Iranian women paying quest for freedom and equality with blood
Admittedly we have problems concerning our own political leaders that reasonably should engross us all but in the light of extremely brutal repressive methods employed by instruments of the government on Iran protesters, I believe that there is also a need for us to weigh in on behalf of those seeking justice and freedom in that part of the world.
For a long time I had this misconception that most Iranians are in sync with the rabid, if not insane-like, actuation's of people there in the name of religiosity as had been reported in the past. But I should have known better. Most Iranians, the ordinary housewives and the students, the young and old, the working men and the intellectuals, have aspirations that are universal and identical with ours: the yearning to be set free as all human beings are entitled to.
The Iranians have been in bondage for more than 30 years by religious zealots who rule with iron fists but masterfully masquerading as a democratic form of government. The recent insult of a flagrantly sham election proved to be the last straw and have given the people a chance to vent long-withheld emotions. Since then many have been brutalized and killed in broad daylight and in the dead of night by the government military and police and thugs in civvies called the Bassij militia. There are reports that bodies were subsequently stolen from hospital beds ostensibly to hide evidence of atrocities. So many have died and courageous women who dare step to the plate are among the worst to suffer.
Iran has suppressed the media in order that we may not be able to witness its cruelty to its own citizens. Nahid Siamdoust of Times Magazine, wrote:
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Rabbi says Iran struggle echo Biblical events
June 20, 2009 | 4:17 pm
David Wolpe, rabbi to one of the largest Iranian Jewish congregations in the world, spoke directly to some 1200 congregants on Saturday morning from the pulpit, saying the events unfolding in Iran echo the Biblical promise of freedom.
“The people marching on the streets of Iran have seen a vision of freedom,” he said from the pulpit of Sinai Temple at Sabbath in Los Angeles during morning services.
“We all know that 50 percent, 70 percent of Iran’s population is under 30 years old,” said Wolpe. “They do not know what it’s like to be free. But they have heard. They have seen. They have the vision of freedom, and that’s why they are marching.”
Wolpe echoed the beliefs of many of his congregants when he cautioned against over-optimism, even if the protesters get their way. But still, the rabbi said, the protests are hopeful sign that freedom is stirring and that Israel’s example of democracy in the Middle East may spread elsewhere.
Wolpe is a Conservative rabbi and author who was named as the top rabbi in America in a Newsweek magazine-published story.
Read full story here.
PHOTO CAPTION: A young woman later identified as Neda was among the victims in the Iran protests. She was reportedly killed by a soldier shooting indiscriminately at the crowd. Photo from youtube.
********************************************************************************* For a long time I had this misconception that most Iranians are in sync with the rabid, if not insane-like, actuation's of people there in the name of religiosity as had been reported in the past. But I should have known better. Most Iranians, the ordinary housewives and the students, the young and old, the working men and the intellectuals, have aspirations that are universal and identical with ours: the yearning to be set free as all human beings are entitled to.
The Iranians have been in bondage for more than 30 years by religious zealots who rule with iron fists but masterfully masquerading as a democratic form of government. The recent insult of a flagrantly sham election proved to be the last straw and have given the people a chance to vent long-withheld emotions. Since then many have been brutalized and killed in broad daylight and in the dead of night by the government military and police and thugs in civvies called the Bassij militia. There are reports that bodies were subsequently stolen from hospital beds ostensibly to hide evidence of atrocities. So many have died and courageous women who dare step to the plate are among the worst to suffer.
Iran has suppressed the media in order that we may not be able to witness its cruelty to its own citizens. Nahid Siamdoust of Times Magazine, wrote:
Like other journalists who work for foreign media organizations, I was banned early on from reporting on the protests against the official victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. First the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance sent a fax prohibiting me from reporting on the streets. Then I got a call to return my already annulled press card in person. Next, I received an anonymous phone call from a person with a strangely friendly voice, telling me, "There are powerful forces out there that do not want you to continue your work.At this stage, the least we can do is voice support for the protesters' cause. It is a cause worth supporting and fighting for anytime, anywhere.
By the end of last week, I was cut off from most forms of communication altogether: mobile-phone text-messaging had already been blocked on the day of the election, and as the week went on, the entire mobile network was cut off from about late afternoon until midnight, the time when most demonstrations were being staged, making information-gathering from would-be participants impossible. Later, Internet connections were reduced to snail speed, and satellite television was almost entirely jammed. It was becoming impossible to report on events. The only 'news' left unblocked was that propagated by state television.
= = =
Rabbi says Iran struggle echo Biblical events
June 20, 2009 | 4:17 pm
David Wolpe, rabbi to one of the largest Iranian Jewish congregations in the world, spoke directly to some 1200 congregants on Saturday morning from the pulpit, saying the events unfolding in Iran echo the Biblical promise of freedom.
“The people marching on the streets of Iran have seen a vision of freedom,” he said from the pulpit of Sinai Temple at Sabbath in Los Angeles during morning services.
“We all know that 50 percent, 70 percent of Iran’s population is under 30 years old,” said Wolpe. “They do not know what it’s like to be free. But they have heard. They have seen. They have the vision of freedom, and that’s why they are marching.”
Wolpe echoed the beliefs of many of his congregants when he cautioned against over-optimism, even if the protesters get their way. But still, the rabbi said, the protests are hopeful sign that freedom is stirring and that Israel’s example of democracy in the Middle East may spread elsewhere.
Wolpe is a Conservative rabbi and author who was named as the top rabbi in America in a Newsweek magazine-published story.
Read full story here.
PHOTO CAPTION: A young woman later identified as Neda was among the victims in the Iran protests. She was reportedly killed by a soldier shooting indiscriminately at the crowd. Photo from youtube.
Dionesio C. Grava - Part-time community journalist based in Los Angeles and editorial writer at Forum Asia. 
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2 Speak Out:
Lets say farewell to Neda on the day she is buried, and lets in memory and respect to Neda, the icon of lost lives through the current uprising and throughout the whole lifetime of the barbaric Islamic Republic of Iran, donate your profile picture to her for an hour or two today and lets say: "Down with Islamic Republic of Iran"
Abbas Goya
“Martin Luther King once said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,’ ” Mr. Obama said in a statement released after security forces in the Iranian capital clashed repeatedly with protesters. “I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian people’s belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.” Barack Obama
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