that the Glenn beck Jerusalem rally, is meant to show support for Israel by recreating the Glenn Beck restoring honor rally, which he held last summer in Washington, D.C. 
The Jerusalem rally, Glenn Beck says, will “unite the people of the world in standing with Israel and remind us of the need to have faith, honor and courage in our own lives.” 
Where is Glenn Beck holding this August Jerusalem rally? In Jerusalem’s Old City and Teddy Stadium, with a number of American dignitaries expected to attend. 
Read more here. 

Why is conservative pundit Glenn Beck in Israel? 

After a rally restoring the honor to Washington last summer, Beck is working on restoring courage to Jerusalem in an August rally. In advance of this rally, MK Danny Danon invited Glenn Beck to Knesset to address the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs Committee. 

Today, in his visit to Knesset, Glenn Beck will discuss ways to combat efforts to delegitimize Israel, and improve the Jewish state’s public diplomacy. 

Scheduled to take place on August 24th, the news in Israel reports that the Glenn Beck Jerusalem rally, is meant to show support for Israel by recreating the Glenn Beck restoring honor rally, which he held last summer in Washington, D.C. 

The Jerusalem rally, Glenn Beck says, will “unite the people of the world in standing with Israel and remind us of the need to have faith, honor and courage in our own lives.” 

Where is Glenn Beck holding this August Jerusalem rally? In Jerusalem’s Old City and Teddy Stadium, with a number of American dignitaries expected to attend. 

Read updates on this story here. 

 

Egypt: Desire for Money - Jizya - Prompts Attacks on Christians

FrontPage Magazine
Raymond Ibrahim
July 6, 2011

If growing numbers of Muslims in Egypt have an intrinsic hatred for all things Christian—most recently demonstrated by the torching of eight Christian homes on the rumor that a church was being built—let us not forget that this hate has instrumental, that is, economic benefits: the extortion of money from the non-believer—tribute from the conquered infidels to their Islamic overlords—otherwise known as jizya.
Consider: on June 24, hundreds of Muslims surrounded a Coptic church in Egypt, vowing to kill its priest—who was locked inside serving morning mass to several parishioners. The Muslims cried “We will kill the priest, we will kill him and no one will prevent us,” adding that they would “cut him to pieces.”
As usual, police and security forces gave the terrorists ample time to terrorize—appearing a full five hours after the incident began; and when they escorted the priest out, it “looked as if he was the criminal, leaving his church in a police car.”

If growing numbers of Muslims in Egypt have an intrinsic hatred for all things Christian—most recently demonstrated by the torching of eight Christian homes on the rumor that a church was being built—let us not forget that this hate has instrumental, that is, economic benefits: the extortion of money from the non-believer—tribute from the conquered infidels to their Islamic overlords—otherwise known as jizya.

Consider: on June 24, hundreds of Muslims surrounded a Coptic church in Egypt, vowing to kill its priest—who was locked inside serving morning mass to several parishioners. The Muslims cried “We will kill the priest, we will kill him and no one will prevent us,” adding that they would “cut him to pieces.”

As usual, police and security forces gave the terrorists ample time to terrorize—appearing a full five hours after the incident began; and when they escorted the priest out, it “looked as if he was the criminal, leaving his church in a police car.”

What, exactly, did the rioting Muslims want this time? Why were they threatening to kill the priest?

The official story is that they were livid that the priest had earlier tried to make renovations to the 100-year old church—Islam forbids building new or repairing old churches. After forcing renovations to cease on threats that they would demolish the church, they also tried to banish the priest, giving him 50 days to quit the region. The priest’s time was up, yet he refused to abandon his flock. Hence, the wild attack.

However, Arabic news sources like El-Bashayer reveal a different, more practical, motivation: the desire to extort money from the Christians—echoed in an earlier report as a desire for a “donation” from the church:

Security forces succeeded in rescuing the life of the priest of St. George Church in Beni Ahmad, west of al-Minya, from being killed at the hands of the Salafists because of his refusal to pay them jizya money, according to sources…. [T]he church’s priest had declared that the Copts would not pay jizya, in any way, shape, or form. This is what caused the Salafists to want to banish him from the region, so they could collect jizya from the Copts.

This is not surprising; anyone following the growing Islamization of Egypt knows that increasing numbers of Muslims—called “Salafists,” that is, those who seek only to emulate Muhammad and the early generations of Islam—have been eying their Christian neighbors as easy sources for quick cash.

For instance, who could forget Egyptian preacher Abu Ishaq al-Huwaini’s recent lament that Muslims would alleviate their economic woes if only they would return to the good old days of Islam, when abducting and selling or ransoming infidels was a great way of making a living. (Accordingly, weeks later, two teenage Christian girls in Egypt were reported as kidnapped, held ransom, and then “sold” to another group.)

Nor is this outlook limited to self-professed “Salafists”: Earlier, Dr. Amani Tawfiq, a female professor at Egypt’s Mansoura University, said, “If Egypt wants to slowly but surely get out of its economic situation and address poverty in the country, the jizya has to be imposed on the Copts.” And days ago, Hazim Abu Isma’il, who is running for Egypt’s presidency, vowed he would impose the jizya on Egypt’s Christians.

Indeed, Al Azhar—Egypt’s, if not the Islamic world’s, top authority, often accused of being too “moderate” by Salafists—recently made Islam’s official position clear when its grand leader, Imam Ahmad Tayeb, defying history and reality, proclaimed that “the Copts have been living in Egypt for over 14 centuries in safety, and there is no need for all this artificial concern over them,” adding that “true terrorism was created by the West.”

Men Convicted in Synagogue Bomb Plot Sentenced to 25 Years

IPT News
June 29, 2011
Three of four defendants convicted of plotting to detonate explosives next to N.Y. Jewish centers and shoot surface-to-air missiles at U.S. military planes were sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison.
A fourth defendant, LaGuerre Payen, has had his sentencing postponed pending the results of a psychiatric evaluation.
"As reflected in the sentences…these were extremely serious crimes that targeted New York and its citizens," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a press release.

IPT News
June 29, 2011

Three of four defendants convicted of plotting to detonate explosives next to N.Y. Jewish centers and shoot surface-to-air missiles at U.S. military planes were sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison.

A fourth defendant, LaGuerre Payen, has had his sentencing postponed pending the results of a psychiatric evaluation.

"As reflected in the sentences…these were extremely serious crimes that targeted New York and its citizens," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a press release.

Continue reading here. 

After fall of Mubarak, Group announces intent to form Nazi Party

ALMASRYALYOUM
May 25, 2011

A group of Egyptians have announced their intent to establish a Nazi party with "a contemporary frame of reference," an independent Egyptian news website said on Wednesday.

Al-Badeel, a leftist news portal, quoted founding member Emad Abdel Sattar as saying the party would bring together prominent figures from the Egyptian society. The party’s founding deputy is a former military official.

Continue reading here. 

Islamists Target Egypt's Christians

IPT News
May 25, 2011
Egypt's Arab Spring has become a nightmare for the nation's 2,000-year-old Coptic Christian community, now the terror target of choice for Islamist radicals. Christians' "personal security has gotten much worse" since the February ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, says Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, who monitors the situation of religious minorities in the Muslim world.
Christian homes, businesses and churches have come under increasing attack from militant Islamists, with many of the assaults coming shortly after angry sermons given at Friday prayers. The sermons inciting the violence often come from Salafist imams subsidized by the Egyptian government.

IPT News
May 25, 2011

Egypt's Arab Spring has become a nightmare for the nation's 2,000-year-old Coptic Christian community, now the terror target of choice for Islamist radicals. Christians' "personal security has gotten much worse" since the February ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, says Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, who monitors the situation of religious minorities in the Muslim world.

Christian homes, businesses and churches have come under increasing attack from militant Islamists, with many of the assaults coming shortly after angry sermons given at Friday prayers. The sermons inciting the violence often come from Salafist imams subsidized by the Egyptian government.

Continue reading here. 

Saudi Arabia's Coming Revolution

IPT News
May 12, 2011
A Saudi-born, liberal intellectual claims that while the Saudi regime has bought off and suppressed current dissatisfaction, revolution still is coming. In excerpts of an article translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Mansour al-Hadj argues that disenfranchisement of weak sectors of the society will lead to an inevitable backlash.
Shiites, women, children of immigrants, political prisoners, and liberals are all volatile elements in Saudi society, al-Hadj argues in his article at the liberal Arabic-language website Aafaq.org. The Saudi government uses a carrot-and-stick method to suppress dissent, employing brutal crackdowns and controls on intellectual freedom, while issuing royal decrees to disperse massive amounts of funds.
But such steps "do not even touch the basic problems or offer any solution to the difficulties of those who are oppressed and persecuted," he writes. Those injustices include repression of women's rights and freedom and poor treatment of Shiites and immigrants. Left untreated, and they become fuel for revolutions.

IPT News
May 12, 2011

A Saudi-born, liberal intellectual claims that while the Saudi regime has bought off and suppressed current dissatisfaction, revolution still is coming. In excerpts of an article translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Mansour al-Hadj argues that disenfranchisement of weak sectors of the society will lead to an inevitable backlash.

Shiites, women, children of immigrants, political prisoners, and liberals are all volatile elements in Saudi society, al-Hadj argues in his article at the liberal Arabic-language website Aafaq.org. The Saudi government uses a carrot-and-stick method to suppress dissent, employing brutal crackdowns and controls on intellectual freedom, while issuing royal decrees to disperse massive amounts of funds.

But such steps "do not even touch the basic problems or offer any solution to the difficulties of those who are oppressed and persecuted," he writes. Those injustices include repression of women's rights and freedom and poor treatment of Shiites and immigrants. Left untreated, and they become fuel for revolutions.

Contiue reading here. 

An Ill Season: The Arab Spring Unleashes Islamists on Egyptian Christians

Family Security Matters
Andrew McCarthy
May 16, 2011

Screaming “With our blood and soul, we will defend you, Islam,” jihadists stormed the Virgin Mary Church in northwest Cairo last weekend. They torched the Coptic Christian house of worship, burned the nearby homes of two Copt families to the ground, attacked a residential complex, killed a dozen people, and wounded more than 200: just another day in this spontaneous democratic uprising by Muslim hearts yearning for freedom.
 
In the delusional vocabulary of the “Arab Spring,” this particular episode is known as a sectarian “clash.” That was the Washington Post’s take. Its headline reads “12 dead in Egypt as Christians and Muslims clash” — in the same way, one supposes, that a mugger’s fist can be said to “clash” with his victim’s face. The story goes on, in nauseating “cycle of violence” style, to describe “clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians” that “left” 12 dead, dozens more wounded, “and a church charred” — as if it were not crystal clear who were the clashers and who were the clashees, as if the church were somehow combusted into a flaming heap without some readily identifiable actors having done the charring.

Screaming “With our blood and soul, we will defend you, Islam,” jihadists stormed the Virgin Mary Church in northwest Cairo last weekend. They torched the Coptic Christian house of worship, burned the nearby homes of two Copt families to the ground, attacked a residential complex, killed a dozen people, and wounded more than 200: just another day in this spontaneous democratic uprising by Muslim hearts yearning for freedom.

In the delusional vocabulary of the “Arab Spring,” this particular episode is known as a sectarian “clash.” That was the Washington Post’s take. Its headline reads “12 dead in Egypt as Christians and Muslims clash” — in the same way, one supposes, that a mugger’s fist can be said to “clash” with his victim’s face. The story goes on, in nauseating “cycle of violence” style, to describe “clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians” that “left” 12 dead, dozens more wounded, “and a church charred” — as if it were not crystal clear who were the clashers and who were the clashees, as if the church were somehow combusted into a flaming heap without some readily identifiable actors having done the charring.

Continue reading here. 

Compassion - Islamic Republic Style

 

By Amil Imani
May 4, 2011
 
It is not true that the Islamic Republic of Iran lacks compassion. It is not true that the Islamic Republic hangs people without a hint of mercy. Here is the proof.
Recently, I met Mrs. M at a gathering of Iranian ex-pats in a park. I would also like you to meet this elderly widow who is suffering from a variety of brain, neurological, and vision disorders. She is a lone woman without a country, moving from one shelter to the next on her way to the final resting place to which we all are destined.
 
One dreadful day, Mrs. M and her husband were arrested by the IRI agents in the city of Qazvin for being active members of the Baha’i Faith. The litany of charges included being members of the ferghe zalleh (misguided sect), mohareb (fighters against God), propagandists for their sect, and agents of the Great Satan and Israel. The couple’s three young children were spared imprisonment and ended up as wards of other Baha’i families in the town. 
Neither is it true that the Islamists don’t give people an opportunity to mend their ways and see things the Islamic way. First, the clerics reason with the candidate and offer a tempting package of incentives such as immediate release from the prison, the possibility of a secure job, becoming a local celebrity to be paraded around for the benefit of other infidels to also see both sides of the deal, a menu of horrific punishment for refusing to bend and a set of attractive offerings for complying with a simple thing of accepting Islam as the one true and final religion of Allah.
In the case of Mr. and Mrs. M, all attempts by the Islamic authorities to reason with the couple to deny their religion and convert to Islam failed. The pair insisted that their faith was the most precious treasure to them and no inducement or threat could rob them of it.
The Islamists authorities were terribly angered by the couple’s “obstinacy” and initiated their fall-back plan, a plan of cruel psychological torment as well as severe physical tortures; the kind of IRI treatment that brings to mind the worst of the Inquisition era of centuries ago. The authorities felt that they had exercised great patience, to no avail, to persuade the couple to abandon their blasphemous belief and adopt the one and true faith of Allah—Islam.
Exercising patience is highly recommended in Islam: Allahoma yejezi al saberoon be ajron min ghyre hesab (God compensates those who are patient with infinite rewards). Yet, they eventually ran out of patience and it was time to deal with them as the repentant kafirs (unbeliever in Allah) that they were judged.
After many months of incarceration, interrogation, and persuasion came the trial time. All along, the couple was denied access to legal representation of any kind. A barely literate mullah in a perfunctory meeting condemned the couple to death by hanging. Yet, the sentence was not carried out for many months. The couple languished in separate jails with no visitation rights of any sort, either with each other, or their children.
The couple was condemned to death by hanging on the charge of apostasy. The same decree ordered that all their properties and possessions, including household furniture, be confiscated since taking away the possessions of an apostate is halal (religiously approved).
Once a person is judged as an unrepentant kafir by the religious authorities, he or she becomes a target of an unending variety of severe torment, since a kafir is viewed as an enemy of Allah and it is the duty of good Muslims to punish the kafir in any way that their sadistic cruel heart leads them.
It is beyond the scope of this essay and too heart-wrenching to detail the kind of prolonged torture the couple suffered. There is no reliable information regarding what transpired with regard to Mr. M. during the long months of incarceration before he was hanged. 
But Mrs. M was, from time to time, denied her prison ration of food. She endured long periods of thirst in the deadly heat of the summer. She was even periodically denied access to the washroom for days. All along, she was severely beaten by female jailers. The jailers’ favorite way of beating Mrs. M was hitting her with frying pans on the head, although they also used soda bottles, clubs, and even their bare fists. The beatings were so severe that, on several occasions, blood popped out of her eyes. Head bumps and injury became routine, as she languished to be hanged.
The women jailers were intent on matching and even surpassing the brutality of their male counterparts. These fanatic Islamists are brainwashed into believing that tormenting the non-believers will earn them great merit points from Allah. They truly believe that the greater suffering they inflict, the greater is their reward.
Months later, she was informed that the sentence would be implemented at dawn the next day. This presented the last chance for the jailers to beat her as severely as they could before she died. They were intent at making the most savab (performing religiously meritorious acts) they could while they had the chance.
The beating she received on that day was so severe that she lost consciousness. When the executioners arrived to hang her, they could not revive her. They faced a serious problem. How can an unconscious woman who cannot stand on her feet be hanged?
A temporary stay of execution was ordered. In due time, Mrs. M regained consciousness only to suffer many more months of the dreadful ordeal. On several occasions, the order to hang her was re-issued. But the severe repeated beatings had shattered her body as well as her mind. She could no longer stand on her feet. She got around only by crawling. The jailers were relentless in their viciousness. On several occasions, they staged mock hangings. They would come to her cell and say the fatehe (prayer for the dead), place the noose around her neck, and hold her up and let her collapse on the ground.
Eventually, no one knows why, she was released from prison, a barely able to walk. She did not get to die in one day, as did her innocent beloved husband. The demonic agents of the Islamic Republic saw to it that she got to live a life of dying every day for the rest of her life.
The Islamist’s credo is fairly straight forward in dealing with religious minorities or infidels living in their midst: if you can’t reason with them to change their belief then literally beat some sense into their heads. And if that doesn’t work, then a bullet to the head or a noose around the neck ought to put an end to the “problem.”
And what happened to the children? All three are in different parts of the world. One son is in England, a daughter is in Spain, and another son is in Texas. Each is trying valiantly to survive and make a new beginning, thanks in large part to all the “infidel” nations and organizations that come to the rescue of the world’s persecuted people. The more fortunate ones end up in refugee camps. Some of the even more fortunate individuals eventually find sponsoring host organizations or countries.
Yes, the Islamic Republic of Iran does exercise compassion. They didn’t hang the severely-beaten incapacitated woman who was unable to walk to the gallows to be hanged. They simply dumped her in the streets to suffer a painful slow death for every day of her remaining life.
 
 
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Amil Imani is an Iranian-born American citizen and a pro-democracy activist residing in the United States of America. Imani is a columnist, literary translator, novelist and essayist who has been writing and speaking out for the struggling people of his native land, Iran. He maintains a website at www.amilimani.com. Amil Imani is the author of the smashing book Obama Meets Ahmadinejad.

Family Security Matters
By Amil Imani
May 4, 2011

It is not true that the Islamic Republic of Iran lacks compassion. It is not true that the Islamic Republic hangs people without a hint of mercy. Here is the proof.

Recently, I met Mrs. M at a gathering of Iranian ex-pats in a park. I would also like you to meet this elderly widow who is suffering from a variety of brain, neurological, and vision disorders. She is a lone woman without a country, moving from one shelter to the next on her way to the final resting place to which we all are destined.

One dreadful day, Mrs. M and her husband were arrested by the IRI agents in the city of Qazvin for being active members of the Baha’i Faith. The litany of charges included being members of the ferghe zalleh (misguided sect), mohareb (fighters against God), propagandists for their sect, and agents of the Great Satan and Israel. The couple’s three young children were spared imprisonment and ended up as wards of other Baha’i families in the town. 

Neither is it true that the Islamists don’t give people an opportunity to mend their ways and see things the Islamic way. First, the clerics reason with the candidate and offer a tempting package of incentives such as immediate release from the prison, the possibility of a secure job, becoming a local celebrity to be paraded around for the benefit of other infidels to also see both sides of the deal, a menu of horrific punishment for refusing to bend and a set of attractive offerings for complying with a simple thing of accepting Islam as the one true and final religion of Allah.

In the case of Mr. and Mrs. M, all attempts by the Islamic authorities to reason with the couple to deny their religion and convert to Islam failed. The pair insisted that their faith was the most precious treasure to them and no inducement or threat could rob them of it.

The Islamists authorities were terribly angered by the couple’s “obstinacy” and initiated their fall-back plan, a plan of cruel psychological torment as well as severe physical tortures; the kind of IRI treatment that brings to mind the worst of the Inquisition era of centuries ago. The authorities felt that they had exercised great patience, to no avail, to persuade the couple to abandon their blasphemous belief and adopt the one and true faith of Allah—Islam.

Exercising patience is highly recommended in Islam: Allahoma yejezi al saberoon be ajron min ghyre hesab (God compensates those who are patient with infinite rewards). Yet, they eventually ran out of patience and it was time to deal with them as the repentant kafirs (unbeliever in Allah) that they were judged.

After many months of incarceration, interrogation, and persuasion came the trial time. All along, the couple was denied access to legal representation of any kind. A barely literate mullah in a perfunctory meeting condemned the couple to death by hanging. Yet, the sentence was not carried out for many months. The couple languished in separate jails with no visitation rights of any sort, either with each other, or their children.

The couple was condemned to death by hanging on the charge of apostasy. The same decree ordered that all their properties and possessions, including household furniture, be confiscated since taking away the possessions of an apostate is halal (religiously approved).

Once a person is judged as an unrepentant kafir by the religious authorities, he or she becomes a target of an unending variety of severe torment, since a kafir is viewed as an enemy of Allah and it is the duty of good Muslims to punish the kafir in any way that their sadistic cruel heart leads them.

It is beyond the scope of this essay and too heart-wrenching to detail the kind of prolonged torture the couple suffered. There is no reliable information regarding what transpired with regard to Mr. M. during the long months of incarceration before he was hanged. 

But Mrs. M was, from time to time, denied her prison ration of food. She endured long periods of thirst in the deadly heat of the summer. She was even periodically denied access to the washroom for days. All along, she was severely beaten by female jailers. The jailers’ favorite way of beating Mrs. M was hitting her with frying pans on the head, although they also used soda bottles, clubs, and even their bare fists. The beatings were so severe that, on several occasions, blood popped out of her eyes. Head bumps and injury became routine, as she languished to be hanged.

The women jailers were intent on matching and even surpassing the brutality of their male counterparts. These fanatic Islamists are brainwashed into believing that tormenting the non-believers will earn them great merit points from Allah. They truly believe that the greater suffering they inflict, the greater is their reward.

Months later, she was informed that the sentence would be implemented at dawn the next day. This presented the last chance for the jailers to beat her as severely as they could before she died. They were intent at making the most savab (performing religiously meritorious acts) they could while they had the chance.

The beating she received on that day was so severe that she lost consciousness. When the executioners arrived to hang her, they could not revive her. They faced a serious problem. How can an unconscious woman who cannot stand on her feet be hanged?

A temporary stay of execution was ordered. In due time, Mrs. M regained consciousness only to suffer many more months of the dreadful ordeal. On several occasions, the order to hang her was re-issued. But the severe repeated beatings had shattered her body as well as her mind. She could no longer stand on her feet. She got around only by crawling. The jailers were relentless in their viciousness. On several occasions, they staged mock hangings. They would come to her cell and say the fatehe (prayer for the dead), place the noose around her neck, and hold her up and let her collapse on the ground.

Eventually, no one knows why, she was released from prison, barely able to walk. She did not get to die in one day, as did her innocent beloved husband. The demonic agents of the Islamic Republic saw to it that she got to live a life of dying every day for the rest of her life.

The Islamist’s credo is fairly straight forward in dealing with religious minorities or infidels living in their midst: if you can’t reason with them to change their belief then literally beat some sense into their heads. And if that doesn’t work, then a bullet to the head or a noose around the neck ought to put an end to the “problem.”

And what happened to the children? All three are in different parts of the world. One son is in England, a daughter is in Spain, and another son is in Texas. Each is trying valiantly to survive and make a new beginning, thanks in large part to all the “infidel” nations and organizations that come to the rescue of the world’s persecuted people. The more fortunate ones end up in refugee camps. Some of the even more fortunate individuals eventually find sponsoring host organizations or countries.

Yes, the Islamic Republic of Iran does exercise compassion. They didn’t hang the severely-beaten incapacitated woman who was unable to walk to the gallows to be hanged. They simply dumped her in the streets to suffer a painful slow death for every day of her remaining life.

This article was originally published here. 

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Amil Imani is an Iranian-born American citizen and a pro-democracy activist residing in the United States of America. Imani is a columnist, literary translator, novelist and essayist who has been writing and speaking out for the struggling people of his native land, Iran. He maintains a website at www.amilimani.com. Amil Imani is the author of the smashing book Obama Meets Ahmadinejad.