IRAN: Oppressor of Their Own People

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                                

Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

May 16th was the birthday of Muhammad according to the Shi'a, Ayatollah Khamenei. The 1.6 billion Muslims in the world probably recognized his special day.   He was born in 570 and died in 632.  That birth was 1,445 years ago.   He originally thought that there was no essential difference between Judaism and Islam and so hoped that Jews would welcome his mission and accept his new faith, but we didn't.  To us there were distinct differences.  The new Muslims considered Jews as "People of the Book," however, not a infidels and had religious freedom in their lands, but for payment of the Poll Tax.  It was the Shi'a, who were more stern in their attitude.  The persecution of Jews by Muslims for religious reasons was rare, even discriminatory legislation often remained unenforced.

"A group of prominent early followers of Islam elected Abu Bakr, a companion of Mohammed, to be the first caliph, or leader of the Islamic community, over the objections of those who favored Ali ibn Abi Talib, Mohammed’s cousin and son-in-law."   This led to the schism in the religion of Sunnis versus Shi'ites.  Their teachings have differed in that Sunnis follow the Shafi'i, Hanafi, Hanbali, and Maliki fiqh while Shi'a follow Jafari, Zaidi,  and Alevi fiqh.  
                                                                       

 Here are ancient Persian noblemen.  Before the Muslims came into being through Muhammad, Jews were living in Medina, Persia. One of Mohammad's wives was Safia, of Jewish origin.  

                                                                     

King Cyrus II (d: 529 BCE)  It was Cyrus II, the Persian king,   who allowed Jews to return to their homeland in 538 BCE  and rebuild their Temple. It was he who overran Babylonian Empire including Judah which was shortly after the last king of Judah, Zedekiah,  had died in 586 BCE.  

           

Queen Esther and King Darius (reigned 522-486 BCE)  who permitted the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to resume reconstruction of the 2nd Temple.   

King Ahashueros had married a Jewish woman, Esther "Hadassah."  The King's advisor, Haman, wanted to kill all Jews because her Uncle Mordecai would not bow down to him.  The king put an end to Haman's horrible plan and had him and his 7 sons hung instead.  Yes, he was a very bad advisor.

Iran has it backwards.  They are telling the world it is the USA that are the oppressors. The Iranian government is oppressing their own people. 
                                                                           

Iranians had met in a crowd during the Arab Spring and Neda Agha Soltan, 27 year old music student,  was shot and killed for being there.The demonstration was against the 2009 Iranian presidential election results (a disputed victory by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates   Iran's cleric-led government and the self-described "green wave" movement had claimed that  hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole his June 12 re-election through fraud.  Why was she demonstrating there?   She just wanted "democracy and freedom for the people of Iran,"
                                                                         

Former President of Iran, Ahmadinejad, who wants to destroy Israel. He's so like Haman.  

Yet, they are announcing to the world that it is they who will continue to support the oppressed people of Yemen, Bahrain and Palestine in every way possible.  For starters, they must have been oppressing the Jews of Iran, there since days of Persia.

The government of Iran is criticized both for restrictions and punishments that follow the Islamic Republic's constitution and law,.  They are also criticized  for actions  such as the torture, rape and killing of political prisoners, and the beatings and killings of dissidents and other civilians.and punishments that follow the Islamic Republic's constitution and law,  Restrictions and punishments in the Islamic Republic of Iran which violate international human rights norms include harsh penalties for crimes, punishment of "victimless crimes" such as fornication and homosexuality, execution of offenders under 18 years of age, restrictions on freedom of speech and the press (including the imprisonment of journalists), and restrictions on freedom of religion and gender equality in the Islamic Republic's Constitution (especially attacks on members of the Bahá'í religion).  The Bahai's have their center in Haifa, Israel where they have built a beautiful sanctuary.  
                                                                               

 My 2nd cousin's husband was able to escape on camels at a young age with a group of other Jewish boys so that they could get out of such oppression and be able to follow their hearts in their own religion and education.  That was in the 60's.  A few of the boys were shot in their escape.  Her husband went on with friend's help to become a doctor.  As a Jew, this would have been hard to accomplish in Iran then.
                                                                               

Iran has a lot of oil and therefore a lot of money.  They've been supplying rebels with arms in  the Middle East.  Assad of Syria is an Alawite, which is an offshoot of Shi'a Islam, so Iran is backing his progress.

Iran now has a cargo ship which is being escorted by the Iranian navy in the waters which left Iran for Yemen.  They said they will refuse inspections by anyone involved in the conflict in Yemen.  Iran is ignoring that request to send the ship to Djibouti in Africa for a UN inspection for aid to Yemen.  The USA will not force the issue and board the ship to inspect it but will leave that up to the Saudis or Egyptians.
                                                                         
Remember how flotillas of ships backing the Palestinians refused  inspections from Israel who had to check them out for weaponry heading for Gaza?  No one bothered to understand Israel's position, then.  What Iran is doing is testing the US redlines in the Gulf of Aden.  We've seen other testing going on with  US flagged ships  and a convoy of 7 cargo ships carrying weapons for the Houthis in Yemen.
                                                                         

USA Warships, helicopter 

The U.S. military has 14 warships at sea in the region,and  is keeping a close eye on the Iranian ships scheduled to arrive in the western Yemeni port of Hodeida on Thursday.  
                                                               

Nasrallah of Hezbollah Terrorists and Khameini who ordered  him to attack the Takfiri Terrorists 
This is used by Shi'a groups such as Hezbollah to refer indiscriminately to Sunnis.  So Khameini was telling this Hezbollah leader to attack Sunnis.  Khameini's Shi'ism seems Sunnis as "one who is, or claims to be, a Muslim and is declared impure.  They are to Shi'as, practicing apostasy.  I'd say they are extremely oppressive to their fellow Muslim Brothers.  When you get right down to it, Sunnis outnumber them.  

Khamenei is telling the world that the USA is the enemy of Shi'a and Sunni Muslims.  This Iranian Czar tells all that it is the USA who is the world's main sponsor of terrorism, not they.  Aren't people lucky to have the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the side of good?  Ha!

As for Iran's nuclear power program which they are in dire need of, Khamenei told their state TV that Tehran will not take unreasonable demands from the world powers when they are in the act of negotiations.  Khamenei ruled out letting any of their atomic  scientists be interviewed.  He's guarding their privacy.  He acts like any interview is an attack on their person.  G-d help them if they let it be known that they are like prisoners, held to do their work-if that is the case.  Who knows what an interview might expose!
                                                                         
Khamenei has  the final word  on any deal, and now our American Congress also has the final word.  He has already let the world know that military sites will not be inspected.  In the deal the inspectors will have 24 days if denied access to sites to inspect.  That's enough time for them to hide a jeep in a bale of hay.   French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who has been perceived as the most demanding in the talks, is finding these hitches in the deal. 

 EU political director Helga Maria Schmid  must discuss the situation with  Iranian negotiators Abbas Araqchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi.  These talks  will run until Friday,  She has a long resume of accomplishments, the last assignment being  the Director of the Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit (Policy Unit) of the High Representative for the CFSP in the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, Brussels, 2006 - 2010.  She's trilingual, speaking German, English and French.

The board of P5+1  will meet from June 16th to 20th for a round.  "June 30 deadline to resolve a decade-old standoff over Iran's nuclear work."

Can Israel count on the USA?  Israel has the most to lose if Iran has the capabilities of nuclear power.  Iran has made it clear that Israel must be destroyed, and they are working night and day to create a nuclear factory for what?  

Watch the video to understand that they are facing an enemy sworn to destroy them.  http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/the-video-obama-didnt-want-to-get-out/  

Resource:  American Enterprise Institute
Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-tensions-build-between-u-s-and-iran-in-waters-off-yemen-1432070644
Algemeiner: http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/05/18/ayatollah-khamenei-us-is-enemy-to-both-sunnis-and-shias-in-the-middle-east/
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/20/us-iran-nuclear-khamenei-idUSKBN0O50VI20150520
http://eeas.europa.eu/top_stories/cvs/cv_schmid_en.pdf
http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index.php/tag/helga-schmid/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/22/neda-becomes-symbol-of-re_n_218804.html
http://www.cfr.org/peace-conflict-and-human-rights/sunni-shia-divide/p33176?cid=ppc-Google-grant-sunni_shia_infoguide&gclid=Cj0KEQjw4fCqBRDM1ZKhk5jfo6IBEiQAZQ97OFiuBUFi2RxdlJFQXv_51rHF9vaAIb-mrEyZ9_pYYDUaAnba8P8HAQ#!/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran