Sunday, March 6, 2016
End Time Research on Prophesies : The Ring of Prophet Solomon (PUB) and Imam Mahdi (PUH)
Mohammad Ishaq Mehdi Already got this all but mehdi pray to Allah that he don't want this all kind of govt
This ring is in spritual way
Even the Bilqees she also announce the mehdi govt
But mehdi is keep on praying that he need only ALLAH help
Mehdi will be released from his body the date
20 th May that is jumma night after margrib and esha pray time day of judgement will start
Actually Islamic way it will be 21 but otherway it will be 20 th may
Next day 21 mehdi will be released
Islamic way day start after sun set but English way day start when the sun rise
This ring is in spritual way
Even the Bilqees she also announce the mehdi govt
But mehdi is keep on praying that he need only ALLAH help
Mehdi will be released from his body the date
20 th May that is jumma night after margrib and esha pray time day of judgement will start
Actually Islamic way it will be 21 but otherway it will be 20 th may
Next day 21 mehdi will be released
Islamic way day start after sun set but English way day start when the sun rise
Chotib Hadi Ma'ruf That ring already gone, stealed by jinn sakh al ard, drop on ocean and dabt al ard will bring it after al mahdi and isa as gone that what i have heard and read on any ancient book with hadist, so how do you know thats from ruby with bla blabla and bla bla bla?. And if hadist say it will bringed by dabt al ard after al mahdi and isa as die, how mahdi will even bring and use it?
Mohammed Zulkernain But a jewish legend says the stone was something so unusual only a bird knew where to find it.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
"Our mission in this world is to see the Divine's guiding hand in everything" -Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein
"...the
world is not just what we see; there is so much more to it. The hand of G0d
guides each and every one of us. Our mission in this world is to see the
Divine's guiding hand in everything, and to know that there is so much more
than what meets the eye.
Laughter And Destiny
By Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein
Understanding the secret of the name "Yitzchak" (Isaac) is the key to our future
The book of Genesis is about the foundations of the Jewish people --- our founding fathers and mothers. In the two previous Torah portions, we were introduced to Abraham and Sarah. Last week we read about the birth of Yitzchok (Isaac), and in this week's reading we have the passing of Abraham and Sarah and Yitzchok's marriage to Rebecca, moving from the first generation of the Forefathers and --- mothers to the second.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME 'YITZCHOK'
The name Yitzchok is an interesting name. It comes from the Hebrew word for laughter, tz'chok. When Yitzchok was born, Sarah said (Genesis 21: 6), tz'chok asa li Elokim, kol hashome'a Yitzchok li, "G0d has made laughter of me; whoever hears [about the birth] will laugh." The foremost commentator, Rashi, interprets this to mean not that people will laugh but that people will rejoice. Abraham and Sarah had waited so long, and so Yitzchok's birth brought great joy to them and to others as well, since everyone had seen them struggling for years. Rashi adds from the Midrash that many people who had been suffering from ill health or who had also been unable to have children had their prayers answered on the day that Yitzchok was born. Thus his name represents the tz'chok, the joy that his birth brought to the world.
However, the name Yitzchok has much more significance than merely the joy at the time of his birth. As one of the founding fathers of the Jewish people, his name obviously has much greater significance. This is evident in the fact that G0d himself chose his name, even before Yitzchok was born, as we read in chapter 17 verse 19: G0d said to Abraham "surely your wife Sarah will give birth to a son and you will call his name Yitzchok." What is the significance behind this name?
Rashi offers two explanations: the first is that it is for the joy that his birth brought, as mentioned above, and the second is that the name Yitzchok is composed of four Hebrew letters - a yud, a tzadik, a ches and a kuf, each of which has numerical significance: the yudis numerically ten, referring to the ten tests with which Abraham was tested; the tzadikis numerically ninety, referring to Sarah's age at Yitzchok's birth; the ches is numerically eight, referring to the eighth day on which Yitzchok was circumcised; and the kuf, is numerically a hundred, Abraham's age at Yitzchok's birth. These four letters comprising the name Yitzchok contain a reference to all of these major events: the ten tests, the ninety years of Sarah, the eighth day of the circumcision and the hundred years of Abraham.
In his commentary on Rashi, the Maharal of Prague explains that these four milestones -- the ten tests, Abraham and Sarah's age, and the eighth day on which Yitzchok was circumcised -- are all interconnected, and this actually answers the question of why G0d made Abraham wait for so long to have a child.
G0d wanted Yitzchok to be born after the commandment of circumcision had been given, so that he would be circumcised on the eighth day in accordance with the exact specifications of the mitzvah (unlike Ishmael, who had been circumcised at thirteen because that is how old he was at the time Abraham received the commandment). And G0d specifically delayed the commandment of circumcision till Abraham was old, because circumcising himself at such an old age was one of G0d's ten tests of Abraham's faith.
Courtesy: http://jewishworldreview.com/1111/goldstein_isaac_yitzchok
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Anti-Superstitions Bill in India aimed at breaking faith rather than superstitions
Similar conspiracies against Faith and religion is funded by the British in Bangladesh also. In the pretext of eradication of 'superstitions' their real agenda is to eradicate Faith in Almighty Allah,Faith in Divine Scriptures, Faith in Angels, Faith in Holy Prophets of Allah, Faith in the Day of Judgement, Faith in Heaven and Hell.
[based on an online article by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti titled "Anti-Superstitions Bill : Tughalaqui ‘fatwa’ aimed at breaking faith rather than superstitions" dated December 6, 2011]
[http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/13127.html#.Tt4MQc8SSk8.facebook]
Maharashtra Government is trying to eradicate superstitions from the society by passing ‘Maharashtra………………. Act 2011’ (i.e. anti-superstitions Act). Many people, therefore, ask the question in various forums like TV channels, newspapers, discussion programs etc. that why organizations like Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and pro-Hindu organizations were then opposing this Act.
On this Bill, opinion was sought from people throughout the State by the joint review committee. Owing to the agitation undertaken by HJS, more than a lakh of people corresponded with the said committee to send their opposition. HJS sent legal opinions of many experts from this field to the Government; but the Government did not pay any attention.
Warakari Sect was one of those who severely opposed the said Act. They broke their hundred years old tradition and stopped the ‘palakhi’ to oppose the Act; therefore, the Government promised, in writing, to send a representative for discussions with Warakari Sect before passing the Act. No representative, however, went to Warakaris for discussions and the Government once again presented the Act for passing thus betraying Warakaris. How can people have faith in such betraying Government?
In the meantime, the tenure of the State Government ended in the year 2009 and the proposed Act was cancelled. Now, in the year 2011, the same Act has been re-introduced with change in its name and preamble. It is now called ‘Maharashtra Narbali (human killings), anya amanaviya va anishta va aghori pratha (other inhuman, undesirable and dreadful customs) va jadutona (black magic) Adhiniyam (Bill) 2011’ misleading people. On the whole, the Government and creators of the Act are deceiving people by keeping all the clauses of the old Act intact and by just changing its name to eradicate Hindu Dharma. As such, HJS and pro-Hindu organizations are strongly opposing this Act.
Present laws are capable !
[based on an online article by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti titled "Anti-Superstitions Bill : Tughalaqui ‘fatwa’ aimed at breaking faith rather than superstitions" dated December 6, 2011]
[http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/13127.html#.Tt4MQc8SSk8.facebook]
Maharashtra Government is trying to eradicate superstitions from the society by passing ‘Maharashtra………………. Act 2011’ (i.e. anti-superstitions Act). Many people, therefore, ask the question in various forums like TV channels, newspapers, discussion programs etc. that why organizations like Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and pro-Hindu organizations were then opposing this Act.
Maharashtra Government and Andha-shraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS) have hatched a most dangerous conspiracy
was brought forth by the Government; but even Manav just changed few words and prepared a draft like earlier one, attacking Dharma; it was now named as ‘Maharashtra Jadutona ani Anishta va Aghori Pratha yanche samool uchhatan Adhiniyam 2011’. Although the Government is claiming that it is meant only for ‘tantriks – mantriks’; even in this Act, under clause 13, all religious rituals and acts of Hindus have been considered as non-bailbale offences. Moreover, to include religious institutions and temple trusts, ‘company clause’ has been included in the Act from the beginning. In this, a third person has been given right to lodge a complaint and ‘Vigilance officer’ has been given free hand to go anywhere and conduct inquiry or confiscate anything. There is ban on propagation of holy scriptures; therefore, HJS had to once again strongly oppose this Act. The Government got this wrong Bill passed in Legislative Assembly in utter chaos on 16th December 2005; but it got stuck in the Legislative Council due to strong opposition. It was later referred to joint review committee for amendments.
Total disregard to public opinion :
On this Bill, opinion was sought from people throughout the State by the joint review committee. Owing to the agitation undertaken by HJS, more than a lakh of people corresponded with the said committee to send their opposition. HJS sent legal opinions of many experts from this field to the Government; but the Government did not pay any attention.
Betrayal of Warakari Sect :
Warakari Sect was one of those who severely opposed the said Act. They broke their hundred years old tradition and stopped the ‘palakhi’ to oppose the Act; therefore, the Government promised, in writing, to send a representative for discussions with Warakari Sect before passing the Act. No representative, however, went to Warakaris for discussions and the Government once again presented the Act for passing thus betraying Warakaris. How can people have faith in such betraying Government?
One point agenda to change the name of the Act :
In the meantime, the tenure of the State Government ended in the year 2009 and the proposed Act was cancelled. Now, in the year 2011, the same Act has been re-introduced with change in its name and preamble. It is now called ‘Maharashtra Narbali (human killings), anya amanaviya va anishta va aghori pratha (other inhuman, undesirable and dreadful customs) va jadutona (black magic) Adhiniyam (Bill) 2011’ misleading people. On the whole, the Government and creators of the Act are deceiving people by keeping all the clauses of the old Act intact and by just changing its name to eradicate Hindu Dharma. As such, HJS and pro-Hindu organizations are strongly opposing this Act.
Present laws are capable !
1. In cases like Raman Raghav for serial killings, Nandos killings, Anita’s burning case etc. all the accused have been stringently punished (including death sentence).
In June 2007, Hindi news channels like ‘Star News’ and ‘ZEE News’ , started a drive against fake and ‘tantrik’ babas and forced Delhi police to take action against about 150 so-called fake babas. This shows that the existing Indian Penal Code and other laws are adequate to take action against such crimes.
2. Basically, laws are required by the police and Courts. They have not made any demand about requiring more effective laws. Maharashtra police department has given in writing to a query posed under RTI that the existing laws are not inadequate to stop crimes in respect of superstitions. The existing laws are adequate and capable. It is necessary to effectively implement these laws. Thus the need to pass such Act becomes void.
Crimes committed under the name of superstitions are not many
1. The Government, along with the creators of this law, has claimed in the preamble of the Act that the number of crimes committed under the name of superstition is very alarming; but it has not given comparative number of such crimes with other crimes.
2. The data collected under RTI shows that in the past 5 years, other crimes were more than one lakh; whereas, crimes under the name of superstitions were only 109; among them, crimes committed by ‘Bengali babas’ are more. As such, the claim made by the Government and creators of this Act that the number of crimes committed under the name of superstitions is alarming, is totally false.
In case the Government is going to pass Acts taking into account the nature of crime, as per the information sought, in other types of crimes, crime against women like rape is highest with 1500 cases registered in Maharashtra. Drinking habit and immorality are the main reasons behind such crime. Maharashtra Government encourages manufacture of liquor and compared to other States supplies 97% of the requirement. Is the Government going to impose ban on manufacture of all types of liquor and is it going to impose ban on TV channels, films, advertisements, books which promote immorality? Because making a separate law for crimes, which are comparatively less, shows double standard of the State Government.
Propagation of faith is necessary for eradication of superstitions!
To dispel darkness, one has to bring in light; similarly, people have to be explained what faith is; if superstitions are to be removed. The task of eradication of superstitions and increase in faith among people has been done in true sense of the term, by Saints like Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram Maharaj, Samartha Ramdas Swami, Saint Namdeo etc. HJS has kept them as the ideal and is trying to increase faith through its ‘Dharmashikshan’ classes conducted all over the world.
Owing to problems like inflation, unemployment, insecurity, competition etc. a person may tend to go after superstitions to find quick remedy for their problems or for happiness. At such time, the right remedy is required to be suggested; therefore, abiding by Dharma and undertaking spiritual practice is necessary for solving problems; only then one can be kept away from following superstitions. This constructive work is undertaken by HJS for free. In short, we say “Don’t take thorns (superstitions), instead take rose flower (faith)”; whereas people from ANiS say, “We want neither thorns nor flower. For the above constructive work, HJS undertakes different drives like ‘Dharmashikshan’ classes, lectures, distribution of handbills besides operating its website www.hindujagruti.org .
Poisonous hissing by Dr. Dabholkar who has prepared the draft of the bill with the aim of turning people away from faith advocating atheism!
1. Useless talk by Dr. Dabholkar who has no knowledge on importance of observing fast !
‘Observing fast is a mental bondage due to which people of this country have lost their will to bring change in self.’- Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Chief Executive, Maharashtra Andha-shraddha Nirmulan Samiti
2. Anti-Dharma Dr. Dabholkar of ANiS says, “ How can God, who cannot have bath on His own, shower you with good fortune?’
3. ‘Performance of Satyanarayan puja’ is superstition !’ – Dr. Dabholkar of anti-Hindu ANiS
4. Dr. Dabholkar having no knowledge of India’s 5000 years old traditions says that education based on science is required to break 5000 years old Indian traditions ! : Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, the chief executive of ANiS said that education only with scientific approach is necessary to break 5000 years old Indian traditions.
People should oppose this Act drafted with the purpose of propagating atheism and join the activities for protection of Nation and Dharma !
Source: Daily Sanatan Prabhat
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Education, Religion & Secularism -By Shah Abdul Hannan
Education, Religion & Secularism
By Shah Abdul Hannan
(Columnist and Former Secretary, Government of Bangladesh)
If we study world history, we will see that just like every cell that has a nucleus according to scientists, prior to the rise of secularism as an ideology, the nucleus or center of education was religion. The objective of education was to establish an ethical base and to mould human beings with moral or ethical ideology. This applies to Islam as well. During the initial phases of the Islamic era, the middle ages and even most recently before the colonial era, Muslim educational institutions had put emphasis upon the Qur’an, Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SA) and the Sirah (his life story) or Fiqh issues. That is, summarizing in one statement, in addition to putting emphasis upon all these, there were discussions and teachings about History, Geography, Duties of Statesmen, Policies of Government or rules of administration. A letter that was sent from Hazrat Ali (RA) to Malik Al Ashtar specified the duties and responsibilities of a governor or head of state. This shows that the basis of education was religion or Islam, which promotes good character and ethical values. Natural science or social science – whatever the teachings were – were based on this specific source.
The same is true in the history of Budhism to some extent. The education that was disseminated through Nalanda University was based on fundamental teachings of character building and on the basic ethical values taken from the teachings of Budhism. They had also incorporated other streams of knowledge prevalent in India at that time.
If we analyze the primary phases of the Hindu religion, it will be clear to us that the basis of acquiring knowledge was the Veda. Veda itself means Knowledge. The basis of their ancient philosophy was also Veda. In other words, Veda was at the center of their education culture. Alongside it, military science, diplomacy, financial studies/economics and other scriptures were added according to the need of the time.
Historically, the Christians' education system was also based on the Church. Every church was used as a college or an educational institution. Whatever was taught there, the basis was the Bible, i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament. This only proves that prior to the end of the 18th century – when the Enlightenment Movement began and gave birth to Secularism – education was based on religion. The result of this education culture was that human life was more or less governed by certain ethical and moral standards. As a result, most of the people, whether they were Hindu or Buddhist, were charitable. As regards fundamental human values, they were better than people now. They were not inhuman.
Prior to the enlightenment movement (that supposedly advocated free thought) initiated at the end of the 18th century, there had been two more revolutions in Europe . The first was Renaissance. This occurred in areas of Art and Literature; it was not based on religion or politics. The second revolution was the Reformation Movement. A dispute arose from the Christian Church itself over whether the Pope was the sole interpreter of the Bible. Without going into too much detail on this issue, this resulted in the Church being divided in multiple sects. For example, the Lutheran Church under the leadership of Luther, the Calvinist Church under the leadership of Calvin, the Angelical Church led by the British Priests, the Baptist Church and others. This was called the Protestant Movement which was the result of the Reformation Movement.
There was a third revolution which had occurred in France . It had started in the name of ‘Free-thought’. The influence cut through the end of the 18th century and before & after the French Revolution. Whatever the reason was, majority of the leaders of these revolutions were openly atheist or inclined to atheism or secularism. In the history of mankind, this was the first time that they came up with the philosophy that religion needed to be excluded from activities of the state and society. That is, religion will have no role to play in issues of the state or society. If religion exists, it has to exist only in the hearts of the people – if anyone wants. Religion will be absent in areas like Economics, Culture, Politics, Legal system, and other mundane matters. The main argument of this movement was that logic, and not divine revelations, will be the basis of life; and there will be no establishment of religious or divine law.
The first bad consequence of this was that education was separated from religion. As a result, the schooling systems that developed made people selfish. They became commercial. Respect for religion decreased. The greatness or dominance of ethics/morals was reduced. Man became more accustomed to immorality and selfishness. This schooling gave rise to generals, politicians & scholars. In their inner self a predisposition was imprinted that for the greater society there was no need of religion – whether in parliament, markets, stock exchanges, or banks. This individual thought process that developed became the basis of their social attitude.
Consequently, this thought influenced all sectors of human life. Social Darwinism became a norm in economics and the theory ‘Survival of the Fittest’ was acquired as the theme. Only the capable will survive. Which meant: those who are not capable will one day be destroyed. Why would we obstruct the natural process? In this fashion, if any nation whether in this sub-continent, Africa or China does not prove itself as the fittest, it is bound to lose out. There is no need for morality or pity in such cases. It is only logical that ‘we are pushing the fittest forward’. This was Social Darwinism which was against Christianity and against Islam. Christianity asks you to love your neighbor, it asks you to give charity. And Islam talks about ‘Infaq Fi SabiliLlah’ or ‘Spending in the way of Allah’, Zakah. This is a serious matter. It puts especial emphasis on the duties towards near relatives. Secularism or the Free-thought movement initiated thinking about the Economy with the exclusion of God. Even capitalism that started 500 years ago was not so unethical in reality; Christian morals had moderated its activities. However, they had started a completely competitive market system. Prior to the Free-thought movement the horrific face of capitalism had not shown itself.
But when capitalism combined itself with secularism, the laborers in Europe started facing oppression to such an extent that they were left only in the state of being alive – as resources for market production. Communism came in as a reaction to this very aspect; Socialism was given birth. The result of the imposition of Free-thought or secularist ideology on Economy was that inhumanity and immorality established itself and it was considered positive science; economy was a unique science; there will be no question of morals; no ethics. Just as we don’t give any thought of ethics in the flow of air or water, there will be no ethics on the flow of the economy. It will run by itself. Such notions resulted in many ills. Needless to say, such economic theories were the result of excessive greed and the urge for too much wealth. Interest operations made the situation worse. If interest was not there this may have never happened.
I have explained above the nature of the enlightenment movement (or the free-thought movement or Secular movement). The other result of these movements was that man at home spoke of independence, democracy, brotherhood while at the same time the children educated in the secular education system went out to conquer the world. People in France, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland and few other European countries conquered almost the whole of the world: the two Americas, Australia, New Zealand, almost 100 percent of Africa and almost 70 percent of Asia. In trying to do so, they became involved in wars with each other and with the natives of those countries.
The followers of the enlightenment movement or ‘Free-thought’ of the 18th century managed to conquer the whole world. Their sense of immorality was behind this great win. No moral society/state can attack or capture another state. But they looted the world. They looted iron ores and various minerals, gold, diamond – they looted everything. The Spanish looted South America . The British looted our region, as they looted Africa. Looting was their main activity. That means: men educated in the secular education system started oppressing people severely. Then they announced that their objective was to civilize people. How can such uncivilized people civilize others?
At the time when they arrived as traders in the court of Mughal emperor Jahangir, the culture, the refinement, the etiquette that the Mughal possessed were much superior. What I’m saying is that colonizers' political attitude was based on immorality. They fought against each other. France and England tried to take the control of India . In the end, England occupied this region solely. Similarly France, Britain & Spain fought in America. In the end South America went to the hands of Spain . North America went to the hands of the British. The British, French, Italians, Germans and Portuguese fought in Africa. Portugal took over the region of Mozambique. The Dutch took some parts including South Africa. Maghreb or North Africa was taken over by Italy and France. This very incidence is portrayed in the film of Omar Mokhtar.
What we noticed that the Free-thought movement that abandoned religion produced very bad examples of humans. These men went on conquering the world. These men plundered foreign countries and then fought among themselves. The result was that they could not give any peace to this world. They fought the First World War and the Second World War. Four very harmful doctrines were given birth by the Western Civilization: Fascism, Communism, Capitalism & Secularism. Except for democracy, they seem to have given nothing good at all.
The ones who didn’t want to give any room for God in their consciousness showed animal behavior in issues of family and gender. They thought that there was no need for family and that it was merely an institution to subjugate and enslave women. They preferred living like animals. Even if anyone grew a family, that would be merely to produce children, which is anther animal attitude. There was also an idea of ‘Communes’. These communes would have 100 men and 100 women, and the identity of the fathers of the children was not known. Everyone would take the responsibility of child rearing. They also came up with the thought that an animal looks after (or rears) its young only until it can eat by itself. The tiger or the dog rears the young cubs until they are capable of standing on their legs. Man will also have to do the same. The attitude is: ‘Why shall I strive for 30 years? Why shall I sacrifice so much? The child has been born as a natural phenomenon and he/she is grown up now. Let him/her do his/her duty. I have no more responsibility. Why shall I give up my self-interest? Why shall I give up my happiness & pleasure?’ The deplorable state of families was largely due to the secular mindset. This could have become worse. However, the little influence of Christianity (wherever applies) that exists today has prevented it from going to that extent. Whatever good is there has been possible entirely due to people adhering to their religion of Christianity. And the moral degradation has happened largely due to this Free-thought movement; due to the secular ideology of separating life and ethics.
What’s the solution to this problem? As far as my knowledge goes, this can be solved in two ways. One, as Muslims we take seriously the directions given by Allah (SW); in other words, we need to submit to Him completely. The root cause of all problems is the false display of Free-thought. Their statement is: Leave God! On the contrary we should keep Him near to us. We have to follow Him all the time. We have to lead our lives keeping faith and trust in Him. We are bound and indebted to Him in all aspects. We cannot do without Him. This is our duty as Muslims. People of other religions have to go to the Creator, go to moral values, and return to religion. So as a solution we’re saying – whichever way possible – the education system based on morals/ethics needs to be brought back. For moral education there is no other basis other than religion.
In a Muslim State, Islam should be the basis for the Muslims, and other religions for their adherents. In non-Mulsim states a moral education system needs to be established with their religion as the basis. We hope alternatives will be there for Muslims.
If the education system grows in this manner, then we can hope that the process of developing good human beings will start. If good human beings are created, wellbeing will spread in all sectors. Good people will be created everywhere, in politics, economy, family. We cannot do with just theories. And the change will not happen with only what I am saying. However, we do have to start to work for the revival of humanity. We know that such a revival is not impossible.
There are some other relevant issues that need some discussion. There is a claim that Christian Churches are opposed to Science. I don’t know how much of it is true and how much is propaganda. This needs to be delved into. If anything of that sort has happened, then that is a mistake. Science has flourished in India and China. Here, scientists were never penalized.
Science has flourished in the hands of Muslims. We know of no incident of scientists being tortured or oppressed in Islamic history. Who can claim that in any movement, whether Communist or democratic, no mistakes were made? Removing Christianity completely is an over-reaction.
I would like to mention here a comment made in the book ‘Tawhid’ by Isma’il Al Razi. He said, ‘God is not against Science, nor an enemy of science’. It’s just because Allah exists that He has established an order. It’s because of this existence of order that it has been possible to conceptualize scientific theories. If Allah didn’t Exist, there would have been no order; neither would science have been created.
No religion has interfered in the development that has occurred due to science. The one or two examples that are found in Christian Europe were mistake. But Christian leaders or the Pope are not against Science.
We understand that humans were basically religious (God-fearing). They need to be reverted to religion and God-consciousness. They need to be reverted to being Islamic. What’s the difference between a person who is religious and a person who is secular? An Islamic person looks for a solution to any problem in the Qur’an and the Sunnah; and then to other areas. The same is applicable to other religious people. On the other hand, a secular mind doesn’t think about what’s there in Allah’s Book. He/she thinks and looks for what secular scholars say; what political leaders are saying or what Russia, China, America, or Canada are doing. They have taken the world from religious thought process to secular thought process. That is why our duty is to bring back the whole world into the frame of morality/ethics, to bring it back to the religious thought process.
The use of the word ‘secular’ was started after the Free-thought movement in the 19th century. By accepting the ideology of enlightenment, educated society has become more or less secular. Unfortunately, we have numerous people who pray but claim to be secular. They don’t look for solutions in Islam. These secular minds need to be reverted to Islam completely. For this, they need to be given some basic books to read. There is no other way. I hope, if we try our best, we will succeed insha Allah.
Translated by my student Sumaiya Sadia Raihan, MBA from IBA, Dhaka University.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
What Islam Can Do - by Dr. Richard L. Benkin
What Islam Can Do
Dr. Richard L. Benkin
Chicago, USA
I am trying to stop the elimination of Bangladesh’s Hindus. In 1947 after the Indian Subcontinent’s partition, Hindus represented almost one third of East Pakistan’s population. When East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971, they were less than a fifth; 30 years later less than one in ten; and by several reliable estimates, perhaps fewer than eight percent today. During that time, regardless of the party in power—BNP, Awami League, Caretaker, Military—a regular flood of reports documenting anti-Hindu atrocities flowed like a river from Bangladesh. No one whose outrage could have stopped them ever expressed any; no government has prosecuted the victimizers; no religious leaders have called these actions un-Islamic—which they clearly are—and done so again and again when the atrocities continued. Where is the voice of Islam?
Several years ago, some Israelis set up a shrine at the gravesite of Baruch Goldstein. Goldstein was the Brooklyn dentist who walked into a mosque in Hevron one day in 1994 and started shooting. Before he was subdued and beaten to death, he killed 29 worshippers. Do you know what happened to that shrine? The Israeli government destroyed it, arrested the people behind it, and passed a law outlawing shrines to terrorists like Goldstein. Jewish religious leaders from the most observant to the most liberal all condemned Goldstein at the time of his terrorist attack and his followers when they tried to honor him with a shrine. No one told us to understand his anger or think about his “noble” motives. They just condemned it.
If you go to Israel or drive around any of the Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn, looking for a street or anything else named in his honor; you will not find any. If you scan television programs or newspapers in Israel looking for any that call Goldstein a “martyr,” you again will be disappointed. There are none, and there will be none for him or any other terrorist. Moreover, both Israel and the United States are nations that allow free speech and expression, even if it is critical of their governments. Yet, you will not find literature demonizing the Arabs or Muslims as “sons of apes and pigs” or citing holy verses that supposedly tell good Jews to kill them.
So why do we see terrorists praised as martyrs in the Muslim world? What makes that even more frustrating is that I know a lot of individual Muslims who find these terrorist attacks contrary to their basic values and understanding of their faith. The closest we have seen to a real and unequivocal rejection of these terrorists came from the Islamic community of Mumbai. After the terrorist attack in their city on 26 November 2008, Mumbai’s Muslim community refused an Islamic burial to those terrorists killed in the attack. There was no “understanding” of their anger; no equivocation about what others might have done. It was a clear statement that these terrorists had disqualified themselves from the support of the Islamic community.
So, I ask my Muslim brothers and sisters why we continue to cry out in vain for Muslim religious and lay leaders to condemn the terrorists in their midst and refuse them even a crumb of ideological justification. While I will not sit at the table with those who say that Islam itself is evil, I do acknowledge (as I suspect you do) that the preponderance of terror attacks involving those who claim to be acting in the name of Islam—and who are not utterly and unequivocally condemned by Muslim religious and lay leaders—have caused many people to associate that faith with those actions. So, I ask my Muslim brothers and sisters why Muslim religious and lay leaders continue to refuse to take this simple action, which should strengthen the shared bonds of all people of faith.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Discussion on Rapes in US Military and Rapes in Iranian Prisons
ALJAZEERA TV REPORT
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/12/2010122182546344551.html
Rape rampant in US military
Dahr Jamail Last Modified: 24 Dec 2010
Kazi Azizul Huq
Nations should seek guidance and solution in the Divine Scriptures and in the traditions of the Holy Messengers of Allah. The Holy Quran and the tradition of Holy Messenger of Allah Hazrat Muhammad (saws) promote separation of work place for male and female, while accommodating flexibility for exceptional circumstances. January 2, 2011, Sunday at 2:12am
Meir Stone Rape is horrible and I denounce it no matter where it takes place, I was so ashame when the USA did not speak out when the many reports of Rape came out of Iran
http://www.timesonline.co.
http://www.rferl.org/conte
Meir Stone Meir Stone
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison. http://www.youtube.com/wat
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/12/2010122182546344551.html
--0---
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/12/2010122182546344551.html
Rape rampant in US military
Statistics and soldiers' testimonies reveal a harrowing epidemic of sexual assault in the US military.
Kazi Azizul Huq
Nations should seek guidance and solution in the Divine Scriptures and in the traditions of the Holy Messengers of Allah. The Holy Quran and the tradition of Holy Messenger of Allah Hazrat Muhammad (saws) promote separation of work place for male and female, while accommodating flexibility for exceptional circumstances. January 2, 2011, Sunday at 2:12am
Meir Stone Rape is horrible and I denounce it no matter where it takes place, I was so ashame when the USA did not speak out when the many reports of Rape came out of Iran
http://www.timesonline.co.
Sunday at 9:53am
Meir Stone
Meir Stone ...August 22, 2009
Iranian boy who defied Tehran hardliners tells of prison rape ordeal
Homa Homayoun ......
Iranian boy who defied Tehran hardliners tells of prison rape ordeal
Homa Homayoun ......
These are not credible testimonies. Sunday at 1:39pm
http://www.rferl.org/conte
Meir Stone
Mehdi Karrubi was a losing reformist candidate for president in Iran's contentious June 12 election, but in the aftermath has strengthened his position as a leading opposition figure ....
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison< >
http://www.france24.com/en
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison. http://www.youtube.com/wat
http://www.huffingtonpost.
So far I know the Iranian Clergies and their obedient followers, they are disciplined and principled. They may not be perfect but they are not evil. They take action against criminals - whoever he be - according to law. They are not like the West European and US administration who exploit law and institutions for evil agenda.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011.
DETAILS:
| Features |
| Rape rampant in US military |
| Statistics and soldiers' testimonies reveal a harrowing epidemic of sexual assault in the US military. Dahr Jamail Last Modified: 24 Dec 2010 20:34 GMT |
Sexual assault within the ranks of the military is not a new problem. It is a systemic problem that has necessitated that the military conduct its own annual reporting on the crisis.
A 2003 Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal prompted the department of defense to include a provision in the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act that required investigations and reports of sexual harassment and assaults within US military academies to be filed. The personal toll is, nevertheless, devastating.
Military sexual trauma (MST) survivor Susan Avila-Smith is director of the veteran’s advocacy group Women Organizing Women. She has been serving female and scores of male clients in various stages of recovery from MST for 15 years and knows of its devastating effects up close.
“People cannot conceive how badly wounded these people are,” she told Al Jazeera, “Of the 3,000 I’ve worked with, only one is employed. Combat trauma is bad enough, but with MST it’s not the enemy, it’s our guys who are doing it. You’re fighting your friends, your peers, people you’ve been told have your back. That betrayal, then the betrayal from the command is, they say, worse than the sexual assault itself.”
On December 13, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups filed a federal lawsuit seeking Pentagon records in order to get the real facts about the incidence of sexual assault in the ranks.
The Pentagon has consistently refused to release records that fully document the problem and how it is handled. Sexual assaults on women in the US military have claimed some degree of visibility, but about male victims there is absolute silence.
Pack Parachute, a non-profit in Seattle, assists veterans who are sexual assault survivors. Its founder Kira Mountjoy-Pepka, was raped as a cadet at the Air Force Academy. In July 2003 she was member of a team of female cadets handpicked by Donald Rumsfeld, at the time the secretary of defense, to tell their stories of having been sexually assaulted. The ensuing media coverage and a Pentagon investigation forced the academy to make the aforementioned major policy changes.
A 2003 Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal prompted the department of defense to include a provision in the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act that required investigations and reports of sexual harassment and assaults within US military academies to be filed. The personal toll is, nevertheless, devastating.
Military sexual trauma (MST) survivor Susan Avila-Smith is director of the veteran’s advocacy group Women Organizing Women. She has been serving female and scores of male clients in various stages of recovery from MST for 15 years and knows of its devastating effects up close.
“People cannot conceive how badly wounded these people are,” she told Al Jazeera, “Of the 3,000 I’ve worked with, only one is employed. Combat trauma is bad enough, but with MST it’s not the enemy, it’s our guys who are doing it. You’re fighting your friends, your peers, people you’ve been told have your back. That betrayal, then the betrayal from the command is, they say, worse than the sexual assault itself.”
On December 13, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups filed a federal lawsuit seeking Pentagon records in order to get the real facts about the incidence of sexual assault in the ranks.
The Pentagon has consistently refused to release records that fully document the problem and how it is handled. Sexual assaults on women in the US military have claimed some degree of visibility, but about male victims there is absolute silence.
Pack Parachute, a non-profit in Seattle, assists veterans who are sexual assault survivors. Its founder Kira Mountjoy-Pepka, was raped as a cadet at the Air Force Academy. In July 2003 she was member of a team of female cadets handpicked by Donald Rumsfeld, at the time the secretary of defense, to tell their stories of having been sexually assaulted. The ensuing media coverage and a Pentagon investigation forced the academy to make the aforementioned major policy changes.
Report reveals alarming statistics
Mountjoy-Pepka often works with male survivors of MST. She stated in a telephone interview that four per cent of men in the military experience MST.
“Most choose not to talk about it until after their discharge from the military, largely because the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in over 60 percent of MST cases is too overwhelming,” she informed Al Jazeera.
Last week the Pentagon released its “annual report on sexual harassment and violence at the military service academies”. At its three academies, the number of reports of sexual assault and harassment has risen a staggering 64 percent from last year.
The report attributes the huge increase to better reporting of incidents due to increased training and education about sexual assault and harassment. Veteran’s Administration (VA) statistics show that more than 50 percent of the veterans who screen positive for MST are men.
According to the US Census Bureau, there are roughly 22 million male veterans compared to less than two million female vets.
In Congressional testimony in the summer of 2008, Lt. Gen. Rochelle, the army chief of personnel, reported the little known statistic that 12 percent (approximately 260) of the 2,200 reported rapes in the military in 2007 were reported by military male victims.
Due to their sheer numbers in the military, more men (at a rough estimate one in twenty), have experienced MST than women.
Shamed into silence
Billy Capshaw was 17 when he joined the Army in 1977. After being trained as a medic he was transferred to Baumholder, Germany. His roommate, Jeffrey Dahmer, by virtue of his seniority ensured that Capshaw had no formal assignment, no mail, and no pay. Having completely isolated the young medic, Dahmer regularly sexually assaulted, raped, and tortured him.
Dahmer went on to become the infamous serial killer and sex offender who murdered 17 boys and men before being beaten to death by an inmate at Columbia Correction Institution in 1994.
Capshaw reflects back, “At that young age I didn’t know how to deal with it. My commander did not believe me. Nobody helped me, even though I begged and begged and begged.”
The debilitating lifelong struggle Capshaw has had to face is common among survivors of military sexual assault.
Later during therapy he needed to go public. Since then he says, “I’ve talked to a lot of men, many of them soldiers, who are raped but who won’t go public with their story. The shame alone is overwhelming.”
In 1985 Michael Warren enlisted in the navy and for three years worked as a submarine machinist mate on a nuclear submarine. One day he awoke to find another soldier performing fellatio on him.
He recollects with horror, “I was paralyzed with fear. I was in disbelief... shame. When I reported it to the commander he said it was better for me to deal with it after being discharged. Nobody helped me, not even the chaplain. The commander at the processing centre wouldn’t look me in the face. When I filled out my claim later they didn’t believe me. It’s so frustrating.”
Armando Javier was an active duty Marine from 1990 to 1994. He was a Lance Corporal at Camp Lejeune in 1993 when he was raped.
Five Marines jumped Javier and beat him until he was nearly unconscious, before taking turns raping him. His sexual victimization narrative reads, “One of them, a corporal, pulled down my shorts and instructed the others to ‘Get the grease’. Another corporal instructed someone to bring the stick. They began to insert the stick inside my anus. The people present during this sadistic and ritual-like ceremony started to cajole, cheer, and laugh, saying “stick em’ – stick-em’.”
Extreme shame and trauma compelled him not to disclose the crime to anyone except a friend in his unit. He wrote in his account, “My experience left me torn apart physically, mentally, and spiritually. I was dehumanized and treated with ultimate cruelty, by my perpetrators… I was embarrassed and ashamed and didn’t know what to do. I was young at that time. And being part of an elite organization that values brotherhood, integrity and faithfulness made it hard to come forward and reveal what happened.”
The reality of being less equal
Women in America were first allowed into the military during the Revolutionary War in 1775 and their travails are as old. Drill instructors indoctrinate new recruits into it at the outset by routinely referring to them as “girl,” “pussy,” “bitch,” and “dyke.”
A Command Sergeant Major told Catherine Jayne West of the Mississippi National Guard, “There aren’t but two places for women - in the kitchen or in the bedroom. Women have no place in the military.”
She was raped by fellow soldier Private First Class Kevin Lemeiux, at the sprawling Camp Anaconda, north of Baghdad. The defense lawyer in court merely wanted to know why, as a member of the army, she had not fought back.
The morning after the rape, an army doctor gave her a thorough examination. The army’s criminal investigation team concluded her story was true. Moreover, Lemeiux had bragged about the incident to his buddies and they had turned him in. It seemed like a closed case, but in court the defense claimed that the fact that West had not fought back during the rape was what incriminated her. In addition, her commanding officer and 1st Sergeant declared, in court, that she was a “promiscuous female.”
In contrast, Lemeiux, after the third court hearing of the trial, was promoted to a Specialist. Meanwhile his lawyer entered a plea of insanity.
He was later found guilty of kidnapping but not rape, despite his own admission of the crime. He was given three years for kidnapping, half of which was knocked off.
The long term affects of MST
Jasmine Black, a human resources specialist in the Army National Guard from June 2006 to September 2008 was raped by another soldier in her battalion when she was stationed in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She reported it to her Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) and the Military Police, but the culprit was not brought to book.
After an early discharge due to MST and treatment at a PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) facility, she was raped again by a higher-ranking member of the air force in February 2009.
Administrator for a combat engineering instruction unit in Knoxville, Tennessee, Tracey Harmon has no illusions. “For women in the military, you are either a bitch, a dyke, or a whore. If you sleep with one person in your unit you are a whore. If you are a lesbian you are a dyke, and if you don’t sleep with other soldiers you are a bitch.”
Maricela Guzman served in the navy from 1998 to 2002 as a computer technician on the island of Diego Garcia. She was raped while in boot camp, but fear of consequences kept her from talking about it for the rest of her time in the military. “I survived by becoming a workaholic and was much awarded as a soldier for my work ethic.”
On witnessing the way it treated the native population in Diego Garcia, she chose to dissociate from the military. Post discharge, her life became unmanageable. She underwent a divorce, survived a failed suicide attempt and became homeless before deciding to move in with her parents. A chance encounter with a female veteran at a political event in Los Angeles prompted her to contact the VA for help. Her therapist there diagnosed her with PTSD from her rape.
The VA denied her claim nevertheless, “Because they said I couldn’t prove it … since I had not brought it up when it happened and also because I had not shown any deviant behavior while in the service. I was outraged and felt compelled to talk about what happened.”
While it will go to any length to maintain public silence over the issue, the military machine has no such qualms within its own corridors. Guzman discloses, “Through the gossip mill we would hear of women who had reported being raped. No confidentiality was maintained nor any protection given to victims. The boys’ club culture is strong and the competition exclusive. That forces many not to report rape, because it is a blemish and can ruin your career.”
The department of defence reported that in fiscal year 2009, there were 3,230 reports of sexual assault, an increase of 11 percent over the prior year.
However, as high as the military’s own figures are of rape and sexual assault, victims and advocates Al Jazeera spoke with believe the real figures are sure to be higher.
This is the first in a two part series on sexual harassment in the US military. The second part in the series will be published in the coming week.
| |
“Most choose not to talk about it until after their discharge from the military, largely because the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in over 60 percent of MST cases is too overwhelming,” she informed Al Jazeera.
Last week the Pentagon released its “annual report on sexual harassment and violence at the military service academies”. At its three academies, the number of reports of sexual assault and harassment has risen a staggering 64 percent from last year.
The report attributes the huge increase to better reporting of incidents due to increased training and education about sexual assault and harassment. Veteran’s Administration (VA) statistics show that more than 50 percent of the veterans who screen positive for MST are men.
According to the US Census Bureau, there are roughly 22 million male veterans compared to less than two million female vets.
In Congressional testimony in the summer of 2008, Lt. Gen. Rochelle, the army chief of personnel, reported the little known statistic that 12 percent (approximately 260) of the 2,200 reported rapes in the military in 2007 were reported by military male victims.
Due to their sheer numbers in the military, more men (at a rough estimate one in twenty), have experienced MST than women.
Shamed into silence
Billy Capshaw was 17 when he joined the Army in 1977. After being trained as a medic he was transferred to Baumholder, Germany. His roommate, Jeffrey Dahmer, by virtue of his seniority ensured that Capshaw had no formal assignment, no mail, and no pay. Having completely isolated the young medic, Dahmer regularly sexually assaulted, raped, and tortured him.
Dahmer went on to become the infamous serial killer and sex offender who murdered 17 boys and men before being beaten to death by an inmate at Columbia Correction Institution in 1994.
Capshaw reflects back, “At that young age I didn’t know how to deal with it. My commander did not believe me. Nobody helped me, even though I begged and begged and begged.”
The debilitating lifelong struggle Capshaw has had to face is common among survivors of military sexual assault.
Later during therapy he needed to go public. Since then he says, “I’ve talked to a lot of men, many of them soldiers, who are raped but who won’t go public with their story. The shame alone is overwhelming.”
In 1985 Michael Warren enlisted in the navy and for three years worked as a submarine machinist mate on a nuclear submarine. One day he awoke to find another soldier performing fellatio on him.
He recollects with horror, “I was paralyzed with fear. I was in disbelief... shame. When I reported it to the commander he said it was better for me to deal with it after being discharged. Nobody helped me, not even the chaplain. The commander at the processing centre wouldn’t look me in the face. When I filled out my claim later they didn’t believe me. It’s so frustrating.”
Armando Javier was an active duty Marine from 1990 to 1994. He was a Lance Corporal at Camp Lejeune in 1993 when he was raped.
Five Marines jumped Javier and beat him until he was nearly unconscious, before taking turns raping him. His sexual victimization narrative reads, “One of them, a corporal, pulled down my shorts and instructed the others to ‘Get the grease’. Another corporal instructed someone to bring the stick. They began to insert the stick inside my anus. The people present during this sadistic and ritual-like ceremony started to cajole, cheer, and laugh, saying “stick em’ – stick-em’.”
Extreme shame and trauma compelled him not to disclose the crime to anyone except a friend in his unit. He wrote in his account, “My experience left me torn apart physically, mentally, and spiritually. I was dehumanized and treated with ultimate cruelty, by my perpetrators… I was embarrassed and ashamed and didn’t know what to do. I was young at that time. And being part of an elite organization that values brotherhood, integrity and faithfulness made it hard to come forward and reveal what happened.”
The reality of being less equal
Women in America were first allowed into the military during the Revolutionary War in 1775 and their travails are as old. Drill instructors indoctrinate new recruits into it at the outset by routinely referring to them as “girl,” “pussy,” “bitch,” and “dyke.”
A Command Sergeant Major told Catherine Jayne West of the Mississippi National Guard, “There aren’t but two places for women - in the kitchen or in the bedroom. Women have no place in the military.”
She was raped by fellow soldier Private First Class Kevin Lemeiux, at the sprawling Camp Anaconda, north of Baghdad. The defense lawyer in court merely wanted to know why, as a member of the army, she had not fought back.
The morning after the rape, an army doctor gave her a thorough examination. The army’s criminal investigation team concluded her story was true. Moreover, Lemeiux had bragged about the incident to his buddies and they had turned him in. It seemed like a closed case, but in court the defense claimed that the fact that West had not fought back during the rape was what incriminated her. In addition, her commanding officer and 1st Sergeant declared, in court, that she was a “promiscuous female.”
In contrast, Lemeiux, after the third court hearing of the trial, was promoted to a Specialist. Meanwhile his lawyer entered a plea of insanity.
He was later found guilty of kidnapping but not rape, despite his own admission of the crime. He was given three years for kidnapping, half of which was knocked off.
The long term affects of MST
Jasmine Black, a human resources specialist in the Army National Guard from June 2006 to September 2008 was raped by another soldier in her battalion when she was stationed in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She reported it to her Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) and the Military Police, but the culprit was not brought to book.
After an early discharge due to MST and treatment at a PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) facility, she was raped again by a higher-ranking member of the air force in February 2009.
Administrator for a combat engineering instruction unit in Knoxville, Tennessee, Tracey Harmon has no illusions. “For women in the military, you are either a bitch, a dyke, or a whore. If you sleep with one person in your unit you are a whore. If you are a lesbian you are a dyke, and if you don’t sleep with other soldiers you are a bitch.”
Maricela Guzman served in the navy from 1998 to 2002 as a computer technician on the island of Diego Garcia. She was raped while in boot camp, but fear of consequences kept her from talking about it for the rest of her time in the military. “I survived by becoming a workaholic and was much awarded as a soldier for my work ethic.”
On witnessing the way it treated the native population in Diego Garcia, she chose to dissociate from the military. Post discharge, her life became unmanageable. She underwent a divorce, survived a failed suicide attempt and became homeless before deciding to move in with her parents. A chance encounter with a female veteran at a political event in Los Angeles prompted her to contact the VA for help. Her therapist there diagnosed her with PTSD from her rape.
The VA denied her claim nevertheless, “Because they said I couldn’t prove it … since I had not brought it up when it happened and also because I had not shown any deviant behavior while in the service. I was outraged and felt compelled to talk about what happened.”
While it will go to any length to maintain public silence over the issue, the military machine has no such qualms within its own corridors. Guzman discloses, “Through the gossip mill we would hear of women who had reported being raped. No confidentiality was maintained nor any protection given to victims. The boys’ club culture is strong and the competition exclusive. That forces many not to report rape, because it is a blemish and can ruin your career.”
The department of defence reported that in fiscal year 2009, there were 3,230 reports of sexual assault, an increase of 11 percent over the prior year.
However, as high as the military’s own figures are of rape and sexual assault, victims and advocates Al Jazeera spoke with believe the real figures are sure to be higher.
April Fitzsimmons, who was originally quoted in this article, requested that her information be removed on the basis of personal reasons.
Research support was provided by the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute.
===0===
http://www.france24.com/en/20090809-iran-defeated-candidate-karoubi-says-detainees-were-raped-jail-opposition
Protest prison chief jailed in alleged rape, abuse scandal
The head of the Kahrizak detention centre has been jailed along with three others after defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi (pictured) alleged that detained post-election protesters had been beaten and raped while in detention.
Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi has alleged that several male and female protesters held behind bars have been savagely raped, according to a document obtained by AFP on Monday.
"A number of detainees have said that some female detainees have been raped savagely. Young boys held in detention have also been savagely raped," Karroubi said in a letter to powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Karroubi's "confidential letter" was delivered on July 29 to Rafsanjani in his capacity as head of the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body which selects and supervises the activities of the supreme leader.
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison. The authorities said on Sunday they had jailed the head of the detention centre.
"The head of the centre has been sacked and jailed. Three policemen who beat detainees have been jailed as well," IRNA quoted Iran's police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam as saying.
The June 12 election plunged Iran into its biggest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution, exposed deepening divisions in its ruling elite and set off a wave of protests that left 26 people dead.
Protests gripped Tehran and other cities after the vote, which moderates say was rigged to secure the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though officials say it was the "healthiest" vote in the past 30 years.
State media say at least 26 people were killed and hundreds arrested during post-election violence. The judiciary has put some of the detainees on trial to deter further dissent.
Many of those arrested were held in the Kahrizak detention centre in south Tehran, built to house people breaking the vice laws. At least three people died in custody there and widespread anger erupted as news spread of conditions in the jail.
Torture jail closed
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the prison's closure in July for "lack of necessary standards" to preserve prisoners' rights, and Ahmadi-Moghaddam said some of those held there since the post-election protests had been tortured.
Moderate websites reported the death of at least three protesters in Kahrizak, including Mohsen Ruholamini, son of a top adviser to conservative defeated presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaie.
Iran's top judge, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi, ordered his envoys to visit all "prisons and detention centres" to check on conditions.
Authorities say those detained in post-election unrest have been transferred to Tehran's Evin prison, where many political prisoners are held. They say some 200 protesters remain in prison, including senior pro-reform politicians, journalists, activists and lawyers.
Iranian prosecutor Qorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi said all necessary legal measures would be taken against those "who had violated the law" in Kahrizak, Etemad-e Melli newspaper said.
Leading moderates including Mousavi and former president Khatami have called for the immediate release of detainees, saying their confessions were made under duress.
In an attempt to uproot the opposition and end street protests, Iran began two mass trials of moderates, including prominent figures charged with offences that included acting against national security by fomenting voter unrest.
A Revolutionary Court on Saturday charged a French woman, two Iranians working for the British and French embassies in Tehran and dozens of others with spying and assisting a Western plot to overthrow the system of clerical rule.
Espionage and acting against national security are punishable by death under Iran's Islamic law.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner urged Iran to free 24-year-old French academic Clotilde Reiss, and rejected accusations against her of spying and helping a Western plot against Iran. "I want to clearly tell the Iranian authorities: these allegations are not true, Clotilde Reiss isn't guilty of anything," Kouchner said on LCI television.
"She did nothing but walk alongside protesters for one hour one time, and 1-1/2 hours another time. She did not submit a report, she sent a brief note to the director of the French Institute for Iranian Research, which is a cultural institute," he said, demanding she be freed.
The French embassy in Tehran was ready to give refuge to Iranian post-election protestors fleeing police, Kouchner said on Monday.
"What was said Saturday was true, if protestors who were being chased had sought refuge in the French embassy the instruction was to open the door," Kouchner was quoted as saying in the Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France newspapers.
This is in our democratic tradition," he added.
U.S. national security adviser Jim Jones, speaking on American television, said the United States had urged Iran to release three American hikers who were detained there recently.
"We have sent strong messages that we would like these three young people released as soon as possible, and also others that they have in their custody as well," Jones told NBC's "Meet the Press." The Iranian government acknowledged on Sunday that it had the three Americans in its custody, he said.
"A number of detainees have said that some female detainees have been raped savagely. Young boys held in detention have also been savagely raped," Karroubi said in a letter to powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Karroubi's "confidential letter" was delivered on July 29 to Rafsanjani in his capacity as head of the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body which selects and supervises the activities of the supreme leader.
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison. The authorities said on Sunday they had jailed the head of the detention centre.
"The head of the centre has been sacked and jailed. Three policemen who beat detainees have been jailed as well," IRNA quoted Iran's police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam as saying.
The June 12 election plunged Iran into its biggest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution, exposed deepening divisions in its ruling elite and set off a wave of protests that left 26 people dead.
Protests gripped Tehran and other cities after the vote, which moderates say was rigged to secure the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though officials say it was the "healthiest" vote in the past 30 years.
State media say at least 26 people were killed and hundreds arrested during post-election violence. The judiciary has put some of the detainees on trial to deter further dissent.
Many of those arrested were held in the Kahrizak detention centre in south Tehran, built to house people breaking the vice laws. At least three people died in custody there and widespread anger erupted as news spread of conditions in the jail.
Torture jail closed
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the prison's closure in July for "lack of necessary standards" to preserve prisoners' rights, and Ahmadi-Moghaddam said some of those held there since the post-election protests had been tortured.
Moderate websites reported the death of at least three protesters in Kahrizak, including Mohsen Ruholamini, son of a top adviser to conservative defeated presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaie.
Iran's top judge, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi, ordered his envoys to visit all "prisons and detention centres" to check on conditions.
Authorities say those detained in post-election unrest have been transferred to Tehran's Evin prison, where many political prisoners are held. They say some 200 protesters remain in prison, including senior pro-reform politicians, journalists, activists and lawyers.
Iranian prosecutor Qorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi said all necessary legal measures would be taken against those "who had violated the law" in Kahrizak, Etemad-e Melli newspaper said.
Leading moderates including Mousavi and former president Khatami have called for the immediate release of detainees, saying their confessions were made under duress.
In an attempt to uproot the opposition and end street protests, Iran began two mass trials of moderates, including prominent figures charged with offences that included acting against national security by fomenting voter unrest.
A Revolutionary Court on Saturday charged a French woman, two Iranians working for the British and French embassies in Tehran and dozens of others with spying and assisting a Western plot to overthrow the system of clerical rule.
Espionage and acting against national security are punishable by death under Iran's Islamic law.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner urged Iran to free 24-year-old French academic Clotilde Reiss, and rejected accusations against her of spying and helping a Western plot against Iran. "I want to clearly tell the Iranian authorities: these allegations are not true, Clotilde Reiss isn't guilty of anything," Kouchner said on LCI television.
"She did nothing but walk alongside protesters for one hour one time, and 1-1/2 hours another time. She did not submit a report, she sent a brief note to the director of the French Institute for Iranian Research, which is a cultural institute," he said, demanding she be freed.
The French embassy in Tehran was ready to give refuge to Iranian post-election protestors fleeing police, Kouchner said on Monday.
"What was said Saturday was true, if protestors who were being chased had sought refuge in the French embassy the instruction was to open the door," Kouchner was quoted as saying in the Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France newspapers.
This is in our democratic tradition," he added.
U.S. national security adviser Jim Jones, speaking on American television, said the United States had urged Iran to release three American hikers who were detained there recently.
"We have sent strong messages that we would like these three young people released as soon as possible, and also others that they have in their custody as well," Jones told NBC's "Meet the Press." The Iranian government acknowledged on Sunday that it had the three Americans in its custody, he said.
Meir Stone
Mehdi Karrubi was a losing reformist candidate for president in Iran's contentious June 12 election, but in the aftermath has strengthened his position as a leading opposition figure ....
in a letter published earlier this month to former Pr...esident and Assembly of Experts head Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani that a number of protesters, women and young boys alike, detained in the postelection unrest had been subjected to brutal rapes. http://www.rferl.org/conte
Calling for an investigation, Karrubi urged Rafsanjani to bring the issue up with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Graphic Testimony
Hard-liners were quick to attack Karrubi, calling for his prosecution for "libeling the system" unless he could prove the allegations. In response, Karrubi has upped the ante, publishing on his website a graphic account of the rape of a young male detainee.
Mehdi Karrubi has called for an official investigation.
The individual says in the account, published this week, that he was nearly beaten to death and raped. "Worse than all of that, they did something to me that even unbelievers and idol worshipers would denounce."
Karrubi has also handed the names of four individuals who say they were raped in prison to a special parliamentary commission that is in charge of investigating the postelection unrest.
A member of the parliamentary commission, who did not want to be named, was quoted on August 26 by the "Parlemannews" website as saying that it's clear that some detainees were raped with batons and bottles.
And Karrubi's son told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on August 25 that his father will present other rape cases to parliament in the future.
Long History Of Abuse
Abdol Karim Lahidji, the deputy director of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, describes Karrubi's move as very significant.
He says his organization has been condemning rape in Iran's prisons in its annual reports to United Nations human rights bodies, "but now a well-known figure in the Islamic republic who has twice been parliament speaker and a presidential candidate, has not only spoken about it but he has identified several victims and called on the parliament to give them protection."
Lahidji says that if the victims are given protection, then the investigation might lead to some results.
Lahidji, who has been monitoring human rights in Iran for three decades, says that over the years he's received a number reports about political prisoners being raped by their interrogators.
"Unfortunately, in the 1980s we used to receive a lot of news about girls being raped in prison before being executed," he says.
Lahidji says that he also personally dealt with rape cases following the student uprising of 1999; "one of the students whom I interviewed in Europe said many of the boys had been raped in prison."
Unseen Wounds
Monireh Baradaran is a former political prisoner who has published a prison memoir about her nine years in prison from 1981 to 1991. She tells RFE/RL she met a girl in prison who had become mentally ill after being raped by her interrogator.
"She was then a beautiful, 16-year-old girl. She wouldn't talk, she was silent all the time , but I had heard from people close to her including her sister, who was also in jail, that she had been raped," Baradaran says.
"She was in total silence; she would distance herself from others."
Baradaran says rape is used as a torture method intended to crush detainees' spirit.
Azar Ale Kanaan, a former political prisoner, says the memories of her rape some 20 years ago in a prison in Sanandaj are still unbearable. Her interrogator, who had promised to break her down, raped her while her hands were tied and she was blindfolded.
Video interview with Azar Ale Kanaan by well-known Iranian filmmaker Reza Allamezadeh (English subtitles):
in a letter published earlier this month to former Pr...esident and Assembly of Experts head Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani that a number of protesters, women and young boys alike, detained in the postelection unrest had been subjected to brutal rapes. http://www.rferl.org/conte
Calling for an investigation, Karrubi urged Rafsanjani to bring the issue up with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Graphic Testimony
Hard-liners were quick to attack Karrubi, calling for his prosecution for "libeling the system" unless he could prove the allegations. In response, Karrubi has upped the ante, publishing on his website a graphic account of the rape of a young male detainee.
Mehdi Karrubi has called for an official investigation.
The individual says in the account, published this week, that he was nearly beaten to death and raped. "Worse than all of that, they did something to me that even unbelievers and idol worshipers would denounce."
Karrubi has also handed the names of four individuals who say they were raped in prison to a special parliamentary commission that is in charge of investigating the postelection unrest.
A member of the parliamentary commission, who did not want to be named, was quoted on August 26 by the "Parlemannews" website as saying that it's clear that some detainees were raped with batons and bottles.
And Karrubi's son told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on August 25 that his father will present other rape cases to parliament in the future.
Long History Of Abuse
Abdol Karim Lahidji, the deputy director of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, describes Karrubi's move as very significant.
He says his organization has been condemning rape in Iran's prisons in its annual reports to United Nations human rights bodies, "but now a well-known figure in the Islamic republic who has twice been parliament speaker and a presidential candidate, has not only spoken about it but he has identified several victims and called on the parliament to give them protection."
Lahidji says that if the victims are given protection, then the investigation might lead to some results.
Lahidji, who has been monitoring human rights in Iran for three decades, says that over the years he's received a number reports about political prisoners being raped by their interrogators.
"Unfortunately, in the 1980s we used to receive a lot of news about girls being raped in prison before being executed," he says.
Lahidji says that he also personally dealt with rape cases following the student uprising of 1999; "one of the students whom I interviewed in Europe said many of the boys had been raped in prison."
Unseen Wounds
Monireh Baradaran is a former political prisoner who has published a prison memoir about her nine years in prison from 1981 to 1991. She tells RFE/RL she met a girl in prison who had become mentally ill after being raped by her interrogator.
"She was then a beautiful, 16-year-old girl. She wouldn't talk, she was silent all the time , but I had heard from people close to her including her sister, who was also in jail, that she had been raped," Baradaran says.
"She was in total silence; she would distance herself from others."
Baradaran says rape is used as a torture method intended to crush detainees' spirit.
Azar Ale Kanaan, a former political prisoner, says the memories of her rape some 20 years ago in a prison in Sanandaj are still unbearable. Her interrogator, who had promised to break her down, raped her while her hands were tied and she was blindfolded.
Video interview with Azar Ale Kanaan by well-known Iranian filmmaker Reza Allamezadeh (English subtitles):
---0---
Meir Stone
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison< > http://www.france24.com/en
"A number of detainees have said that some female detainees have been raped savagely. Young boys held in detention have also been savagely raped," Karroubi said in a letter to powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Karroubi's "confidential letter" was delivered on July 29 to Rafsanjani in his capacity as head of the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body which selects and supervises the activities of the supreme leader.
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison. http://www.youtube.com/wat
A man alleged to be an active member of Iran's brutal Basiji militia spoke to a reporter about his role in suppressing the recent street protests and about earlier abuses of prisoners. The Basij's most explosive claim is that he raped Iranian virgins in order to facilitate their executions:
In the Islamic Republic it is illegal to execute a young woman, regardless of her crime, if she is a virgin, he explained. Therefore a "wedding" ceremony is conducted the night before the execution: The young girl is forced to have sexual intercourse with a prison guard - essentially raped by her "husband."
"I regret that, even though the marriages were legal," he said.
Why the regret, if the marriages were "legal?"
"Because," he went on, "I could tell that the girls were more afraid of their 'wedding' night than of the execution that awaited them in the morning. [Jerusalem Post]
I tend to be skeptical of the claims of anonymous sources, on general principle, particularly when they're making such politically charged allegations. Does anyone know how plausible the militiaman's claims are? Is it really legal in Iran to force prisoners into marriage, and marital rape, in order to make them eligible for execution?
Something about the story seems off to me, like it's all too perfectly horrifying--it's not just prison rape, but raping virgins under the color of law in order to kill them. It seems like a story calculated to push all of our emotional buttons and lay the blame directly at the feet of the regime.
Make no mistake, pro-democracy activists are being raped in prison in Iran. Independent reports attest to these atrocities.
http://www.huffingtonpost.
Witnesses have come forward to the various Internet sites who are covering Taraneh's story, stating that she was mentally and physically abused in Tehran's notorious Evin prison and also that a person who matches her physical description and injuries had been treated at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, was unconscious when witnessed and was later transferred out of the hospital while still unconscious.
Taraneh's is not the first allegation of brutal raping of a post-election protester -- an 18 year old boy in Shiraz was repeatedly gang raped by prison officials while in detention after being arrested for participating in the protests on June 15. That boy's father won't let him back in the family home.
"A number of detainees have said that some female detainees have been raped savagely. Young boys held in detention have also been savagely raped," Karroubi said in a letter to powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Karroubi's "confidential letter" was delivered on July 29 to Rafsanjani in his capacity as head of the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body which selects and supervises the activities of the supreme leader.
A police statement issued on Thursday confirmed that serious violations took place in Kahrizak prison. http://www.youtube.com/wat
A man alleged to be an active member of Iran's brutal Basiji militia spoke to a reporter about his role in suppressing the recent street protests and about earlier abuses of prisoners. The Basij's most explosive claim is that he raped Iranian virgins in order to facilitate their executions:
In the Islamic Republic it is illegal to execute a young woman, regardless of her crime, if she is a virgin, he explained. Therefore a "wedding" ceremony is conducted the night before the execution: The young girl is forced to have sexual intercourse with a prison guard - essentially raped by her "husband."
"I regret that, even though the marriages were legal," he said.
Why the regret, if the marriages were "legal?"
"Because," he went on, "I could tell that the girls were more afraid of their 'wedding' night than of the execution that awaited them in the morning. [Jerusalem Post]
I tend to be skeptical of the claims of anonymous sources, on general principle, particularly when they're making such politically charged allegations. Does anyone know how plausible the militiaman's claims are? Is it really legal in Iran to force prisoners into marriage, and marital rape, in order to make them eligible for execution?
Something about the story seems off to me, like it's all too perfectly horrifying--it's not just prison rape, but raping virgins under the color of law in order to kill them. It seems like a story calculated to push all of our emotional buttons and lay the blame directly at the feet of the regime.
Make no mistake, pro-democracy activists are being raped in prison in Iran. Independent reports attest to these atrocities.
http://www.huffingtonpost.
Witnesses have come forward to the various Internet sites who are covering Taraneh's story, stating that she was mentally and physically abused in Tehran's notorious Evin prison and also that a person who matches her physical description and injuries had been treated at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, was unconscious when witnessed and was later transferred out of the hospital while still unconscious.
Taraneh's is not the first allegation of brutal raping of a post-election protester -- an 18 year old boy in Shiraz was repeatedly gang raped by prison officials while in detention after being arrested for participating in the protests on June 15. That boy's father won't let him back in the family home.
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