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Locked on 10/06/2008 8:07:44 PM PDT by Religion Moderator, reason:
New thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099235/posts |
Posted on 09/03/2008 6:13:02 PM PDT by nwctwx
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bttt
OPINION - SPECULATION:
AQ, the jihadis in general and the jihadi supporters are deadly serious, in my opinion. However, our troops and our leos and alphabets have done a good job weakening their capabilities.
That said, jihadis have an evil agenda which they focus on and continue to focus on. If there is an opportunity to accomplish a jihadi mission; they will do it.
Thanks West Coast Gal.
The source for that is Eli Lake — a very good reporter.
http://www.nysun.com/foreign/spies-warn-that-al-qaeda-aims-for-october-surprise/86326/
“Spies Warn That Al Qaeda Aims for October Surprise”
SNIPPET: “Intercepted Messages Asking Local Cells To Be Prepared for Imminent Instructions”
By ELI LAKE, Staff Reporter of the Sun | September 22, 2008
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of two major terrorist attacks on Western targets, America’s counterterrorism community is warning that Al Qaeda may launch more overseas operations to influence the presidential elections in November.”
Search Term: Melamine + Candy
http://news.google.com/news?&q=melamine%20%2B%20candy&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn
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September 20, 2008
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01889.html
FDA Updates Health Information Advisory on Melamine Contamination
On September 12, 2008, in light of reports from China of melamine contaminated infant formula, the FDA issued a Health Information Advisory to proactively reassure the American public that there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell such products in the United States. That advisory also warned members of Chinese communities in the United States that infant formula manufactured in China, possibly available for purchase at Asian markets, could pose a risk to infants.
The FDA had contacted the companies who manufacture infant formula for distribution in the United States and received information from the companies that they are not importing formula or source materials from China.
At the same time, the FDA—in conjunction with state and local officials—began a nation-wide investigation to check Asian markets for Chinese manufactured infant formula that may have been brought into the United States. In particular, this effort focused on areas of the country with large Chinese communities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and New York. To date, investigators have visited more than 1,000 retail markets and have not found Chinese infant formula present on shelves in these markets.
In addition, the FDA is advising consumers not to purchase infant formula manufactured in China from internet sites or from other sources.
FDA has taken, and will continue to take, proactive measures to help ensure the safety of the American food supply. In conjunction with state and local officials, FDA will continue to check retail stores for food items imported from China that could contain a significant amount of milk or milk proteins. Additionally, FDA is sampling and testing milk and milk-derived ingredients and finished food products that could contain these ingredients from Chinese sources. Milk-derived ingredients include whole milk powder, non-fat milk powder, whey powder, lactose powder, and casein. This sampling and testing is done when these ingredients or products are imported into the United States or found during visits to Asian markets. If the products are adulterated because they contain melamine and/or a melamine analog, FDA will take action to prevent the products from entering the U.S. food supply.
In addition to state and local governments, FDA is working in close cooperation with Customs and Border Protection within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other federal agencies, and foreign governments.
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ON THE INTERNET:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ5ISa-RBAI
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=51268
Coalition Forces Detain Suspected al-Qaida Couriers
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2008 – Coalition forces targeting al-Qaida in Iraq courier networks captured one wanted man and three additional suspects today, further degrading the terrorist organization’s ability to communicate, military officials reported.
Forces operating near Tarmiyah, about 20 miles north of Baghdad, captured a suspected terrorist who admitted to being a letter courier for a long-time al-Qaida operator. He also is believed to have connections with multiple al-Qaida operatives throughout the area. During the operation, coalition forces seized multiple weapons, including a Russian-made submachine gun.
In Sharqat, about 55 miles south of Mosul, coalition forces detained three suspects during an operation targeting a suspected terrorist courier with links to regional al-Qaida leadership.
In operations yesterday:
— Coalition forces killed two enemy fighters during an operation about 11 miles south of Mosul. As coalition forces approached a vehicle occupied by the two men, one of them got out of the vehicle and began firing. Coalition forces engaged the men, killing them both. Several weapons, including a machine gun, a pistol and a grenade, were recovered from the vehicle. One of the men was associated with several al-Qaida personalities and involved with an al-Qaida courier network, officials said.
— National police officers and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team detained four suspected Iranian-backed illegal militia members in eastern Baghdad yesterday. Police officers and their U.S. partners from 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, detained the suspects during an operation in the Beladiyat area of New Baghdad.
-— Acting on a tip from a “Sons of Iraq” citizen security group leader, Iraqi police detained a suspected member of a car bomb cell in Sharqat. The Iraqi police handed over custody of the detainee at a joint security station. In a separate operation southeast of Balad city, coalition forces detained five suspected members of al-Qaida in Iraq.
— Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division’s Company C, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, discovered a weapons cache while investigating a tip from a concerned Iraqi. The soldiers notified an explosives ordnance disposal unit after they discovered four 57 mm rockets, nine 60 mm mortar rounds, two rocket-propelled grenades, two RPG boosters, an illumination round, a grenade fuse, 300 12.7 mm rounds, 200 7.62 mm rounds, and bomb-making materials.
In operations Sept. 20:
— Sons of Iraq members flagged down Iraqi National Police officers to inform them of two individuals planting a bomb on the roof of a house in the Doura community. With the help of security volunteers, the police discovered the bomb and, upon searching the area, detained two known Iranian-backed illegal militia members suspected of placing it. The bomb was made from a 57 mm rocket rigged with a timer and initiator device. The detainees also are suspected of carrying out a similar attack against Iraqi security forces in August.
— Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, acting on intelligence information, conducted a target raid in Rashid’s Hadar community, capturing a reputed car bomb maker.
— Iraqi soldiers discovered a cache in Mansour. The cache consisted of a roadside bomb, three RPGs, a hand grenade and a battery. A routine search of houses in the area also turned up eleven AK-47 assault rifles. The items were turned over to the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2081915/posts?page=25#25
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068419/posts
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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP205708
Special Dispatch Series - No. 2057
September 22, 2008 No. 2057
“15-Year-Old Iraqi Would-Be Suicide Bomber Tells Her Story on Iraq TV”
SNIPPET: “Following are excerpts from an interview with 15-year-old Rania, an Iraqi girl who attempted to carry out a suicide bombing, and with her mother. The interview aired on Al-Baghdadiya TV on September 1, 2008.
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1860.htm .”
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22529&Itemid=128
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080922-08
Sept. 22, 2008
Child’s bicycle laden with explosives found by SoI
Multi-National Division – North PAO
Riyadh, Iraq – Sons of Iraq members and Iraqi Police in Riyadh thwarted an attempt by terrorists to place a bicycle laden with explosives near a busy market area Sept. 21.
SoI and IP, at a nearby checkpoint, observed a truck whose occupants unloaded a bicycle then left it as they departed the area at a high-rate of speed. Upon further investigation, they noticed a suspicious white bag attached to the bicycle’s frame, and immediately notified Soldiers of Delta Company, 1-87 Inf. Regt., located nearby at Patrol Base Howell. SoI and IP commonly work together in this city.
“We are grateful for the brave public servants of Iraq to include the Iraqi Police and the Sons of Iraq who acted quickly to avert what might have been a horrendous attack against the citizens of Riyadh as felt today in another attack just outside the city of Kirkuk, the provincial capital,” Lt. Col. Christopher Vanek, commander, 1st Battalion, 87th Inf. Regt., 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division said.
A Coalition forces explosive ordinance disposal team was dispatched to the scene and confirmed the presence of an improvised explosive device. The EOD team safely facilitated its removal—detonating the device at a secure location.
“Today’s event symbolizes everything the terrorist and insurgents represent. While Iraqi Security Forces and the Coalition force do everything possible to respect the significance of Ramadan, the terrorists use a child’s toy to potentially cause death and destruction to the innocent, unsuspecting residents of Riyadh during this sacred, holy month,” Vanek said.
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Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22530&Itemid=128
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20080922-09
Sept. 22, 2008
MND-B Soldiers, capture suspected criminals, seize cache in Baghdad’s Rashid district
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division –Baghdad Soldiers detained seven suspected criminals and discovered hidden weapons caches Sept. 21-22 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad.
At approximately 10 a.m., an Iraqi citizen approached Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, attached to the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B, about an improvised explosive device in his yard in the Zubaida community. Sept. 21.
After arriving at the house, Soldiers found a fire extinguisher with foam and wires protruding and called an explosive ordnance disposal unit to clear the homemade device from the citizen’s front yard.
EOD disposed of two pounds of homemade explosive material found inside the fire extinguisher.
At approximately 10:45 a.m., Soldiers from Troop C, 7th Sqdn., 10th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B, discovered five rocket propelled grenade launchers and one RPG warhead buried in the ground in the Hadar community of southern Baghdad. An EOD unit arrived at the scene to dispose of the munitions.
Also in Hadar, at approximately 3 p.m., an Abna al-Iraq (Sons of Iraq) leader reported an IED to Soldiers from Troop A, 7th Sqdn., 10th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B.
The Troop A Soldiers called an EOD unit, who confirmed it was a 57 mm projectile and brought the round to a forward operating base for further analysis and destruction.
At approximately 5 p.m., Soldiers from Troop A, 7th Sqdn., 10th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B, detained four suspected criminals allegedly responsible for emplacing a roadside bomb in the Hadar community of southern Baghdad. The Soldiers took the detainees to a joint security station for further processing and questioning.
At approximately 8 p.m., Soldiers from Co. A, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B, arrested three suspected criminals in the Aamel community of southern Baghdad. The Soldiers took the detainees to a combat outpost for further questioning.
Soldiers from Co. A, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt., also arrested a suspected special groups criminal at approximately 2 a.m. Sept. 22, during an intelligence-driven target raid in the Jihad community of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad.
“The 1st Brigade continues to capture criminals and locate weapon caches to keep the 1.6 million citizens of the Rashid district safe and allow the Government of Iraq the freedom to operate,” said Lt. Col. Paul Hossenlopp, deputy commander, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B. “With the combined efforts of the citizens and the Iraqi Security Forces, Raider Soldiers are eliminating the threats that hinder the safety of Rashid’s citizens.”
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http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/hlf
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/holylandfoundation
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http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/773
“HLF Prosecutor: Think Like a Terrorist Organization”
IPT News
September 22, 2008
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “DALLAS – Jurors in the re-trial of the five officials at the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development need to “think like a terrorist organization,” a federal prosecutor said in opening statements Monday morning.
The foundation and five former officials are accused of illegally routing more than $12 million to Hamas, in violation of U.S. laws prohibiting support for the designated terrorist group. A mistrial was declared last October after jurors in the first trial could not reach unanimous verdicts.
In her opening statement, federal prosecutor Elizabeth Shapiro seemed to apply some lessons from the first trial. Her statement took less than an hour to deliver and appeared to be an attempt to offer a general overview of the case. It’s a big case, she said, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.
“Money,” Shapiro said, “is the lifeblood of terror organizations.””
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/farc
http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/nefafarcirnetworkdeception0908.pdf
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http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/09/new_nefa_paper_on_the_farcs_in.php
“New NEFA Paper on the FARC’s International Network”
By Douglas Farah
(September 22, 2008)
FINLAND - School Shooting - Thread and updates here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2088324/posts
Well now, here’s some good news:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7630978.stm
Page last updated at 09:00 GMT, Tuesday, 23 September 2008 10:00 UK
“Russian drone ‘hit over Georgia’”
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The Georgian military has shot down a Russian reconnaissance drone that was flying over Georgian territory, Georgia’s government says.
The drone was downed near the town of Gori, south of the de facto border with breakaway South Ossetia, the interior ministry says.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/oic
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/islamophobia
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cartoonjihad
http://www.truthusa.com/MoreThanCartoons
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http://www.cnsnews.com/public/Content/Article.aspx?rsrcid=36143
“Islamic Nations’ Push to Outlaw Religious Defamation Faces Hurdles”
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
By Patrick Goodenough, International Editor
(CNSNews.com) –
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The drive by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), led by members including Pakistan, Iran and Egypt, has sparked concern that the right to freedom of expression is being undermined by a group of countries, including some that enforce blasphemy laws and punish “apostasy.”
The issue also looks set to feature prominently at a U.N. conference on racism, planned for next April, and already dogged by controversy because the last such conference degenerated into what critics said was an Israel-bashing farce.”
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Since 1999, the OIC has been promoting resolutions at the U.N. against the defamation of religion, citing an increase in cases of “Islamophobia” – a catch-all term covering everything from caricatures of Mohammed to anti-terrorism profiling at airports.
The 57-member bloc defines Islamophobia as an irrational fear or dislike of Islam, incorporating “racial hatred, intolerance, prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping.” It attributes the phenomenon to “misconception[s] and incorrect interpretation of Islam.””
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2088339/posts
“Stealth in Venezuela”
Human Events ^ | 9/23/2008 | Michael J. Economides and Nate Evans
Posted on September 23, 2008 3:18:41 AM PDT by markomalley
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Nearly five decades after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Russians are once again trying to increase their influence in Latin America. On September 11 (which is fascinating timing), two Russian Tu-160 long-range nuclear-capable bombers arrived in Venezuela, along with a contingent of Russian warships. The jets and 1,000 Russian troops were there to begin training exercises with Venezuelan forces.
Much of Venezuela’s weaponry is Russian-made, a result of a $3 billion arms deal between the two in 2006 that allowed Hugo Chávez to purchase 53 Mi-28N helicopters, 24 Su-30MK2 jet fighters, TOR-M1 anti-aircraft systems, and 100,000 AK-47s. A more recent arms deal calls for Venezuela to buy Russia’s Varshavianka-class (aka Kilo-class) submarines. Chávez, never at a loss for blustery rhetoric, declared after the Russians’ arrival: “Yankee hegemony is finished.”
The reaction of the United States to all this has been rather muted. Because the U.S. is so heavily committed in other parts of the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan, Chávez believes he has free rein in South America. But while the international community has come to expect bluster and aggression from him, it is Russia that has surprised many. First came the invasion of Georgia. Now it appears that Russia is directly challenging the U.S. in Latin America.
Much of Russia’s newfound boldness is driven by oil.”
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
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http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=E08B451C-110D-41F3-8F71-EF26B42BB0E7
“Appease Iran?”
By Daniel Pipes
FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, September 23, 2008
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http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=B7B55F30-5F87-46F0-8B01-162A82858E4B
“Dining with the Devil”
By Faith McDonnell
FrontPageMagazine.com | Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22531&Itemid=128
Press Release A080923a-326
September 23, 2008
Coalition forces strike against al Qaeda operatives throughout Iraq
BAGHDAD – Coalition forces detained three wanted men and four additional suspects during operations targeting al Qaeda in Iraq operatives throughout the country Monday and Tuesday.
Coalition forces captured one suspected terrorist during an operation in Baghdad Monday. The wanted man is believed to be a long-time member of the city’s car bombing network.
A second operation in Baghdad Monday targeting an alleged AQI foreign terrorist facilitator netted one suspect.
Coalition forces detained one wanted man and one additional suspect during an operation Monday in the Jazeera Desert, 40 km southwest of Mosul. Intelligence reports suggest that the wanted man, believed to be the regional AQI “emir,” has connections to senior AQI leadership.
Also Monday, two suspects were arrested in Mosul during an operation targeting an alleged terrorist believed to have local and international connections to AQI leadership.
In an operation Tuesday in the vicinity of Khan Azad, 16 km south of Baghdad, forces captured an alleged terrorist assessed to have connections to international al Qaeda operatives. During the operation, forces found a sketch of a possible bomb trigger on the man, as well as several weapons and grenades hidden in a garden behind his home. Before leaving the area, Coalition forces safely destroyed the grenades, rendering them useless to would-be terrorist bombers.
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https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=90822
YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Qatar Security Reminder
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
Middle East / N. Africa - Qatar
22 Sep 2008
PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org
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NOTE: The following text is a quote:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08090137.htm
Monday, September 22, 2008
Iran: Parliament passes apostasy death bill — UNHCR take note!
— UNHCR take note!
By Elizabeth Kendal
World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC)
Special to ASSIST News Service
AUSTRALIA (ANS) — That apostasy (leaving Islam) is an enormously risky even deadly business in any Muslim country is not news to any apostate or to any serious religious liberty observer. That the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) does not always share this view however is news to many.
ISLAM RETURNS
Traditional Sharia Law mandates death for apostates based on the Hadith (saying of Muhammad) “Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol. 9:57).
The decline of Islamic political power, particularly after World Wars 1 and 2, the subsequent rise of secular Arab nationalism, and leverage afforded to the USA due to its economic power led to this practice being largely abandoned at the state level. Whilst apostates were frequently murdered either out of religious hatred or for the sake of “honour”, they were not executed by states that were under Western mandates, pursuing secularism and dependent on Western aid and trade.
But times have changed. An international revival of Sunni Wahhabism has been riding on the back of Saudi Arabian oil profits since the late 1970s. Furthermore, decades of brutal, repressive, corrupt dictatorships and declining living standards primed the Muslim masses for the “democracy” coming their way. Now, as soon as the opportunity presents, it appears that Muslims are ready to test the Muslim Brotherhood’s assertion that “Islam is the solution”.
Meanwhile, the Shi’ite revolutionaries of 1979, after being exhausted by the Iran-Iraq war and then constrained by a western bulwark (Saddam Hussein’s Iraq), are now liberated, empowered, bursting with apocalyptic zeal and driven by the scent of Islamic leadership and ascendancy.
After centuries of decline and decades in the cupboard, Islam has returned!
Now Iran is in the process of legislating to make apostasy and promoting apostasy (including through the Internet) mandatory capital offences in the name of protecting the State’s “mental security”. This shows the degree to which the balance of power has shifted. Clearly the clerics in charge of the Iranian police state do not feel threatened by, nor do they care about, Western displeasure. In fact making the death sentence mandatory for apostasy and promoting apostasy is a very powerful way for ascendant Iran to make an offensive gesture to the USA, the rival power it is gradually replacing as hegemon in Iraq and the wider Middle East. It is a sign of supreme self-confidence.
Further to this, it is also a reactionary response to the reality that Iranian Muslims, fed up with and distressed by seemingly endless poverty and repression, are leaving Islam in increasing numbers. A recent sermon by an Iranian Shia Imam reveals how concerned the authorities are about the apostasy phenomenon and how determined they are to crush it. A Youtube clip shows a portion of a television broadcast of a sermon by an Iranian Shia mullah who is instructing the faithful not to worry about recruiting Sunnis, Christians and Zoroastrians into Shi’ism. For, he warns, he has travelled the country and the greatest danger is that of apostasy, especially young Iranian Shi’a youths converting to Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of pre-Islamic Persia. “Don’t let our Shi’a youth leave our faith”, he thunders. (Link 1)
IRAN, APOSTASY AND THE UNHCR
Yet over recent years several Western countries have been returning Iranian Christian asylum seekers, including apostates, to Iran on the basis that the UNHCR claims they will not be persecuted.
UNHCR TAKE NOTE: As Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports, “The Iranian Parliament voted on Tuesday [9 Sep] in favour of a bill stipulating the death penalty for apostasy. The bill was approved by 196 votes for, seven against, and two abstentions.
“The progress of this bill through the Iranian Parliament is a cause of grave concern for increasing numbers of Iranians who have left Islam for another religion, and a significant backwards step for human rights in Iran. The draft bill will add a number of crimes to the list of those resulting in execution, among them; ‘establishing weblogs and sites promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy’.” (Link 2)
The Khaleej Times (Dubai) in July reported the bill states that those convicted of these crimes “should be punished as ‘mohareb’ (enemy of God) and ‘corrupt on the earth’”. The bill also stipulates that the punishment handed out in these cases “cannot be commuted, suspended or changed”. (Link 3)
As the Khaleek Times notes: “Internet is widely used in Iran despite restrictions on access and the blocking of thousands of websites with a sexual content or deemed as insulting religious sanctities and promoting political dissent. Blogging is also very popular among cyber-savvy young Iranians, some openly discussing their private lives or criticising the system.”
The Defenders of Human Rights Centre, which is run by Iranian Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, warned in July: “If this bill is adopted, there will be further infringement of the freedom of expression, citizens’ judicial security will be jeopardised and executions will increase.” (Link 4)
IMMEDIATE IMPLICATIONS
. . . INSIDE IRAN
On 10 September Compass Direct (CD) reported that two Iranian Christians have now officially been charged with “apostasy”.
Mahmood Matin Azad (52) and Arash Basirat (44) have been in prison since their arrest in Shiraz on 15 May “on suspicion of apostasy”. The two men were later charged with “Propaganda Against the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
CD reports: “When their lawyer went to authorities to inquire about the case in early August, he was informed that the two men had been formally charged with apostasy.
“Sources who spoke to the two Christians’ defence lawyer explained that a written order of the formal charge of apostasy was unusual and an indication of the severity and complexity of the case.
“With the apostasy bill debated in Parliament, some Iranian Christians fear that authorities are seeking to make an example of the two prisoners or give the prospective law a ‘test run’.” (Link 5)
. . . AND OUTSIDE IRAN
The UNHCR and all Western governments must observe that this bill mandating death for apostasy and promoting apostasy passed easily through the Iranian parliament. The vote clearly proves that Iranian authorities overwhelmingly believe that apostates and those who promote apostasy should die. Even if the Guardian Council does not pass the bill into law (for whatever reason) it may be assumed that those who take the implementation of Sharia law into their own hands will not be prosecuted by this regime. Apostates who have left Islam will have no security. This fact must be allowed to impact refugee claims.
Two cases presently before the courts in New Zealand perfectly demonstrate the problem faced by numerous Iranian Christian asylum seekers.
Thomas Yadegary is an Iranian convert to Christianity. He arrived in New Zealand in 1993 and had been working for years as a chef when in November 2004, after his final appeal for refugee status was declined, Yadegary was issued with a deportation order. Yadegary was then arrested after he refused to sign an application for an Iranian passport. In early April 2007, after 29 months behind bars, Yadegary was released on bail after a court hearing, the details of which were suppressed pending a government appeal. (Link 6)
Miss Bahareh Moradi, another Iranian convert to Christianity, is also fighting deportation. Her pastor, Rev. Rinny Westra of St Aidan’s Presbyterian Church, says he has seen Immigration New Zealand targeting Iranian converts for harsh treatment.
Scoop Independent news reports: “Mr Westra says Miss Moradi’s case is one of a series where Iranian Christians have been unreasonably rejected by Immigration.
“He points to Christian convert Ali Pannah, who went on a hunger strike in prison to avoid deportation, and Majid Mohebbi, who he says was whipped after being deported.
“’In mid-April an Iranian man who claims to be a Christian was deported after visiting Miss Moradi’s brother Hamid,’ says Mr Westra. “In all their cases their pastors vouched for the truth of their conversions.” (Link 7)
UNHCR
According to the article “Pastor speaks against immigration ‘persecution’” (at link 6), the Labour Department, which oversees Immigration NZ, rejects the claims that Iranian Muslims who convert to Christianity face persecution in Iran. In its statement the Labour Department asserts: “Neither the United Nations High Commission for Refugees nor the government’s own sources support the contention that all Christians face danger, on the basis of religion, if they are returned to Iran.”
When the New Zealand Parliament sat in April, the Minister for Immigration, the Hon. Clayton Cosgrove, was asked to comment on the government’s recent decision to order the deportation of Miss Bahareh Moradi.
Now the Refugee Status Appeals Authority had expressed doubts about the genuineness of various conversions despite detailed evidence to the contrary from clergy and pastoral workers from the Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and Pentecostal Churches. However Mr Cosgrove said the genuineness of a conversion was irrelevant, because the issue is whether the fear of persecution is well founded and, he reports, according to the UNHCR it is not.
“We are reliant on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for advice,” said Cosgrove. “We are reliant on the members of the Refugee Status Appeals Authority as independent individuals to make those judgments. They assess all the facts. They receive representations from qualified and unqualified stakeholders, and they make decisions in an independent way.
“We are governed by the advice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, not vested interest groups, and not representations from others, though they are taken into account. To date, despite what the member says, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees does not support the contention that Christians face these dangers if returned to Iran. However, if it was to be the case that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees changed its view . . . then of course New Zealand, being governed by its international obligations, would indeed consider that change. I note, though, that the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and other countries have faced similar issues of repatriating Iranians who have hindered their departure. These countries have found that Iranians who are returned to Iran are unlikely, despite their alleged conversion to Christianity, or other claims, to be subjected to persecution.” (Link 8, Hansard; for the full transcript of the debate in the NZ parliament: “Refugee Status Appeals Authority—Conversion to Christianity”.) The New Zealand parliament next sits on Tuesday 23 September 2008.
The opinion of the UNHCR carries considerable weight in Refugee Review Tribunals. Therefore the UNHCR should cast off all political correctness and instead catch up with and embrace the challenge of reality: that due to the violent, repressive, rights-abusing nature of Sharia Law, non-Muslims — in particularly apostates, who are in effect “religious-dissidents” — seeking refugee status on religious grounds should never be forced to return to Islamic states. Their fear of persecution is very well founded indeed.
Elizabeth Kendal
Links
1) Iranians are renouncing Islam: Mullah gets Paranoid! Sep 2008
http://www.iranian360.com/story.php?title=iranians-are-renouncing-islam-mullah-gets-paranoid-1
2) Iran — Parliament votes in favour of punishing apostasy with death
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 11 Sep 2008
http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/article.asp?t=press&id=773
3) Iran mulls death penalty for Internet crimes.
Khaleej Times (Dubai) (AFP) 2 July 2008
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2008/July/middleeast_July44.xml§ion=middleeast&col
4) Ebadi rights group warns Iran on Internet crime bill. 20 July 2008
http://news.theage.com.au/technology/ebadi-rights-group-warns-iran-on-internet-crime-bill-20080720-3hzs.html
5) Compass Direct News
http://www.compassdirect.org/content/index.php?id=25 (search Iran)
6) Iranian refugee freed after two years [29 months] in New Zealand jail
Asia-Pacific News 5 April 2007
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1287465.php/Iranian_refugee_freed_after_two_years_in_New_Zealand_jail
Upset as gay Iranian wins asylum but Catholic fails. 6 Feb 2007
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10422597
Yadegary decision shows need for Bill change. 14 August 2008.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0808/S00233.htm
7) Deportation could spell death
By HAYDEN DONNELL - North Shore Times | Friday, 07 March 2008
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4429773a11.html
Pastor stands by fugitive Iranian
By HAYDEN DONNELL - North Shore Times | Thursday, 10 April 2008
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/4472327a22400.html
Pastor speaks against immigration ‘persecution’
By HAYDEN DONNELL - North Shore Times | Tuesday, 06 May 2008
http://www.snl.co.nz/4511319a6016.html
8) “Refugee Status Appeals Authority — Conversion to Christianity”
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/QOA/b/0/1/48HansQ_20080417_00000537-8-Refugee-Status-Appeals-Authority-Conversion.htm
Elizabeth Kendal is the Principal Researcher and Writer for the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC) http://www.worldevangelicals.org/. This article was initially written for the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis mailing list.
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