PUBLIC MEGILLAH READING HELD AT IRANIAN MISSION TO THE UN BY: FERN SIDMAN "Ahmadinejad: Remember What Happened to Haman" was one of the many signs held aloft on Sunday afternoon, March 20th, as close to 500 Jews gathered on Purim day for a public reading of Megillat Esther (the Book of Esther) that was held outside the Iranian mission to the United Nations on Manhattan's east side. Organized by Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI), Amcha - the Coalition for Jewish Concerns, Z Street and the Jewish Political Education Council, the reading was held as a symbolic representation of the indefatigable nature of the Jewish people and G-d's intervention in their survival throughout the millenium. "Purim is a day that we celebrate the survival of the Jewish people against evil rulers who sought our complete annihilation in the city of Shushan in Persia. In every generation the names of our oppressors and their countries of origin may change, but they are driven by one common denominator and that is visceral hatred of the Jew", intoned Larry Domnitch, a freelance writer and designated reader of the megillah. "Today we will read about the plans for mass extermination of the Jewish people designed by the prototypes of evil, namely Achashveirosh and Haman. We are gathered here today to remind the modern day Haman who resides in Iran named Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that we will not be silent while he creates his plans to "wipe Israel off the map". As in the days of Queen Esther, we will raise our voices to G-d, seeking His divine intervention and we will boldly speak out against a regime that is not only a nemesis to Israel but to the entire free world," he added. Glenn Richter, long time Jewish activist and former leader of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, introduced the leaders of the sponsoring organizations as the crowd held specially made Purim groggers with the face of Ahmadinejad and a red line cancelling it out, along with other signs and Israeli flags. "The Obama administration is willfully deluding itself by touting the line that the source of all the problems in the Middle East is due to Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria", he declared. "It is clear that the source of anti-Western and anti-Israel terrorism today emanates from Iran; the very same government that sought to destroy us centuries ago", he added. During the megillah reading the sounds of acrimony could be heard from a small contingent of Neturei Karta counter-protestors who chanted, "Down, Down, the State of Israel" and held signslambasting Zionism as antithetical to against Judaism. One each occasion that the name of Haman was read aloud, the noise generated by the plethora of groggers and loud boos by those gathered to hear the megillah drowned out the hateful rhetoric of the protestors. Subsequent to the megillah reading, Helen Freedman of the Americans For A Safe Israel said, "We are putting the government of Iran on notice and we are here today to tell Ahmadinejad and other sponsors of terrorism against Israel and the Western world, that your fate is sealed. Learn from history. When you lift your hand against the Jewish nation, you will succumb to defeat, just as Haman did in Persia and all the others after him." Sending a strong message to President Obama, Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale declared, "When you weaken Israel, you weaken the United States. When the United States ambassador to the United Nations states that Jewish settlements are illegal you create an atmosphere in which the gruesome murders of five members of the Fogel family in Itamar can take place", he intoned. Udi Fogel, 37, his wife Ruth, 36 and three of their children, Yoav age 11, Elad 4, and a three month old daughter named Hadas were murdered in cold blood in the Israeli settlement of Itamar on Friday evening, March 11th by Palestinian terrorists connected to Fatah. Tears filled the eyes of those gathered as Rabbi Weiss delivered an impassioned and emotionally charged address when he listed the names of each member of the Fogel family and asked, "What kind of beasts could have carried out this heinous act of murder?" Speaking of the innocence and love of 11-year-old Yoav Fogel, ZTK"L, Rabbi Weiss read the words that hung over Yoav's bed: "May it be Your will, Lord God and God of our forefathers, that I love every one of Israel as myself, and to graciously perform the positive commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself. May it also be Your will, Lord God and God of my forefathers, that you cause the hearts of my friends and neighbors to love me fervently, and that I be accepted and desirable to everyone, and that I be loving and pleasant, and that I be gracious and merciful in the eyes of all who see me." "Our message to the remaining members of the Fogel family and to all our brothers and sisters living in Israel is the same message declared by Queen Esther who said, "gather all of the Jews', all decent people and cry out, "We stand with you!" He reiterated the words of devotion uttered by 12-year-old Tamar Fogel who said after the funerals of her parents and siblings; "Now, I will be the mother" and called upon all of the entire Jewish nation to become active participants in raising this family and all others who are suffering. "Just as we read in Megillat Esther, we have the power to turn this tragedy in Itamar around", said Rabbi Weiss. He spoke of a millionaire who told the Fogel family, "get used to having me around" as he made a committment to stock their pantry every Sabbath until the youngest child turns 18; and of those who organized the delivery of 108 shalach manos (food packages) to the families of Itamar and of his daughter's wishes to hold his granddaugher's Bat Mitzvah in Itamar as a sign of love and solidarity. "The message of the "brit", the covenant between the Jewish people and G-d is a simple one and that is, don't give up", said Rabbi Weiss as he led those gathered in rousing chants of "Am Yisroel Chai" (the people of Israel lives).
"STAND WITH US" STAGES SILENT PROTEST AGAINST AHMADINEJAD BY: FERN SIDMAN Spotlighting the egregious human rights abuses that take place on a daily basis in Iran, the pro-Israel student advocacy organization "Stand With Us" staged a silent demonstration in Manhattan on Sunday afternoon, September 19th at the entrance to Central Park on 59th Street and Columbus Circle. This graphic display of the terror that Iranian citizens face comes in response to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to New York, where he'll be addressing the United Nations general assembly on September 23rd. Approximately 60 people attended the silent protest which featured "street theater" including participants with blue duct tape over the mouths, signifying the lack of free speech or dissension in Iran, while others held signs that depicted the horrific human rights abuses that take place in that country. While there were no speakers or organized crowd chanting, the powerful message of those suffering under the draconian rule of the Iranian regime came across loud and clear. Among those in attendance were long time Jewish activist Helen Freedman, the New York City coordinator of Americans For a Safe Israel along with a contingent of AFSI members. "We came here today to stand in solidarity with those Iranian citizens who are being beheaded, stoned and buried alive for speaking out against the tyrannical rule of the Iranian ayatollahs. It is the pinnacle of hypocrisy for Iranian President Ahmadinejad to come to New York and speak at the United Nations while his own citizens are not granted the basic rights of free speech that we take for granted in this country. We also hold the UN responsible for extending an invitation to Ahmadinejad", she declared. Holding aloft photos of those who have been tortured and murdered by the Iranian government for speaking out against the totalitarian rule of the government, the demonstrators also held signs saying, "Down With Dictators", "In Iran, You are KILLED for Opposing the Government", "Iran is the World Sponsor of Terrorism - Imagine Them With Nukes!" and "Impediment to Peace - Iran". Most of the signs carried a photo of the face of Ahmadinejad. Many of those who participated in the demonstration were Iranian dissidents, now living in the United States and the United Kingdom, and those who personally felt the lash of Ahmadinejad's government. One such woman is Shahla Ebrahimi who came along with her husband, Alireza Yaghoubi and their teenage children Amir and Kosar. Mrs. Ebrahimi and her family now live in the UK where they regularly attend demonstrations on behalf of human rights in Iran. "Twenty years ago, I was arrested, blindfolded, and taken to a purported court where I was not allowed to speak. I was imprisoned for three years for protesting against the Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Khomeni regimes of oppression, intimidation, arrest, and death", she said. She added that her husband, Alireza was arrested 14 years ago and imprisoned for 5 years in the Evin torture prison in Teheran. While being transferred from one place to another his back was broken by his Iranian tormentors and as a result of the tortures inflicted on him he lost most of his hearing. During this tumultuous period, Mrs. Ebrahimi said that their so-called "friends" in Iran exploited their grievous situation and stole all of their money. Subsequent to their release they traveled to Germany for a brief time and then back to Iran where her husband's parents were dying. Alireza was immediately detained by Iranian police, she said. "My husband, Alireza, had to run away to the border with Turkey, where a smuggler found him after 20 days and for $10,000 was able to get him into England" she emotionally recalled. Mrs. Ebrahimi counts herself and her children as among the lucky few who were able to get out of Iran and into England where they now reside along with her husband. Her children attend school in the UK while Mrs. Ebrahimi is studying to be a dental hygenist. "Thankfully, we were able to get visas and use our British passports to come to the US to attend this week's series of demonstrations against Ahmadinejad" said Mrs. Ebrahimi. "Our story and others just like it, need to be told. The world must wake up to the madness of this Iranian miscreant (Ahmadinejad) and take him seriously. Under his leadership and that of the powerful imams, Iran represents an existential danger to the free world. An nuclear armed Iran spells death and destruction to all peoples. We must raise our voices in outrage and indignation before it is too late".
 By: Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury Just for criticizing the undemocratic activities of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian reformist journalist Bahman Ahmadi Amoui was sentenced to over seven years imprisonment and 34 lashes by Tehran Revolutionary Court on January 4, 2010. Amoui was an editor for the prominent economic newspaper Sarmayeh, which was closed by the government in November, and had been in prison since 20 June 2009.The same day, 36 parliamentarians supportive of Ahmadinejad drafted a bill that would require the execution of government critics detained as "Mohareb" [enemies of God] within five days of their arrest. The bill also calls for the period of time allotted for appeals in cases of public order disturbances or "Moharebeh" [war against God] to be brought down from 25 days to five days. It is no strange that Iranian Mullah’s are putting Ahmadinejad into the position of ‘God’ by passing this notorious bill. I don’t know how the Arab ‘brethrens’ of Iran as well other Muslim nations will now react when Iranian Mullahs are already putting their President into the position of ‘God’ and onwards critics of Ahmadinejad will be treated as ‘enemies of God’. Meanwhile, Iran's Intelligence ministry has prepared a list of 60 foreign organizations and news outlets that would be banned from the country for alleged involvement in rioting or incitement. The list included Voice of America, BBC, Human Rights Watch, National Endowment for Democracy, National Republican Institute, Stanford University's Hoover Institution, Search For Common Ground Organization, New American Foundation, British Center for Democratic Studies, East European Democratic Center, YALE, Ford Foundation, Foundation for Democracy in Iran, MEMRI, U.S. National Defense University, The Smith Richardson Foundation, Wilton Park, and Brookings Institute. Any Iranian in contact with a news outlet on the list could be arrested. Iranian missions abroad are already warned not to have minimal contacts with any of the organizations and media outlets, which are already in the list. A prominent Tehran-based professor of law, Mahmud Akhundi, told Radio Farda that the Intelligence Ministry’s list and warning have no legal basis. "It is in clear contradiction with human rights principles and with international principles of law. It doesn’t even have any Sharia-based justification,” Akhundi said. Nobody has the right “to define an action that has not been defined previously as a crime, as being criminal,” he added. Activists and opposition supporters say Iranian authorities have been intensifying efforts to limit the free flow of information in and out of Iran in the wake of mass protests against June's disputed presidential election. In late November, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran was facing a "soft war" with its enemies abroad, who were fomenting the street protests that hit the country following the disputed June 12 vote. "Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has always been trying to prevent contacts between Iranians inside the country and international organizations,” says Faraj Sarkuhi, a prominent Iranian exiled writer and journalist. “In the past they accused the publication 'Adineh,' of which I was the chief editor, of espionage over contacts with International PEN [writers' organization] and said it is illegal.” According to media reports, Iran has become the country with the largest number of imprisoned journalists following the sentencing of two journalists to prison terms of at least six years each, bringing the total number of journalists currently detained in the Islamic republic to 42. The 2009 winner of the World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award, Ahmad Zeydabadi was also sentenced to five years banishment in Gonabad, a remote northeastern town over 600 miles [1000 kilometers] from Teheran, to be served following his prison term. He was also banned for life from political activity and is currently held in solitary confinement in the infamous Evin prison, under pressure from Iranian authorities to issue a public confession. Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontiers [Reporters Without Borders] says Iran has earned the dubious distinction of being the number-one assailant of press freedoms in the world, after several sentences were handed down. RSF termed Iran as the ‘biggest prison in the world for journalists’. In a statement, Reporters Sans Frontiers said, “We are very disturbed by the calls repeatedly made by the most senior officials for Iran to impose the ‘supreme punishment’ on detainees, including journalists. The danger is imminent. The regime hardliners are capable of having the crackdown’s witnesses executed. There is an urgent need for international bodies to take action before a tragedy takes place, before political prisoners begin being executed. An intelligence ministry representative said at a news conference on 4 January: “Several agents from foreign countries have been arrested with cameras and video cameras.” The ministry also released a list of 60 NGOs and news media regarded as having incited and participated in rioting. “The intelligence ministry and Revolutionary Guards began rounding up government opponents and journalists again after further opposition demonstrations on 27 December. Around 20 people have been arrested in the latest wave, including a dozen or so journalists and cyber-dissidents. The relatives of the detained journalists are still lining up outside Evin prison in an attempt to get news of those believed to be held there.” Vienna based International Press Institute [IPI]’s press freedom manager Anthony Mills said, it is unacceptable that the Iranian authorities are responding to criticism in the media by arresting journalists and handing down prison sentences. The crackdown on the media must end immediately and the journalists imprisoned simply for doing their job must be freed. IPI has repeatedly condemned the intensified crackdown by the Iranian authorities on journalists. New York based Committee to Protect Journalists [CPJ] in a statement said; “Iranian authorities have arrested at least three more journalists in their ongoing campaign to suppress critical reporting and commentary, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the arrests and calls on the government to release all imprisoned journalists, who number more than 30. “Behrang Tonkaboni, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Farhang va Ahang, and Kayyvan Farzin, a reporter for the publication, were arrested at their office on Monday, according to local news reports. Police searched Tonkaboni’s home, confiscating his computer and documents belonging to his mother, the prominent author Lili Farhadpour, news reports said. Authorities also seized Farzin’s computer hard drive. “Parisa Kakaee, a journalist for the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, was arrested Sunday after being summoned by the Ministry of Information, the reformist news Web site Kalame reported. Kakaee writes regularly about political and human rights issues on her two blogs. Since the disputed presidential elections in June, Iranian authorities have launched a relentless assault on opposition and independent media. CPJ has documented numerous cases in which authorities have shut down newspapers, blocked Web sites, arrested and sentenced journalists to lengthy prison sentences. Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator said, Iranian authorities have apparently decided to arrest as many independent and opposition journalists as they possibly can. We call on the Iranian authorities to reverse this regrettable course and release all detained journalists.
 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country suffered after invasions during World War II and he will "stand to the end" to get full compensation, the Jerusalem Post reported. Ahmadinejad said he'd write to U.N. secretary General Ban Ki-moon to ask for compensation for damages caused to Iran during the war, and for use of its territory and resources by allied powers, the Post reported. "You inflicted lots of damages to the Iranian nation, put your weight on the shoulders [of the Iranian people] and became victors in World War II. You didn't even share the war profits with Iran," Ahmadinejad said. Britain and the Soviet Union invaded Iran on August 26, 1941, to secure oil fields and supply lines for the Soviets. The Post notes the Iranians suffered when food, fuel, and other essentials were given to the invading powers. Ahmadinejad reportedly also warned that Iran may demand similar compensation for the first World War. Click here to read the full report at JPost.com FoxNews
 THE young woman killed during the June election protests in Tehran was an agent for the United States and Britain who faked her own death, says a documentary made by Iran state television. Neda Agha Soltan, 27, became a symbol of Iranian democratic resistance when her death was filmed on a mobile phone and then posted on YouTube, where it was watched by millions of people. It was then broadcast around the world by news organisations. Yet a documentary shown on Iranian state TV claims she wasn’t dying, but had simply poured blood on her face from a hidden bottle, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a group of journalists who cover 20 countries where a free press is banned or not established. "While Neda is (pretending) she is injured and is lying on the back seat of the car on their lap, they bring out a handgun from their pockets," the documentary's narrator says. "A handgun that they obtained from their Western and Iranian friends to water the tree of reforms and kill people and create divisions within society. "Neda, for a moment, realises their wicked plan and struggles to escape, but they quickly shoot her from behind." RFE/RL reports Iranian officials have repeatedly described her death as "suspicious" and a "premeditated scenario" to defame Iran. Dr Hejazi has denied being in the car, and told RFE/RD: “A young innocent woman was shot dead while protesting. Since her killing, until today, the Iranian government has been doing all it can to distance itself from it and throw the responsibility on others, instead of acting responsibly and dealing with those who are guilty." Dr Hejazi said Tehran kept changing its story about Neda's death. "Their first reaction was that she was alive," he said. "Then they said the footage was fake. "One day they said a BBC reporter killed her. Then they said it was the CIA. Then they said the (Mujahedin) Khalq Organisation was behind it. "The latest is this documentary." In June, tens of thousands of Opposition supporters rallied in Tehran in defiance of an official ban on protests over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidential election win. At least 10 people were killed and more an 100 wounded when security forces cracked down on the protesters. Read more about this story of Neda's faked death at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The Australian
 THE salient strategic fact in the Middle East today is the Iranian drive for regional hegemony. This Iranian objective is being promoted by a rising hardline conservative elite within the Iranian regime, centred on a number of political associations and on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps. This elite, which is personified by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has received the backing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Their aim is a second Islamic revolution that would revive the original fire of the revolution of 1979. They appear to be aiming for the augmenting of clerical rule with a streamlined, brutal police-security state, under the banner of Islam. Building Iranian power and influence throughout the Middle East is an integral part of their strategy. The Iranian nuclear program is an aspect of this ambition. A nuclear capability is meant to form the ultimate insurance for the Iranian regime as it aggressively builds its influence across the region. This goal of hegemony is being pursued through the assembling of a bloc of states and organisations under Iranian leadership. This bloc, according to Iran, represents authentic Muslim currents within the region, battling against the US and its hirelings. The pro-Iranian bloc includes Syria, Sudan, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas among the Palestinians, and the Houthi rebel forces in northern Yemen. Israel, despite lacking official diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, is also a key member of this camp. Unlike the pro-Iranian bloc, which has a simple guiding ideology of resistance to the West, the countries seeking to counter Iran are united by interest only. The rivalry between these two camps now informs and underlies all-important developments in the Middle East. It is behind the joint Israeli-Egyptian effort to contain the Iran-sponsored Hamas enclave in the Gaza Strip. It is behind the fighting in north Yemen, as Saudi troops take on Shia rebels armed and supported by Iran. The rivalry is behind the face-off between pro-American and pro-Iranian forces in Lebanon. The insurgencies in Afghanistan and in Iraq are also notable for the presence of weaponry traceable to Iran in use by insurgents against Western forces. Who is winning in this ongoing Middle East cold war? The rhetoric of the Iranians, of course, depicts their advance as unstoppable. The reality is more complex, and the past year has seen gains and losses for both sides. First, within Iran the electoral victory of Ahmadinejad and the subsequent backing given to him by Khamenei represented a major advance for the Iranian hardline conservatives. Ahmadinejad subsequently confirmed his victory by forming a cabinet that is packed with conservatives and Revolutionary Guardsmen. But the refusal of large sections of the Iranian people to accept the possibly rigged election and the unprecedented scenes of opposition in the streets of Iranian cities in recent weeks have severely tarnished this achievement. The ongoing unrest in Iran probably does not constitute an immediate danger to the regime. But it surely indicates that large numbers of Iranians have no desire to see their country turned into the instrument of permanent Islamic revolution and resistance envisaged by the hardline conservatives. The domestic unrest thus hits significantly at the emerging regime's legitimacy, and their ability to promote their regime as a model for governance to the Arab and wider Muslim world. Iran made major advances in Lebanon last year. The formation of the new Lebanese government in November in essence confirms Hezbollah's domination of the country. Hezbollah is the favoured child of the Iranian regime and its partner in subversive activity globally. There is now no serious internal force in Lebanon able to oppose its will. In Gaza, the Iranian-sponsored Hamas regime is holding on. The Iranian investment is central to Hamas's ability to stay in power. The movement just announced a budget of $US540 million ($590m) for 2010. Of this, just $US55m is to be raised through taxes and local sources of revenue. The rest is to come from "aid and assistance". Hamas does not reveal the identity of its benefactors. But it is fairly obvious that the bulk of this funding will come from Iran. The Palestinian issue remains the central cause celebre of the Arab and Muslim world. The Iranian regime's goal is to take ownership of it. But there have been setbacks here too. The Iranian resistance model failed in a straight fight with the Israeli Defence Forces in the early part of the year. Hamas's 100-man "Iranian unit" suffered near destruction in Gaza. The Hamas regime in Gaza managed to kill six IDF soldiers in the entire course of Operation Cast Lead. This is a failure, recorded as such by all regional observers. In addition, someone or the other appears to be trying to demonstrate to the Iranians that the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy is a two-way street. Hence the killing of 29 Revolutionary Guards in a bombing in October near the Iran-Pakistan border, and the mysterious explosion in Damascus last month that killed a number of Iranian pilgrims. So at the beginning of 2010, the lines are clearly drawn in the Middle East cold war, and the contest is far from over. Ultimately, like other totalitarians before them, the Iranian hardline conservatives are likely to fail through overreach. The inefficient, corruption-ridden and oppressive state they are coming to dominate is likely to prove an insufficient instrument to sustain their boundless ambition. Still, this process probably has a long way to run yet. Much will depend on the sense of purpose, will and resourcefulness of the Western and regional countries that this regime has identified as its enemies. This is a contest for the future of the region. It has almost certainly not yet reached its height. Jonathan Spyer is a senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Centre in Herzliya, Israel. The Australian 
 On December 19, one of the Iranian government’s most prominent critics, Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, passed away. His demise may yet portend the beginning of the end for Iran’s oppressive regime. The regime may have been relieved that this independent source of religious authority and popularity among the people would no longer be around, but the Shiite holiday of Ashura fell on the seventh day following his death.
The rallies mourning Montazeri combined with the Ashura celebration, creating a storm of anti-regime activity that only brutal suppression can contain. Ayatollah Montazeri was a ferocious critic of the regime and advocate of ending clerical rule in government. Clerics, Montazeri believed, should serve as advisors to elected rulers. He wanted freedom of speech and assembly, and became particularly incensed in recent months over the fraudulent re-election of Ahmadinejad and widespread human rights abuses. His ardent opposition to the regime made him a hero among the people, despite his original role in bringing Ayatollah Khomeini to power and founding the Islamic Republic. This year, he even issued a fatwa declaring the regime illegitimate and listed various transgressions committed by Khamenei and Ahmadinejad and their underlings, including hurting Shiite Islam by misrepresenting it.
The fatwa even said that by breaking the “contract” with the people, “the people may remove the position holder from his post,” a not-so-subtle endorsement of overthrowing the government. He followed that up with an even bolder challenge to the regime: a declaration that Khamenei lacked the religious credentials to be a source of canon law and did not have the authority to issue fatwas. Montazeri’s religious credentials as a Grand Ayatollah made such statements deeply unsettling for the regime.
Originally, he was so adored by Khomeini that he was appointed as his successor. However, moral and religious conviction led Montazeri to disqualify himself from this post by speaking out against Khomeini’s massacres and human rights abuses. He even called on Khomeini to stop trying to export the Islamic Revolution by supporting terrorists and militias, and urged him to lead by example instead of force. In 1989, Montazeri was placed on house arrest and the regime began trying to marginalize him. The current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was chosen to succeed Khomeini, even though he lacked the religious qualifications and Montazeri’s education dwarfed his. Montazeri has thus been able to speak with greater authority than Khamenei, especially as Iran’s economy and human rights situation spiraled downhill. Following the June “election,” a Seven-Point Manifesto was spread about Iran listing the demands of the opposition for democratic reform called for Montazeri to replace Khamenei as Supreme Leader until the constitution is changed to reconfigure the government. The death of Montazeri couldn’t have come at a worse time for the regime. The opposition had already been gearing up for massive demonstrations during the Ashura holiday, knowing that the regime could not ban gatherings on that day.
The mourning that followed his death led to growing expressions of discontent that extended into Ashura, creating momentum that only gunfire and violence could stop from spreading to every street. More at FPM
 Iranian security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters in the capital Sunday, killing at least four people in the fiercest clashes in months, opposition Web sites and witnesses said. Thousands of opposition supporters chanting "Death to the dictator," a reference to hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, defied official warnings of a harsh crackdown on any protests coinciding with a religious observance on Sunday. Iranians were marking Ashoura, commemorating the seventh-century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints. Security forces tried but failed to disperse protesters on a central Tehran street with tear gas, charges by baton-wielding officers and warning shots fired into the air. They then opened fire directly at protesters, killing at least three people, said witnesses and the pro-reform Web site Rah-e-Sabz. Witnesses said one of the victims was an elderly man who had a gunshot wound to the forehead. He was seen being carried away by opposition supporters with blood covering his face. The clashes marked the bloodiest confrontation between protesters and security forces since the height of the unrest in the weeks after June's disputed presidential election. The opposition says Ahmadinejad won the June election through massive vote fraud and that its leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi, was the true winner. Reporters from foreign media organizations were barred from covering the demonstrations on Tehran's central Engelab Street, or Revolution Street, and the reports of deaths could not be independently confirmed. Ambulance sirens could be heard near the site of the protests. The witnesses and opposition Web site said angry protesters threw stones at security forces and set dozens of their motorbikes on fire. Police helicopters circled overhead as clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky over the capital. Police had blocked streets leading to the center of the capital to try to prevent thousands of people from joining the protest. Still, many opposition supporters managed to break the security wall. Fierce clashes also broke out Sunday between security forces and opposition supporters in the cities of Isfahan and Najafabad in central Iran, the Rah-e-Sabz Web site said. Cell phone services were down and Internet connections were slowed to a crawl, as has happened during most other days of opposition protest in an apparent government attempt to limit attention on the events. Opposition activists have held a series of anti-government protests since the death of a dissident cleric last week. The Dec. 20 death of the 87-year-old Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a sharp critic of Iran's leaders, has given a new push to opposition protests, which have endured despite a heavy security crackdown since the election. His memorials have brought out not only the young, urban activists who filled the ranks of earlier protests, but also older, more religious Iranians who revered Montazeri on grounds of faith as much as politics. Tens of thousands marched in his funeral procession in the holy city of Qom on Monday, many chanting slogans against the government. Iran's police chief, Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, had threatened tougher action against protesters on Sunday should they hold rallies. Opposition leaders have used holidays and other symbolic days in recent months to stage anti-government rallies. About 50 plainclothes hard-liners disrupted a speech by former reformist President Mohammad Khatami Saturday evening, attacking and injuring several of those who attended the speech, according to the pro-reform Web site www.salaamnews.ir. The attackers chanted slogans in support of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it said. Khatami was speaking at the former residence of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of Iran's 1979 revolution, in north Tehran on the occasion of the Ashoura holiday. FoxNews
 A BRITISH newspaper has named an Iranian woman shot dead during protests against her country's disputed June elections as its "person of the year". The Times said Neda Agha-Soltan became a "global symbol of opposition to tyranny" after images of her bleeding to death during the protests in Tehran were shown around the world. "Ms Soltan, 26, joined the protest because she was outraged at the way that the regime stole the presidential election," the newspaper said on its front page that included a photograph of protesters holding pictures of her. "She wanted to make a difference, she said. She had no idea quite what an impact she would have. Mobile phone footage of her bleeding to death on a pavement flashed around the world. "It tore the last shreds of legitimacy from the regime, made her a global symbol of opposition to tyranny, and inspired the Green Movement in a region where populations are all too easily cowed." Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters poured into Iranian streets in week-long protests in June over the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the vote was rigged. The demonstrations were suppressed following a call by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who gave his strong backing to President Ahmadinejad and warned the opposition against continued street protests. The opposition movement has continued however to mount protests, with some members wearing the colour green in support of defeated rival presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Iran last month reportedly denounced Oxford University after one of its colleges set up a scholarship in honour of Ms Soltan, accusing it of joining a "politically motivated" campaign. The Australian
 Barack Obama believes it necessary to coo and flatter and fawn over these thugs, so why not Nora Shourd?
If Hitler kidnapped three Americans in 1938, would everyone be rushing to proclaim how much they respected Germany's ancient and noble civilization? An update on this story. "Mom of US hiker in Iran pleads to supreme leader," by Patrick Condon for AP, December 18: MINNEAPOLIS -- The mother of one of three American hikers jailed in Iran appealed to the Islamic Republic's supreme leader on Friday to release her daughter and her friends for the holidays, according to a new video. It's been almost five months since the three were taken captive in Iran for allegedly straying across the country's border and almost two months since their families have had any word on their condition. "Sarah, Shane and Josh are good people," Nora Shourd of Oakland, Calif., said in the video posted on a Web site dedicated to freeing the three. "They meant no harm to the Islamic Republic of Iran and respect your ancient and noble civilization. If they entered Iran, it was an innocent mistake." The families have previously pleaded for their release to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but Friday's video was the first public outreach to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is Iran's highest-ranking political and religious authority. "We're saying it's the holidays, please be compassionate and send them home," Shourd told The Associated Press on Thursday.... With thanks to JihadWatch
 From CAN: The New York Post reported that the Alavi Foundation, which recently had its assets seized by the government for acting as a front for the Iranian government, donated large sums of money to universities and professors acting in Iran’s interest. The report says that the Alavi Foundation donated $100,000 to Columbia University after the school agreed to host Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a speaker in 2007. The Foundation also donated $351,600 to the Rutgers Persian Language Program between 2005 and 2007.
The New York Post notes that a Rutgers professor who also used to serve as the head of Rutgers’ Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Hooshang Amirahmadi, “unabashedly has touted Hezbollah and Hamas as legitimate organizations and not terrorists.” The report also listed two other professorships that received Iranian funding via the Alavi Foundation: Gary Sick of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian studies and comparative literature at Columbia University.
The latter was quoted in the report as comparing the heroes of the movie, “300″ to “those resisting this [U.S.] empire: They are the Iraqi resistance, the Palestinians, Hezbollah.” World Threats
 That true image of Islam is apparently one of supremacism and conquest, since Ahmadinejad himself has said: "Have no doubt... Allah willing, Islam will conquer what? It will conquer all the mountain tops of the world." "Iran - President asks Muslims to introduce true image of Islam to world people," from ISRIA, December 19: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the spirit of seeking God and justice has been revived in today world, stressing that Muslims worldwide are duty bound to correctly introduce Islam to the world nations. In a meeting with members of Islamic groups residing in Denmark on Friday, the Iranian top diplomat said Islam was the hard core of all sciences and human values, stressing that the holy religion of Islam was capable of offering all the truth and facts needed to attain a sublime life. He said the only way for salvation of mankind at present juncture was reliance on the religious and divine values and stressed that all those who were seeking other ways to bring prosperity for man were absolutely misled. To a question by one of the participants in the meeting about the US military attack against Iran, the president said: "This is in fact our question from Americans: Why you are so eager to attack Iran or the region and why do you impose the Zionist regime on the region which is at the very heart of the Islamic world?... Projection Alert: He said this was because the Americans were after sowing discord among Muslims, noting that all the stories they revealed merely aimed at labeling certain groups of people as victims of the oppressive acts in an attempt to pave the way for occupation of Palestine, all of which being certainly a colonial and hegemonic objective. Ahmadinejad said all those programs were worked out to ultimately gain dominance over the Middle East. He also noted that after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran under the leadership of the Late Imam Khomeini there came an overwhelming spirit of Islamic revival in the Islamic world which invoked people to fight oppressors. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that wrath of the hegemonic powers was due to Islam's revival.... Still waiting for those who Understand Islam Correctly, such as Honest Ibe Hooper, Brave Ahmed Rehab, etc. etc. etc., to explain how exactly this avowedly devout Muslim Ahmadinejad is Misunderstanding Islam. With thanks to JihadWatch
 The Iranian government is being kept in power by force and will not last its four-year term, one of the opposition presidential candidates has predicted. Opposition member Mehdi Karoubi said the government faced pressure from members of parliament, the Iranian public and the rest of the world. Speaking to the BBC in Tehran, he repeated allegations over the abuse of anti-government protesters in prison. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected in disputed elections in June. "From the first day the election result came out I was convinced that Mr Ahmadinejad would not survive the full four years of his term," Mr Karoubi said. "Even within the last six months, the government has only been kept in power by force." Widespread protests erupted in Iran after the election, with hundreds of anti-government demonstrators arrested. In a rare interview with a foreign broadcaster, Mr Karoubi told the BBC that heavy-handed treatment by the authorities had been counter-productive. "At the beginning of the movement, it was just a protest against the election, we didn't recognise it as a serious election. "The government's response, the crackdown, has not calmed things down at all. In fact, it's just made the chanting louder. It's just increased the people's demands." He stood by his allegations that opposition activists have been raped in detention - a charge vehemently denied by authorities. He said he was not afraid of being prosecuted over the claims as threatened by several government officials. Mr Karoubi was interviewed by the BBC at his home in Tehran as his newspaper has been closed down, and all party meetings banned. "We can't even get permission for any social gatherings," he said. Although he said he did not believe he was about to be arrested, the government seems to be edging closer to taking that radical step, as the confrontation with the opposition threatens to erupt once again, says the BBC's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne. With the BBC blamed by the Iranian government for stirring up trouble after the election, Mr Karoubi's interview was a deliberate act of defiance, our correspondent adds. Six months on from the election, there have been more demonstrations in Iran. At the weekend, Iran's Supreme Leader accused the opposition of breaking the law by insulting the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The remarks centre on an alleged incident last Monday during which a poster of Imam Khomeini was torn up. Opposition leaders say the alleged incident - shown on state television - was doctored. BBC
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Dec. 16 - Ayatollah Montazeri has said, “at the beginning people demanded a new and just election saying that the presidential election was fraudulent.
But when they were suppressed and harshly confronted they demanded some more and aimed at other organs especially the suppressive organs and their operatives. When innocent people were killed, political activists and freedom lovers were arrested and tried in sham, illegal trials which were against the canon law people demanded still more and thus this fear exists that if the estate continues its current course of action people will desert the system and the current crisis will deepen even more.” Dec. 16 - Reacting to the tearing and trampling of a Picture of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, President (Pasdar) Ahmadinejad said, ” enemy has become desperate and wants to take revenge by offending the sacred issues of Islamic people and system.” He threatened, “the enemy must be afraid of the nation’s wrath. I wish that we were dead and we wouldn’t witness such offense to Imam Khomeini.” Dec. 16 - Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s office has announced, “Ayatollah Rafsanjani’s support for the People’s Mujahadeen of Iran (PMOI) during his struggling time is nothing that you had discovered. This issue has been written in more details in his diaries and has been repeated once and again in his speeches and interviews.”
The government press has been told to refer to Rafsanjani as a Hojatol Islam, a much lower rank than Ayatollah, and has head of the regime’s Expediency Council. He is in fact an Ayatollah and Head of the Assembly of Experts as well as the Expediency Council. World Threats
 Iran's official news agency says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reiterated his support for Hamas during a visit by the Palestinian militant group's Syrian-based leader.
In a meeting with visiting Hamas politburo head Khaled Meshaal, Ahmadinejad said that Iran would constantly stand besides the Palestinian nation until what he called "imminent collapse of the Zionist regime (Israel)."
Iranian TV quoted Meshaal as saying that Hamas would continue its fight against Israel and its supporters "until final victory."
"The government and the people of Iran will always stand by the Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian people," Ahmadinejad said during the meeting. "Today Palestine is symbol of the global front of freedom-seekers and militants."
Iran does not recognize Israel and supports Lebanese-based Hezbollah and Hamas - two of the chief militant groups fighting Israel.
 These events have been reported to World Threats. Dec. 11 - The head of the SSF, Ahmadi Moghadam, afraid of the spreading revolt threatened the people and said, “time of compromising with the course of hypocrisy (a religious term in this case dealing with people who claim to be Muslims yet do unislamic things) after the election is over and the SSF will not be easy with anybody.
It will act decisively about those who break the law. Some people ruin their past and act in the course of the enemies’ goals while apparently showing that they are supporting revolution and imam. The SSF must act so that hooligans and wrong-doers always fear police forces.” Reacting to the slogans “death to Khamenei” and “Khamenei is a murderer, his leadership is void” he said, “these days in gatherings and unrests some people offend the sacred issues and values of Islam by their slogans.” Dec. 11 - Reports from Gohardasht Prison in Karaj say that political prisoner Adel Akbari Jahed, 35, died of blood cancer having been deprived of treatment for the last five years. Dec. 11 - Mullah Sedighi, the regimes Tehran Friday Imam of Tehran, mourned Khomeini’s torn picture and said while crying, “How they offend Imam’s picture too. Our sacred issues have gone under question.” He also emphasized that Iran would not stop its nuclear activities at any price. He called the international community’s attempts to stop Iran’s nuclear activities “repeating and fussing propaganda of the Western World” and added, “West has imposed lies by media war and has come to the field full force”. In Uromieh Mullah Hassani, the Friday Imam, shouted, “to tear Imam’s (Khomeini) picture is really being shameless and we the lovers of Velayat (Supreme Leadership) cannot bear it anymore. Are you offending the sacred realm of Imam by tearing his picture? shame on those who play with the system’s prestige.
He threatened, “we have sworn to be loyal to the Supreme Leader. We are ready to die for that and we are armed ready to shoot you one by one in the head. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the Islamic Republic. We have asked the judiciary to count the organizers of these movements as hypocrites and monarchists and to act decisively against them. He talked about the fact that Khomeini’s picture was torn on Dec. 7 and said that the clerical school in Qom should close on Saturday Dec. 12 and march against this act. Dec. 12 - At noon approximately 1000 students form Sharif Industrial University in Tehran gathered in protest in front of the university’s dining hall. They boycotted the meal and chanted “death to the dictator” and “until Ahmadinejad is out of power it will be like this every day. Dec. 12 - at about 3:00 PM 400 to 500 students gathered in front of the engineering building at Tehran University and chanted slogans. People in Enghelab Square wave their hands for the students. At 1530 some pro-Khamenei student raised pictures of Khomeini and Khamenei in front of the Engineering building. Protesting students pulled them down. Some people are gathering in Enghelab Square to support the students, The SSF is dispersing people who have gathered in front of Tehran University to support the students. Analysis . The students are obviously not giving up and the government is slowly losing control of the people. When this revolution goes to open armed conflict is anybody’s guess right now. Without more reporting by independent news agencies is is difficult to establish the depth of the revolution across Iran. The amount of press suppression and communications disruption indicate that the revolution is more widespread than the government wants the people or the outside world to know. At some point this internal struggle will be reflected in external affairs. Perhaps Iran’s suggestion of a swap of 400 kilos of 3.5% enriched uranium for an equivalent amount of 20% enriched uranium on Kish Island has something to do with trying to reduce the external pressure in the face of another round of sanctions. Continued reduction in the supply and increases in the cost of essential goods will not help the regime maintain stability. Another round of sanctions will only increase the discontent. Notice also how the regime continues to couch everything in religious terms. The people wanting their freedom are called hypocrites. Being labeled a hypocrite can get you the death sentence under Islam. It is somewhat akin to excommunication with extreme prejudice. If the regime has gone beyond using civil terms and is using religious terms, they are not feeling secure at all. World Threats
 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims the United States is attempting to thwart the return of mankind's savior, according to reports from Al Arabiya, a television news station based in Dubai. Ahmadinejad reportedly claims he has documented evidence that the U.S. is blocking the return of Mahdi, the Imam believed by Muslims to be the savior. “We have documented proof that they believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world,” Ahmadinejad said during a speech on Monday, according to Al Arabiya. "They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the grounds for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. Ahmadinejad continued the rant by claiming there have been plots by both the West as well as countries in the East to wipe out his country, according to Iranian news Web site Tabak. "They have planned to annihilate Iran. This is why all policymakers and analysts believe Iran is the true winner in the Middle East," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the site. He also alleged that foreign nations seek to control Iran's oil and natural resources. "In Afghanistan, they are caught like an animal in a quagmire. But instead of pulling their troops out to save themselves, they are deploying more soldiers. Even if they stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years they will be forced to leave with disgrace — because this is a historical experience," Ahmadinejad reportedly said. "They know themselves that they need Iran in the Middle East, but because of their arrogance they do not want to accept this reality. They are nothing without the Iranian nation and all their rhetoric is because they don't want to appear weak." FoxNews
 Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president and opposition member, has accused the country's rulers of being intolerant, amid restrictions on journalists imposed by the authorities. "The situation in the country is such that constructive criticism is not accepted," Rafsanjani told students in the northern city of Mashhad on Sunday, the ILNA news agency reported. He called on Iran's political groups to work together to "create a climate of freedom which will convince the majority of people and erase ambiguities". Rafsanjani was speaking a day before the annual Student Day, when demonstrations against the rule of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, are expected to go ahead. Several websites have urged people to gather on Student Day near Tehran University campus. "Those who demonstrate or protest must express themselves through legal means. Leaders must also respect the law," Rafsanjani said. "There have always been extremist factions and excessive attitudes on both sides ... several problems will be solved if we adopt the path of moderation." Iranian authorities have ordered journalists working for foreign media organisations not to leave their offices to cover the protests that are expected to take place on Monday. "All permits issued for foreign media to cover news in Tehran have been revoked from December 7 to December 9," the culture ministry's foreign press department said in an mobile phone text message sent to journalists on Saturday. Police and Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said that they will move against any "illegal" rally that takes place in Tehran. "Any illegal gathering outside universities will be strongly confronted," Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, a police chief, was quoted by Etemad newspaper as saying. Residents of Tehran said that internet access, including access to email and websites loyal to the political opposition, had been limited in the run-up to Student Day. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in June in the immediate wake of Ahmadinejad's re-election, claiming that the Iranian authorities had rigged the vote. Hundreds of people were detained by authorities and dozens were killed in clashes with police and pro-government militia. Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, who were defeated in the presidential election, have not announced whether they will join the planned Student Day protests, as they have done in the past. Al Jazeera
 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that the threat of a U.S. or Israeli military strike against Iran was no longer an issue because "they don't have the courage" to attack Iran. "The age of military attacks is over, now we've reached the time for dialogue and understanding. Weapons and threats are a thing of the past," the Iranian president said at a joint press conference with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, closing his one-day visit. Iran's leader got a welcoming bear hug from the Brazilian president, who urged Western nations to drop threats of punishment over the Iranian nuclear program and instead negotiate a fair solution. Fielding a question on whether he feared an attack from Israel or the U.S., Ahmadinejad said a military strike was no longer a possibility. That's clear "even for mentally challenged people," he said with a smile, AFP reported. Besides, he added, "those you mention [Israel and the U.S.] don't have the courage to attack Iran. They're not even thinking about it." The Iranian and Brazilian presidents didn't say whether they discussed Iranian military exercises that started Sunday, adding to Mideast tensions and driving oil prices higher as an Iranian air force commander boasted Iran could deter any military strike by Israel. Ahmadinejad didn't utter the word Israel during his comments, but said Iran wants a Middle East with "prosperity, progress and security for all nations." In the past, he has called for the destruction of Israel, which has voiced concern about Iran's push in Latin America. More at FoxNews
 TEHRAN, Iran — One of Iran's prominent pro-reform figures was released on bail Wednesday after spending nearly four months in jail on charges of inciting the country's postelection unrest, the official IRNA news agency reported. It said Saeed Shariati, one of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign aides during the disputed June election, has been released on the order of Tehran's Revolutionary Court. The agency gave no further details, but reported separately that a group of 12 people who had been detained in two protest gatherings since last month have also been released after questioning. Shariati was among more than 100 opposition politicians and activists who have been on trial since August on charges of fomenting the street unrest that broke out after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in June. In the days after the June 12 election, hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters poured into the streets of major Iranian cities to protest what they said was a fraudulent result. The opposition says at least 72 people were killed in the ensuing security crackdown on protesters and that many of those detained were abused in custody. The government puts the number of dead at 30. Mousavi claims he was the rightful winner of the election and that Ahmadinejad was declared the winner after massive vote fraud. FoxNews
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