Iran: The Sodom of the 21st Century

As I read Amil Imani's account of behavior that Iran's 'Islamic Republic considers 'compassionate,' I could not help but think of biblical Sodom where a tall guest was put in a short bed and cut down to size while a short person was put in a long bed and stretched all night long. Local residents who welcomed guests were bound to be punished, and in fact one young girl was punished by being tied to a tree covered in honey. You can guess what happened to her. Iran, which considers itself to be moral and religious, sounds remarkably like Sodom in the way it treats those who are different.

Months later, she was informed that the sentence would be implemented at dawn the next day. This presented the last chance for the jailers to beat her as severely as they could before she died. They were intent at making the most savab (performing religiously meritorious acts) they could while they had the chance.

The beating she received on that day was so severe that she lost consciousness. When the executioners arrived to hang her, they could not revive her. They faced a serious problem. How can an unconscious woman who cannot stand on her feet be hanged?

A temporary stay of execution was ordered. In due time, Mrs. M regained consciousness only to suffer many more months of the dreadful ordeal. On several occasions, the order to hang her was re-issued. But the severe repeated beatings had shattered her body as well as her mind. She could no longer stand on her feet. She got around only by crawling. The jailers were relentless in their viciousness. On several occasions, they staged mock hangings. They would come to her cell and say the fatehe (prayer for the dead), place the noose around her neck, and hold her up and let her collapse on the ground.

Eventually, no one knows why, she was released from prison, a barely able to walk. She did not get to die in one day, as did her innocent beloved husband. The demonic agents of the Islamic Republic saw to it that she got to live a life of dying every day for the rest of her life.

The Islamist’s credo is fairly straight forward in dealing with religious minorities or infidels living in their midst: if you can’t reason with them to change their belief then literally beat some sense into their heads. And if that doesn’t work, then a bullet to the head or a noose around the neck ought to put an end to the “problem.”

Read the whole thing.

Labels: cruelty, Iran, religious freedom, Sodom

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:55 AM

Cruelty Begins at Home

Some Americans may grieve about the tortures of Abu Grahib. A number of Germans may remember the sins committed at Auschwitz. A few Catholics might regret becoming Altar Boys.

They believe the specific crimes against humanity as originating in a particular time and place. This is not true. Cruelty is a universal affliction.

In Israel we see cruelty on a massive scale every day. It may have started out as a noble Zionist endeavor. At first there was the fear the Arabs would eventually outnumber us.
As we suppressed them, the cruelty spread nationwide to include Jewish inhumanity to Jews.
It has become a national characteristic a blot on the Jewish tradition. Many people are abusive within the family and without.
Perhaps half the population has been abused verbally, physically or sexually.
The ones who don't participate are the heroes, deviants and whistle blowers. Lord knows we save our worst punishments for them.
Although I come from a very different culture, I know the trials and tribulations of native Americans, of Naomi Wolf and of Sibel Edmonds to name but a few.
Fascists begin life watching dad beat up mom. It goes downhill from there.