Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

WATCH: ISRAEL'S NETANYAHU OFFERS TO HELP PEOPLE SUFFERING IN IRAN'S DROUGHT

From the Daily Wire 6/11/18:

On Sunday, in an extraordinary message to the people of Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the severe water shortages in Iran and not only offered to help the Iranian people with words, but actions. He announced the creation of a Farsi webite that will show how Iranians can recycle their wastewater and Iranian farmers can save their crops and feed their families.

The Daily Wire again:

As The New York Times reported in January, at one point Iran suffered a drought for 14 consecutive years. The Times noted that after the 1979 revolution that brought the Iranian mullahs to power, the government urged farmers to plant wheat throughout the country, giving farmers inexpensive electricity and favorable prices, which stimulated more planting and the extraction of more and more groundwater. Claudia Sadoff, who created a report for the World Bank on Iran’s water crisis, stated, “25 percent of the total water that is withdrawn from aquifers, rivers and lakes exceeds the amount that can be replenished” by nature.

 The text of Netanyahu’s message follows::

JOEL ROSENBERG'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE RUSSIAN-IRANIAN ALLIANCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Joel Rosenberg offers a sobering assessment of the significance of the Russian - Iranian alliance and America's withdrawal from active influence in the Middle East.  The interviewer is Chris Mitchell of CBN News.  ( 5 minutes)

 

CARLY FIORINA - THE GOLDA MEIR OF THE UNITED STATES?

MUST WATCH video of Carly Fiorina tackling simultaneously Iran and Planned Parenthood!

 David French comments:

Carly Fiorina laid out the harsh and cold truth about Planned Parenthood in a way no other candidate has to date, amidst the media blackout . ..  She is worth quoting and heeding:

      "I dare Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to watch these [Planned Parenthood] tapes! Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, it’s heart beating, it’s legs kicking, while somebody says, “We have to keep it alive to harvest its brain!” This is about the character of our nation. And if we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us! Shame on us. Shame on Senator McConnell. Forcing a veto brings the issue to light, it does not shut down the government."

THE GREATER SECURITY THREAT: ISIS OR IRAN?

Dr. Herbert I. London, president of the London Center for Policy Research and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute) says: 

An Iran with nuclear weapons or a pathway to obtain them is a far more dangerous threat than ISIS. Moreover, Iran has created an empire of sorts with capitals in Damascus, Sanna, Bagdad, and Beirut. Should Iran obtain $150 billion with the lifting of sanctions, that money could be used to bolster its interests with Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Using surrogates, the Iranians will likely extend their interests throughout the region with the prize being Saudi oil fields in the eastern part of the country which has a regional majority of Shia residents. Should Iran control Saudi and Iraqi oil along with its own deposits, it will control two-thirds of the world’s oil supply and be in a position to dictate oil prices.

SIS is a relatively minor threat that has morphed into a formidable threat due to inaction and a hopelessly incompetent Iraqi military force. Using barbarism as a tactic, it has carved out a swath of territory in Iraq and Syria. If the U.S. were serious about launching a genuine attack against ISIS, it could be eliminated in a relatively short period.

Jospeh Puder asks:  Should Israel consider a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities?

Herbert London responds: A preemptive strike against Iran by Israel is fraught with complications, but an Iran with nuclear weapons, a delivery capacity and a motivation to destroy Israel leaves the Israeli government with very few alternatives. The choice is indeed existential. An attack will have consequences; blow back with many lives put in jeopardy. Hoping for the best, however, is not a policy since the very survival of Israel is at stake. Hence, I believe Israeli leaders must act to defend the state and its people which means it must make the difficult decision of attack. As Norman Podhoretz so eloquently put it, “fight a conventional war now or a nuclear war later.”

Without Pax Americana in the Middle East, a Saudi–Iranian Arms Race Is All but Inevitable

David Pryce-Jones writes with particular clear-headedness:

Not so long ago the foreign policy of the United States in the Middle East rested on the two pillars of Iran and Saudi Arabia. As long as the United States behaved like the superpower it was, the course of events could be predicted and stability therefore maintained. Everyone in the region takes it for gra

Confusion began when Ayatollah Khomeini humiliated the United States and went unpunished for it. Now President Obama’s deal with Iran certifies that the United States has renounced power altogether. Fired up by supposition of their superior power, crowds in the street burn effigies of the hapless American president in the belief they have reduced him to a laughing stock.

It doesn’t stop there. Iran differs from the Arab world in ethnicity and in the type of practice of Islam, but nevertheless they share the same autocratic culture. Its rulers will do whatever they think is necessary to maximize and preserve power. In June this year, for instance, the Saudis executed in public their hundredth victim. The condemnation to flogging and death of Raif Badawi simply for proposing to discuss reform is particularly horrifying. Amnesty International, the human-rights body, says that so far this year Iran has executed in public 694 victims and may exceed 1,000 by December. An average of two or three people are hanged every day. Deals of any kind with regimes like that are admissions of weakness and willingness to be humiliated.

No longer pillars held together by Pax Americana, Iran and Saudi Arabia are left to test which of them now has power to come out on top. All manner of unsuspected alliances and enmities may emerge. The outcome is unpredictable except in one respect: The nuclear weapon is the ultimate guarantee of power, and both parties will do everything necessary to obtain it. When the stakes are so high, agreements on paper, signatures, assurances, legalisms of all sorts, are worthless. Worse still, the whole concept of coming to a deal qualifying power proves only that President Obama and his associates are dangerously out of touch with reality.

IS IRAN ABOUT TO REPEAT HISTORY?

From NRO:

IS IRAN ABOUT TO REPEAT HISTORY?   That’s the central question posed by new ad out from the Foundation for American Security and Freedom, challenging the president’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran and demonstrating its eerie similarity to the deal struck in the mid-Nineties with North Korea (by the husband of the prospective Democratic nominee for president, of course).

Watch the ad here:

 

FASF, chaired by Ambassador (and National Review contributor) John Bolton and “committed to restoring and protecting our vital national security interests and preserving our way of life for our children,” has launched a petition against the Iran deal. You can sign up at its website.

IRAN'S PURSUIT OF CONQUEST AND EMPIRE

David Pryce-Jones writes:

The Iranian regime has a rational pursuit of its interests. At the core of those interests, however, is a vision of conquest and empire. The clerics ruling Tehran since 1979 have put an end to Shiite quietism, a doctrine whereby the individual was asked to make his peace with God, and that was all. Ayatollahs who thought on those lines have been killed, imprisoned, or neutralized. Those who have commandeered their place exploit faith in order to acquire power. With their turbans and black robes, they may look like divines but they are acting exactly like the tyrants who have politicized and militarized one Muslim country after another. Right now, they are colonizing Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, and positioning themselves far afield in Sudan and even Latin America. The destruction of Israel is not negotiable, so they continually threaten, and the regime further promises to drive the United States out of the Middle East altogether.

QUICK TAKES

Dennis Prager - Why Obama so Dislikes Netanyahu  - Those who do not confront evil resent those who do.

Time Magazine - 30 Most Influential People on the Internet  - Matt Drudge is right up there; many I've never heard of.

Bruce Thornton - Bad Ideas Breed Bad Foreign Policy  The secular west does not understand nor can it comprehend religious motivation

The triumph of secularization has disarmed us in the fight against modern jihadism. No matter how often jihadists evoke the religious foundations of their actions, no matter how many Koranic verses and Hadith they quote, we cannot imagine a people for whom the spiritual realm is more real than the material world. We cannot imagine a life permeated with the divine and directed by submission––what “Islam” literally means––to Allah and the model of Mohammed. We ignore, as Bernard Lewis has written, the fact that “in most Islamic countries, religion remains a major political factor,” for “most Muslim countries are still profoundly Muslim, in a way and a sense that most Christian countries are no longer Christian.”

Ed Morrissey and Washington Post editorial: Obama has to answer Netanyahu's "strong case" on Iran Deal

New York Times op ed  - Why Our children Don't Think There are Moral Facts

 

IRANIAN CHURCH GROWING DESPITE RISK OF DEATH

 

Gary Lane, CBN News, reports from an undisclosed location:

THE MIDDLE EAST -- Iran's new president has promised to protect the country's Christians, but attacks are intensifying.

As they work to survive, CBN News was given an exclusive, rare view that few outsiders witness: a secret meeting of new Iranian believers in a neighboring country, not far from the border.

The brand new followers of Christ received Bible teaching and participated in their very first communion.

After a few songs and prayers, several were baptized. Then they returned to more late-night Bible study and training before returning to Iran.

PRAYER VIGIL FOR PASTOR SAEED IMPRISONED IN IRAN

PRAYER VIGIL

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

It has been two years since Pastor Saeed Abedini was imprisoned in Iran for preaching his Christian faith.  Naghmeh Abedini, Pastor Saeed’s wife, invites us to join her in remembering Pastor Saeed Abedini and others who are persecuted for their faith by participating in prayer vigils across the world.  

"The kids and I are longing to see Saeed returned home safely to us," Abedini said in a release. "The kids have been suffering for too long. Our family is ready. It is time. We are praying for a miracle. My hope is that, as thousands gather together on September 26, our governments and leaders will be reminded of the importance of religious freedom for all and continue to pressure Iran to secure Saeed’s release.”

 Vigils in 27 countries will be held on September 26th, the anniversary of Saeed’s imprisonment.  Click here for a list of churches in the USA holding prayer vigils.

- Elizabeth Kendal writes of the situation in Iran - 

UN PANEL RAPS IRAN OVER IMPRISONMENT OF CHRISTIAN PASTOR SAEED ABEDINI

Many of us have been praying for Pastor Abidini and his family for a long time.  May this UN report add pressure on Iran to release Saeed Abidini immediately.

Lisa Daftari of Fox News reports:

A United Nations panel this week blasted Iran's continued imprisonment of American citizen Saeed Abedini, who is serving an eight-year prison term in the Islamic republic for practicing his faith.

Abedini, 34, of Boise, Idaho, "has been deprived of his liberty for peacefully exercising the rights to freedom of religion, belief, and association,” said the report, from United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The report comes just a week before leaders from around the world, including Iran, gather for the annual UN General Assembly in New York, and ahead of the Sept. 26 two-year anniversary of Abedini's jailing.

The six-page document detailed Abedini's plight and called for his immediate release. His wife, Naghmeh Abedini, who remains home with their two children, has pleaded with lawmakers and the White House to pressure Iran. She told FoxNews.com she believes the UN stance could go a long way toward bringing Saeed Abedini home.  [more . . .]

REVIVAL IN IRAN: "I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN"

CENTRAL TURKEY -- When we think of Iran, scenes of mobs shouting "death to America," blindfolded hostages, and radical leaders demanding nuclear technology come to mind.

But there's another side of the country: Iranians who love America, Israel, and Jesus Christ.

CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell met and talked with some of these Iranian believers outside of their country in central Turkey.  Chris Mitchell  reports:

 

Transcript:

When someone gets baptized in this house church, people clap and cheer like fans at a World Cup match. While they've suffered persecution and often fled for their lies, they still possess an infectious and joyous faith like Iranian believer Raizal.

"Growing up I wanted to say I grew up [with] Jesus Christ," Raizal told CBN News. "Every time, His name was in my mind. And the next moment I started liking Christianity."

"It was really sweet to me, the feelings, the stories, everything. So by the time I was 15, I believed in Him and I said I want to be a Christian," he said.

Many Iranian refugees have fled Iran and come here to Turkey where they can seek refugee status with the United Nations. Some say it's just like coming out of the darkness.

TV BRINGS THE GOSPEL TO IRAN 24/7

George Thomas of CBN News, files the story: "Tired of Islam, Iranians Ask "Who Is This Jesus?" (Click through for video)

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - Christians are the most persecuted religious minority group in Iran. Iranian believers, especially those who convert from Islam to Christianity, face even more scrutiny.

Now one television channel operating from multiple secret locations is beaming messages of hope directly into the Islamic country and Iranian authorities don't like it one bit.

These are very busy and exciting times atMohabat TV as it carries out its mission of broadcasting Christianity into Iran.

"We are seeing a huge, huge number of Iranians who are reaching out to our channel and our phone center just to reach out and find out more about Jesus," Mike Ansari, who oversees the popular channel, said.

Thirsty for Truth

Since 2006, Mohabat TV has been beaming Christian programs via satellite to Middle East, Europe, and parts of Asia. But for the channel's cast, crew, production, and office staff, their main focus is the Islamic nation of Iran.

"Many of our viewers that are contacting us from Iran, they claim that Islam has not delivered to their expectations. So when they turn the channel on and see Mohabat TV they hear a new message of Jesus, of forgiveness of love of acceptance," Ansari said.

Nazanin Baghestani manages the phone call center operations for the channel.

"Persians are really thirsty for the truth, they really want to know who is this God that we talk about, who is this Jesus, is He real or is He just a prophet?" Baghestani said.

To answer those and many other questions, the channel has deployed Farsi-speaking Christian counselors in different time zones around the world.

Baghestani said they take an average between 8,000 and 10,000 calls a month from Iranians.

"That's when we open the subject, we preach the gospel and so many give their hearts, so many receive Him," Baghestani said.

Secret, Dangerous Broadcasting

But producing Christian programs for Iran is not without its challenges. The bulk of Ansari's productions for the channel are done outside of Iran from multiple secret locations for safety and security reasons.  

"Our channel and our signals are getting jammed on a daily basis inside Iran. It is true that the phone calls are being monitored and people who try to contact us may get persecuted," Ansari said.

QUICK TAKES

--  New Egyptian constitution gives greater freedom to Christians  (Ht: Mere Comments)

New Egyptian constitution gives greater freedom to Christians - See more at: http://touchstonemag.com/merecomments/#sthash.TAMyecCs.dpuf

New Egyptian constitution gives greater freedom to Christians - See more at: http://touchstonemag.com/merecomments/#sthash.TAMyecCs.dpuf

--  Biblical Archaeology's Top Ten Discoveries of 2013

--  Iran Steps Up Its Campaign Against Christians (Current!)

-- Interesting statistics of Bible verses shared over the internet  (You'll find this infographic interesting!)

--  Israeli soldiers warned against contact with Messianic Jews  (Appeasing the ultra-Orthodox)

-- China's navy and air power rapidly rising to  eventually control Western Pacific  (Very sobering analysis of U.S. decline)

- - World Magazine's Top 25 articles for 2013 (Articles that generated the most reader traffic on World's website - really interesting!)

JOHN BOLTON - RAMIFICATIONS OF OBAMA'S MIDDLE EAST FOREIGN POLICY RADICALISM

John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, says:

Americans must realize that we are seeing not merely a series of separate U.S. policy failures or a run of bad luck in the Middle East. Obama is presiding over declining American influence and prestige because he thinks we are too powerful, too dominant in the world. And so, by extension, are our allies in the region, especially Israel.

The indisputable evidence demonstrates that Obama's guiding ideology is as radical in international affairs as in domestic policy. Just as he wants to “spread the wealth around” domestically, so too he is at ease in “spreading” U.S. power around internationally. We will pay for Obama's radicalism for years to come.

Read the entire article for an incisive analysis of what is happening in the Middle East.  The article begins:

Under Barack Obama, American influence in the Middle East has sunk to levels not seen since before World War II. From Israel to Saudi Arabia, from Egypt to the United Arab Emirates, our friends are shaking their heads, wondering why we have seemingly taken leave of our senses.

Across this vital region, Obama is effectively empowering our opponents and turning his back on U.S. supporters and allies. He has openly courted implacable adversaries like Tehran's ayatollahs and the Muslim Brotherhood, allowed Chinese penetration to reach unprecedented levels and restored Russian clout to pre-1979 proportions. . .  [more...]

SAEED'S LIFE IN JEOPARDY AFTER PRISON TRANSFER

This is serious; definitely a call to prayer!

 

From CBN News:

Saeed Abedini, an American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his faith, is facing life threatening conditions after a recent prison transfer, the America Center for Law and Justice reports.
    
Saeed's family says he has been moved from the brutal Evin Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison, known to be an even more dangerous jail.
  
"Going to Karaj is a severe punishment," Loes Bijnen, a Dutch diplomat from the embassy in Tehran, described the jail in a 2005 report.

"Once in there one stops to be a human being," she wrote. "One is put out of sight, even of human rights activists and the press. Murders or unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence."

According to the ACLJ, Saeed is in a ward with those convicted for crimes like rape and murder.

Family members tried to visit the pastor Monday but were told he isn't allowed to have visitors in the new prison.
    
"The transfer to this prison is a deeply disturbing development and can only be viewed as a move that puts Pastor Saeed's life directly at risk," ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow warned.

While there is broad bi-partisan support for a Senate resolution calling for Saeed's release, Sekulow says it's crucial President Barack Obama step in "directly and forcefully" to save his life.

***Urge the president to push for Pastor Saeed's release by signing the ACLJ's petition.

TWO HEROIC WOMEN SUFFER FOR THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH IN AN IRANIAN PRISON

 - Update 4/17/13 - Christianity Today published an extensive interview with Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh.  The CT interview complements the interview below.  Both highly recommended.

- Update #2 - To learn how to write Saeed Abidini and Farshid Fati, two Christians still imprisoned in Iran, go to  http://captiveiniran.com/how-to-write-to-friends-of-the-authors/

- Original post - Iranian authorities sentenced Maryam and Marziyeh to death because they converted from Islam to Christianity.  I found their faith and their testimony compelling.  Their book, Captive in Iran, looks valuable:  

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://cbn.com/tv/embedplayer.aspx?bcid=2305242998001"  frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

IRAN DENIES PASTOR SAEED MEDICAL TREATMENT

From CBN News:

American Pastor Saeed Abedini, imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith, is being denied medical treatment.

Abedini is suffering from internal bleeding after months of beatings by prison guards.

A few weeks ago, Iranian authorities promised he would receive medical attention, but that didn't materialize.

The American Center for Law and Justice says he was taken to the hospital and returned to prison without being treated.

Iranian officials claim the specialist he was supposed to see wasn't available. Instead of letting one of the many doctors on staff examine him, he was returned to prison without seeing anyone.

The ACLJ has obtained his mailing address at the Evin Prison, and they're encouraging people to write him a note for his upcoming 33rd birthday on May 7.

In a statement posted on their website, the ACLJ warns that Iranian officials are carefully scrutinizing all his mail.

"It is important that we not say anything that could be harmful to Pastor Saeed's case. Statements against Iran or specific references to outside organizations or churches could be harmful.  But please let him know you are thinking about him, that you are praying for him, and that you want to see him released to his family," the statement reads.

***Please consider sending Pastor Saeed an encouraging message to let him know people are praying, watching and fighting for his freedom. For further information go to SaveSaeed.org.

TORTURED AMERICAN CITIZEN IN AN IRANIAN COURTROOM

His "crime"?  He's a Christian. He's to stand trial tomorrow before the notorious "hanging judge."

From the Family Research Council:

While people stream into Washington on Monday to celebrate one of freedom's greatest spectacles--the inauguration--another American will be sitting in an Iranian courtroom wondering if he'll hang for his faith. At 32, Pastor Saeed Abedini was just getting settled into his family life with his wife and two children in Idaho, when he took a trip home to Iran that not only changed his life--but may end it. The former Muslim, who converted to Christianity 13 years ago, was home for a humanitarian mission when he was pulled off a bus and arrested. Authorities claim his conversion has "endangered" the national security of Iran. After four months of unspeakable brutality, the Iranians set a trial date of January 21 in a court headed by a man many have nicknamed "the hanging judge."

Pastor Abedini's wife and his attorney have pleaded for help from the U.S. State Department, but officials insist their hands are tied because Iran doesn't recognize Abedini's U.S. citizenship--an excuse that Congressman Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) finds ridiculous. "Let me be clear: under no circumstances should the U.S. State Department allow Iran to determine who is or isn't a U.S. citizen and who the U.S. should protect," he said.

Meanwhile, a dozen senators, led by Sens. James Risch (R-Idaho) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) have sent a letter to Secretary Clinton urging the agency to intervene. "We should not stand idly by while the Iranian regime arbitrarily persecutes a U.S. citizen who has committed no crime," they write. Still, the State Department has been relatively mute. This is exactly the kind of apathy that Congressman Frank Wolf condemned in his letter to hundreds of American church leaders. "The Church globally is under assault. Our response must not be to simply sing more loudly thereby drowning out the cries for help from our brothers and sisters. Rather we must speak out, advocate and act on their behalf."

The White House is at least attempting to speak out before Pastor Abedini's trial. Earlier today, the President's team finally released a statement saying that it "remains troubled the case of U.S. citizen Saeed Abedini, who was arrested by Iranian officials more than three months ago on charges relating to his religious beliefs. We call upon Iranian authorities to release him immediately." With your help, we can make sure they put action behind their words.

MUST SEE: MIKE HUCKABEE ON ISRAEL

 

IRANIAN PASTOR YOUCEF NADARKHANI SET FREE!

Nadarkhani being reunited with his family.

What remendous news!!!  Here's what we have learned so far:  (From Fox News)

Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was originally sentenced to death in his native country for his Christian faith, was acquitted of apostasy charges and released from custody.

Nadarkhani, 32, was imprisoned for three years and waiting execution for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. His charges were lowered to evangelizing to Muslims, which carried a three-year sentence. He was released with time served, according to the American Center for Law and Justice, a Washington-based watchdog group that had been campaigning for the pastor's release.

"Today our sources in Iran reported that Pastor Youcef was acquitted of apostasy and released from prison. After languishing in prison for almost three years, he has been reunited with his family," Jordan Sekulow, executive director of ACLJ said in a statement to FoxNews.com.

"While we are working on confirming the exact details of his release, some sources report that the court alternatively convicted Pastor Youcef of evangelizing to Muslims, sentencing him to three years and granting him time served.  Pastor Youcef’s story is an example of how the world can join together to ensure that justice is served and freedom preserved."

IRAN: URGENT UPDATE ON PASTOR NADARKHANI

Elizabeth Kendal has an update:

Reportedly, Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (34, married with two sons), who was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010, will be re-tried on 27 August (although some reports say 8 September). This time the charges are 'banditry and extortion'. The regime is possibly seeking to convince Nadarkhani's supporters that he is a criminal unworthy of their support. Alternatively, by launching a new trial with unprovable accusations, the regime may be seeking to 'wash its hands' publicly of Nadarkhani and release him to the Islamists and secret police while declaring itself 'innocent of this man's blood' (after the manner of Pontius Pilate in Matthew 27:24, as has happened before in Iran). No matter what happens, Youcef Nadarkhani and his family will be greatly in need of our prayers. Please pray for Iran's Christian prisoners.

WORLDWIDE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

I discovered "Worthy News" today which seems to do an excellent collating news from around the world, including coverage of Christian persecution.  Here are a few examples:

Congressman Calls for Dismissal of Ambassador

Friday, July 13, 2012 (6:19 am)

WASHINGTON D.C. (Worthy News)– Congressman Frank Wolf has called for the immediate dismissal of America's ambassador to Vietnam after showing little concern for the importance of human rights in that country, according to International Christian Concern.

In a letter to President Obama, Wolf wrote that the ambassador’s dismissal of human rights issues was “symptomatic of this administration’s overall approach to human rights and religious freedom.”

As part of a campaign to eradicate Christianity from Vietnam's more rural regions, government-sponsored agents attacked a priest and his parishioners during a Christian service in the north-central part of the country on July 1, and in June, local police and paramilitary forces destroyed two Christian churches, leaving hundreds of ethic Hmongs without a place to worship.

“For the last several years the U.S. has sought to strengthen ties with the Communist government of Vietnam while brushing aside the regime’s long list of human rights abuses, including the systematic persecution of Christians," said Ryan Morgan, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia. "Christians are being arrested, beaten, tortured, and driven from their homes by a government that sees their religious beliefs as a threat. I fully agree with the sentiment expressed in Congressman Wolf’s letter to the administration and call for the State Department to stop prioritizing virtually every other issue at the expense of Vietnam’s human rights activists and Christians.”

Update: Nigeria Violence Kills Over 100 Christians

Thursday, July 12, 2012 (4:38 am)

ABUJA, NIGERIA (Worthy News)– Nigerian authorities said Sunday, July 8, that at least 63 people were killed when suspected Muslim herdsmen armed with guns and machetes stormed Christian villages, while missionaries claimed over 50 pastors and missionary leaders died in separate violence.

The attacks rocked Christian villages near the city of Jos in central Nigeria’s Plateau State since Saturday, July 8, said Mustapha Salisu, spokesman for a special taskforce made up of policemen and soldiers deployed in the area to curb years of violence.

Officials initially said that as many as 37 people died in the raids and reprisal attacks that followed, but death toll estimates later rose to over 60 killed.

The Associated Press (AP) news agency quoted Mark Lipdo, who runs a Christian advocacy group known as the Stefanos Foundation, as saying that 13 villages have been attacked. He said they were all Christian.

PASTORS, MISSIONARIES KILLED

The latest clashes came on the heels of reports obtained by Worthy News from missionary workers that as over 50 pastors and missionary leaders were "murdered so far" in recent weeks, before the latest clashes occurred.

"It is heartbreaking to think of the suffering these native Nigerian missionaries are enduring so that those who are in darkness will hear the gospel of the salvation provided by our Lord Jesus Christ," said Rae Burnett, Africa Director for Christian Aid Mission (CAM).   [more . . .]

Revolutionary Guards Close Church Properties

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 (6:59 am)

By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent

TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)– Both the Central Assembly of God Church in Tehran and its summer campsite have been closed by the Islamic authorities, according to the Farsi Christian News Network.

Officers of the Revolutionary Guards closed the Jennat-Abad Church along with its campsite, the "Garden of Sharon," once a popular site for Christian gatherings and conferences; eye witnesses' reported a large notice posted on the gates warning of severe consequences should anyone try to enter the premises.

These latest closures follow the official termination of Friday Persian (Farsi) language services and the compulsory cancellation of all Bible classes as well as any distribution of Christian literature.

After the Iranian New Year celebrations, Islamic state security insisted that church leaders reveal the National ID numbers of their congregations, causing some to stop attending services.

JOEL ROSENBERG - WESTERN LEADERS UNWISELY REFUSE TO TAKE SERIOUSLY IRANIAN SHIA "END TIMES THEOLOGY"

Rosenberg says:

They [Iran's leaders] are driven by a dangerous, virulent, apocalyptic Shia eschatology or End Times theology that few intelligence officials or analysts in the West understand or take seriously. As such, while Iran’s leaders are rational within their own world view, this doesn’t make them less dangerous; it makes them more dangerous . . .  It is precisely because of their rational but deeply misguided religious beliefs that Iran’s leaders are actually much more likely than other world leaders to use nuclear weapons to accomplish their apocalyptic, genocidal End Times beliefs and objectives. The danger is that few Western analysts are listening carefully to what Iran’s leaders are saying about their eschatology or drawing proper conclusions about the dangerous implications of those beliefs.

Read Rosenberg's whole post for much more...

REACHING IRANIANS WITH THE GOSPEL

Today's email brought a message from Voice of the Martyrs: "Reaching Iran with the Gospel Through Satellite Broadcasts." 

Iranians are incredibly open to the gospel message of Jesus' love and forgiveness. Many are disillusioned with the oppression of Islam and are desperate for the truth.

Every day, more Iranians are hearing the hopeful message of The Way, The Truth and The Life through satellite TV broadcasts.

After watching one of these broadcasts recently, an Iranian family prayed to ask Christ into their hearts. But they were worried they might not have prayed “correctly.” So they made an audio recording of their prayer and sent it to VOM's ministry broadcast partner, Iran Alive, to make sure they had done it right. Their prayer was sincere and heartfelt, and Iran Alive wrote the family to tell them their prayer was a wonderful way of entering Christ's family. The family in Iran then told their Muslim friends about Christ and played the recorded prayer for them. Within a week, 20 more Muslims had come to know Christ!

Here is the prayer that helped 20 Muslims turn to Christ.

 

The Voice of the Martyrs has increased its commitment to supporting Iranian satellite TV channels throughout 2012.  Donations are welcomed.

QUICK TAKES

- Fox News - Muslims, Atheists Pressure Military to Remove Christian Speaker

Me: I strongly recommend you read this.  It won't make you happy.  The De-Christianization of America and the U.S. military continues apace under this administration.

 - Townhall - Horrific honor killing in Canada

Click through the headline above for an accompanying Fox video of the same thing happening in the U.S.  Better not say anything, though, or you'll be accused of being an "Islamophobe" (see the first item).  View the following:

Pamela Gellar says of the above interview, The segment is, in my opinion, unprecedented. Never before has this subject matter been discussed so boldly, so forthrightly, so fully, so accurately and so honestly on cable or broadcast news. I have been a frequent guest on Coren's show. He is on the front lines in the defense of freedom.

- U.K. Guardian - Ahmadinejad launches Spanish TV Channel to woo Cuba, So. America

Me: In one of the recent Republican primary debates, I heard Ron Paul asked about Iranian influence in South America and he didn't have a clue.  Rick Santorum, on the other hand, was fully aware and answered brilliantly, expressing appropriate concern.

IRANIAN AUTHORITIES PRESSURING JAILED CHRISTIAN PASTOR TO CONVERT TO ISLAM

Fox news reports:

Iran’s secret service officials recently approached 34-year-old pastor Youcef Nadarkhani at his prison site in Rasht and presented him with a book on Islamic literature, telling him they would be back to discuss the material and hear his opinion, the sources said.

FoxNews.com obtained a digital copy of the book given to Nadarkhani, a 300-page compilation entitled "Beshaarat-eh Ahdein," meaning “Message of the Two Eras,” referring to the New and Old Testaments. Through various narratives, the book claims Christianity is a fabrication and attempts to establish the superiority of Islam.

“This isn’t the first time that we have seen this strategy used in the Iranian jail system,” said attorney Tiffany Barrans, the international legal director for the American Center for Law and Justice.

Barrans questioned whether this signaled the ayatollah's willingness to give Nadarkhani another chance, or rather "another way to trap him to allow the regime to continue to punish him or have documented evidence of blasphemy against Islam.”

WILL IRAN EXECUTE YOUCEF NADARKHANI?

Elizabeth Kendal, who writes the Prayer Bulletin for the Australian Evangelical Religious Liberty Alliance, provides a perceptive analysis.  [Bolding is my own; see previous post on Nadarkhani here.]

As was reported in RLPB 127 (28 Sep 2011) the trial court has ruled that
whilst Youcef Nadarkhani was not a practising Muslim before his conversion to Christianity, he is an apostate because of his Muslim ancestry. As mandated by the Supreme Court, Pastor Nadarkhani was brought before the trial court on 25, 26, 27 & 28 September and provided with a daily opportunity to renounce Christ and return to Islam. Those who maintain that this blatant disregard for religious liberty is contrary to Islam are wrong. Some schools of Islamic jurisprudence maintain that three opportunities should be provided on the grounds of Sura 4:137. Other schools maintain that no opportunity should be given on the grounds of Sura 2:217 that deems 'fitna' (anything that shakes the faith of a Muslim) is worse than killing. Also the Hadith (sayings of Muhammad) is very clear: 'He who changes his [Islamic] religion, kill him.' This is about Islam and politics: sanity has really nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, standing firm in his faith, Youcef Nadarkhani has refused each opportunity to renounce Christ and return to Islam.

The case has caused an outcry in the West -- not 'internationally', as is
widely reported -- with Western leaders decrying the situation as
appalling and demanding Pastor Nadarkhani's immediate release. But, it
must be noted, no such outcry is emerging from the Muslim world or from the regimes behind emerging powers such as China or Russia, or from the UN. Furthermore, as noted in RLPB 126 (21 Sep), Iran is working hard to exploit the Arab uprisings with the aim of drawing Sunni Arab Islamists into the Iranian (political) axis. As Islam rises and Western leverage and influence declines, the Iranian regime may decide that a stand for Islam in defiance of the West can only profit them.

Now that the court has confirmed Nadarkhani is an apostate and sentenced
him to death, the regime has three options. It may: (1) defiantly execute
Pastor Nadarkhani for apostasy, making a stand for Islam in defiance of
the 'colonialist' and 'Christian' West; (2) condemn Nadarkhani's apostasy,
confirm his death sentence and then release him in a very public
'humanitarian' gesture before making sure he is quietly eliminated by the
secret services. This is exactly what Iran did in 1994 in the case of
Pastor Mehdi Dibaj. The Church will get the message, even if the Western
political and journalistic elite do not. Or it may (3) change the charge
to one that otherwise discredits the accused and evokes revulsion (such as
rape), and for good measure throw in a charge that, according to the
constitution, is punishable by death or life imprisonment (such as
treason).

IRANIAN CHRISTIAN PASTOR YOUCEF NADARKHANI FACES EXECUTION FOR REFUSING TO RECANT HIS FAITH IN CHRIST

I heard about the case of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani last week, and am glad to see the press is beginning to publicize it.  Nadarkhani pastors a church of about 400 people in Iran. This afternoon Drudge linked to a Fox Report.  Yesterday the Washington Post published an article by  Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice.  The case  is urgent and ominous.  Nadarkhani could be executed any day.  Please read below and click through to "continue reading.."

Just days after Iran released two Americans accused of spying, an Iranian court has upheld the apostasy conviction and execution sentence of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

The 11th branch of Iran’s Gilan Provincial Court has determined that Nadarkhani has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ. Iran’s supreme court had previously ruled that the trial court must determine if Youcef had been a Muslim before converting to Christianity.

However, the judges, acting like terrorists with a hostage, demanded that he recant his faith in Christ before even taking evidence. The judges stated that even though the judgment they have made is against the current Iranian and international laws, they have to uphold the previous decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.

When asked to “repent” by the judges, Youcef stated, “Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?” The judges replied , “To the religion of your ancestors, Islam.” To which he replied, “I cannot.”

It is reported that Youcef was able to see his children for the first time since March and was in good spirits speaking of how he longed to serve the church upon his release.

AHMADINEJAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS: WHAT DID HE SAY?

Joe Rosenberg says we need to study Ahmadinejad's words, which we seldom do. Rosenberg writes: [my emphases]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not a world leader worthy of the world stage. He is the evil leader of an Iranian death cult. A new U.N. report indicates that he is making progress in building nuclear weapons. He has predicted the arrival of the Twelfth Imam and called for wiping Israel “off the map.” He aspires to be a mass murderer beyond the scale of history’s great dictators. He deserves to be in prison, or an insane asylum. His speech on Thursday before the United Nations General Assembly was further proof, if any more were needed.

Did you see Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic address, or read the full text? You should. It’s instructive. Unfortunately, you won’t find Ahmadinejad’s full speech reprinted in the major newspapers. It was pitifully covered by the mainstream media. It should have been carefully analyzed.

Ahmadinejad isn’t hiding what he believes. He denied the Holocaust. He blasted the U.S. for bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. He blamed the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the U.S. government. He insisted that his so-called messiah known as “Imam al-Mahdi” or the Twelfth Imam is coming soon. He insisted that Jesus Christ will come with the Mahdi to take over the world. He called for “the shared and collective management of the world.”

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN IRAN

Take two minutes to view the face of Iranian Christians recently imprisoned for their faith:

 

I hadn't heard of Elam before.  It seems like a fine organization doing important work. It is endorsed by Ravi Zacharias, Stuart Briscoe, George Verwer, and many others.  I found this paragraph from a page on Elam's website encouraging:

In 1979, there were less than 500 known Christians from a Muslim background in Iran. Today the most conservative estimate is that there are at least 100,000 believers in the nation. Church leaders believe that millions can be added to the church in the next few years-such is the spiritual hunger that exists and the disillusionment with the Islamic regime. If we remain faithful to our calling, our conviction is that it is possible to see the nation transformed within our lifetime. Because Iran is a strategic gateway nation, the growing church in Iran will impact Muslim nations across the Islamic world.

IRANIAN CHRISTIANS SENTENCED FOR "CRIMES AGAINST THE ISLAMIC ORDER"

Lila Gilbert reports:

In recent weeks, a series of abuses against Christians has swept across the Muslim world. There has been a murder in Pakistan, attacks on churches in Ethiopia, an attempted assassination of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Turkey, and repeated pogroms against the Copts in Egypt.

Now, rights groups are reporting new developments in Iran’s anti-Christian crackdown, which has swept up nearly 300 Christian believers since June 2010.

In late January 2011, Elam Ministries released a detailed briefing document announcing a “severe intensification of arrests and imprisonment of Christians in Iran.”

Two days ago, on March 9, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that five Iranian Christians had been sentenced to one year’s imprisonment for “Crimes against the Islamic Order.”

Pastor Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjani, Mehdi Furutan, Mohammad Beliad, Parviz Khalaj and Nazly Beliad, all members of the Church of Iran, a Jesus-Only Pentecostal denomination, were found guilty by the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz. They have 20 days to appeal the sentence.

CSW also confirms that 282 Christians have been arrested in 34 cities since June 2010: “At least 15 of these Christians remain in prison, while others have been released, generally after posting large amounts of bail.” According to Elam’s report, Yousef Nadarkhani, pastor of a church in Gilan province, has been sentenced to death. He was arrested in October 2009 and is being held in Lakan prison while his case is appealed.

An earlier (August 2010) report from Elam describes Iranian clerics’ hostility to the country’s Christian population. It quotes Ayatollah Seyed Hosseini Bousherhri, who calls house churches the work of the “enemy”: “Today the global aggressors have accurately planned and invested resources for these purposes. This why in our country there is a strong inclination towards Christianity.”

— Lela Gilbert is an adjunct fellow of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom.

 

SHAMEFUL FAILURE OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN IRAN - AND CHINA

I remember well the silence of the Obama administration in 2009 when Iranians rose up in revolt against their rulers.  Fouad Ajami in a Wall Street Journal article today also recalls that moment.  He writes: (my bolding)

. . .  Mr. Obama had come into office with a belief that he knew and understood the Islamic world. He was proud that Islam was a strand in his identity. He was sure that the policy of his predecessor had antagonized Islam. President George W. Bush's "diplomacy of freedom" was not given the grace of a decent burial. "Ideology is so yesterday," Secretary Clinton proudly proclaimed in early 2009. Realpolitik was to be the order of the day.

The Bush diplomacy had declared an open ideological assault against the Iranian theocracy. Mr. Obama would offer that regime an olive branch and a promise of engagement. Syria had been pushed out of Lebanon and viewed as a renegade regime that had done its best to frustrate the American war in Iraq. The Obama diplomacy would offer the rulers in Damascus diplomatic rehabilitation.

Thus the word went forth to the despots in the region that the American campaign on behalf of liberty that Mr. Bush had launched in 2003 had been called off. A new Iraqi democracy, midwifed by American power, was fighting for its life. The Obama administration would keep Iraq at arm's length.

This break of faith with democracy was put on cruel display in the summer of 2009, when the Iranians rose in revolt against their rulers. True, American diplomacy was not likely to alter the raw balance of power between the regime and its democratic oppositionists. But the timidity of American power, and the refusal of the Obama administration to embrace the cause of the opposition, must be reckoned one of American foreign policy's great moral embarrassments. . .   [more . . .]

Me:  Mr. Ajami goes on to talk about Syria, Lebananon, and Tunisia in this article.   But I wanted to record Ajami's assessment of President Obama's inexplicable and shameful failure to support the 2009 uprising.  Though it struck me forcefully at the time, it seemed that Obama's silence never received the attention it deserved.  Now the distinguished Fouad Ajami offers his opinion, and explains how the ebb of Americn power continues to affect the Middle East.

(Ajami is a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. )

Update 1/20/11 - Regarding the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington, Ellen Bork notes that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo

undermined the carefully cultivated image of a legitimate regime in full control of, and tacitly accepted by, its people.  Chinese leaders fear international support for individuals who are brave and stubborn enough to work for a democratic alternative to the Communist party. . . .

On January 13, he [President Obama] did meet at the White House with a group of experts and activists on China. But people who would have offended Chinese leaders — people like Harry Wu, the former prisoner of China's laogai or forced labor camps; Rebiya Kadeer, the exiled Uighur leader; Ngawang Sandrol, a Tibetan nun jailed and tortured for her songs of praise for the Dalai Lama; Wang Juntao, a former Tiananmen protester; or Wan Yanhai, a famous AIDS activist and longtime associate of Liu Xiaobo — they were absent.

The president's determination to avoid using the weight and prestige of his office to support democratic opponents of authoritarian regimes in China, Iran, Belarus, and elsewhere is quickly becoming a hallmark of his administration. It's a dispiriting trend. And it suggests that the president simply does not grasp the meaning and potential of Liu Xiaobo and his fellow Chinese democrats.  (my emphases)

Update #2 - Washington Post editorial - "President Obama makes Hu Jintao Look good on rights"

Ambassador John Bolton: Israel Has 8 Day Deadline to Attack Iran (Video)

From Gateway Pundit: 

Former Ambassador John Bolton told FOX Business Network that Russia’s loading of nuclear fuel into the Iranian Bushehr plant means that Israel has an August 21 deadline for an Israeli attack.

Ambassador John Bolton on the Bushehr plant:

“Unless the Israelis act within the next 8 days… Once that uranium, once those fuel rods are very close to the reactor, certainly once their in the reactor, attacking means a release of radiation. No question about it. So if Israel is going to do anything against Bushehr it has to do something within the next 8 days. If they don’t then

MASSIVE PROTESTS IN IRAN

- Update - Obama finally speaks out.  Krauthammer calls Obama's words"flacid, meaningless words."  Click here for Krauthammer's response (video).

- Update: Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugged posts continuing coverage.  Gateway Pundit posts: Angela Merkel Speaks Out In Support of Ianian Freedom Protestors. . .  Obama Relaxes At Beach.

- Gateway Pundit has numerous video reports.  Nile Gardener of the U.K. Telegraph asks, "Iranian protesters are dying for freedom.  Where is Barack Obama?"  Gardener's concluding paragraph:

This is not however a time for fence-sitting by the leader of the free world. The president should be leading international condemnation of the suppression of pro-democracy protesters, and calling on the Iranian dictatorship to free the thousands of political dissidents held in its torture chambers. Just as Ronald Reagan confronted the evils of Soviet Communism, Barack Obama should support the aspirations of the Iranian people to be free. The United States has a major role to play in inspiring and advancing freedom in Iran, and the president should make it clear that the American people are on the side of those brave Iranians who are laying down their lives for liberty in the face of tyranny.

Me: Obama the leader of the free world?  That represents one of the major tragedies of our time.  Let us pray that President Obama stops voting "present" and meaningfully takes up the cause of freedom around the world.   It would be ironic indeed if President Obama, the man who goes around the world apologizing for the United States, goes down in history as the man who failed the vision of freedom and left millions in bondage.  Future presidents would then have something genuine for which to apologize.

AN IRANIAN/AMERICAN OFFERS A THOUGHTFUL PERSPECTIVE ON ISLAM AND NATIONALISM

I found this man's persective useful:

I am 34 years old, born in the U.S., raised as a (nominal) Muslim in Iran, and returned back to the U.S. in 1990 (thank Goodness). I converted to Catholicism in 2002, and became a reservist in the Navy (through the Direct Commission Officer program) in 2004. Growing up in Iran, religious instructions in schools started in 1st grade. Sixth grade is when our religious instructions began in earnest by the Basij goons (the true believers) and their fellow-travelers. My family and I left Iran after I finished 9th grade, but by that time I had had a steady ideological diet on Supremacy of Islam, the place for dhimmis, the primacy of Jihad and

IRANIANS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THE REGIME THROUGHOUT IRAN

Atlas Shrugs has numerous video and photos.   An example:

What is the response of the United States?  Michael Ledeen says,"Obama Speaks Appeasement to Evildoers"

As Michael Rubin notes, there are ongoing demonstrations against the Iranian regime all over the country. It seems clear that the violence from the Revolutionary Guards and Basij is worse than anything to date. The Supreme Leader delivered a verbal beating to President Obama, demanding a full American retreat. And what does our president do? He issues a statement that doesn't even mention the regime's savagery, instead mewling and whining, asking for the Iranian regime to make nice. Here he is, in full Carter/Chamberlain mode:

We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. We have recognized Iran’s international right to peaceful

OBAMA DITHERS; THE TIME FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN IS NOW!

So says Ambassador Dore Gold, former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations and author of the newly released The Rise of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West.   Gold writes:

[...] After Obama revealed the startling fact that the Iranians had built a secret uranium-enrichment facility — the “size and configuration” of which, according to Obama, showed it was not designed for peaceful purposes — one might have expected him to announce a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward Iran, away

from the policy of engagement that he has promoted. But, unfortunately, Obama’s bottom line was simply a repetition of his longstanding position: “We remain committed to serious meaningful engagement with Iran to address the nuclear issue though the P5-plus-1 negotiations.”

Some more details about the West’s response came from Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy of France: “If by December there is not an in-depth change by the Iranian leaders, sanctions will have to be taken.” At the last G-8 meeting, in July, Obama and the leaders of the industrial world declared September a firm deadline for the

JOEL ROSENBERG ON AHMADINIJAD'S U.N. SPEECH - "DECEITFULLY TAME"

Rosenberg offers first impressions of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's speech:

• His tone was low-key, quiet, deceitfully tame — it was clear he didn’t want to make splashy, provocative headlines this time around. (Why? See below)
  
• He repeatedly denounced Israel and the Jewish people, as expected.
• Yet he seemed to be making a calculated effort to appear reasonable — he didn’t deny the Holocaust, he didn’t call for the annihilation of the U.S. and Israel or say that both countries were doomed and “nearing the end of the road” as he did in 2008.
• Noteworthy was that he didn’t end his address with a prayer to Allah asking him to hasten the coming of the Islamic Messiah, known as the “Twelfth Imam,” or the “Mahdi,” or the “just and promised One” as he did in 2005 and 2006.
  
• Nor did he open the speech by praying for the Allah to hasten the coming of the Islamic messiah, as he did in 2007.
• That said, Ahmadinejad’s address contained more references to the coming of the Mahdi than any of the others, including his 2008 speech which did build on this theme. He referred at least twice to a Shia Islamic eschatological notion of “entezar.” This is the capacity for a Shia Muslim to wait patiently for the coming of the Islamic Messiah.  Once the transcript is available, I’ll point out these references more clearly.
• Bottom line: Ahmadinejad speech reflected the fact that he knows he’s walking a fine line. He desperately wants to stay true to his End Times theology and prepare the world for the coming of the Mahdi, but he also needs to keep the world community from unifying to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
• The Canadian, American, British, French, German and Israeli delegations walked out, among others.   [Argentina, Australia,  Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand - ed]
• But I suspect his ploy to appear “reasonable” enough to most U.N. leaders to avoid draconian economic sanctions just may work.

OBAMA FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS IRAN: DISASTER IN THE MAKING

The redoubtable Iran watcher, Michael Ledeen weighs in with his post, Appeasement Runs Wild in the West:

The seriousness of the West has been tested once again, and once again the West has chosen dishonor. Today that grand master of appeasement, Javier Solana [EU foreign policy chief], announced that Iran's proposal for broad talks has been accepted, and the State Department tells us that the talks will take place in December.

In other words, when we announced that we would give Iran until September to fish or cut bait on their nuclear program, it was a hoax. All we wanted — all the Obama administration has ever wanted — was the chance to sit down around a table with the

TWO WOMEN IMPRISONED IN IRAN FOR CONVERTING TO CHRISTIANITY GET THEIR DAY IN COURT

The story is here.  (HT: Wintery Knight via Reasonable Faith)

MARYAM AND MARZIEH: “We will not deny our faith”

In a dramatic session before the revolutionary court today in Tehran, Maryam Rustampoor (27) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (30) were told to recant their faith in Christ. Though great pressure was put on them, both women declared that they would not deny their faith. Maryam and Marzieh were originally arrested on March 5, 2009 and have suffered greatly while in prison, suffering ill health, solitary confinement and interrogations for many hours while blindfolded.

On Saturday August 8, Maryam and Marzieh were summoned to appear in court on Sunday August 9 in order to hear a verdict on their case. The chief interrogator had recommended a verdict of ‘apostasy.’ However, when they arrived, no verdict was actually given. Instead, the court session focussed on the deputy prosecutor, Mr Haddad, questioning Maryam and Marzieh about their faith and telling them that they had to recant in both verbal and written form. This made it clear that in the eyes of the court, Maryam and Marzieh’s only crime is that they have converted to Christianity.

Mr. Haddad, asked the two women if they were Christians. “We love Jesus,” they replied. He repeated his question and they said, “Yes, we are Christians.”

Mr. Haddad then said, “You were Muslims and now you have become Christians.”

“We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims,” was their reply.

Mr. Haddad’s questioning continued and he asked them if they regretted becoming Christians, to which they replied, “We have no regrets.”

DESPICABLE: WOMEN RAPED BEFORE EXECUTION IN IRAN

From the Jerusalem Post (by way of Mark Steyn):

In a shocking and unprecedented interview, directly exposing the inhumanity of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's religious regime in Iran, a serving member of the paramilitary Basiji militia has  told this reporter of his role in suppressing opposition street protests in recent weeks.

He has also detailed aspects of his earlier service in the force, including his enforced participation in the rape of young Iranian girls prior to their execution. . .

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. And they would always fight back, so we would have to put sleeping pills in their food. By morning the girls would have an empty expression; it seemed like they were ready or wanted to die.

"I remember hearing them cry and scream after [the rape] was over," he said. "I will never forget how this one girl clawed at her own face and neck with her finger nails afterwards. She had deep scratches all over her."  [more . .]

Steyn:

"It is illegal to execute a young woman ...if she is a virgin": Must be convenient to have a legal code that obliges all your pathologies.

JAMIE GLAZOV INTERVIEWS ROOZBEH FARAHANIPOUR, AN IRANIAN JOURNALIST AND DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST

I learned a lot from this interview.  I realize that news out of Iran is spotty and uneven, and it is difficult to know whose opinion to trust.  Nevertheless, Jamie Glazov consistently proves a trustworthy source to ferret out individuals with special insight, and this interview doesn't disappoint.  One thing I learned: Mousavi is not a good man.  According to Farahanipour,

Mousavi has had a long history of hard line positions and murderous suppression of opposition and presiding over massacres of political prisoners in the 1980s. Even today he has constantly declared his devotion to the Supreme Leader and his religious ideology of hierarchical Islamic government. His moderation myth has developed out of his opposition to Ahmadinejad’s open and bold statements. Mousavi believes in quietly doing the same things, i.e. the nuclear development, support of Hezbollah and Hamas and etc.

WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEW WITH AMIR TAHERI ABOUT IRAN

Kathryn Jean Lopez interviews Amir Taheri, author of The Persian Night: Iran Under the Khomenist Revolution.  Taheri is an Iranian-born journalist.  Lopez offers a substantial, informative interview with this very astute observer of Iran and Middle East turmoil.   Excerpt:

All that Iranians want the U.S. to do is to be true to its own principles, not to kowtow to the Khomeinist regime, and not to help it restore its shattered legitimacy. We want Obama to condemn the shooting of demonstrators in Iranian streets and the rigging of the election, and to make it clear that he would not shake Ahmadinejad’s bloodstained hand. We want Obama not to organize a strategic retreat from the Middle East, which would create a vacuum that the Khomeinists would fill. We want him not to leave the region’s new and fragile democracies alone and defenseless against the Islamofascists.

We also want him not to flatter the Islamists by pretending that the Renaissance and the Enlightenment were bred in an Islamic theological college. Don’t claim that Islam invented the pen and the printing press along with poetry and architecture — as if the Hellenic, Byzantine, Persian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations could be scripted out of history. Today, the U.S. has a choice: It can side with the Iranian people and invest in a future democratic Iran, or it can beg for a dialogue with the Islamofacists gathered around Ali Khamenei.   [more . . . ]

CHAOS IN IRAN

- Update 6/16/09 - a round-up of op-eds and stories on Iran from The Anchoress:

Michael J. Totten: has running updates on Iran, plus a cautionary note. Just keep scrolling.
Christopher Hitchens: A scathing piece, Don’t call what happen in Iran an election
Richard Just: Finally, in Iran, Something Left & Right can agree on!
Robert Fisk: Day of Destiny
Michael Ledeen: Excellent analysis
Pajamas Media: Is America Sleeping?
Weekly Standard: Did Iraqi Democracy affect Iran Elections? Would like to think so, but who can say?
Jonah Goldberg: POTUS votes “present” on Iran
Althouse: Could Obama be Blander? Yes, his statement lacked umm..passion and maybe empathy. Rather cold, I thought. 

MICHAEL LEDEEN ON IRAN: LEARN FROM HISTORY AND TREAT IRAN AS THE IMPLACABLE FOE THAT IT IS

Hillsdale College mails its Imprimis publication free of charge to anyone who wants it.  It's also available on the internet.

The October 2008 Imprimis carries a speech Michael Ledeen delivered on August 4, 2008 titled "Understanding Iran."  Ledeen sees Iran as an implacable foe intent on evil.  He advocates recognizing an evil regime for what it is and treating it accordingly, rather than putting hopes in talk and negotiation.  President-elect Obama, from all indications, will adopt the talk and negotiation approach to Iran. 

Ledeen:

They [Iran's regime] want us dead or dominated, just as our enemies did in the 1930s and '40s.  You can't make deals with a regime like that.

  Ledeen's article is wide-ranging and valuable.  Following are a few excerpts:

There is a striking tendency among people in modern Western governments not to recognize the existence of evil in the world.  My professional career has largely been spent studying evil . . . 

Ledeen has studied National Socialism and writes,

People from my generation studied these things because we were trying desperately to understand how men like Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin came to power, and why nobody saw it

AT THE UN, VICIOUS ANTI-SEMITISM IS MET BY A ROUND OF APPLAUSE

Anne Bayevsky writes:

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 will go down in history as the day the United Nations General Assembly provided a platform for a head of state [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran] to spew unadulterated, vile antisemitism — and the assembled nations of the world clapped.

The United Nations has become the largest global purveyor of antisemitism in the world today.  In the full knowledge that the president of Iran denies the Holocaust and advocates the destruction of the U.N. member state of Israel, the U.N. invited him to mount the dais and gave him a megaphone.  [more . . .]

IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD RETURNS TO THE UN

I P. David Hornik offers a valuable overview of the return visit of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the U.N.   Hornik writes:

Incitement to genocide is doing well these days. On Monday, September 22, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be arriving to address the UN General Assembly for the third time. At least this time he won’t be an honored guest of Columbia University as well.

Since his last address to the world body, a year ago on September 24, Ahmadinejad has been adding to his genre—not only referring to Israel last May 8 as a “stinking corpse” that “should be wiped off the face of the earth” as Sarah Palin has noted. Six days later, for instance, on Israel’s 60^th birthday, he said on Iranian state television that “The Zionist regime is dying. The criminals assume that by holding celebrations...they can save the sinister Zionist regime from death and annihilation…. Nations of the region hate this criminal fabricated regime and will uproot this fabricated regime if the smallest and briefest opportunity is given to them.”

Me:  This time Ahmadinejad will be met by protests and responses.  Read on...

- See also "Iran's Faltering Economy" by Michael Rubin in Euro-Atlantic Quarterly (HT:  Corner)

BILL PASSED IN IRAN: ANY MUSLIM WHO CONVERTS TO ANOTHER RELIGION MUST BE PUT TO DEATH

Wow.  This has the force of civil law.   The bill was approved by a majority of 196 to 7, with two abstentions.  From the Memri Iranian Media Blog...  (HT: Michael Ledeen at the Corner)

Last week, Iran's Majlis ratified a bill under which any Muslim who converts to another religion would be put to death, with no possibility of pardon.

The bill was approved by a majority of 196 to 7, with two abstentions.

The few Iranian media outlets that covered the issue played down their reports, while on others, such as the Majlis website and the website of the conservative daily Resalat, the reports were removed after a few hours.

Under the bill, anyone declaring publicly that he was knowingly abandoning Islam of his own free will face the death penalty.

The bill is now in permanent force, after being extended every five years since its temporary ratification in 1991.

It should be noted that a ruling by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, states that any Muslim who converts to another religion is subject to the death penalty, but until now this ruling has not been anchored in civil law.

ON TUNNELING CAPABILITIES AND IRAN AND ISRAEL

I learned quite a bit from this article on how tunneling has become much easier than ever before, and how difficult it is to take out tunneling in a time of war.