Iran Cracks Down on Dissent, Parading Examples

Iran Cracks Down on Dissent, Parading Examples

www.theledger.com

Iran is in the throes of one of its most ferocious crackdowns on dissent in years, with the government focusing on labor leaders, universities, the press, women’s rights advocates, a former nuclear negotiator and Iranian-Americans, three of whom have been in prison for more than six weeks.

The shift is occurring against the backdrop of an economy so stressed that although Iran is the world’s second-largest oil exporter...

(visit the link for the full news article)

An interesting article, click the source link and read the full report.

I could write a rather long commentary on this, and highlight the many freedoms we take for granted here in the U.S.A.

However, in this case the following external source picture related to the above report, and caption says far more than mere words from myself could fully express...

NY Times Source Link

A police officer forced a young man whose clothes were deemed un-Islamic to suck on a plastic container Iranians use to wash their bottoms.

www.theledger.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 24-6-2007 by UM_Gazz]

The wonders that Islamofascism will do to a nation. Looks like Iran is on it's way to adopting Taliban doctrine...but I wouldn't expect them to behave differently when they are supporting several terrorist organizations already, and regulary hold rallies to chant 'death to america' while repeatedly threatening to destroy israel...can't way to see the U.S. and Israel 'bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb iran'

Originally posted by laiguana
'bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb iran'

Why?

Do you actually believe bombing Iran is going to end the imposition of Islamic law on Muslims throughout Middle Eastern nations?

The thought that we can bomb a religion into submission is almost as disturbing as the original news article and image.

So laiguana, are you saying that by bombing Iran "Islamofascism" could be eliminated?

Or should we continue a bombing campaign throughout the world until we have eliminated it?





[edit on 24-6-2007 by UM_Gazz]

Well it sure is a start...and so far it's the only thing that ever seems to work. I don't mean to sound war-mongerish, but the thing is Islamofascism is a virus that can't be cured, it can only be destroyed.

Originally posted by laiguana
The wonders that Islamofascism will do to a nation. Looks like Iran is on it's way to adopting Taliban doctrine...but I wouldn't expect them to behave differently when they are supporting several terrorist organizations already, and regulary hold rallies to chant 'death to america' while repeatedly threatening to destroy israel...can't way to see the U.S. and Israel 'bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb iran'

What a load of ignorance.

Here it is in a nutshell....

LOOK how the Iranian leaders treat their people! Thats unacceptable!
We need to bomb the whole country, killing thousands of civilians because their government is cracking down on their citizens!




Know why they chant 'Death to America'?
Because in 1988 US warships shot down a civilian airliner killing more then 300 innocents.

Not to mention we were giving Saddam Hussain chemical weapons to use on the Iranians during their war.

Originally posted by laiguana
Well it sure is a start...and so far it's the only thing that ever seems to work. I don't mean to sound war-mongerish, but the thing is Islamofascism is a virus that can't be cured, it can only be destroyed.

What you are suggesting here sounds more like genocide. The only way to rid the world of "Islamofascism" is to destroy it, and if bombing is the weapon of choice, the result could be millions of deaths.

We've seen this kind of thinking in the past. Though the weapon of choice then was summary executions, and gas chambers leading to the extermination of millions.

You are not alone in your thinking laiguana, far too many think like you, that the best option in dealing with radical Islamic leaders, nations and terrorist organizations is by brutal military force. But what of the millions of innocents trapped between?

How far will this line of thinking go?

Will there come a day when western leaders adopt this final solution in dealing with "Islamofascism"?

Bomb Iran huh?

Originally posted by laiguana
Well it sure is a start...and so far it's the only thing that ever seems to work. I don't mean to sound war-mongerish, but the thing is Islamofascism is a virus that can't be cured, it can only be destroyed.

In your pursuit and fear of "Islamofascism" you would end up murdering:













Need I go on?

As much as I hate the thought of innocent lives being taken, it is a necessary evil that must be done in order to secure democracy for future generations across the globe....because you have to consider how those -innocents- are connected to the terrorists. Perhaps a family member? Well, what this could simply lead to is the production of more terrorists. Like I said before, the only way to assure the removal of this plague is to destroy it in its entirety.

Originally posted by laiguana
As much as I hate the thought of innocent lives being taken, it is a necessary evil that must be done in order to secure democracy for future generations across the globe....because you have to consider how those -innocents- are connected to the terrorists. Perhaps a family member? Well, what this could simply lead to is the production of more terrorists. Like I said before, the only way to assure the removal of this plague is to destroy it in its entirety.

So you are advocating genocide then?

Since when is going after terrorists called genocide? I would think of it more as a defensive action. EOS.

Originally posted by laiguana
Since when is going after terrorists called genocide? I would think of it more as a defensive action. EOS.

Originally posted by laiguana
As much as I hate the thought of innocent lives being taken, it is a necessary evil that must be done in order to secure democracy for future generations across the globe..... Like I said before, the only way to assure the removal of this plague is to destroy it in its entirety.

Sounds like genocide to me. Oh, wait, let's check the dictionary:

noun: systematic killing of a racial or cultural group

So you don't mind advocating this as long as we don't call it genocide.

Originally posted by laiguana
Like I said before, the only way to assure the removal of this plague is to destroy it in its entirety.

The plague you speak of is Islam?

What is perhaps most disturbing is that many western leaders, military and governments are beginning to think like you. We are in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran? Syria?

Did we get to this point from having been attacked by Islamic terrorists who hijacked aircraft and flew them into buildings in the U.S.A. on September 11, 2001?

From retaliation on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to an Iraq invasion and occupation, to possible bombing of Iran, and if your thinking is ultimately adopted as the best solution, bombing until the threat of radical Islam in any and all forms is gone.

Originally posted by intrepid
Sounds like genocide to me. Oh, wait, let's check the dictionary:

noun: systematic killing of a racial or cultural group

So you don't mind advocating this as long as we don't call it genocide.

intrepid... I must admit it is not often that we thoroughly agree but in this instance I am with you.

Laiguana, you are advocating genocide.

Bombs solve nothing.

There is no true way resist evil.

One can only hope through the Miracle of Creation to transmute the evil and manifest good.

You must remember that it is never the physical body of your enemy that must be destroyed, but rather the demon within their spirit.

I can promise that bombs will only strengthen their demon; and your call for them will only give the demon foothold in your own consciousness.

"Anger may be defined as an impulse, accompanied by pain, to a conspicuous revenge for a conspicuous slight directed without justifications towards that what concerns oneself or towards what conscerns one's friends. []It is also attended by a certain pleasure because the thoughts dwell upon the act of vengeance, and the images then called up cause pleasure, like the images called up in dreams." -Aristotle, Rhetoric

The pleasure you feel in dreaming of bombs is the demon feeding you candy.

I am,

Sri Oracle

edit for typo

[edit on 24-6-2007 by Sri Oracle]

Regimes like this - planted by bayonets and enforced by them too - are unsustainable.

All this does is make it even clearer than the Iranians themselves aren't 'bad' - it's their government that's at fault. This is a government they did not choose, it was forced upon them by revolutionaries.

One would think that the Islamic fundamentalists would realise that their time in power is limited, considering they themselves fought a dictatorial government which was out of touch with the people (led by the Shah).

I really do think Iran would benefit greatly from being a real, secular democracy but I don't think bringing it to them by force is going to work. Look at how Iraq has turned out.

What we need to do is isolate Iran politically, contain them, curtail their nuclear weapons programme and give their government a few chances as possible to gain political points by attacking the West since it seems foreign policy is the one remaining area that's propping Ahmadinejad (and perhaps the whole fundamentalist regime) up. His domestic policies are failing - unemployment is high, the economy is weak, Iran imports more oil that it exports despite being one of the most oil-rich nations on earth and repression is harsh (a typical characteristic of an unpopular regime). If we play our cards right, the days of Islamic fundamentalist government in Iran may be numbered.

[edit on 24/6/07 by Ste2652]

Is it not possible that the crackdown in Iran, particularly on western style dress, music, culture, public protests etc. could be the result of a bitter hatred for everything western culture stands for?

Are these protests, and subsequent crackdowns in Iran really that unlike the violent and bloody crackdown on similar dissent in the U.S.A. during Vietnam war protests decades ago?

Islam can not be eradicated, eliminated or destroyed.

It will always be the preferred Religion of the middle east people and part of their culture.

The destruction of the middle east and it's people will not change a thing, taken into consideration that Islam is all over the world and in every nation.

Forcing change only will bring more hatred, invading their lands is a good example of that hatred.

Only with the will of the people and from within the nations they will be the only ones to make a change.

Who is to make the change? the people . . .

So for now we have to live with it.

Originally posted by laiguana
Well, what this could simply lead to is the production of more terrorists. Like I said before, the only way to assure the removal of this plague is to destroy it in its entirety.

Unless you are Iranian you can't really say how their country should be run. And just because you don't agree with them doesn't give you the right to kill their citizens.

Killing millions of innocent Iranians would create more terrorism against America in the long term. It would be the last straw in which the world gets fed up with America bombing people where they have no right.

Originally posted by UM_Gazz
Are these protests, and subsequent crackdowns in Iran really that unlike the violent and bloody crackdown on similar dissent in the U.S.A. during Vietnam war protests decades ago?

A few image examples for comparison:







While Islamic law, particularly in Iran seems brutal, is it really that unlike other governments who claim that freedom and democracy are top priority, yet can crackdown viciously on those who oppose its policies as is shown above?

Who are we to judge the Iranians?

And the number one group the Iranian government is hell bent on, not suppressing but totally eliminating are the Baha'i's of their country. Ever since its founding there in the middle of the 19th century over 20,000 have been systematically tortured and killed; their schools closed, their institutions shut down, their holy sites destroyed, their cemeteries dug up and the bodies burnt, their jobs taken away, their bank accounts confiscated and access to an education to their children denied.