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	<title>FrontPage Magazine &#187; Lisa Daftari</title>
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	<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com</link>
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		<title>To Kill a Christian Pastor</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/to-kill-a-christian-pastor/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=to-kill-a-christian-pastor</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/to-kill-a-christian-pastor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:21:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=112184</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Youcef Nadarkhani awaits execution in Iran for converting to Christianity.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/yusuf.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-112198" title="yusuf" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/yusuf.jpg" alt="" width="403" height="302" /></a></p>
<p>The latest news about the Christian pastor held in Iran for converting from Islam to Christianity is another example of Iran&#8217;s barbaric and vicious treatment of its religious minorities.</p>
<p>Iranian officials are at the moment trying to convince jailed 34-year-old pastor, Youcef Nadarkhani, who converted to Christianity at age 19, to return to Islam.  Nadarkhani is currently being held in prison in Rasht, awaiting Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s decision on whether he should be executed for converting to Christianity.</p>
<p>In trying to convince Nadarkhani to come back to Islam, Iran’s secret service officials approached the pastor at his prison site and presented him with a book on Islamic literature, telling him they would be back to discuss the material and hear his opinion.</p>
<p>The “we’ll be bac,” scenario is a common tool of the regime, used in cases such as this to either influence the individual or further implicate him. Specifically to Nadarkhani’s situation, the government is trying to persuade him to abandon Christianity and come back to Islam or to have evidence against him as a blasphemer against Islam &#8212; should he reject the material he has been given or speak out against it.</p>
<p>I have a digital copy of the book given to the pastor, a 300-page compilation entitled &#8220;Beshaarat-eh Ahdein,&#8221; meaning “Message of the Two Eras,” referring to the New and Old Testaments. Through various narratives, the book claims Christianity is a fabrication and attempts to establish the superiority of Islam.</p>
<p>Sources close to the pastor and his wife have reported that the pastor has been advised by family members, members of the church and lawyers to remain silent, out of fear that the Iranian government may try to use his statements against him, a strategy of entrapment.</p>
<p>Till now, Nadarkhani’s case has been drawn out and delayed amid heavy and targeted international attention to his case. Iran’s judiciary has been caught in a bind, fearing the ultimate decision will have far-reaching political implications.</p>
<p>If Nadarkhani is released, the judiciary risks appearing disrespectful of the tenets of Shariah law. But if he is executed, Iran will face increasing criticism from the international community, which continues to petition for the pastor’s release.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago, a letter on behalf of the judiciary was sent to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s highest authority in interpreting Shariah Law, asking him to make the final decision.</p>
<p>It is unusual for the supreme leader to be asked to weigh in on a case, but officials said this case is rare in nature and requires Khamenei’s stamp of approval in order to issue an execution.</p>
<p>Nadarkhani came under the regime’s radar in 2006 when he applied for his church to be registered with the state. According to sources, he was arrested at that time and then soon released.</p>
<p>In 2009, Nadarkhani went to local officials to complain about Islamic indoctrination in his school district, arguing that his children should not be forced to learn about Islam.</p>
<p>He was subsequently arrested and has been held since.</p>
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		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
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		<title>Responding to the Mullahs&#8217; Jihad in America</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/responding-to-the-mullahs-jihad-in-america/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=responding-to-the-mullahs-jihad-in-america</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/responding-to-the-mullahs-jihad-in-america/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:41:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel ambassador]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi ambassador]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[terror plot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=108470</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The steps the U.S. government takes next are crucial. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/holder.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-108483" title="holder" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/holder.jpg" alt="" width="369" height="255" /></a></p>
<p>After recovering from the shock of the foiled Iranian terror plot, the real questions emerge:</p>
<p>(1) How prepared are we for future attacks?</p>
<p>(2) How likely is it that more attacks will be launched?</p>
<p>And most importantly:</p>
<p>(3) How will the U.S. now respond?</p>
<p>The plot clearly demonstrates the Iranian regime’s disposition toward the United States. Had the Iranians been successful in their planned executions, it would have been a large-scale terror attack on U.S. soil. They might not have succeeded this time, but now we must worry about their next plan &#8212; and whether it will be carried out by Iranians or by copycat terrorists.</p>
<p>If the Iranian regime’s sole goal was to knock out the Saudi ambassador, Adel Al-Jubeir, they could have done so in an easier place with less security, vigilance and national intelligence. They could have followed him to an obscure venue. Yet they chose to make a point. They chose to carry out the attack on U.S. soil, to bomb the Israeli Embassy and to kill some American citizens while they were at it.</p>
<p>Even if the U.S. calls this an act of war, the American government cannot respond as such. In the case of Iran, the U.S. still maintains that “all options” are on the table, which acknowledges the option of a military attack.  But it would help us to focus more on the other options, namely, non-militaristic aggression, even though many believe sanctions have not been effective in combating the Iranian government. There is evidence to prove that sanctions have in fact choked off the regime in various ways. However, in order to truly benefit from sanctions, the U.S. would have to better enforce them, apply them more strategically in areas such as banking and travel and to freeze assets.</p>
<p>The U.S. could also employ the help of other nations who have ducked out of the responsibility of punishing this global enemy.  Lastly, and most importantly, the U.S. should not forget the easiest and most powerful tool in combating the Iranian regime: its 70 million disenchanted people.  While the Mullahs&#8217; regime in Tehran may have deep support, both financially and through an extensive network of clergy and Revolutionary Guardsmen, the people of Iran and their desire to break free from this tyrannical regime is far more widespread across a large and vibrant population.</p>
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		<title>Hiking Fellow Travelers and the Iranian Threat</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/hiking-fellow-travelers-and-the-iranian-threat/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=hiking-fellow-travelers-and-the-iranian-threat</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/hiking-fellow-travelers-and-the-iranian-threat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:29:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=106722</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Once again, American leftists denounce a country that saved their lives.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/felltr.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-106736" title="felltr" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/felltr.jpg" alt="" width="381" height="302" /></a></p>
<p>Wedged between emotional accounts of their imprisonment and gratitude toward friends, family and campaign leaders in a press conference just hours after landing in New York, hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer surprised many when they pinned blame on American policies.</p>
<p>&#8220;From the very start, the only reason we have been held hostage is because we are American,&#8221; Fattal said at the opening of his talk, often repeating this point. &#8220;Iran has always tied our case to its political disputes with the U.S.&#8221;</p>
<p>And that very well may have been the case. They were political pawns. They may have been used for political bait or a prisoners’ swap, as is often the case, and particularly a pattern we have often seen in the three decade rule of the Mullahs in Iran.</p>
<p>To fault American policies for their more than two year imprisonment in the hands of the Iranian regime, however, is completely unjustified.</p>
<p>The hikers didn’t see their imprisonment as a unilateral offense on the part of the Iranian regime that often incarcerates those with dissenting political, religious, cultural and even social practices.</p>
<p>After 781 days at Evin Prison, it is completely audacious for the hikers to point any fingers at the U.S. and to still see the evils of the Iranian regime as only relative to the crimes of this nation or any other.  This is the same naïve mindset that possessed them to go hiking in that area in the first place, something that they still have yet to address.  It’s a refusal to believe that evil exists and that fundamentalist ideology wants death and destruction for the West.</p>
<p>The irony of it all, Bauer said, &#8220;is that Sarah, Josh and I oppose U.S. policies towards Iran which perpetuate this hostility.&#8221; The comment received a nod from third hiker Sarah Shroud who was released last year.</p>
<p>They find irony in the fact that since their political ideologies differ with those of the U.S. then they did not deserve to be imprisoned. Does that mean that perhaps someone who does agree with U.S. foreign policy then, does? Or are they merely using their five minutes of fame, and their first public appearance, to make political statements against the democracy in which they live?</p>
<p>The only irony here is that they are making these allegations against a country that actually gives them the podium to make these political critiques.</p>
<p>The point that the three completely miss is that their lives were saved precisely for the fact that they are American.  Had they been Iranian, they would have stood the probable chance to be executed like the many innocent natives who are put to death every year, some just for attending a protest, others for their sexual orientation or religious beliefs.  And while they speak about the brutality in Evin Prison, hearing the “screams of the other prisoners being beaten” and even having “experienced a taste of the Iranian regime’s brutality” themselves, they fail to connect their own fate to the fortune that spared their lives.</p>
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		<title>The Strange Story of an Iranian &#8220;Defector&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/the-strange-story-of-an-iranian-defector-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-strange-story-of-an-iranian-defector-2</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/the-strange-story-of-an-iranian-defector-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=96602</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A former Iranian intelligence agent infiltrates -- and damages -- the Iranian opposition in the West.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/defector2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-96603" title="defector" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/defector2.jpg" alt="" width="439" height="318" /></a></p>
<p>The Iranian regime is alleging that the United States cozied up to a  former Iranian intelligence agent who was sent on a clandestine mission  to infiltrate American government agencies. Last week, Iranian State  television broadcasted a half hour-long program relating the accounts of  Mohammad Madhi, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards and  clerical leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s right-hand man, who claims he  was sent out on a secret mission by the Iranian government. In the film,  Madhi explains in great detail his purported dealings with Hillary  Clinton, Joe Biden and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a  policy institute based in Washington D.C., with all collaborations  leading up to an alleged State Department proposal asking Madhi to lead  an opposition group in toppling the Iranian regime and replacing it with  a democratic governing body created by the United States.</p>
<p>With in-depth knowledge about the regime and its operations, Madhi  claimed he became Washington&#8217;s winning ticket on Iran policy while  secretly infiltrating and outing the long-established opposition  networks abroad, mentioning many of the Iranian-American opposition  leaders by name and association in the film.</p>
<p>Madhi left Iran in 2008 and lived in Bangkok, working as a diamond  distributor. He passed himself off as a disenchanted defector who would  be interested in joining the opposition abroad. That is how he attracted  policy makers who approached him, he claimed, and set up these alleged,  sensitive meetings with policy makers and politicians.</p>
<p>As a defector, 46-year-old Madhi was quite popular in the expatriate  community. His position and knowledge of internal affairs made him a  curious target, particularly as he regularly sought publicity over his  “rebellion” against the regime.  In his frequent interviews he advocated  regime change and spoke out against the clerics.</p>
<p>“The government has already collapsed,&#8221; he said earlier this year in  an interview with the English-language Thai newspaper Bangkok Post,  which ran again in the Los Angeles Times. &#8220;There&#8217;s going to be big  changes very soon. Believe me, it will happen soon.”</p>
<p>His selling point was charming. He said that he had “once headed a  committee tasked with keeping the regime in place and that now, as an  opponent, he could count on about 20,000 backers in Iran&#8217;s Revolutionary  Guard, army, intelligence services and the religious hierarchy.”</p>
<p>It was his knowledge of the Revolutionary Guards and insider’s  perspective that attracted the U.S. policy makers to Madhi in Bangkok,  according to his own relations aired in the film called “A Deceptive  Diamond.”  It was a courtship that both sides found mutually attractive,  at least, so it appeared.</p>
<p>According to Madhi, the U.S. had long been searching for a source  from within the Iranian government who was both a socially and  religiously viable candidate to lead the people of Iran.  As a  successful businessman who had worked as an importer/exporter for years  and one who had reached a high rung climbing the Islamic regime’s  ladder, he was the perfect defector for the job.</p>
<p>The film shows Madhi in a conference in Paris, gathering the Iranian  opposition living abroad, clearly broadcasting the names and alleged  affiliations of the panelists, all central and recognized opposition  leaders.</p>
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		<title>Iran&#8217;s War on the Internet</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/irans-war-on-the-internet/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=irans-war-on-the-internet</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:40:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=95441</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Mullahs set out to suffocate Iranians with an internal, state-run web service.
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mullahs.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-95616" title="mullahs" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mullahs.gif" alt="" width="375" height="278" /></a></p>
<p>“The pen is mightier than the sword” were the words of 19<sup>th</sup> century English writer Edward George Bulwer Lytton, but in the case of the Iranians, the Internet has proven even more powerful in battling a repressive regime. Perhaps that is why the Iranian government is threatening to limit Iranians to an internal, state-run Internet service that would minimize communication with the rest of the world.</p>
<p>In its ongoing “soft war” against Western ideas, influence and infiltration, the Iranian government announced plans to reconstruct a “<em>halal</em>,” or Islamically lawful network that would disconnect the country with the rest of the world, instead running a parallel Internet service that censors and blocks even the most mainstream sites such as Google.</p>
<p>Though experts say the initiative to completely ban broad Internet service across the entire country appears too difficult and daunting a task for any government, the option of a twin network system is entirely feasible and has been implemented by other governments.</p>
<p>The Internet has been an integral part of Iranian society for decades, embraced by a large population of young, educated and curious Iranians looking to connect to and learn from the rest of the world.</p>
<p>The role of the Internet became especially apparent in the freedom movement that followed the disputed Iranian presidential election of 2009.  Protesting and marching did little good as the government, fortified with hired Basiji militiamen, brutally and successfully cracked down on dissenters. Unprecedented violence coupled with strict media censorship begged for new forms of resistance. The most effective fight came through blogs, articles, Facebook and Twitter, surpassing the ability and access of journalists and commentators in sharing the opposition’s stories and experiences.  Well aware of the range and potential of the Internet and tech-savvy Iranians, the government began by blocking Facebook, Google, and Yahoo days in advance of the Election.</p>
<p>The “soft war,” one against ideas and ideologies, particularly those imposed by the United States, was launched by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the fall of 2009, shortly after government suppression of the post election uprisings.</p>
<p>&#8220;Presently the fight against the enemy&#8217;s soft war is our main priority,&#8221; Khamenei was quoted as saying by English-language Press TV on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Basij, Iran’s brutal paramilitary militia. &#8220;As long as there is Basij, the Islamic republic will not face any threat.&#8221;</p>
<p>Khamenei’s government declared the war to combat both the social media advances that the Iranian people had made during the time of the uprisings and, likewise, a parallel “intellectual war” fought by the Iranian people who found it more effective to fight seated behind a computer screen rather than risk putting themselves at the mercy of hired mercenary men.</p>
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		<title>And the Winner Is….Iran</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/and-the-winner-is%e2%80%a6-iran/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=and-the-winner-is%25e2%2580%25a6-iran</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 30 May 2011 04:08:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=94608</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The genocidal regime that will benefit most from Obama's treatment of Israel. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/winner.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-94611" title="winner" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/winner.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="356" /></a></p>
<p>A  week after President Obama’s Middle East speech, it has become  increasingly evident that although there was much talk, little will  result. President Obama’s proposal to go back to 1967 borders, a day  before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington,  will have less to do with creating new borders and more to do with  damaging old friendships. Ultimately, the United States made a proposal.  Israel said, “No,” and Iran was victorious.</p>
<p>Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for “wiping  Israel off the map,” pointed out on several occasions that instead of  singling out Arab dictators or the Iranian government, President Obama  should condemn the actions of Israel’s “Zionist regime” against the  Palestinians. And so he did.</p>
<p>In his speech Thursday, President Obama put forth a new approach to  facing turmoil in the Middle East. He promised economic relief and  investment to Tunisia and Egypt and briefly denounced government  crackdowns in Libya, Syria and Iran. The keystone of his talk came  unexpectedly at the very end as he proposed a Palestinian state based on  Israel’s 1967 borders as a way to settle the conflict.</p>
<p>The President’s proposal quickly intensified the already fiery debate  of Israeli-Palestinian relations and provoked bipartisan criticism from  politicians in Washington. President Obama repeated and clarified his  remarks at the American Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC)  conference on Sunday, calling the status quo in Israel “unsustainable,”  and repeating his proposal of a two state solution, “based on the 1967  lines with mutually agreed (land) swaps.”</p>
<p>President Obama has proven himself to be an idealistic leader,  attempting to repair the ills of the world through quick and implausible  orders.  He sets deadlines, changes appointments and calls together  meetings. He is now calling upon Israel, or more accurately stated,  threatening Israel, to take action immediately.  As he calls for  facelifts on half a dozen Middle Eastern countries, he believes he must  do the same to Israel.</p>
<p>It might be easy, or maybe overly simplistic, to assume that President Obama is just that unseasoned politician.</p>
<p>Yet in the midst of the post-election uprisings in Iran since 2009,  President Obama—widely criticized for his delayed and understated  condemnation of the regime and lukewarm support for the  protestors—nonetheless extended a hand in friendship to their radical  government, hoping to encounter a willing partner on the other end.</p>
<p>After receiving pressure from critics and the Iranian American  community, President Obama finally condemned the Iranian government  publicly for their brutal attacks against peaceful demonstrators, their  inhumane transgressions of human rights and their dastardly evasion of  international non-proliferation policies.  Typical of the Iranian  regime, they masterfully diverted the condemnation and instead pointed  to the close relationship between Israel and the United States; Little  Satan and Big Satan.</p>
<p>Perhaps, as President Obama sought to engage the Iranian government,  he believed they would willingly come to the negotiating table, hoping,  at the very least, to find a willingness in the Palestinians to do the  same, and at best, become the victorious two-term President who  succeeded in reconciling the half- century long rivalry between the  Israelis and Palestinians.</p>
<p>But the timing of his proposal was too uncanny. Regardless of one’s  views on how the Israelis and Palestinians should come to terms, the  topic and explicit plan to return to previous borders were an irrelevant  and untimely finale to comments directed at the current status of Mid  East affairs.</p>
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		<title>Revolution, not Reform, for Iranians</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/revolution-not-reform-for-iranians/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=revolution-not-reform-for-iranians</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 04:05:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=87710</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Islamic Republic can only go on for so long crushing the demands of its people. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="highslide" onclick="return vz.expand(this)" href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IranUnrest2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-87716" title="IranUnrest2" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IranUnrest2.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="284" /></a></p>
<p>In light of ongoing uprisings and historical, political and social shifts in the Middle East, the Iranian regime continues to skillfully distract the world’s attention from the region’s most detrimental cancer: itself.  In timely fashion, the Iranian government brings to the forefront completely inconsequential developments and fabrications in order to keep its sizable opposition out of the spotlight.</p>
<p>Last week, reports of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s exit from Iranian politics filled international media headlines. Rafsanjani, seen as a more moderate Iranian politician, withdrew from the race to become president of the Assembly of Experts, an 83-member group entrusted with appointing and removing Iran’s supreme leader. He will nonetheless remain a member of the assembly, which he has been a part of since 2007. Conservatives in Iran’s government had called for Rafsanjani’s demise since 2009 as he spoke out against harsh crackdowns and was &#8220;excessively tolerant&#8221; of the opposition.</p>
<p>Recently, news of Presidential Election candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi&#8217;s and Mehdi Karoubi’s alleged arrests and imprisonment in Tehran’s Heshmatieyeh Jail made waves in the media. Soon after, news agencies and websites called the arrests a rumor and claimed that the men, along with their families, were in their homes. The two had been under house arrest for weeks in the backdrop of other Middle East uprisings and for fear that they would be instrumental in organizing Iran’s opposition movement.</p>
<p>Developments about Rafsanjani, Mousavi and Karoubi serve a two-fold purpose for the regime.  On a simple level, the regime seeks to streamline and consolidate its own grip and rule over the country by sidelining political dissenters. At the same time, the regime is handpicking and tailoring the coalition it wishes to call the &#8220;opposition.&#8221; Mousavi and Karoubi are labeled &#8220;moderate,&#8221; although many would contest the claim, but even so, they have bloodied their hands alongside the regime’s brutality and have been dutifully devoted to its hard-line ideology.</p>
<p>What the government has not considered in its entirety is that alongside its own repetitive and cleaver antics, the Iranian people, now having the experiences of their last unsuccessful uprising in the post-election demonstrations of 2009 and watching as their neighbors in the region successfully overthrow their dictators, possess a matured and refined view of opposition and reform.</p>
<p>The Iranian government is evading the reality that should the Iranians organize and rise against their regime, it will no longer be in reaction to a fraudulent election led by two of the regime’s own candidates. On the contrary, what makes the task of the Iranian opposition so daunting is that they are out not to oust an individual, the way the Egyptians or Tunisians did. They are out to oust a regime.</p>
<p>Perhaps the benefits that accompany the Iranian experience, the passage of time and even the taste of failure, is the realization that reforms and moderation will not answer their calls for freedom and justice. Only a change in regime and political ideology will.</p>
<p>It would be inaccurate to call Mousavi and Karoubi opposition leaders when their mere approval as presidential nominees substantiates a resolute allegiance to the Islamic regime and its doctrines. Iran’s Guardian Council, a body of 12 Iranian men, six clerics selected by the Supreme Leader and six lawyers, referred by the head of Iran’s judiciary and elected by the Parliament, is entrusted with the vetting process and obligated to literally &#8220;guard&#8221; the values of the Islamic Republic. Consequently, they must chose candidates who will do the same. According to the Iranian constitution, presidential candidates must possess a &#8220;convinced belief&#8221; in the founding principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran.</p>
<p>Within these guidelines the Guardian Council vetoes candidates who are deemed unacceptable &#8212; in other words, those who possess views that stray from the regime’s agenda.  In the 2009 election, 476 candidates had applied. Only four passed through the sieve of the Guardian Council. Mousavi and Karoubi made the cut.</p>
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		<title>Qaddafi and the Clintons</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/qaddafi-and-the-clintons/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=qaddafi-and-the-clintons</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:38:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=86435</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today Hillary is demanding the ouster of a despot her husband helped bolster.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/gaddafi.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-86438" title="gaddafi" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/gaddafi.jpg" alt="" width="375" height="477" /></a></p>
<p>There was a palpable strain in U.S.-Libyan relations after the bombing of Tripoli, when U.S. fighter planes bombed the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi overnight into April 15, 1986, in response to what President Reagan was convinced was a Qaddafi-backed bombing at a West Berlin disco that killed several American soldiers ten days prior.</p>
<p>Qaddafi blamed all his troubles on the West and Israel. He believed that Secretary of State George Schultz was “really an Israeli” and that Ronald Reagan ought to be convicted as a murder and madman. His consuming hatred for Reagan and the West was clearly a reflection of his ultimate and delusionary goal to unite all Arab nations under his rule.</p>
<p>“Arab unity is a unification of Arab countries into states like the United States,” he said. “This is the role I am playing—a mixture of the roles of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln,” he said, boastfully confiding in Richard Chesnoff, a veteran journalist who interviewed Qaddafi twice.</p>
<p>Chesnoff’s first visit to Qaddafi was in October 1986, hardly six months after the bombing of Tripoli.  It was Qaddafi’s first interview with an American reporter since the attack and was skillfully arranged by the Libyan ambassador in Paris, where Chesnoff was based working for US News and World Report.</p>
<p>In 1986, Qaddafi was a popular man, not so much in his people’s eyes, who have always feared him, but in the eyes of businessmen, advisers and terrorists looking for a handout.  The lobby of the upscale Al Kabir Hotel became a curious social scene, dotted with crowds of men all waiting to see Qaddafi.</p>
<p>Chesnoff was confined to his hotel for over a week waiting for ‘the call’ that would confirm his interview with Qadaffi.  On the ninth night, he was finally summoned, and within five minutes, he was on his way to the Presidential Palace.</p>
<p>Still angry over the bombing that had targeted the Palace, Qaddafi insisted that the two sit in the middle of the shattered glass, marble and destruction for the interview.</p>
<p>“I want you to see what the U.S. president tried to do to me; how Reagan tried to kill me,” he told Chesnoff.</p>
<p>Complementing his outlandish and off tilt political rhetoric was the bizarre décor and ambience of his home.  Velvet paintings of wild animals alternated with portraits of Qadaffi in various costumes. He had himself drawn in everything from the traditional Arab <em>ghalabiya</em> and military uniforms to ski paraphernalia.</p>
<p>Nothing was as peculiar as the photomontage of the waves at Big Sur that adorned his circular bed’s headboard.  The contradictions between the old and new pointed to the fact that despite controlling his people by fear and intimidation, Qaddafi and his sons led a Western lifestyle, enjoying many modern pastimes.</p>
<p>Chesnoff was invited back to interview Qaddafi in 1994 because, in the words of the Libyan leader, he “had quoted [his] words just as [he] said them,” in his 1986 interview. While Chesnoff was aiming to show the true character of the dictator, Qaddafi was proud that his harsh rhetoric was not the least bit distorted.</p>
<p>The year 1994 marked a new administration in Washington D.C. and a new-found surge in Qaddafi’s political aspirations.</p>
<p>“The real revolution starts now. We will lead the world toward a new era, eliminating armies and bringing an end to the evils of traditional governments, parties and classes.  In their place we will establish a <em>Jamahiriya</em>, a state of the masses. Then and only then will a lasting peace be realized,” he told Chesnoff in their last interview.</p>
<p>Qaddafi was optimistic about relations with Bill Clinton.  He believed that he would resume his goal of creating an Arab dynasty in the Middle East.</p>
<p>He did not amass the caliphate he was hoping for during Bill Clinton’s presidency, but he did manage to keep a stronghold on the country for another 17 years, partly due to a deal struck up by the Americans and the British that began under Clinton.</p>
<p>With guaranteed U.S. financial and political backing, Qaddafi publicly renounced his agenda to develop nuclear capability in 2004.  Coinciding with the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Qaddafi vowed to root out Al-Qaeda and abandon his support of any other internal and external terrorist groups. In exchange, he was granted full U.S. diplomatic recognition.</p>
<p>There was a major glitch in the deal. To the outside world, Qaddafi declared his anti-terrorism platform.  Yet internally, he was a brutal dictator who ruled by terrorizing his own people.  The deal did nothing to further the cause of the Libyan people. On the contrary, it allowed Qaddafi to continue ruling with an iron fist while simultaneously remaining an acknowledged member of the League of Nations.</p>
<p>Until, last month.</p>
<p>It may have been Bill Clinton who whetted Qaddafi’s appetite, cozying up to a terrorist, but now, ironically, among others it is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is demanding the ouster of a man her husband helped to bolster.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nothing is off the table so long as the Libyan government continues to threaten and kill Libyan citizens,&#8221; Hillary Clinton said to reporters in Geneva where she traveled to pressure European allies to take a stand against Libyan President Qaddafi.</p>
<p>More than 1,000 have been brutally killed in protests and 140,000 have fled the country to neighboring Tunisia and Egypt.</p>
<p>The Obama administration announced unilateral sanctions against Libya Friday while the United Nations Security Council approved its own sanctions Saturday, followed by the European Union on Monday.</p>
<p>The U.S. military is moving air and naval forces closer to Libya as nations discuss the implementation of a no-fly zone.</p>
<p>Everything comes with a price. As we saw in the deal that was negotiated between the U.S., the U.K and a legitimized terrorist, evil can only go so long without resurfacing to affect us all.  This time around, we hope the people of Libya will be the victors.</p>
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		<title>Will Egyptians Lose Their Revolution?</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 04:06:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Tragic lessons from Khomeini's killing fields.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Mohammed-Badie-the-leader-of-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-in-Egypt-during-a-press-conference-in-Cairo.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-83882" title="Mohammed-Badie-the-leader-of-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-in-Egypt-during-a-press-conference-in-Cairo" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Mohammed-Badie-the-leader-of-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-in-Egypt-during-a-press-conference-in-Cairo.gif" alt="" width="375" height="307" /></a></p>
<p>Despite efforts to prove otherwise, the current political movement in Egypt is following a parallel political course seen in 1978-79 Iran.  From the optimism of the protesters to the hovering fundamentalist influences, the Egyptian people must demand that their movement and cries for freedom are heeded and not hijacked.  The Iranian people learned that the hard way.</p>
<p>Thirty years ago, the Iranian people poured into the streets demanding that their Shah be ousted. They did not have a viable alternative, and the absence of an organized opposition made for a facile takeover by an Islamic government.</p>
<p>Similar to Mubarak’s government, the United States had a friendly relationship with the Shah of Iran and his regime.  The people were liberal. Some women marched in tank tops and short skirts and others in headscarves.  Men and women protested together.  Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Bahais and Muslims stood by one another in demanding that a new democratic government replace the Shah.</p>
<p>Their demands were idealistic with no realistic manner in which to implement them.  Similar to the Egyptians, they were fed up, and the consensus was, there was no going back.  The Iranians could only go forward to see who would fill the political vacancy they had so quickly evacuated.</p>
<p>Iran had several competing opposition groups, but none were sufficiently organized or widely supported to compete with what was to come.  Their preoccupation with the dismissal of the Shah got in the way of their own political gains. The Constitutionalist Liberals, the National Front, Marxist groups such as the Tudeh Party of Iran and the Fedaian, and the most powerful guerrilla group, the People&#8217;s Mojahedeen, known today as the MEK (a leftist Islamist group) had been around for decades.  While they were influential in ousting the Shah, they lacked the leadership and political sophistication to actually replace him.</p>
<p>As the Shah departed Iran, the people rejoiced the possibility of freedom and democracy, but instead, Iran’s democratic movement and all other political parties were pushed aside by an organizational genius who was as scheming as he was shrewd: the Ayatollah Khomeini, who had a masterful plan for the Iranian people and the future of the country.</p>
<p>Khomeini quickly formed the Interim Government of Iran in 1979, also known as the Provisional Revolutionary Government, and by February, appointed Mehdi Bazargan as the interim Prime Minister. Bazargan was an obvious choice; a modern, well dressed, highly-educated engineer with good diplomacy skills.</p>
<p>Two days after Americans were taken hostage at the American Embassy, Bazargan and all members of his cabinet resigned Nov. 6, 1979, and Khomeini, seemingly happy about the resignation, handed power to the Revolutionary Council.</p>
<p>Two weeks ago, Mohsen Rezaii, Iran’s former Revolutionary Guard Commander called Bazargan’s appointment “the biggest trick pulled by the Imam Khomeini to hoodwink the Americans back in 1979.”</p>
<p>Given the similarities in movements, we hope that 30 years from now, a commander from the Muslim Brotherhood won’t claim the appointment of Mohamed ElBaradei, the informal Egyptian opposition leader, was a trick used to likewise dupe the Americans now.</p>
<p>The similarities between Bazargan and ElBaradei, coupled with comparisons that can be drawn between the Islamic Republic and the Muslim Brotherhood, are alarming, particularly since they can cost the Egyptians their movement and the future of their country.</p>
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		<title>Iran&#8217;s Christians</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/lisa-daftari/irans-christians/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=irans-christians</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:31:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Despite the Mullahs' persecution of Christians, a growing number of Iranians are turning to Christianity.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/iran.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-82912" title="iran" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/iran.jpg" alt="" width="375" height="534" /></a></p>
<p>Even as Iranian Christians face intensified persecution, arrest and potential execution, an increasing number of Iranians are turning to Christianity and other religions. Clearly there is an emergent trend among Iranians to seek new social and religious outlets.  Since the Presidential Election of 2009, there has been a surge in Muslims leaving the faith; most of them have joined branches of Christianity, while others have also shown interest in Sufism, Zoroastrianism, Bahaism, and Buddhism.</p>
<p>Daily pressures from the Islamic Republic and their Revolutionary Guard tentacles have created a reactionary movement among the Iranian people, who are turning to various practices to distract them from harsh governmental restrictions.  Similar to parallel movements in other countries with hard line Sharia-practising governments, Iranians are opting to experiment with different ideologies and religions to find release.</p>
<p>This new trend of religion surfing and underground worship has greatly agitated the Iranian regime, which does not have the best track record for practicing what it preaches.  For a government that has often claimed that it has tolerance for different religions, and that even has provisions in its Constitution protecting minority groups, the recent crackdowns on Iranian Christians demonstrate the inability of the Islamic Republic to make space for differing ideologies.</p>
<p>Since Christmas, reports say more than 70 of Iran’s Christian minority have been taken into custody, making it the most significant and widespread attack on this minority group in Iran’s history.  State television reported that Tehran’s governor, Morteza Tamadon, confirmed more arrests would be made.</p>
<p>In a series of government raids, Grassroots Christian groups and organizations have been targeted for posing a threat to the government, which suspects these groups of attempting to convert Muslims and spreading Western influence.</p>
<p>The roundups have been specifically targeted toward Christian converts, one of Iran’s three major Christian communities, consisting of the Armenian Christians who migrated to Iranian Azerbaijan in the 11<sup>th</sup> century, Assyrian Christians who have lived in Iran since the time of the Assyrian Empire, and a large and growing web of Christian Converts who have left Islam and have converted to various sects of Christianity.</p>
<p>The targeted Christians belong to a small community who gather for prayer and Bible classes in private homes instead of churches and other institutions.  They are similar to other “house church” movements in places such as China and Indonesia, where government restrictions are present.</p>
<p>Christians in the West are drawn to home churches that create a deeper sense of community and intimacy, but Iranian Christians, who have felt government vigilance on their community, opt to meet at these houses instead of churches in an effort to avoid the authorities.</p>
<p>Armenians and Assyrian Christians have certain rights and are recognized under the Iranian Constitution, but converting, or more specifically, the act of turning from Islam, is punishable by death. To leave the Islamic faith or to attempt to convert others away from the faith warrants capital punishment under Sharia Law. Under this law, a Muslim who becomes Christian is called a mortad, meaning one who leaves Islam. If the convert attempts to convert others, he is called a mortad harbi, or a convert who is waging war against Islam. Killing such a person is deemed a good deed and is the obligation of all Muslims, both according to the fatwa and reinforced in the Islamic Republic’s penal code.</p>
<p>New Christians are therefore forced to print any books, pamphlets or other literature in covert fashion to avoid arrests. While Armenians can have Bibles printed in Armenian and services conducted in their language, converts are prohibited from printing Bibles or conducting Christian services in Farsi.  This forces Christian Farsi speakers to practice in underground Church groups.</p>
<p>Though the Iranian constitution grants protection to religious minorities born into religions such as Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews, namely religions who have a sacred scripture, over the last year and a half, individuals in these minority communities have reported increased pressure and clashes with government officials and Revolutionary Guards as their influence continues to mount throughout the country.</p>
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		<title>The Faces of Iran’s Imprisoned Journalists</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/the-faces-of-iran%e2%80%99s-imprisoned-journalists/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-faces-of-iran%25e2%2580%2599s-imprisoned-journalists</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:02:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The Islamic Republic ranks as one of the leading regimes terrorizing the press. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/144.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-79982" title="144" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/144.gif" alt="" width="375" height="286" /></a></p>
<p><em>&#8220;Around 70 journalists are now in the prisons of the Islamic Republic and many others, like me, are free on bail, lacking any security. We are afraid that anything that we write may be used as evidence of &#8216;propaganda against the system&#8217; or &#8216;conspiracy against national security.&#8217; My colleagues and I try to write as little as possible.&#8221; (Open letter from formerly imprisoned journalist Zhila Bani Yaghoob to the Head of Iran’s Judiciary Committee.)</em></p>
<p>In light of Iran’s recent political turmoil and continued disregard for non-proliferation provisions, a deep curiosity over Iran’s people and modern society has developed in the international community. The Iranian government has been arresting reporters for communicating with foreign media, writing about human rights violations, or speaking out against the government.   The growing trend in the imprisonment of journalists has led to a parallel trend in journalists escaping the country and never coming back.</p>
<p>Last week, a new report showed that ongoing crackdowns in Iran and other countries have driven the number of jailed journalists worldwide to a 14-year high.  Currently, 145 journalists are being held internationally, with Iran and China having the highest at 34 journalists each, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, although my sources in Iran tell me that number is about double.  Taking into account the dramatic population margins between Iran and China, Iran still maintains the highest number proportionally.</p>
<p>Following a long history of imprisoning journalists as a means of manipulating news coverage, the Iranian government has dramatically intensified the practice since the outbreak of demonstrations in the aftermath of the presidential election in June of 2009.  The government closed newspapers, blocked websites and arrested bloggers, photographers and journalists working on all platforms as the most secure method of censorship.</p>
<p>Underground websites, blogs and social networking sites became the new front of a political standoff between the people and the state, but the government quickly made it clear that dissidents would be suppressed. Some were arrested at the time of the protests and others were targeted at home or at work. Among the arrested were dozens of citizen journalists with active Facebook and Twitter accounts. Facing more serious prison sentences were journalists who were seen as political activists or mouthpieces of foreign or reformist interests. The statistics speak for themselves in describing the numbers and the zero tolerance against those communicating information, but the individuals are seldom talked about.</p>
<p>I recently came across the biography of a woman who is currently at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison serving a seven-year sentence for her work as a journalist and political activist. Hengameh Shahidi, 36, left her daughter behind in London to travel to Iran for the election. As a member of presidential-candidate Mehdi Karroubi’s National Trust Party, Shahidi came to act as an advisor on women’s issues for his campaign.</p>
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		<title>Obama’s Pro-Arab Agenda Further Isolates the Iranian People</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/obama%e2%80%99s-pro-arab-agenda-further-isolates-the-iranian-people/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=obama%25e2%2580%2599s-pro-arab-agenda-further-isolates-the-iranian-people</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:13:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Forcing the usage of "Arabian Gulf" has caused many Iranians to doubt that the U.S. is on their side.  ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/8AE3488D-C307-47CE-AF92-ACF0B2D91700_mw800_mh600_s.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-79325" title="8AE3488D-C307-47CE-AF92-ACF0B2D91700_mw800_mh600_s" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/8AE3488D-C307-47CE-AF92-ACF0B2D91700_mw800_mh600_s.gif" alt="" width="375" height="341" /></a></p>
<p>The Iranians are left with no choice this week but to believe that the United States has a pro-Arab agenda.  In light of President Obama’s series of reverential visits and meetings with leaders in the Arab Muslim world and following a lost chance at supporting the Iranian people in a momentous, bloody, civil uprising, the latest directive by the administration, demanding that the name ‘Arabian Gulf’ replace the millennia-old designation of &#8220;Persian Gulf&#8221; was the last straw.</p>
<p>Last week, attention was called to the United States Navy’s statement instructing writers and editors to use ‘Arabian Gulf,’ angering Iranians in Iran and abroad, including many Iranian Americans. Thousands of messages, some polite and others more incendiary, on the Navy’s official website and Facebook page gave the administration a strong taste of how far the Iranian people are willing to go to defend their nationalistic pride.</p>
<p>Historically and geographically, the Iranians have considered themselves the oldest and most central inhabitants of the region for several millennia.  The term <em>Persian</em>, dating back to the Persian Empire, carries considerable patriotic and historical significance for the Iranian people.</p>
<p>The Facebook Navy site administrator responded to the barrage of complaints, particularly as many Iranians expressed even more frustration when they realized their comments were being erased and even blocked from the site.  The Navy responded that the site was suddenly bombarded with an overwhelming influx of comments.</p>
<p>The main explanation given for the directive was:</p>
<blockquote><p>The use of the term “Arabian Gulf” vice Persian Gulf is used by naval forces including our regional partners there for years.  We use this term in press releases, news stories, and photos coming from the Navy in the region.  The often cited Navy Style Guide that says to use the term “Arabian Gulf” vice Persian Gulf is really only applicable to them since commands in their area would be the only naval forces publishing stories in the region.</p></blockquote>
<p>Weak words for such a bold move to recreate history. At least, that’s how the Iranians see it.</p>
<p>Based on the response, it seems as though the administration is enforcing a policy of appeasement. The track record on appeasement, though, looks rather scattered when you consider a president who speaks out against Israeli settlements, yet not against suicide bombers.  President Obama calls it diplomacy when he prostrates himself before leaders in Indonesia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.  But what about the people of Iran? Why didn’t President Obama appease one of our most overlooked allies in the Middle East—the 70 million people living in Iran—in their hour of need?</p>
<p>Not putting full support behind the people of Iran may have been one of the biggest and most irreversible diplomatic errors of our time.  What’s worse, is that if giving the Iranians the cold shoulder last year did not create an irreparable rift between us and the people, then this latest move to belittle their cultural pride in favor of the sheikhdoms that surround them, will make it clear. Consider that bridge burned.</p>
<p>Particularly considering the timing, coinciding with the 5+1 summit with Iran which began last Monday in Geneva and a further round of talks to continue at the end of January in Turkey, Iranians are even more baffled as to why the United States would now try to find favor with the Arabs at the expense of deteriorating an already weak relationship with the Iranian people. Instead, the Obama administration seems more interested in cultivating a dangerously strained and precarious relationship with the Iranian theocracy.</p>
<p>Historical claims aside, the United States and the Pentagon have always used the term &#8220;Persian’ Gulf,&#8221; and the war in Iraq in 1990-91 has been called the &#8220;Persian Gulf War&#8221; or the &#8220;Gulf War.&#8221; The United Nations has had to intervene on a few occasions in 1994, 1999, and most recently, in the 23<sup>rd</sup> session in spring of 2006, arguing that only &#8220;Persian Gulf&#8221; be used as the official geographic name. Since traditionally, &#8220;Arabian Gulf&#8221; was used to refer to the Red Sea, it would make sense that the designation would not be repeated for the Gulf.</p>
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		<title>Iran’s Citizen Cyber Warriors</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/iran%e2%80%99s-citizen-cyber-warriors/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=iran%25e2%2580%2599s-citizen-cyber-warriors</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/iran%e2%80%99s-citizen-cyber-warriors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:39:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=76260</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Meet the Islamic regime's most formidable enemy.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/3RIA-188244-Preview.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-76275" title="3RIA-188244-Preview" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/3RIA-188244-Preview.gif" alt="" width="375" height="271" /></a></p>
<p>Regardless of the exact political course that ensues in Iran over the next decade, the opposition movement that gained momentum in the aftermath of the country&#8217;s 2009 election has already made its historical mark. Nicknamed the “Twitter Revolution,” the movement showcased young, zealous Iranians pioneering the use of citizen journalism and social networking sites in a significant standoff against the regime.</p>
<p>The clash emulated the same cat-and-mouse behavior that has become habitual between the people and the government of Iran. The government has a ban on alcohol, yet Iranians say it is easier to obtain vodka than water.  Drug trafficking is punishable by death, but Iran has one of the highest incidences of drug use on the globe. Circumventing the censorship of Western music and movies, Iranians buy black market DVDs and download the latest songs and films off the Internet. A psychology textbook would call it forbidden fruit; Iranians call it life.</p>
<p>The &#8220;an eye for an eye&#8221; approach proved to be a tactical advantage for the Iranians during the protests.  In a strict, dictatorial climate where journalists and any media coverage were banned by the government, a nation of citizen journalists emerged, eager to tell their stories to the world.  As crackdowns became increasingly violent, factions of the opposition became more aggressive and courageous in taking on Basiji militants in the streets.</p>
<p>The government, frustrated by the effectiveness of the Internet in stirring the international response to post-election confrontations, unleashed its Cyber Army to infiltrate blogs, to arrest individuals because of content on their Facebook pages, to block access to major sites such as Yahoo and Google, and at times to shut down the Internet altogether.  In retaliation, the opposition launched an equally aggressive cyber offensive, using proxy servers to access sites by bouncing connections off third party host sites, and penetrating major government sites.</p>
<p>A cyber hacker and political activist &#8212; who we&#8217;ll refer to as &#8220;Neema&#8221; &#8211; belongs to the Marze Por Gohar Party (Iranians for a Secular Republic) and reported that he and his constituents began hacking government websites two years ago.  He said that the group launched its cyber war initiative in defense and support of opposition groups whose websites were being censored and hacked by government forces.</p>
<p>Neema&#8217;s real name has been withheld to protect his identity, but he spoke to FrontPage Magazine while on a trip away from his home in Tehran.  Speaking on the telephone or emailing about the issue at home or in his office would put his life in danger.</p>
<p>“Civil disobedience includes cyber warfare. We have always believed in non-violent protest, and that means being innovative in using methods that will weaken this government,” Neema said. “If the Islamic regime is resorting to every tactic at their disposal to suppress people’s free expression, then we will do the same to their ideology and notions.”</p>
<p>Most recently, the MPG party claims they have hacked several governmental sites, including the Iranian Ministries of Energy, Intelligence, Islamic Enlightenment and Guidance, Research and Technology, Housing and Urban Development, and others.</p>
<p>Political activists and hackers like Neema live all across Iran and target different sites, he said.</p>
<p>Neema claims that he singlehandedly infiltrated President Ahamdinejad’s site, <a href="http://www.president.ir/">www.president.ir</a>, which he admitted was the hardest site to keep down. He said it went offline multiple times for intervals under an hour.</p>
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		<title>Heavy Metal Revolution for Iran</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/heavy-metal-revolution-for-iran/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=heavy-metal-revolution-for-iran</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/heavy-metal-revolution-for-iran/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Sep 2010 04:06:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=72664</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The rebellion that the Islamic Republic can't tolerate, yet can't stop.  ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/l_7db0aadc38e3459a80a58fbd728de1ea.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-72730" title="l_7db0aadc38e3459a80a58fbd728de1ea" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/l_7db0aadc38e3459a80a58fbd728de1ea.gif" alt="" width="375" height="323" /></a></p>
<p>It is that time of year again when Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes his trip to New York, making incendiary remarks that resonate around the globe.  This year, reactions to his visit were typical, with a majority of United Nations representatives leaving the room during his talk. His hardline and outlandish comments dominated media headlines and mainstream television networks vied over prime-time interviews with the rogue leader. Young heavy metal fans in Hollywood, however, found an innovative and personalized way of protesting Ahmadinejad’s visit and advocating human rights in Iran; by rocking out at a &#8220;Metal Revolution for Iran&#8221; concert Tuesday night in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Iranian locals gathered and mixed together with heavy metal followers to hear bands, including Internal Corrosion, Skinmask, Deathriders, featuring Neil Turbin of Anthrax, and Philm, featuring Dave Lombardo of Slayer, to show their support and solidarity with the people of Iran.</p>
<p>“I want to give the people of Iran hope and power. I want them to see that there are people in the music industry that really understand them, care for them and are willing to do shows for them,” said <em>Metal Sanaz</em>, an Iranian heavy metal host who helped organize the event.</p>
<p>Bands performed at the Aura Nightclub in Studio City along a backdrop of the old Iranian flag donning the red lion and sun.  Throughout the venue, posters were hung and held in the hands of attendees saying, &#8220;Down with the Islamic Republic,&#8221; &#8220;Martyrs of Iran, the entire world is with you!&#8221; &#8220;Islamic Republic is insanity and murder,&#8221; &#8220;Stop Nuclear Iran,&#8221; and &#8220;Your silence is another bullet into Neda’s heart!&#8221;</p>
<p>Sanaz, who goes by Metal Sanaz when she is working in the heavy metal industry as a radio, television and show host, still has family and deep emotional ties to Iran, where the government forbids heavy metal music and its likes, calling these musical genres satanic and forms of devil worship.</p>
<p>Over the past two years, hundreds of young Iranians have been arrested at heavy metal and rock concerts throughout Iran.  One incident rounded up 104 Iranians in Shiraz last spring and 230 Tehranis were taken into custody at an indie rock concert the year before.  The authorities accused the concert attendees of participating in blood sucking, carrying out the agenda of Satan and disgracing the values of Islam.</p>
<p>“I still get calls from friends and family members of those who were arrested and are in prison, asking me how I can get them out. Even if I can’t help get them out, these kids are always on my mind,” said Sanaz, who has had a long history of using her musical persona to help others in need.</p>
<p>In 2008, Metal Sanaz traveled to Kuwait to put on a concert for American soldiers. She traveled together with Jessica Simpson, the Pussycat Dolls and other musicians and comedians to put on a concert called “Operation Myspace.”</p>
<p>The prohibition of certain types of music and lifestyles is common in Islamic societies. Not too long ago in Egypt, Tuhami Muntasir, the former advisor to Egypt’s Mufti, accused the heavy metal fans of worshipping Satan and being party to the Zionist conspiracy &#8220;based on the protocols of the Elders of Zion.”</p>
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		<title>The Mullahs&#8217; Gulag for Gays</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/the-mullahs-gulag-for-gays/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-mullahs-gulag-for-gays</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/the-mullahs-gulag-for-gays/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:36:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=70850</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Iran's homosexuals are executed or forced to undergo sex-change surgery -- while the "progressive" Left remains silent. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/irangays.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-71116" title="irangays" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/irangays.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="297" /></a></p>
<p>In September 2007, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood before an audience of college students and faculty at Columbia University and made the perverse claim that there were no homosexuals in Iran. &#8220;In Iran we do not have this phenomenon, I don&#8217;t know who has told you that we have it,&#8221; he said. Ahmadinejad’s comments, made in a year in which Iran had executed 200 people, homosexuals among them, made shock waves around the globe. Yet the absurdity of the official denial may also have been unintentionally salutary, spotlighting as it did the terrible plight of homosexuals in the Islamic Republic.</p>
<p>There is a good reason that Iran’s theocratic dictatorship denies the existence of gays inside the country. An honest acknowledgment of reality would force the authorities to acknowledge that Iranian gays are regularly marginalized, harassed, tortured, and executed. Sometimes, they are forced into gender-altering operations. Ahmadinejad’s claim also called attention to the hypocrisy of the international community on the issue of gay rights in Iran. President Ahmadinejad’s absurd claim received overwhelming disapproval, yet when Iranian homosexuals are routinely abused and lawfully executed simply for their sexual preferences, that same international community, and the &#8220;progressive&#8221; Left that claims to champion gay rights, are deafeningly silent.</p>
<p>More recently, hundreds of thousands of Americans protested to overturn California’s Proposition 8, the legislation introduced on the California ballot in November of 2008 limiting the definition of a legal marriage to exclude same-sex unions. The measure passed and incited protests and demonstrations across California and the rest of the nation. Homosexual couples fervently began to file lawsuits with California’s Supreme Court. Prior to election day, opponents raised $43.3 million in their campaign to turn down the proposition, making it the highest-funded campaign on any state ballot. It exceeded every campaign in the country except the presidential race.</p>
<p>As the progressive backlash against Prop 8 indicates, gay rights are a significant and sensitive issue for Americans, particularly on the Left. But despite passionate outbreaks by the gay community and others, Americans have been uncharacteristically uninterested in the brutal treatment of homosexuals in Iran. These advocates ardently insist that homosexuals have the right to wed, to raise children, and to live as others do, yet they turn a blind eye to the execution of gays in Iran simply for their sexual orientation.</p>
<p>Such executions are in fact enshrined in Iranian law, where homosexuality is punishable the death penalty. Human rights groups estimate that almost 4,000 gays have been executed since 1979, when the Islamic regime took power. Gays are arrested, beaten, tortured, and in most cases, hanged or even stoned.</p>
<p>Sharia, or Islamic law, the legal code applied in Iran, prohibits any type of sexual activity outside the realm of heterosexual marriage. No distinction is made between consensual and non-consensual relations nor between sexual activities conducted in private or public. Any sexual relations other than the traditional marriage between a man and woman—referring to sodomy or adultery, as we&#8217;ve recently seen in the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman sentenced to stoning for allegedly having an extra-marital affair—is punishable by death.</p>
<p>All sects of Islam prohibit homosexuality, calling it “a violation of the supreme will of God,” but there are varying opinions among different schools of religious jurisprudence on the punishment and proof required. In the case of homosexuals, men are punished more severely since intercourse is involved. Lesbianism is likewise prohibited, but punishment is not as harsh.</p>
<p>In the Qur’an, homosexuals are referred to as <em>qaum Lut</em>, or &#8220;the people of Lot,&#8221; which alludes to the Biblical character Lot, who was sent by God to go to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah to preach to the inhabitants there against their lustful and wicked ways. Lot&#8217;s warnings were ignored and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were  destroyed. Muslims believe the people of Lot&#8217;s depravity stemmed from murder, robbery and homosexuality.</p>
<p>At the same time, older males experimenting with younger males has been a part of Islamic societies for centuries as a way to ease sexual temptation in a segregated society that condemns pre-marital sex. Celebrated Iranian poets have often referred to the love between men and young boys in century-old poetry.</p>
<p>Iran is currently one of five Muslim countries to apply capital punishment to homosexuals along with Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Sudan, and Yemen, according to the 2010 International Lesbian Gay Association’s World Legal Survey. Under the Taliban, Afghanistan also applied the death penalty, as did Sadaam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. After the collapse of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan began punishing homosexuality with fines and imprisonment. In Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr&#8217;s Mahdi Islamist militia followed the Taliban’s lead, attacking, torturing and murdering hundreds of gay men in “honor killings.”</p>
<p>Under the rule of the late Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, homosexuality was accepted to the extent that there was often news coverage of same-sex wedding c ceremonies. Gay rights were a popular item, and there were even some nightclubs that specifically catered to homosexual patrons. According to Janet Afary, professor of global religion and modernity at the University of California   Santa Barbara, one of the critiques made about the Shah’s government, eventually leading up to the Revolution of 1979, was that it was excessively liberal on moral issues, such as homosexuality.</p>
<p>Today, the only way for gays to be integrated into Iranian society is to live as transsexuals. They are still marginalized and harassed, but nonetheless can live more openly in society as transgendered. Iranian gays are encouraged by the government to have sex change operations.</p>
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		<title>Will She Be Stoned?</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/will-she-be-stoned/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=will-she-be-stoned</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/will-she-be-stoned/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:06:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=68926</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are these Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's final days? ]]></description>
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<p>Somewhere in a cloistered Iranian jail cell, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the 43-year-old mother of two sentenced to death by stoning, awaits the final verdict in her case &#8212; and the prognosis is far from hopeful. Her theocratic oppressors, enabled by the so-called Iranian justice system, have just announced that her hearing will take place this coming Saturday, August 21. Mixed messages surround the case, as the Iranian government, at one point, had taken stoning off the table in light of intense international scrutiny. However, the latest reports out of the Islamic Republic confirm that the barbaric <a href="http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/16/verdict-postponed-in-iran-stoning-case/">sentence still stands</a>. Ashtiani&#8217;s fate remains perilous.</p>
<p>If there is an hope for Ashtiani, it is that over the past month she has become an international icon. Her picture, that of a beautiful pale-skinned Iranian woman draped in a black Islamic headscarf, symbolizes the suppressed innocence of so many of the Iranian regime’s victims. Paradoxically, she is one of the fortunate ones. An international  public  campaign, at the very least, has delayed her death.  Had the world not heard about Sakineh, she, too, would have become a silent statistic.</p>
<p>In response, the Iranian regime&#8217;s judiciary has stepped up its intimidation. After days of beatings and torture, according to an attorney, Sakineh appeared on the government’s state television Wednesday night and admitted, in what was almost certainly a forced confession, both to adultery and to murdering her husband. With her face completely covered, she admitted to helping her husband’s cousin kill her husband. She then condemned her attorney for publicizing her case.</p>
<p>Apparently, the Iranian government’s modus operandi is not just to protect the fickle laws underlying their establishment; they are avenging a reputation marred by an aggressive public international campaign fueled by her son Sajaad, 22, and her attorney, 31-year-old human rights advocate, Mohammad Mostafaei. Mostafaei fled to Turkey and then to Norway after being interrogated by Iranian authorities for his involvement in the case.</p>
<p>The facts of the case continue to change. The regime is attempting to legitimize their harsh and unfounded ruling, moving attention from an adultery case, where the punishment obviously does not fit the crime, to one about a murder conspiracy. The case has raised eyebrows across the globe. From political leaders to celebrities, dozens of human rights organizations and social media petitions, the case has received more publicity and attention than any in the Islamic Republic’s bloody 30-year history.</p>
<p>The only difference between Sakineh and so many other Iranians is that we have come to know her and her predicament. That is precisely the reason why the regime wants to make an example out of her and continues to dwell on this case.  After finding itself in the international spotlight last month, the judiciary committee announced that they would reconsider Sakineh’s case. Yet as they backed down, the government felt strong-armed by what they referred to as “propaganda from the West,” and quickly regret buckling under pressure. They soon announced that they would still consider stoning.</p>
<p>After a tumultuous month of plot shifting, a question mark still lingers over Sakineh’s head, while the government is preoccupied in solving a multi-faceted and complex dilemma &#8212; specifically, how to punish Sakineh without appearing cowardly or overly harsh, while simultaneously setting an example for Iranians to never again publicize legal matters in the international community.</p>
<p>News about high-profile cases and their verdicts are always secret so that the government will not be swayed by international opinion. Last year, 388 Iranians were executed, making it second in the world in death sentences only to China.</p>
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		<title>Iran&#8217;s Archipelago</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/irans-archipelago/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=irans-archipelago</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/irans-archipelago/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:03:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=67722</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[And the world's deafening silence.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/prison-bar.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-67755" title="prison-bar" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/prison-bar.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>Over the last few weeks, the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman sentenced to death by stoning for allegedly having illicit relationships, turned the international community’s attention once again to the gross human rights violations in Iran.  The facts of the case, that of a 43-year-old woman who already served five years in prison and received 99 lashes, now sentenced to stoning solely based on the judges’ intuition and no evidence, dragged this hard-line regime back into the spotlight; not for its dismissal of international sanctions, its harsh rhetoric against the West or Israel, or its elusive way of continuing with its nuclear weapons agenda, but for its brutal treatment against its own people.</p>
<p>Sakineh’s case is just a narrow glimpse into Iran’s Islamic government practices and use of Sharia, or Islamic law. Its harsh and intolerant stipulations leave little room for lenience, particularly when it comes to transgressions concerning marriage and sexuality. Many of the laws are extremely primitive and disproportionate, yet 70 million Iranians living in the 21<sup>st</sup> century are at the mercy of this legal system.  Women and non-Muslims suffer the worst consequences under these laws.</p>
<p>Based on Sharia law, the worth of a woman is half that of a man; that is only in punitive damages, or blood money. In court, the worth of a woman is nothing. She cannot testify. She cannot serve as a witness.  A young girl can be married off at the age of 9, although in marriage, a woman, in most cases, cannot initiate a divorce. Even when her husband files, she can never have custody of her children; nor will she receive any alimony.  Likewise, when a father leaves his children inheritance, Islamic law demands that the share of a son be double that of a daughter. Even when a father insists on dividing his assets equally, an Islamic court will rule in favor of the son after his father’s death.</p>
<p>Sharia law is based on both the Koran, the sacred book of the Islamic faith, and on <em>Sunna</em>, the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad. Sharia law delineates life for a Muslim, including laws about marriage, sexuality, divorce, inheritance and criminal law. There are five crimes for which punishment is specifically outlined:  unlawful sexual intercourse, meaning sexual relations outside of marriage, false accusation of unlawful sexual intercourse, wine drinking, usually including all alcohol consumption, theft, and highway robbery. The punishments for these crimes are listed as flogging, stoning, amputation, exile, or execution.  Judges can choose from a wide array of consequences from less severe to the extremely violent, depending on the specifics of the case.</p>
<p>Sakineh’s case began in 2006 when she was convicted and sentenced to prison for having an affair with two men. She was pressured into confessing to the illicit relationships and received 99 lashes.  A year later, her case was reopened and out of a panel of five judges, three sentenced her to death by stoning.  In morality cases, Sharia law allows judges to make a decision based on “Judge’s Knowledge,” meaning a judge can go along with what he believes is right in absence of any evidence.  And just like that, Sakineh was sentenced to death by stoning after already serving a grueling sentence, receiving lashes and spending all those years away from her two children.</p>
<p>What may be more tragic than the case of Sakineh is that there are so many other just like her who don’t get an international campaign to champion their causes, a Facebook page to create awareness about her case, or numerous online petitions signed by celebrities and others demanding that she be freed.  In most cases involving alleged adultery, children are turned against their mothers. In this respect, Sakineh was fortunate to have children who are open-minded and determined to save their mother. Likewise, she was fortunate to have a renowned human rights attorney volunteer to take on her case. Most women on death row do not have representation nor do they become international icons of the human rights abuses in Iran. They are silently and brutally killed; without evidence and without a voice.  Last year alone, 388 Iranians were killed, making Iran second in the world, only to China, in the highest death penalty rate.</p>
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		<title>Freedom Fighter from Afar</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/freedom-fighter-from-afar/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=freedom-fighter-from-afar</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:03:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Will Roozbeh Farahanipour bring revolution to Iran from the streets of Los Angeles? ]]></description>
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<p>Striving for over two decades to make political strides in his homeland, Iranian political activist Roozbeh Farahanipour will have a chance to play out his political ambitions in Westwood, a region of west Los Angeles, which boasts the largest enclave of Iranians outside of Iran.</p>
<p>Farahanipour, founder of the Iranian political party Marze Por Gohar, or Iranians for a Secular Republic, was one of 19 elected in a late June election to the neighborhood council in Westwood. The area is also known as Tehrangeles, or Little Persia; it has a high concentration of Iranian American residents and business owners.</p>
<p>Currently a resident and business owner in Westwood, Farahanipour escaped Iran in 1999 after being convicted of participating in the organization of the Tehran University uprisings. As a result, he was incarcerated in the notorious Towhid Prison.</p>
<p>Gaining political asylum in the U.S., Farahanipour arrived in Los Angeles, and immediately began his activism from a distance.  He left a large constituency of political party members in Iran, and thus maintained ties and communication with like-minded Iranians.  In Iran, he helped organize local protests, boycotts, and launched a number of newsworthy campaigns.</p>
<p>Here in Westwood, he has attempted to build a strong following among Iranian Americans through political activism and community service. He has testified in the California State Senate in favor of divestment from Iran. He has helped unite the Los Angeles community for large-scale demonstrations. Years ago he even chartered an airplane from Los Angeles, taking members of the community to protest against Iran’s human rights violations in front of the United Nations.  Most important, he says, has been his commitment to remain a staunch and devoted Iranian political activist.</p>
<p>“Serving in local politics will allow me to give back to this diverse community made up of Iranians and many other cultures,” said Farahanipour, who owns Delphi, a Greek restaurant in the middle of Westwood Boulevard.</p>
<p>Still not an American citizen, Farahanipour has dreams of going back to Iran and continuing his political goals once the current regime is overthrown.  Revolution is inevitable, according to Farahanipour, whose political party is working to bring down the Islamic regime, and replace it with a secular republic.</p>
<p>In the meantime, he cannot return to his homeland.  Although, in the midst of the demonstrations in Iran this year, Farahanipour illegally slipped back into the country after ten years to help organize protests marking the anniversary of the 1999 uprising.</p>
<p>While he patiently awaits the political plot in Iran to unfold, he is using his time in Los Angeles to build up his political party, and more recently, his resume.</p>
<p>“Although I never imagined myself entering into local politics, it will help me gain important political experience,” he said, referring to his long-term goal of toppling the Islamic Republic.</p>
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		<title>Iran&#8217;s Underground Revolution</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/irans-underground-revolution/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=irans-underground-revolution</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:17:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Brutalization of protesters by the Islamic Republic has only made the opposition movement craftier.]]></description>
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<p>As Iranians passed the one-year mark of a tumultuous and historic year, an unimpressive and rather quiet June 12 anniversary left many wondering what happened to the disenchanted Iranians.  Regime threats, issued weeks in advance against protesters engaging in anniversary demonstrations, succeeded in deterring some. However, from its initial moments, this movement was remarkably forged by hundreds of thousands of courageous Iranians who have not let government intimidation discourage them. Journalists, analysts, and politicians questioned the movement’s strength and survival, wondering if President Ahmadinejad, the clerics, and their Revolutionary Guard had succeeded in quashing the masses.</p>
<p>The people of Iran tell a different story. Rather than pouring onto the streets and surrendering to the brutality of regime forces, the Iranian people say they have voluntarily taken a step back. The one-year anniversary of Iran’s fraudulent election has seen a transformation in the Iranian people and consequently, their ongoing movement.</p>
<p>“What’s the point of demonstrating when we are putting up our finest and most intellectual minds to go up against conscienceless guards to be shot at?,” asked Maryam, a 34-year-old radio producer for Iran’s state media in an early morning phone call to Tehran. “People have given up too much over the last year and have since changed their strategy,” she said in her native Farsi.</p>
<p>Maryam is politically active and socially in tune with the changing ambiance in Iran.  She wants regime change for her country. An Iran that is secular and democratic is what’s best for everyone, she said.</p>
<p>Among friends, Maryam is considered to be bold, courageous, and even “crazy” for speaking out openly against the regime.  Yet, she could not even use her real name in this interview.</p>
<p>Like many Iranians, Maryam had friends who were arrested and beaten during the protests. She quickly became upset when remembering some of these instances and changed the topic. Iranians have learned a very valuable lesson over the last 12 months, she concluded. They realized that they could be more efficient staying home.</p>
<p>Despite the appearance that the movement has been suppressed in the absence of demonstrations, intellectuals and politically active Iranians like Maryam and her friends are opting to sit home to think, write, publish, and discuss politics.</p>
<p>Welcome to Iran’s Intellectual Revolution.</p>
<p>The shutdown of dozens of Iranian newspapers and media platforms over the last year as a result of demonstration coverage that was unflattering to the regime, left a sizable void that the underground media is effectively filling.  The regime strategically closed official media sites hoping to thwart the spread of anti-government sentiment through traditional media outlets. They simultaneously paved the way for popular and unregulated publications to sprout up by the dozens, including underground newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, and even night letters—flyers that are circulated in local neighborhoods in the middle of the night and have become a popular method of disseminating important political messages in many Iranian cities and villages.</p>
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		<title>The Urgency of Sanctions</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2010/lisa-daftari/the-urgency-of-sanctions-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-urgency-of-sanctions-2</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2010 04:10:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lisa Daftari]]></dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Waiting for tough sanctions prolongs human suffering in Iran. ]]></description>
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<p>The Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) cannot act quick enough to thumb its nose at punitive measures, claiming they are illegitimate and will be ineffective. Tuesday was no exception. Just as the U.S. finally convinced Russia and China to pass a fourth round of sanctions, the IRI promptly and audaciously dismissed the initiative, stating that it would not be approved by the rest of the United Nations Security Council and even if passed, it would not hinder the Iranian economy.</p>
<p>Maybe the IRI didn’t expect to be cornered this soon after making its tactful move Monday, agreeing to ship some of its uranium to Turkey to be enriched and returned as fuel for Iran’s nuclear energy plants. The operative word being ‘some,’ and the obvious motive being to show a glimmer of good faith before serious energy and gasoline sanctions are imposed.</p>
<p>The new proposal reiterates the demand that Iran halt its nuclear program and further prohibits any entity from selling to or aiding Iran in its nuclear weapons ambitions. It also imposes certain travel bans and requires that all Iranian cargo ships are searched before touching Iran’s shore.</p>
<p>Although most sanction proponents were hoping for a hard hit on Iran’s gasoline and energy industry, this fourth round of sanctions, according to the U.S., is meant to further isolate the IRI and to influence other nations to implement strict measures against Iran on their own.</p>
<p>While a step in the right direction, will these particular sanctions deter the IRI from going on with their proliferation? No. Does the U.S. believe it will? No. So why is the U.S. treading so lightly? Once again, we are brought back to the drawing board on sanctions. The longer we take to impose those that will genuinely cripple the Iranian regime, the more tricks the IRI will pull out of its hat to buy time and to reposition international forces.</p>
<p>Over the course of the last year, Iranian politicians, scholars and pundits have drastically evolved their opinions, mirroring a quickly changing and ever more urgent political backdrop.  Last June, when Iranians courageously took to the streets in the aftermath of a fraudulent election, they were filled with hope that change was within their grasp. More recently, as Iranians prepare for the one year anniversary of those demonstrations, they are going forward more cautiously and entirely cognizant that it will take more than large-scale protests to change their bitter fate under this regime.</p>
<p>The central topic at the time of the first demonstrations was the disenchantment of millions of Iranians whose rights were being trampled on by a rogue and hardline regime. Now at center stage, is the IRI’s nuclear weapons ambition and how quickly it will fulfill those objectives.</p>
<p>Likewise, talk of sanctions divided scholars, politicians, Iranians and Iranian Americans who feared the repercussion on innocent civilians. Slowly, those fears were replaced by an understanding that sanctions might be the only way to stop this relentless regime.</p>
<p>As the IRI further isolated itself from the international community with outlandish rhetoric and flippant demeanor, we found that a stronger and louder majority from the left, right and center began standing in support of powerful, yet targeted sanctions.</p>
<p>And the question, as always, was how the people of Iran will be affected. Why punish the citizens? Particularly in the case of Iran, we know the answer plain and simple. The people of Iran differ greatly with their government.  Yet by pushing for sanctions, are we allowing the Iranian people to bear the reprimands of their government; the same government many of them oppose.</p>
<p>The argument against sanctions on the people of Iran hinges on the premise that they will further strain an already suffering economy in a country where unemployment has been in the double digits for years. Many of those who can feed their families have to work a handful of menial jobs to do so.  The rule of thumb for many in the case of Iran has been to refrain from taking any action that would hurt the people, economically or otherwise.</p>
<p>It is dangerous, however, to make such a categorical statement given Iran’s precarious state. It then becomes necessary to carefully examine all the other avenues that the Iranian people have taken and are willing to take, having risked both their lives and livelihoods quite often.</p>
<p>Take, for example, the 2009 demonstrations. If we calculate the number of Iranians who were out on the streets throughout this year, missing work and cutting back on productivity for days at a time and then multiply this number by the number of man hours that were lost over the course of the year, it amounts to a huge economic loss for the Iranian economy. Yet, many opponents of sanctions, both in Iran and abroad, advocated protests and large-scale organized protests. It is interesting how economic loss was never an issue then.</p>
<p>Juxtapose this number with the irreplaceable and invaluable individuals who were killed, detained, beaten and tortured over the last 30 years. When one considers how the Iranians were willing to send their children out onto the streets the day after the well-known young woman Neda was shot and killed and hundreds of their friends and neighbors were secretly, yet brutally rounded up by the Revolutionary Guard and Basiji militia men, then the argument against sanctions for the protection of the Iranian people becomes entirely moot.</p>
<p>The debate among Iran scholars and political and social activists at this point should not focus on whether sanctions are appropriate to impose, but rather how they should be implemented, and what type of restrictions would best choke this regime while having the most nominal effect on Iranians.</p>
<p>The best recipe for sanctions requires five essential ingredients. First, they should be properly implemented. This means that they are targeted and meant to pinpoint the regime and its extensions only. Next, they should be clearly defined. As we are seeing in the case of Iran, a lack of boundaries and barriers leaves room for games and evading authority. Third, sanctions should be linked to a particular behavior change or resolution of specific issues.  Very clearly, sanctions should be tied to a particular action or behavior and made very clear to the regime. Next, it should be explained well to the Iranian people. What the United States has missed time and again in the case of Iran is a transparent and honest dialogue with the Iranian people. Where sanctions could be misconstrued as action against the people of Iran, the United States and all cosignatories should make it abundantly clear to the people of Iran that the sanctions are meant against its defiant government. Lastly, the sanctions should be lifted after conditions are met, meaning it needs to be a punishment that leaves room for repentance.</p>
<p>Another important point that is scarcely mentioned in talks about sanctions is that they are not meant solely to deter the Iranian regime from fulfilling its nuclear weapons ambitions. They can and should also be used in human rights cases to deter the regime from stoning, hanging and executing innocent civilians such as the five innocent Iranians arrested during the demonstrations and executed on Mother’s Day.</p>
<p>Over the past decade, targeted and action-specific sanctions have been successful in deterring the Islamic Republic. Two instances that come to mind are the freeing of the 13 Iranian Jews from the city of Shiraz in 1999 who were being tried for espionage. The campaign to halt the use of cranes for hangings was successful in stopping public executions for over three years.</p>
<p>Even if we were to give credence to the economic argument against sanctions, there are various ways in which they can be implemented to help the Iranian people without costing them anything. There can be sanctions on diplomats and their families. There can be a restriction on the regime’s communication worldwide, which would prevent them from making sanctimonious speeches at the United Nations every few months or so. The personal accounts of government officials and their families should be frozen. Which raises an interesting question: if these individuals want so badly to hold onto Iran’s government and care for its economic state, then why don’t they invest their money into the country?</p>
<p>Government officials should also feel pressure when they travel, when they invest abroad, and when they send their children abroad. Often, we see the children of the Iranian officials studying at top ranked American universities, while the regime is busy ruining the lives of their compatriots back home. Maybe if these officials felt the same pressures other Iranians did, their own children and families could pressure them to let up their chokehold on the country.</p>
<p>So, despite the IRI’s three-decade-long crusade to steer the country elsewhere, the argument should not be whether or not to impose sanctions. The Iranian people are hurting more in the interim with a hard-line regime which turns a blind eye to its citizens’ needs while duping the international community to cover its illicit nuclear weapons agenda. The argument should only focus on how we can hit hardest at the regime’s lifeline through crippling regulations on their energy and gasoline sectors, for the sake of the Iranians and everyone else.</p>
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