[FREE IRAN Project] In The Spirit Of Cyrus The Great

[stefania]

Hizbollah threatens to kill exile TV man

By Reuters - World News
Jan 19, 2005, 10:34



TEHRAN - A hardline Iranian religious group threatened on Wednesday to carry out suicide attacks on a UK-based Iranian exile TV presenter, saying his broadcasts were inflammatory and insulted Islamic values.


Mojtaba Bigdeli, the spokesman of Iran's Hizbollah group, said the British government must ban the satellite channel run by Iranian exiles within 30 days or face the consequences.

"After one month, our commandos will carry out suicide attacks in London against the shameless presenter of the channel," Bigdeli told Reuters by telephone.

He said his group was independent of Lebanon's Hizbollah, which analysts say receives training and financing from Iran.

Farsi language Ma-TV presenter Manouchehr Fouladvand's comments, mocking the Prophet Muhammad and Islam's holy book the Koran, have spurred several hardline commentators in Iran to demand his death.

"He has crossed our red lines by insulting our prophet and Islamic values," Bigdeli said.

British embassy officials in Tehran were not immediately available for comment. Previously they had criticised Fouladvand's views while defending his right to free speech.

Bigdeli said Hizbollah had the green light from some top clerics to kill the presenter. "This is Hizbollah's view and we have discussed it with some clerics," he said. "We are sure that they will approve it."

Late last year, Iran's Interior Ministry said such groups could operate only "as long as their ideas are limited to theory."

Asked if any of the group's commandos had carried out similar attacks abroad in the past, Bigdeli said: "We have never had any operations abroad."

Ma-TV is one of several Persian-language satellite stations popular among Iranians in the Islamic republic.
_________________
Referendum AFTER Regime Change

"I'm ready to die for you to be able to say your own opinions, even if i strongly disagree with you" (Voltaire)

[Khorshid]

Dear Compatriots,

Not long ago, at a time when Dr. Khalegi Yazdi of the AHURA movement was the subject of much talk in what is called the “Iranian media”, consisting mainly of mocking and abusive language against his supporters, mainly by people who either refused to take such steps themselves or whose interests were being threatened, I made the comment that most of the apparatus we consider as “opposition” is not what it pretends to be. I dismissed this apparatus as selfish and despite appearances, without pity.

Not only were he and his supporters ridiculed, not only there was no constructive criticism of which Dr. Yazi himself had begged for, but news concerning AHURA activities inside and outside Iran were also deliberately CENSORED…to the point that even during the solidarity demonstration in Tehran, some commentators could not even bring themselves to concede that tens of thousands of Iranians had attended the demonstration!

By a most remarkable coincidence, the same individuals and organizations that mocked our fellow compatriots then, are mocking US today for refusing to be party to a referendum sponsored by the Islamic Republic’s clients designed to keep the Mafia state safe from an impending regime change. But just as before, it is not merely mocking; it is not merely a refusal to have discussions and to engage in constructive criticism. We are also witnessing brute and crass censorship.

Mr. Behrouz Souresrafil was FIRED for doing what a journalist is supposed to do. Mr. Forud Fouladvand’s life is being threatened by the Shiite Taliban because he defends Iranian history and honor. Fouladvand also rejects the $60000000.com “farakhan”.

My question to you bastards----who’ve for years paraded as the “opposition”, as “activists”, as “freedom lovers”, as “democrats”, as “constitutionalists” and so on---who are now accusing the critics of $60MR as anti-democratic, even anti-freedom “shahollahis”, is this:

WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR REACTION?


100% “Shahollahi”, Khorshid

[Khorshid]

Slaying of 4 may be tied to religious extremism

northjersey.com
Sunday, January 16, 2005
By TOM TRONCONE, Staff Writer

Islamic extremists may have murdered four members of a Coptic Orthodox family found bound, gagged and with their throats slit on Friday in their Jersey City home, a law-enforcement official familiar with the case said.

The official confirmed that Hudson County investigators, as well the FBI, were "knee-deep" in pulling computer records and were coming to terms with the possibility that the family may have been targeted for death because of exchanges about religion in an Internet chat room.

The official cautioned, though, that investigators have not ruled out other possibilities, such as a robbery gone awry.

Hossam Armanious, 47, Amal Garas, 37, and their daughters Sylvia, 15, and Monica, 8, were found dead in their Oakland Avenue home early Friday after family members alerted police that nobody had heard from them in days.

First Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor Guy Gregory declined to discuss any details of the case, other than to confirm that police have ruled out a dispute the family had with a former tenant as a possible motive. He cautioned against speculating about the motive behind the murders.

"This is a very delicate investigation and one where we have spent hours at the scene collecting evidence and with the evidence collection complete, we're moving to bring in people that we feel need to be interviewed," Gregory said. "It's unfortunate that people are speculating."

But as the theory spread that revenge and religion were the driving forces behind one of the most heinous murders in the county's long history, fear enveloped the city's Coptic community.

Friends, relatives and co-worshippers of the devout family spent much of Saturday wondering how the seemingly upstanding Armanious family could fall victim to such a shockingly brutal crime. Several spoke of Hossam Armanious' participation in heated discussions about the Islamic faith on the Paltalk.com messenger service and threats he received for expressing his views about the religion.

Milad Garas, an uncle of Amal Garas, said Saturday that he was told investigators are probing whether the killings could have been prompted in part by the chat sessions. He also pointed to a passage in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, that details how enemies should be killed - bound and their throats slit, an assertion that drew a rebuttal from some Islamic scholars, but was supported by others.

A translation of passage 47:4 of the Quran reads in part: "Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers [in fight], smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly [on them]."

"There is a very wide range of interpretation of that, and it depends on where people are in the spectrum," said Frederick M. Denny, a professor of religious studies at the University of Colorado and author of more than a dozen books on Islam. "If they were going toward the extremist side, it could lead someone to believe it is justified. ... There are those that take that [passage] quite literally."

The close-knit Coptic community promised protests if the religious revenge theory proves accurate.

"If it turns out they were killed for religion, then we will [protest]," said Ayman Garas, Amal's younger brother. "We have to be patient, we can't do anything stupid. ... But it looks like it is religion, maybe."

The Armanious family moved to the United States from Egypt in part to escape religious persecution. Hossam Armanious had sensed a rise in anti-Christian extremism and wanted to make a better life for his family in America, Ayman Garas said.

"What I really want to know is: How?'' he said. "We just can't believe it at this point. Everything has passed like a dream."

The details of what may have been said in the chat sessions were not known Saturday night.

Fred Ayad, deacon of the couple's St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, said that the entire community was in a "panic" over the apparent targeting of the family, as well as the murders of a Coptic deacon in December and a Coptic cabdriver in late 2003.

Prosecutor Gregory said the conjecture about the murders is hampering his office's investigation, which he said has been exhaustive.

Copts are Egyptian Christians, a minority group of about 6 million in a nation of 60 million, and have been killed in religious rioting and during attacks on Christian churches by Islamic militants. Coptic leaders also say they lack representation in the Egyptian government and are treated like second-class citizens.

Over the past decade, Copts have increasingly immigrated to the United States. Currently, they number about 1 million in this country. Coptic Orthodox churches are scattered throughout the nation and, while there is no official count, Coptic Web sites list about 10 large congregations in New Jersey and about 20 in the tri-state area.

Islamic leaders said Saturday that the murders could not have been the work of someone inspired by the Quran.

"We are not a bloody people," said Ahmed Shedeed, director of the Islamic Center of Jersey City. "This is not from the Quran. This is not from Islam at all."

Shedeed, who is Egyptian, said his group recently co-founded a social service organization with local Coptic churches, called Egyptian Family.
"We are trying to get religious leaders from both communities to meet on a monthly basis to break the ice between the people," he said. "We meet as individuals, but as organizations we never have done such a thing. We are trying to show that Egyptians together can benefit."

Shedeed said that as part of that effort, he attended Christmas Eve services at St. George's this year.

Asked about passages in the Quran that may suggest murdering non-believers in a manner that resembles the family's deaths, he replied, "The Quran talks about people fighting in the battle of war. It's not talking about people who live next to you. ... This has nothing to do with our community at all."

"The Quran stands very firmly against taking human life," said noted Islamic author Zayn Kassam, chairwoman of the religious studies department of Pomona College in California. "If someone read a verse and used it to justify the killing of four people, I believe that person is unbalanced. ... There are very few Muslims who would support this sort of thing."

On Saturday, the family received mourners at the church, as friends left lighted candles and flowers in front of the home. Neighbors talked of an exhaustive police investigation, with a former Armanious tenant, Nelly Ramirez, saying police had questioned her, her son and her son's girlfriend.

Meanwhile, friends of Sylvia, a high school sophomore who would have turned 16 on Saturday, lingered in front of the house, alternately crying and laughing. They talked of an extremely gifted teen who recently won a trip to Italy from the National Honor Society for a series of essays she wrote on topics such as Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.

"She used to write all the time," said her friend Jankil Patel, 15. "She used to go to church all the time. ... She'd debate people in class and even had a religious tattoo on her [right wrist]."

"She had a lot of friends; she was very popular," said Jessica Cimino, 15, another friend. Cimino and the other girls said they plan to attend the family funeral on Monday and wear T-shirts bearing Sylvia's image to school on Tuesday.

Ayman and Milad Garad and other family members were allowed into the crime scene for the first time on Saturday morning to gather the needed paperwork for the cemetery. They left the home with a briefcase and several other items, including a tank with several small turtles inside.

[Spenta]

Hezbollah Go* Meekhoreh va ghalat kardeh!

The level of extremism, from Hezbollah to Khamenie's recent Haj rant about Rushdie, indicates some new major changes. Obviously the heat is on, they are feeling it, freaking out and acting out big time, or somebody switched Khamenie's Shireh

----------------------------------------------

I am very sorry about the New Jersey Coptic family, my condolences to their family, friends and their community, very tragic.

Most coptics in the US are religious refugees fleeing much discrimination and abuse. It is very sad that they would be killed so brutally here inthe US.

---------------------------------------------------------
I am also very sorry about Mr. Souresrafil's firing. He is a very passionate speaker and personality, probably one of the most prominant, with a very strong and important following. Firing him, is like getting rid of one of the best people and plain old stupid. He has a lot of charisma, probably more than anyone else, and is a deeply respected dissident, even according to those who disagree with him. What a waste of an important, essential and powerful opposition personality...

[Khorshid]

Dear Spenta,

As alarming as these threats are, they are understandable: It is in the interest of the Islamic Republic to eliminate its enemies.

What is far more alarming, what should disturb every Iranian working for a democratic Iran, is the apathy and indifference of the opportunists that make up the greater part of what we call the “opposition” abroad.

Iranian dissident Souresrafil, an investigative journalist and author, has been silenced for criticizing the $60MR. Fouladvand (Forud, not “Manouchehr”, as the article states), an historian, researcher and head of Anjoman-e Padeshahi, is told by Hezbollah that he too will be silenced.

Exactly what is it that we mean by “opposition”? What exactly do these charlatans, with their innumerable radios and websites, parading as “opposition”, mean when they claim that they stand for freedom? Take the various anti-nationalist republican websites: Exactly how sincere are they in their daily rants about the “lack of freedom” and the violations of freedom of speech during the reign of the beloved Mohamad Reza Shah Pahlavi? Is freedom of speech mere slogan to lend respectability to the views of these otherwise opportunists, or is it something to defend when it is being violated?

It is ALARMING BEYOND BELIEF that these self-styled “intellectuals” and “democrats”, not to say “journalists”, refuse to defend Souresrafil’s right to speak---i.e. Refuse to defend freedom of speech---because of their differences with the person. There is not a single article in Shahin Fatemi’s comic strip, Iran Va Jahan, about the death threat against Fouladvand! (For the past week of so, they have instead been singing the praises of Ayatullah Shirin Ebadi, the same Nobel Prize winner who told France’s Le Monde that life before Khomeini was “unbearable”!)

.

[Spenta]

Dear Khorshid

The way I see it, the tsunami tidal wave is coming, and as it washes away the Mullah$, the likes of Souresrafil and Fouldvand will have far more legitimacy in the eyes of the people than the likes of Shirin Ebadi and Sazgara. Only when you live in the west, with the comforts and freedomsof the west, can you afford to find Ebadi & Sazgara intersting, and Souresrafil and Fouldvand as extreme. In Iran Souresrafil and Fouldvand are just right.

[Khorshid]

UPDATE:




Just had a talk with a member of Anjoman-e Padeshahi. The group was visited TODAY by the British authorities with the news that they can no longer provide protection, and guarantee the safety of Anjoman members. The monarchist group has also made the announcement that a number professional killers have entered Belgium on assignment to eliminate the group’s members. Mr. Fouladvand and his compatriots are now considering to move to a new location.

When I asked what do you want me to do (money, demo, etc.) I was told to just spread the news, as the ENTIRE “opposition” abroad seems to be in coma, that Anjoman-e Padeshahi is ALONE and no longer protected by the Scotland Yard.


mms://208.53.131.109/Live2

.

[Spenta]

This is very sad.

I just watched their TV on the Internet. From Liberator:
You can find "Ma TV", the television channel for Anjomane Padeshahi Iran, here:

http://208.53.131.109/

The official website is here:

http://www.anjomane-padeshahi.org/main.html

And here's a link to the Anjoman's radio:

http://www.anjoman-p.org/

You might find interesting info. on here as well:

http://www.nomullas.com/

[Azadeh_55]

Perhaps what Mr. Fouladvand says about the so-called "opposition" is right. I don't know if you watch his shows regularly or not, but he always says that the overwhelming majority of those who call themselves "opposition" (including various Saltanat talab groups) have been bought by the regime. Very few people are left that can be truly called "opposition".

[Spenta]

Even sadder ...

The Mullah$ have deep pockets

[Iranian Boy]

dorood
Payam TV which has recently opened is the best persian TV, even better than Azadi TV.

mms://payamtv.cyberannex.com:8080/
_________________
Long live the memory of Shahanshah Aryamehr.
Long live Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi
Long live Reza Shah II

[stefania]

I disagree .

Fooladvand, regardless his opinions, needs to be protected.

He also is a Regime opponent even if he might have different opinions then ours.
_________________
Referendum AFTER Regime Change

"I'm ready to die for you to be able to say your own opinions, even if i strongly disagree with you" (Voltaire)

[Iranian Boy]

Misunderstanding Stefanin

I didn´say something about protection. You seem to have forgot I even protected Mujahedin saying their members should not be deported to Iran to face execution.
Of course he should have his protection. This is a free world and everyone is free to express his/her views.

What I said in my post is that I don´t support him and his ideas.

terrorism in all forms are condemned. Any terror by hizbollah agains Fouladvand is condemned but also Fouladvands words some months ago right behing the TV screen officially asking people to cut off Dr Ahura Yazdi´s arms and legs as he enters Iran and his words that he want to free Iran by taking the blood of pasdars an basijis (killing thousands of them) are condemned.
_________________
Long live the memory of Shahanshah Aryamehr.
Long live Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi
Long live Reza Shah II

[Spenta]

No matter what his beliefs, he has every right to express them, and no one has the right to kill, harm or censor him!

RP would be the first to defend his right to free speech, and condemn the death threats against him.

This is about something bigger, once again Palestinians are threatening to kill Iranians. Palestinians have killed more Iranians than anyone else with the exception of Iraqis.