Iranian Diplomat Fired After Groping Young Girls In Brazil

Hekmatollah Ghorbani, a 51-year-old Iranian diplomat stationed in Brazil, has been fired for groping some young nine to 15 year-old girls in a swimming pool in the capital Brasilia last month. Iran's foreign ministry issued the following statement:

“After an investigation into the violations by the Iranian employee of the Iranian embassy in Brazil, it was found his behavior was contrary to administrative regulations and Islamic conduct ... thus he was dismissed.”

He was initially arrested after he made the little girls cry, but as per regulations for diplomatic immunity (once his status was verified) he was immediately released.
At first, the Iranian Embassy tried to justify the obvious pedophilia as a "cultural misunderstanding" which, in reality, is partially the truth. Well, cultural AND religious misunderstanding; after all, their Prophet's most beloved wife, Aisha, was a mere nine year's old, and underage marriage is quite common in many Muslim-majority countries. Of course, that doesn't explain the fact that he fondled young girls he wasn't 'married' to.
This kind of incident always mortifies the holier-than-thou Muslims who aren't supposed to even mix with other genders in pools. Al Arabiya mentions that gender-mixing in swimming pools in Iran is expressly forbidden, and that Iranian diplomats (and others representing Iran) need to follow those same Islamic rules while living in the West.

Ramin Mehmanparast, of the Iranian foreign ministry, said that Ghorbani would be "dealt with" upon his return to Iran, but I'm sure he'll probably just get a slap on the wrist for causing them grief, but that's about it. Iranian prisons are reserved for political dissidents, adulterers, and homosexuals who all wind up dead, eventually. Pedophiles? Nah. Had they been little boys, however, he'd be in big trouble.

Mehmanparast, of course, also had to mention that the whole affair was, in essence, being "twisted by Western and Arab media."

"Dirty Looks" Will Destroy Israel, Says Ahmadinejad

Iran's mad  Mahmud Ahmadinejad doesn't think a war is needed to destroy arch enemy Israel. There's a simpler way of destroying the country he abhors so much.

“The destruction of the Zionist regime does not necessitate making war,” he said in a speech during a tour of northeast Iran.

“If countries of the region cut ties with the Zionists and give them dirty looks, it will spell the end of this puppet regime,” said the hardline Iranian leader.

Yes, those nasty looks and cold shoulder will do it. 

Does he realize that's what the rest of the world are doing to his country?

Death Fatwa For Iranian Rapper

What do 31-year-old Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi and Brit/Indian writer Salman Rushdie have in common?  They both have prices on their heads, and both death fatwas originated from Ayatollah's in Iran, that mecca of tolerance. 

Shahin, whose music is socio/political in nature, luckily now lives in Germany where he emigrated to in 2005. A social activist, he writes about everything from sexism to theocracy to censorship, but his latest song "Naghi" is what got him into deep trouble with Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani of Qom. The lyrics skewer the 10th Imam 'Naghi' (aka Naqui) and Shia Muslims take great umbrage with anyone who offends their precious dead Imams, even the lesser known ones. But Golpayegani isn't the only one calling for Najafi's death, shia-online.ir is actually offering a $100,000 reward.  And those behind a campaign to have him hanged for apostasy (initiated by an Iranian news website Asr Emrous), want all Muslims (not just Shi'ites) to search for Najafi and "send him to hell."

Rushdie was forced into hiding for years, who knows if Najafi will be forced to do the same thing, or whether he will just thumb his nose at the mullah's- his songs certainly have done that.

The youtube video causing all the furor.

Another translation of the lyrics.

Tehran To Crack Down On Dress Code Violations

There are actually Muslim women (and their liberal tools) who claim banning them from wearing the hijab (Islamic veil)  is a violation of their rights. I wonder if they would feel the same way if they were actually forced to wear one, like in Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, women were not forced to wear the veil. Once the mullahs took over all that changed. And though the dress code isn't as restrictive as Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, Iran is ready for its annual crackdown on violations.

TEHRAN -- Tehran Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia says a new campaign to crack down on dress code violations has been launched in the Iranian capital.

Sajedinia was quoted by Iranian news agencies as saying that police will go after clothing manufacturers and companies that import dresses deemed inappropriate.

He said authorities also will pursue individuals who wear the clothing.

Thousands of Iranian citizens are detained and fined each year during the annual crackdown, usually launched in spring, which aims at enforcing an Islamic dress code.

Not that they don't fight back.



But this is what could happen to all the women in the Arab Spring countries that now have an Islamist majority leadership.

Ahmadinejad Tells Ex-PM Of Japan: No "Atomic Bombs" For Iran,

Against the advice of both Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nodahe and Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba, Yukio Hatoyama, the Japanese ex-premier, paid a little visit to Iran's Ahmadinejad where Mahmoud told him that

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is fundamentally opposed to the atomic bomb and weapons of mass destruction.”

“Iran and Japan can exert a common effort to create a world without atomic weapons ... Difficult but humanitarian efforts will win in the end.”

This, from a man who claims there are no homosexuals or oppression of women in Iran, and that the Holocaust is a myth.

But the world is going to try to reason with the madman again.  The dates and location for the upcoming U.N. Security Council 5+1 talks, where Iran and the 5 permanent Security Council members ( China, France, UK , US, Russia) plus Germany will discuss Iran's nuclear agenda, have yet to be finalized, but expected to take place some time mid-April.

Meanwhile, Hatoyama told Mahmoud:

“International trust-building and respecting regulations are important part of the world community which should be seriously pursued.”

Trust-building with liars is not possible, and it's foolish to think it is. And respect?  It doesn't exist with the current leadership.

Ahmadinejad, as he has many times before, said the country was “ready for negotiations”, and that he had  “practical suggestions for the upcoming meeting.”  Can't wait to hear what those are.

Bottom line, you can't believe anything that comes out of Mahmoud's duplicitous mouth.

The Child-Bride Problem In Iran- Over 716 Girls Under the Age of 10 Married Off In 2011

Mohammed's child bride Aisha (bint Abu Bakr) was only 6 years old when she was betrothed to the Prophet by her father.  She was still playing with dolls when they finally consummated the marriage when Aisha was only 9 and Mohammed was 52, and old enough to be her grandfather. Apparently, she was his favorite wife, that's probably because as young as she was she was malleable and controllable.

You'd think that with the progress of civilization, and the fact that we now consider sex with underage children 'pedophilia', the practice would have ceased.  But it's still thriving in many regions of the world, including Iran, because many believe that if it was good enough for their Prophet, it's good enough for them.

In fact, according to activist Farshid Yazdani (of Association for the Defense of Children's Rights) the number of child brides in Iran under the age of 10 has been increasing at an alarming rate.  They jumped from 449 in 2009 to 716 in 2011. But that's not all:

Yazdani added that the number of marriages for girls under 15 years of age has increased from 33,383 in 2006 to 35,931 in 2007, 37,996 in 2008, and 43,459 last year (please note that the dates are approximate as the statistics were given according to the Iranian calendar, which begins at the start of the Persian New Year).

According to Yazdani, the rate of marriages of girls under the age of 15 has had a 45% increase compared to marriages in other age brackets. He added that these figures are based on the statistics released by Iran’s Civil Registrations Office, and they should set off alarms for social activists and policy makers.

We can thank Sharia Law for the legalization of the practice in many Muslim countries.

Ahmadinejad's Website Hacked

Who knows who hacked Ahmadinejad's website, with the following, but whoever did has a wonderful sense of humour. This is a tad old, dating back to January, but thought it was worth a post.

"Dear God,

In 2009 you took my favourite singer - Michael Jackson, my favourite actress - Farrah Fawcett, my favourite actor - Patrick Swayze, my favourite voice - Neda.

"Please, please, don't forget my favourite politician - Ahmadinejad and my favourite dictator - Khamenei in the year 2010.

Thank you."

I don't normally condone praying for someone's death, as so many on the left are wont to do, but I don't think the world would miss a lunatic, religious fanatic with nuclear capabilities who is intent on creating the third world war so his precious 12th Imam can return to the world stage.

It was apparently up and viewable early Tuesday a.m., but seems to no longer be available. In fact, I just tried clicking on www.ahmadinejad.ir and wasn't able to access the page. It was cached on google, but is no longer there.

The person has major cojones.

Religious Hypocrisy In Action: Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Loves Him Some Caviar and Dirty Jokes

So, Iran's grand religious poobah Ayatollah Khamenei loves trout and caviar! Who would have thought. Now, trout is pretty commonplace, at least in the U.S., but caviar? Excuse me, but that stuff is dang expensive, so why the heck is Khamenei chowing down on caviar when the people of Iran aren't doing so great economically speaking. And that's not the only major indulgence, according to a defector from Khamenei's private guard who spilled the beans on the religious leader.

A catalogue of the private opulence and eccentric tastes of 70-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei and his family has been compiled by Iran's opposition Green Movement from the accounts of the defector, who is said to be in hiding in France.

Smart man to be hiding in France; we all know what happens to people who criticize the Iranian regime. Although I'm not sure how safe he will be. So, other than his penchant for caviar and trout, he is also

... an avid hoarder of collectables from bejewelled pipes to fine horses; and that he suffers regular bouts of depression which are treated in part by audiences with a mid-ranking mullah who tells vulgar jokes.

Living a double life as an austere theocrat in public, and an epicure in private- no wonder he's depressed. And vulgar jokes? Ha! I guess dirty jokes are in and Prozac is out. And that doesn't sound particularly pious to be using vulgar jokes as a form of therapy. And the man's a collector of fine (and obviously expensive) things to boot. He owns 170 antique walking sticks and at least 100 of the finest horses in Iran, not to mention his palaces- all 6 of them.

Ayatollah Khamenei is claimed to have accumulated a sprawling private court that stretches across six palaces, including Niavaran, the former resident of the Shah in Tehran. Two of the palaces - Niavaran and Vakilabad - are equipped with deep, reinforced concrete nuclear bunkers said to be capable of withstanding nuclear attack. A fully functioning hospital is overseen by a former health minister.

Then we have the following:

Claims from three intelligence officials, who have also fled Iran, have additionally documented the Khamenei family's wide-reaching business connections, including interests in European manufacturers, African mobile phone companies and international commodities markets.

You wonder where all their money is stashed. Switzerland, probably. Or the Cayman Islands. But the opposition Green Movement's exiled leader, film director Mohsen Makmalbaf seems to have information regarding his investments and wants the West to act on that info.

Mr Makmalbaf claimed the Green Movement had gathered information about the Khamenei family's investments abroad. "If the Western governments are serious enough in putting pressure on the regime by applying economic sanctions, then they should follow these leads and find these bank accounts and confiscate their deposits to be returned to the Iranian people at a later time," he said.

Before defecting, the bodyguard was one of a 200 personal security force for Khameini. I suppose you'd need that many when you are so loved. The fact that he denied rumours that Khameini also indulges in opium, which seem to be pretty widespread in Iran, seems to lend credence to his claims regarding the Ayatollah's other excesses.

None of this is surprising, of course, considering most of the ruling elite in authoritarian, totalitarian, communist, Islamic or other oppressive regimes always prosper while the population suffers.

There's nothing worse than religious hypocrisy.

Student Protests In Iran

Raw footage of the anti-Ahmadinejad student protests in Tehran, December 7th. Warms the cockles of one's heart. Let's all pray for their safety and that they are able to accomplish their dream of democracy in Iran.

Bolivian Nurses Forced to Wear Hijab At Inauguration of Iran-funded Hospital

The raunchy love affair between lefty Latin and South American leaders and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues unabashedly with Iran's funding of a medical center in Bolivia, at the cost of 1.2 million dollars. 2 more hospitals have been promised.

In the meantime, the female nurses were forced to wear the Islamic hijab and cover themselves from head to toe at the inauguration of the Hospital República Islámica de Irán (Islamic Republic of Iran Hospital) in El Alto on November 24, where Evo and Mahmoud attended via teleconference. Causing an uproar, the minister of Health, Ramiro Tapia, assured everyone that things would go back to normal once the hospital was officially handed over at the beginning of December. Apparently, the Red Crescent (the Islamic version of the Red Cross) is handling administrative duties, so it wasn't a question of forcing Islamic dress on the nurses, but rather the uniform of the red Crescent. At least that's what Iranian Embassy officials said. Frankly, it's the same thing. They're both Islamic attire being forced on non-Muslims, in a foreign non-Islamic country. The article on LosTiempos.com doesn't specify whether they will continue to administrate or not, but in another article a source, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, claims that wearing the hijab is a requirement (for both doctors and nurses) for being hired. The women have no choice, if they need the job. Administrative director, Pou Mount, explained that using the veil as part of the uniform was simply "a little piece of Iran in Bolivia".

Another source Semanario Verdad Latinoamericano also references the issue, but doesn't go into much detail, mentioning nothing about going back to business as usual. I'm not sure anyone knows for sure whether the forced wearing of hijab will be permanent or not. It appears to be, since being hired is predicated on accepting the rules, one of which is wearing a hijab.

I guess that's what happens when you make a deal with the devil.

H/T Fausta's Blog

URGENT: Stop The Execution Of Farzad Kamangar

"On 25 February 2008, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Farzad Kamangar to death on charges of "endangering national security" and "enmity against God" (moharebe). The death penalty was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 11 July. "

A teacher, former member of a Kurdish teacher's union (until outlawed) and human right's activist, Farzad Kamangar was scheduled to be executed today! Thankfully, according to one source (International Campaign For Human Rights In Iran), he was not, although 10 others (including a woman) were, and there is still the likelihood that Kamangar will be hanged, at some point.

In a letter from prison, Kamangar describes the details of his arrest, and the torture he has endured while incarcerated:

In July of 2006 I came to Tehran to follow upon my brother's medical treatments. My brother is a Kurdish political activist. Upon my arrival in Tehran I was arrested and taken to an unknown place, it was a very small, dark basement. The cells in this place were empty, there were no blankets or rugs or sheets. They took me to a room and as they were interviewing me they asked me about my ethnicity. When I told them that I was of the Kurdish Ethnicity they lashed my entire body. They also lashed me because of the Kurdish music which I had saved on my mobile phone. They would tie my hands, make me sit on a chair and put pressure on the sensitive areas of my body. They would also strip me naked and threaten me with rape by various objects such as wood.

His trial was a farce. According to Khalil Bahramian, Farzad’s lawyer:

“Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.” He described the trial as “lasting no more than five minutes, with the judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room.” {snip} the closed-door trial violated the Iranian legal requirements that such cases must be tried publicly and in the presence of a jury.

Please send an email to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requesting, at the very least, that Kamangar get a fair trial. You can email him directly at: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir

or via the Education International website by clicking here, which has a pre-written letter

Being sentenced to death for being Kurdish, a human right's activist or trade union member, or all of the above, is outrageous.

Please take a moment to do this. That moment could save an innocent man's life.