Fatwah from the Iranian Grand Ayatollah says suicide bombings "antithetical to Islam" and bombers doomed to hell

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
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Great news from Iran....

Story link

Last Wednesday, April 24, an obscure deputy in the Iranian parliament went to the podium at 10:45 in the morning to read a prepared statement.

Few in that hall could have known what was coming: a fatwa issued by one of the country's most prestigious and revered religious leaders, the Grand Ayatollah Montazeri. His message was directed far beyond the boundaries of Iran, to all members of the Shia faith. It was a powerful and politically important message: Suicide terrorism is antithetical to the teachings of Islam, and those who practice it, and kill women, children, and babies, are doomed to eternity in hell. The struggle between the Palestinian people and Israel must be resolved by other means, above all by negotiations. A tumult broke out when the import of the statement became clear, but the parliamentary president permitted the deputy to read the fatwa in its entirety.

The proceedings were broadcast live throughout Iran. Therefore, although no Iranian publication and, to my knowledge, no foreign-news service reported the event, the Iranian people were able to hear it in real time.

This is an event of enormous importance, for it is the first time that a leading Iranian cleric has condemned suicide terrorism, and it is an explicit attack on the Iranian regime, which has praised the terrorists and called upon Iranians to volunteer for suicide missions. It is even more significant against the background of the latest efforts of the Iranian people, who are trying desperately to free themselves from the mullahs and ayatollahs. Two weeks ago, the leader of the student movement called upon workers and teachers to shut down the schools and factories during the May Day period. Shortly thereafter, another student group ? heretofore vigorous supporters of the "reformist" President Khatami ? denounced him and proclaimed the reform movement a total failure. Throughout Khorassan Province workers and students have been demonstrating for nearly a month. Over the weekend, new demonstrations broke out near Tehran, where many workers have not been paid for a year! At Friday prayers, in an amazing confession of failure, Ayatollah Janati ? the head of the Council of Guardians and one of the five most powerful men in the country ? admitted to the faithful that Iran was in desperate economic straits. Iran, he said, was as badly off as Argentina, perhaps even worse.

Janati continued with a vicious attack against the United States, proclaiming that the failure of the American hostage rescue mission in 1980 showed that God was on Iran's side, and he warned the United States not to try to take advantage of Iran's crisis. He then unleashed a condemnation of the Jews, defining them as "murderers by nature," and indeed, "murderers of the messenger," a reference to the prophet Mohammed himself.

These are signs of a desperate regime that knows the Iranian people love America and hate their rulers. Last Thursday, the regime hung six young men in public, under the pretext that they had "disturbed public order," the usual phrase deployed by tyrannical regimes to kill anyone they do not like. The hangings took place the day after the disgraceful vote in the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, defeating an American resolution to condemn Iran for its many egregious actions against its own people.

But the people of Iran have not been silenced. Last week more nearly 300 students at Tehran University were taken to the hospital for food poisoning, and some witty students issued a statement that "it is safer to be a prisoner in Guantanamo than to be prisoners in Poli Sci at the University."

And what are our leaders doing about this? They are doing nothing. No, they are doing worse than nothing. The State Department continues to send its diplomats to meet with Iranians, most recently in Cyprus (when news leaked in Iran, the regime hastily fired their own representatives), apparently still believing that some deal can be made with Tehran's killers and torturers. And while the White House occasionally repeats the president's condemnation of an unelected regime that thwarts the Iranian people's desire to be free, these rare statements are inevitably lost in the greater silence of our top foreign-policy officials.

Time has run out on Secretary Powell and his bunch of clever diplomats, and on National Security Advisor Rice and her cautious managers. The Iranian people need to hear and see that America believes in them, supports their cause, and hates their oppressors. We have assistant secretaries of state and National Security Council officials who are supposed to condemn human-rights violations. Where are they? They can start by mourning last week's victims in Tehran: Reza Soltani, Behnam Nouri, Turaz Shafii, Mohammed Bosarghi, Farhad Akrami, and Morteza Mahsumi, three in their twenties, one teenager, one aged 44.

Our leaders need to say, over and over again, that it is time for the mullahs to submit to the just desires of their own people. As the Iranian people have been chanting for many months in the streets of the country, there should be a referendum on the Iranian government. Let the people decide if they want to continue the Islamic republic, or if they prefer a secular republic or a constitutional monarchy. We have no horse in that race, and our leaders must stress that we are not supporting any individual or any group; we support an Iranian government chosen in a free and fair election.

The stakes are very high. The fall of the mullahs in Tehran would send a devastating message to the entire Islamic world: Theocracy has been tried, and it has failed. Osama bin Laden's vision has been rejected by the people of Afghanistan and the people of Iran, by Sunnis and Shia alike. We must help the Iranian democrats. We must give money, urgently and immediately, to Iranian National TV, now struggling to stay afloat in Los Angeles. We must assist the student and labor leaders, who are often forced to choose between feeding their children and heating their homes. We must help them communicate with one another. Can't we provide some wireless PCs to the Iranian opposition?

The most important thing is our leaders' words to the Iranians. We want the fall of the regime. That is what the war on terrorism is all about. To remain silent is to be complicit in the repression of Iran. There is no diplomatic "solution." We want a free Iran. Don't we?








 
Aug 10, 2001
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I've been trying to verify that story for the past couple days, but I have not been able to find a second source.
 

Martin

Lifer
Jan 15, 2000
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I don't think there's anything wrong with Suicide bombings other than the fact that almost all of them are directed at civilians.


But that is encouraging news nevertheless.
 

shurato

Platinum Member
Sep 24, 2000
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Finally some high ranking muslim speakin out on whats right...I hope this is a growing trend.
 

syzygy

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2001
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<< I don't think there's anything wrong with Suicide bombings other than the fact that almost all of them are directed at civilians. >>


suicide bombings are wrong because they are most effective when aimed at civilians. the bomb is concealed from view
to allow the nut ample time to penetrate deep into a sensitive area. civilian areas lack the security a military installation
would present a bomber and therefore are infinitely more attractive targets.

just as important a mention in the article is the clear distinction drawn between the reformist democratic elements and the upper
echelon ayatollahs. khatami's chances for achieving reform are nil if he does not have the clear and inambiguous support from
friendly western regimes. bush will need to keep his public rhetoric free of any incendeniary proclamations against iran and
continue to support america's covert entente with willing iranian elements, as the article mentions we are trying to do.
 

prontospyder

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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that is great news.

<<khatami's chances for achieving reform are nil if he does not have the clear and inambiguous support from friendly western regimes>>

I agree. Many of Khatami/Parliament passed reforms have been rejected by the ayatollahs.
 

fatalbert

Platinum Member
Aug 1, 2001
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about time,

Islam has been very slow in condemning this. I am glad to see that high ranking Islamic leaders are condemning suicide bombing
 

tsunek

Member
Jan 24, 2002
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The elected iranian government has moderated so much from its former views. its too bad that the judiciary prevents them from making many reforms.
 

kgraeme

Diamond Member
Sep 5, 2000
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<< He then unleashed a condemnation of the Jews, defining them as "murderers by nature," and indeed, "murderers of the messenger," a reference to the prophet Mohammed himself. >>



Interesting. The author makes the assumption that "the messenger" in question is Mohommed. My muslim friends consider Jesus to also have been a prophet. I wonder if the author was mistaken in his interpretation?
 

Moshe

Junior Member
Apr 11, 2002
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I would love to know if anyone was able to find this story at any other news source. If this is true its one of the best things to come out of the middle east in a very long time.
 
Mar 22, 2002
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<< I don't think there's anything wrong with Suicide bombings other than the fact that almost all of them are directed at civilians.


But that is encouraging news nevertheless.
>>



Dude, you are a cold man. I don't know how you can say they would be okay if they were directed at anyone. SUICIDE BOMBINGS ARE JUST WRONG!!
 

b0mbrman

Lifer
Jun 1, 2001
29,470
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<<

<< I don't think there's anything wrong with Suicide bombings other than the fact that almost all of them are directed at civilians.
But that is encouraging news nevertheless.
>>

Dude, you are a cold man. I don't know how you can say they would be okay if they were directed at anyone. SUICIDE BOMBINGS ARE JUST WRONG!!
>>


Directed at military targets during a declared war would be not so wrong
 

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
2
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<<

<< I don't think there's anything wrong with Suicide bombings other than the fact that almost all of them are directed at civilians.


But that is encouraging news nevertheless.
>>



Dude, you are a cold man. I don't know how you can say they would be okay if they were directed at anyone. SUICIDE BOMBINGS ARE JUST WRONG!!
>>



if i was fighting a war, i would rather the enemy suicide bomb rather than just bomb. at least this way they lose some guys too
 

b0mbrman

Lifer
Jun 1, 2001
29,470
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<< I would love to know if anyone was able to find this story at any other news source. If this is true its one of the best things to come out of the middle east in a very long time. >>


I think it's not so great as yet...as soon as popular opinion starts shifting, then I'll be more motivated
 

HappyPuppy

Lifer
Apr 5, 2001
16,997
2
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The VC utilized suicide bombers against U.S. troops in Viet Nam. That was why our troops back then wouldn't let civilians get near them while in the boonies or at firebases.