Donna M. Hughes: The Mullahs' Killing Fields

'On the occasion of International Human Rights Day (Friday, December 10), the torture and execution of political prisoners in Iran was the focus of a briefing in New York hosted by the non-governmental organization Women’s Freedom Forum. The treatment of women, especially women political activists, was featured.

The walls of the room were lined with documentary posters with names and photographs of men, women, and children who had been killed by the mullahs in Iran. A number of the photographs were family groups – mother, father, and two, three, four, five, even six children ‑ that had been killed by the Iranian regime for their political activism.

The program included videos and photographs of trials, lashings and executions over the past 25 years. Some images were from the early days of the revolution, some from the late 1980s, and one photograph showing the hanging of a group of seven men in Zahedan just three days before the event on December 7, 2004.

The victims are hoisted into the air by a crane in a public place in order to terrorize the population and suppress further resistance to the regime. Another Iranian-American pro-democracy non-governmental organization ‑The Committee in Support of Referendum in Iran‑sends out news clippings on a regular basis that document the executions of men, women, and sometimes children, as the Iranian regime executes minors. There are often two or three pages of listings of sentences and executions. Their most recent report for November 2004 listed 15 executions or sentences for execution. A number of them are punishment for political activity against the regime inside and outside Iran. ... '

Read the whole article at the Free Iran message board:
The Mullahs' Killing Fields (Free Iran)

Morning Report: December 14, 2004

Egypt / Israel free trade accord signed in Cairo. An Israeli - Egyptian free trade agreement was signed in Cairo, reports a Debka bulletin: 'Israeli-Egyptian trade agreement signed in Cairo for jointly produced goods made in three Egyptian industrials zones to gain duty-free access to US market. The Qualified Industrial Zones similar to Israel-Jordanian projects will be located in Greater Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said industrial zone. Agreement under umbrella of US-Israel free trade accord was signed by Israeli industry minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian minister Rachid Mohammed Rachid and US Trade representative Robert Zoellick. Israeli delegation welcomed by Mubarek.' (Debka)

Saddam regime trials set to begin. According to the BBC, 'Leaders in Saddam Hussein's regime will go on trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes as early as next week, Iraq's interim premier says. Iyad Allawi said that the "symbols" of the former regime would be tried "one by one" but gave few details. There was no indication when Saddam Hussein himself would face trial.' (BBC)

Hezbollah loses French airwaves. And speaking of the BBC, Democracy for the Middle East credits that august organization with the news that 'France has kicked Hezbollah TV off the air for broadcasting judeophobic content.' (BBC via DFME)

New at "Pacific Memories"

As we begin Chapter 2, the crew of the USS Monroe gets its first tantalizing glimpse of New Zealand - and encounters an unexpected visitor. Our narrator comes to respect the New Zealanders' understated appreciation for American GI's - and finds himself facing some excitement in Auckland. Read the whole story at Pacific Memories.

My father did not live to see the attacks of September 11, but the sentiments he expressed in a poem written in the late Cold War years feel familiar. I like to think his imaginative "Instructions for Using the Survival Equipment" would not be out of place in today's world. Read it at Urban Renewal.

Also newly posted: more of my sister's poetry at Wilderness Vision. Read; enjoy; reflect.

Giant Leaps

Omar and Mohammed Fadhil continued their US tour with a visit to Roger L. Simon. Roger Simon blogs about the event:

I think I can I could speak for the others present when I say both brothers exuded a unique combination of calm, warmth and intelligence. They are also deep lovers of freedom in a way it is difficult to be for those of us who grow up with it. If many Iraqis are like these two young Baghdad dentists, I am quite anxious to go to Iraq.

I was relieved by what they were like on a deeper level as well. They don't know this, but on the darkest days of the war, at the times the media were at their gloomiest and I was racked with guilt that I had so adamantly supported our actions, I almost always turned first to them. I didn't look to them for unbiased opinions. There is no such thing. I looked to them to see how real Iraqis were reacting to a situation that affected them more directly than it could ever affect me or the prognosticators of doom in our media. They were the ones who bucked me up-not the other way around, as it should be. In a certain sense they helped my sanity. And I suspect I am not alone in that.

Roger speaks my own thoughts here. The three brothers who bring us Iraq the Model - Omar, Mohammed, and Ali Fadhil - have been a crucial voice and a real light in the dark for those of us who have been involved with the situation in Iraq. They are also an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere.

Ali, for reasons as yet undisclosed, was unable to join Mohammed and Omar and is staying home in Baghdad for the time being. I imagine he must feel a bit like Michael Collins, orbiting the moon while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left footprints, planted flags, and hit golf balls ... oh, wait, the golf balls came later. Well, you get the idea.

But I'm wrong there, of course, because Iraq is where it's all happening. Iraq is what it's all about. And yes, it's still dangerous and lives are still being lost; but changes for the better are happening at an amazing pace.

Think how far we've come in a year. A year - yes, you do remember what happened a year ago, don't you?

That's right - December 14 marks the anniversary of the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Rejoice.

Let's blogroll!

Atlas shrugs. 'Three months ago [in DR Congo], militiamen burned 17 people to death while a detachment of MONUC troops 200 metres away, whose mandate authorised them to use force to prevent such massacres, did nothing.' Thus reports an article in The Economist, cited by Wretchard in his December 4 post at the Belmont Club. With war and bloodshed raging in central Africa, what does the mighty United Nations do? Why, it tackles Problem Number Four.

And don't miss Belmont Club's recent posts for more on Kofi Annan and the UN, Europe's future, and the British government's intriguing concept of "active passivity".

A strong week. As Dreams Into Lightning belatedly acknowledges Hanukkah (what can I say? I've been busy), Dave Koppel posting on Slate gives us the run-down on Armed Jews Week. (Oh, and happy Hanukkah to you, too, Pat Buchanan.) Judith at Kesher Talk is inspired by her Apocryphal namesake; she offers Hanukkah links here, here, and ... oh heck, just go read the blog.

Muslims and Christians in Egypt. Big Pharaoh has the latest word on the case of Wafaa Constantine, an Egyptian Christian woman who reportedly expressed a desire to convert to Islam. GM explores the relationships between Christians and Muslims in Egypt, asking "What will save Egypt?" and examining a story with many stories.

V is for Values. Sherri (alias Evil Conservative) offers guidance and inspiration based on the acronym "VICTORY". It begins at this post. Don't forget to visit the latest posts at Straight Up With Sherri - scroll down for a very moving tribute to her grandmother.

Is "looking Jewish" a crime? Well, not exactly, but if something bad happens to you, just remember it's all Israel's fault. Michael J. Totten tells us what he thinks of that sick and twisted mentality.

Ampersand hits the Washington Post and this sudden fame has put him in a generous mood: the entire Hereville archive is free this week. Go read the interview with Ampersand (aka Barry Deutsch) at Alas, a Blog (December 12 post). Don't miss the adventures of a nice Jewish girl as she wrestles with problems of theodicy, knitting, and dragon-slaying at Hereville. Also be sure to explore "Alas" for thoughts on one of the most insidious prejudices of our time.

Morning Report: December 13, 2004

Karzai: bin Laden in region, will be caught. Afghan President Hamid Karzai says that Osama bin Laden is "definitely" in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region, and that he will be caught. In a CNN interview Sunday, Karzai also responded to questions about Afghanistan's ongoing opium production problem, and to allegations of misconduct by US troops. (CNN)

Bomb/shooting attack on border post at Rafah. A bombing and shooting attack from a secret, half-mile-long tunnel injured 11 Israeli soldiers at the Rafah post on the Israel/Egypt border. Debka reports that the attack is designed to thwart the candidacy or Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian/Israeli cooperation, and the disengagement plans of President Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. While the Israeli authorities had ample warning that an attack on the post was likely, the report adds, Israel re-opened the post under intense pressure. More importantly, 'Sunday night, all the Palestinian terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip proved they could work together under a single commander. DEBKAfile’s military sources name him as 62-year old Khan Younes-based Palestinian brigadier general Saib Ajez, a veteran officer of the moribund commando-trained Palestinian Liberation Army and the best tactical brain the Palestinians have. He has 20,000 men under arms at his disposal. The rank and file are members of the Palestinian General Security Service, but their disciplined hard core is made up of Fatah, Hamas and Jihad Islami units in Rafah, Deir el Balah and Khan Younes. This unified force Ajez deployed last May to repulse the IDF’s first offensive against the smuggling tunnels of Rafah.'

Martial law remembered. At the time, it looked like the beginning of the end; in retrospect, it was the end of the beginning. Arthur Chrenkoff remembers martial law in his native Poland, which was imposed 20 years ago in reaction to the Solidarity movement: 'No, there were only two real possibilities: either we (the opposition, the overwhelming majority of the nation) did them (the communists) in, or they did us in. At midday, when the radio stations stopped playing somber classical music and the vision came back on TV screens, we knew it had been the latter. General Jaruzelski, stiffened by his orthopedic corset, his eyes hidden behind large dark sunglasses (a legacy of a Siberian internment by the Soviets, when strong sunlight reflecting off snow damaged his eyesight), faced the nation and read a proclamation declaring martial law. The army has taken over the government to suppress the opposition and save Poland from inevitable bloodshed. What freedoms there still existed under our communist government were suppressed; curfews imposed, freedom of movement within the country restricted. "Solidarity", the movement of some 10 million members (out of the population of 36 million) was cleanly decapitated just after midnight on Sunday morning, when the security forces swept in and arrested almost all of the trade union's leaders attending a national congress in Gdansk.' Read the whole post for Chrenkoff's reflections on that Sunday morning twenty years ago, as witnessed by a nine-and-a-half-year-old boy in Krakow.

New Posts

Chapter 1 of "Pacific Memories" is now complete. The Monroe has crossed the equator, its men duly inducted into the Order of King Neptune. A cook's unsettling habits are grublingly tolerated. The ship arrives safely in New Zealand, and my father describes the mood as the men look out from the lighted deck, to the strains of "Anacreon In Heaven." Read the story at Pacific Memories.

New poetry at Wilderness Vision. Like most of my sister's best poetry, these pieces were written during her late teen years, around 1978 - 1982. I don't have exact dates for her works at the moment, but I will post them as soon as I find them.

Fadhil Brothers Meet President Bush!

The Fadhil brothers of Iraq The Model have met with President Bush, according to this report at American Faith. (Hat tip: Little Green Footballs.)

Now here’s the best part: today, without prior notice, Omar and Mohammed went to the Oval Office and met with President Bush! They said that the meeting lasted about a half hour, and the President was very interested in hearing the thoughts and opinions of Iraqi citizens first hand. He wasn’t aware until then of the good things that Spirit Of America has been doing over there to help the Iraqi people and assist in their obtaining democracy. Omar joked that he got to meet POTUS and they didn’t even search his pockets beforehand.

This is very exciting news! I've been following Omar, Ali, and Mohammed at ITM for a year now; their meeting with the Chief is a well-earned honor. I hope the exchange was inspiring and informative to all parties.

Morning Report: December 10, 2004

Sharon wins Knesset majority, new coalition. According to the latest bulletin from Debka: 'Sharon is now set to build a new government coalition with Knesset majority. After fierce contest, Israel’s ruling Likud voted Thursday 62% - 38% to grant Sharon a mandate for boosting his minority cabinet by co-opting Labor and ultra-religious parties. Dispute in Labor between two former prime ministers, chairman Peres and challenger Barak, has also been settled with an agreement to hold leadership primaries on June 29. This argument threatened to hold Labor back from joining the Sharon government.' (Debka)

White House warns IRI on Iraq interference. The Bush administration cautioned the Iran regime against attempting to destabilize Iraq, according to this AP item: 'Bush talked about Iran in meetings Monday with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Ghazi al-Yawer, the interim Iraqi president, both Sunni Muslims. Iran and Syria joined other nations at an international conference on Iraq last month at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in pledging to contribute to Iraq's stability and to prevent terrorists from coming into Iraq, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. The communique also called on all parties to tighten border controls. "We expect them to abide by that commitment," McClellan said. "Iraq has talked to Iran about these issues," the spokesman said. "We've made our views very clear to Iran, as well as others, and we continue to call on Iran to act in a responsible way and be helpful as the Iraqi people move forward on building a brighter future." (AP via Free Iran)

Most Germans see Israelis as Nazis, poll says. Jerusalem Post: 'Six decades after the mass extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany, more than 50 percent of Germans believe that Israel's present-day treatment of the Palestinians is similar to what the Nazis did to the Jews during World War II, a German survey released this weekend shows. 51 percent of respondents said that there is not much of a difference between what Israel is doing to the Palestinians today and what the Nazis did to the Jews during the Holocaust, compared to 49% who disagreed with such a comparison, according to the poll carried out by Germany's University of Bielefeld. The survey also found that 68 percent of Germans believe that Israel is waging a "war of extermination" against the Palestinians, while some 32% disagreed with such a statement.' (Jerusalem Post via Roger L. Simon)

Japan adopts new defense doctrine. Japan has officially adopted a new defense doctrine which recognizes China and North Korea as threats. The policy change also eases restrictions on certain weapons. Details available from Stratfor. (Strategic Forecasting)

New at "Pacific Memories"

In which my father decides not to write about flying fish.

The troops' mess was a melancholy affair. When the ship rolled, which it did about every eight or ten seconds, any semi-liquid food in the serving kettles, such as stewed tomatoes, would splash over and drift around on the floor. Likewise, trays, like boats broken loose from their moorings, would slide about on the long tables until reaching the end. Then, usually with half-eaten dinners, they would crash to the floor. I really sympathized with the harrassed K.P.'s on that trip. They could not keep the floor clean so long as chow was being served, and the floor was strewn with food, som that had not been eaten, some that already had. Movement over this floor in the conventional way, i.e., erectly and with sure steps, was dismally difficult. The place was in that desperate sort of confusion you might see in a Laurel and Hardy picture or hear depicted in Dukas's "The Sourcerer's Apprentice."

For me, there was always fascination in watching the ocean. I think it was not so much in the varying waves and hues as in the expectation of seeing something different, some abrupt change in the seascape - an unscheduled appearance of land, for instance. I enjoyed the Pacific most when it was the rich, wonderful, almost unbelievable blue which it was so often when I saw it. There seemed to be a total absence of greenness in it - just pure blue.

When we got into warmer waters we began seeing flying fish. They are pretty little things which shoot up out of the water and glide for a remarkable distance. They are an iridescent greenish-blue, and remind one of swallows as they skim over the water. I got a sort of poetical feeling, and thought I ought to do something about it, but after remembering that Kipling had written some rather famous lines about flying fish, I decided that anything I wrote about them might seem trite or superfluous, even if I was nowhere near Mandalay at the time. So I stifled the impulse. The next occasion I had to write verse on a ship was one night on the President Coolidge on the way from Auckland to Suva. On that occasion, the subject happened to be phosphorescence in the water. I shall leave it to someone else to decide whether phosphorescence is as worthy a subject of a poem as are flying fishes, as Kipling calls them.

Read the whole post at my father's warblog, Pacific Memories, along with all the gritty details of life aboard the U.S.S. President Monroe in 1942. His anthology of soldiers' poetry is also posted there.

I've also posted his reminiscence of his mother (Edith Cavannaugh McLintock, a singer originally from Savannah, Georgia) at Urban Renewal, where I'm collecting his poetry and other writing.

Class Essay

Edited from a paper I wrote for an undergraduate class. The book 'Uprooting Racism' by Paul Kivel was one of the principal texts.

Political Correctness

On page 60 of Uprooting Racism, Paul Kivel alleges that the phrase “politically correct” is a racially coded phrase, and therefore should be avoided. I believe that political fashion, or “correctness”, can indeed be wrongly adduced to rationalize the use of derogatory language; but it does not follow that “political correctness” – in the sense of intellectually and morally stultifying liberal dogma – does not exist, or that it is not a problem. It does, and it is.

...

[The full text of this post can now be found at my Portfolio under Reflections on Paul Kivel.]

Department of Wayward Relatives

I don't know whether I'm related to this fellow.

I'm not sure I want to know.