Iranian Alert -- DAY 49 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST

Thank you for your posts today.

"When a million Serbs marched on Belgrade in October 2000, Milosevic ordered crowds dispersed, with bullets if necessary. But no shots were fired because soldiers saw that he could no longer control the people. In days he was out."

"What's needed is a more strategic resistance by the Iranian opposition, unified behind clear political goals, backed by broader civilian participation, using tactics that divide the clerics and their military defenders. The Iranian people have the drive, the intelligence, and the capability to make such a strategy work - and that is what the world's democracies should assist."

This is excellent strategy. I hope the people of Iran will utilize it.

I believe that I remember reading of the arrest on one of the earlier threads.

I know I read it somewhere...;o)

Iranian Canoe Champions Defect

SMCCDI (Information Service)
Jul 28, 2003

Two of the Iranian Canoe Champions defected yesterday and requested Political asylum from Germany.

The two who are named "Mohamad Reza Zaharian" and "Hamid Farzam" are placed under the protection of the German authorities who are refusing the regime's requests for their hand over.

They were part of the visiting Iranian team sent for participation in the championship.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_1445.shtml

Iran is "completing files" on al-Qaeda members it holds

World News
Jul 28, 2003

TEHRAN - Iran on Monday said that it is "completing the files" on the members of the terror network al-Qaeda it is holding before deciding on their fate.

"We are studying and completing their files then we will make a decision", foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said in a press conference, adding: "As long as their files have not been completed, we can not say anything more."

Tehran admitted for the first time on Wednesday that it was holding "prominent" elements of Osama bin Laden's terror network, but did not identify them.

It said it would either extradite them to their country of origin, expel them to where they had come from or prosecute them in Iran.

Among those held in Iran, according to diplomats and the Arab press, are al-Qaeda's Egyptian-born number two and number three Ayman al-Zawahiri and Saif al-Adel, spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, and one of bin Laden's sons, Saad.

Diplomats say part of the reason for Tehran's reticence has been the fact that many of the detainees have been stripped of their nationalities by Arab governments, complicating the Islamic regime's efforts to negotiate their handover.

They said Iran has been engaged in negotiations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt over the fate of the detainees, but talks with Egypt are complex due to the absence of diplomatic ties.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_1439.shtml

Cleric Risks a Backlash With Anti-U.S. Rhetoric

July 28, 2003
The Washington Post
Anthony Shadid

BAGHDAD -- With militant sermons drawing tens of thousands of followers, the young scion of one of Iraq's most revered ayatollahs has laid claim to leadership of the Shiite Muslim opposition to the U.S. occupation. But in seeking to rally the most disenfranchised and alienated of the Shiite majority, Moqtada Sadr has embarked on a strategy that his supporters acknowledge risks creating a dangerous backlash.

Residents of the holy city of Najaf have grown angry at the boisterous crowds Sadr's group has shepherded to consecutive Friday sermons, fearing strife in a city that has remained relatively quiet. U.S. officials, aware of Sadr's demands that American forces leave Najaf, have warned him not to go too far. And other clergy, many far more senior than the 30-year-old activist, worry that his calls will bring to the surface bitter divisions among Shiites -- between former exiles and those who remained through the rule of ousted president Saddam Hussein, and between those cooperating with U.S. forces and those opposed.

"It's dangerous," acknowledged Ali Feisal Hamad, an activist with the movement in the Baghdad slum renamed Sadr City after the young cleric's father. "But the Americans have to understand the demands of Iraqis. Who's listening to the opinions in the street?"

Sadr was excluded from the 25-member Governing Council appointed earlier this month by L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. civilian administrator. For Sadr's followers, the omission was his choice; they say he would never take part in a body that leaves ultimate authority in U.S. hands. For U.S. officials, who dismiss Sadr's influence and chafe at his militant posture, the omission was by their design.

Since then, Sadr has railed against the Governing Council, calling it a tool of the U.S. occupation that should be dissolved. He has repeatedly urged the creation of a religious army, albeit unarmed and -- while accounts vary -- probably more akin to a morals police. In his sermon Friday at a sprawling, mud-walled mosque in nearby Kufa, attended by one of the largest crowds gathered since the fall of Hussein's government on April 9, he demanded that U.S. forces withdraw from Najaf and urged the prospective army to resist "submission, humiliation or occupation."

The words marked a dramatic departure from statements made by his group in Najaf only last month. In interviews then, Sadr's deputy, Sayyid Riyadh Nouri, described the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq as "liberators." A spokesman in Najaf, Sheik Adnan Shahmani, said the group had "no intention, no wish to make them leave."

Some in Najaf speculate that the shift in Sadr's message stemmed from the cleric's visit last month to Iran. His followers deny that, attributing the change solely to the appointment of the Governing Council.

Sadr has demanded the council be elected, a move that would play into the street-based movement that he has sought to cultivate and that is strongest in Baghdad and the southern cities of Basra and Nasiriyah. His movement has also criticized the fact that a majority of the council's members are former exiles or had lived in northern Iraq, which was beyond Hussein's rule after 1991.

Sadr's calls for U.S. withdrawal play on the discontent many feel over the slow pace of reconstruction, and his group has reached out to a leading Sunni cleric, Ahmed Kubeisi, who was credited with sending followers to the sermon on Friday.

Sadr has stopped short of urging armed resistance or invoking a jihad against U.S. troops, calls that would almost certainly lead to violence and, U.S. officials say, probably his arrest.

In Friday's sermon, he urged the tens of thousands of worshipers not to enter Najaf on their way to Baghdad and other cities, to avoid trouble with residents there who are increasingly vocal in their resentment over the unruly crowds that have gathered the past two Fridays. Outside his office in Sadr City, whose 3 million residents represent his key constituency, a leaflet was posted that denied any connection with recent calls "to cut the throat of anyone who deals with the Americans."

"No one has brought with them even a bullet," said Mustafa Yaacoubi, a Sadr spokesman in Najaf.

Amid the byzantine constellation of religious forces in Iraq and the ever-changing alliances among Shiite clerics divided over the degree to which they should take part in politics, Sadr remains one player among many. Much of his religious legitimacy comes from the prominence of his revered father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq Sadr, who was believed assassinated by Hussein's government in 1999 with two of his sons.

At best a junior cleric, Sadr lacks his father's decades of religious scholarship. In spiritual matters, he is far overshadowed by Ali Sistani, an Iranian-born cleric who remains the most senior and influential ayatollah in Najaf. In politics, Sadr competes for influence with Mohammed Bakir Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which holds a seat on the Governing Council and boasts a sophisticated organization honed by decades of work in exile.

But Sadr's followers say that in coming months his group will seek to build alliances with other groups -- Sunni as well as Shiite -- and clergy left without a voice on the council. Even Sistani has insisted that any entity charged with writing a constitution should be elected, not appointed, although U.S. officials say he has remained neutral so far. More militant ayatollahs, such as Kadhim Husseini Haeri in Iran and Sheik Ahmed Baghdadi, who returned from exile in Syria, have denounced the council in terms no less stringent than Sadr.

In Najaf, a backlash against Sadr has ensued. The city council warned him against inciting the crowds who arrived Friday. Some residents have threatened to expel him, although most acknowledge that is unlikely. "Even his supporters, even those who back him, don't agree with his slogans -- no to America, no to occupation, no to Israel, no to the Governing Council," said Abu Majid, the owner of Najaf's Dhu Fiqar hotel. "They say this is dangerous."

Sitting across from the sacred shrine of Imam Ali at a store selling amber rings, Ahmed Abdel-Sahib called Sadr's rejection of the council hasty and his demands for U.S. withdrawal misguided. Like others, he counseled patience. "We've been through torture and prison," he said, as pilgrims kissed and touched the shrine's two-story wooden doors, a gesture believed to bring blessings. "Now is not the time to face the Americans. We're happy, we're rid of Saddam Hussein; the torture and executions of 35 years are over. We should wait to see what the Americans will do."

Lt. Col. Chris Conlin, the commander of the Marine battalion stationed in Najaf, dismissed Sadr as a troublemaker. But he said unless the cleric specifically incites violence, U.S. forces will not act against him.

"He's a rabble-rouser, but he has to import his rabble," said Conlin. "He finds people who are dissatisfied, and he brings them along."

http://iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news_en.pl?l=en&y=2003&m=07&d=28&a=2

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail me”

The Siege of the Mohammadi Family

July 28, 2003
Iran va Jahan
Iran va Jahan Network

Paris -- According to Nasrin Mohammadi, the sentence of Manouchehr Mohammadi, the leader of the National Association of Students of Iran, has been increased by two years to a total of 14 years. In addition, although Akbar, Manouchehr's younger brother, has just been released from 17days of solitary confinement for denigrating the Islamic Republic while making an outside call while in prison, he is suffering from the physical effects of a hunger strike.

At the same time the Mohammadi brothers' father, Mohammad, and younger sister, Simin, have been ordered to appear before the Revolutionary courts for sentencing. The two were first apprehended on July 9th. While in detention, Mr. Mohammadi senior suffered a heart attack and was released on bail to seek medical attention.

Manouchehr Mohammadi was first arrested following the July 9th, 1999 student uprisings. Akbar Mohammadi, also arrested at the same time for allegedly attacking state-sanctioned vigilante groups who were assaulting the students, has consistently maintained that his "only crime" was to be the brother of Manouchehr Mohammadi. "I have always honestly and genuinely stated that I had nothing to do with these events except to hand out water to the students and even to the security forces", he wrote in a letter from prison.

Since the protests started in early June, the authorities have arrested close to 10,000 citizens. The whereabouts of many are not known. Hassan Zarezadeh, a 24-year-old and the leader of United Student Front (USF), has been missing since July 2 in Tehran. His wife has been unable to find any record of him in various detention centers run by the Prison Authority, the Revolutionary courts and the Intelligence Ministry. Unidentified security agents publicly arrested another Iranian student protest leader, Saeed Razavi-Faqih, at gunpoint on July 10 as he was leaving the office of the Professional Journalists' Association. His whereabouts also remains a mystery. In the past 40 days 15 journalists have been arrested, bringing the total of journalists in prison in Iran to 23.

http://iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news_en.pl?l=en&y=2003&m=07&d=28&a=1

Iran To Cooperate With Syria Against US

July 28, 2003
Neftegaz
Neftegaz.ru

The Head of the Iranian National Security and Foreign Policy asked for a close cooperation with Syria to fight the US unilateralism in the region.

He also said that the problems in Iraq are caused by the US occupation of the country and the denial of rights for the Iraqi people.

The threatening of other states cannot be justified in the current highly complicated conditions in the world.

http://www.neftegaz.ru/english/lenta/show.php?id=38088

Jimmy Carter Sold out Iran

Iranianvoice ^ | 07/28/03 | Chuck Morse
Posted on 07/27/2003 11:51 PM PDT by freedom44
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/953667/posts

Is Dr. Nourizadeh's web site available in English?

I made a search.
Better to look at the result:
PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT WHO Mr. BOZORGMEHR IS AND WHAT HE DOES IN TEHRAN!
THANK YOU!
http://search.cnn.com/cnn/search?source=cnn&invocationType=search%2Ftop&sites=cnn&query=Shirzad+bozorgmehr

HE HAS A NEW REPRT FROM TEHRAN, I WILL POST IT IN A WHILE!

Thursday, July 24, 2003 Posted: 1:02 AM EDT (0502 GMT)

Iran 'holding senior al Qaeda men'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Four top al Qaeda leaders are in custody in Iran, including the terrorist group's military leader and its spokesman, U.S. officials say.

The four have been in custody for at least six weeks, U.S. officials told CNN terrorism expert Peter Bergen on Wednesday.

Saif Al Adel, al Qaeda's military chief, is one of those in custody, as is Suleiman Abu Ghaith, along with two other al Qaeda members, the officials said.

Saif Al Adel is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of two U.S. Embassies in east Africa.

Earlier Wednesday in Tehran, Iran intelligence minister confirmed reports that had been circulating for weeks, announcing his country was holding several al Qaeda members.

"A large number of them have been deported already, and a number of them are currently in our custody," said Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi.

He would not name any of those in custody, and a senior Iranian official told CNN Iran has no intention of sharing those names with the United States.

The official cited several reasons for not revealing the identities, including:

• Iran has received a "number of threats" from al Qaeda that attacks could be carried out in that country, as in Saudi Arabia;

• The United States is negotiating with the People's Mujahedeen, an Iranian-backed group in Iraq, to surrender or disarm.

However, the official said that Iran could be "ready to extradite some" of the suspected terrorists to other countries, while others would likely stand trial in Iran.

Accusations
In the wake of the May 12 suicide attacks against several Western housing compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, some in the Bush administration have accused Iran of deliberately harboring al Qaeda terrorists who may have been involved in planning those attacks.

Iran says the United States last May provided it with a list of names of suspected al Qaeda members believed to be in Iran.

At the time, Iran said it would look into the matter but was unaware of where these individuals might be.

A senior Iranian official in Washington on Wednesday refused to say whether there was an overlap between the U.S. list and the group of al Qaeda suspects now in custody.

But the official said Iran denies that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is among those in Iranian custody.

U.S. and coalition intelligence officials have told CNN for months that several top al Qaeda leaders are believed to be in Iran, including Abu Ghaith and Al Adel.

Other sources have said that Mohammed al Masri, an important al Qaeda trainer, and Abu al Khayr are in Iran.

U.S. officials have said they have no evidence that Zawahiri has been in Iran, but do believe say Abu al Khayr is one of his top deputies.

Iran has said before that it was holding al Qaeda members, but Yunesi's comments marked the first time Tehran has indicated that senior al Qaeda operatives were in custody.

-- CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel and Journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/07/24/iran.qaeda/index.html
**
WHO IS WHO Mr. CNN????????????????????????????? TELL ME PLZ ASAP!

...Is Dr. Nourizadeh's web site available in English?...
I am not aware of an English version.
BTW, he is,I am told, a respected Iranian journalist. He appears often on Iranian TV Broadcasts for interviews re: the events in Iran.

Iran Denies Khatami's Belgium Visit Cancelled

July 28, 2003
Middle East Online
middle-east-online.com

TEHRAN - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has not cancelled a planned visit to Belgium despite press reports last week, the foreign ministry said Monday.

Last Thursday, the government newspaper Iran, citing "well-informed sources", said Khatami had pulled out of the trip, linking the decision to European pressure on Iran's nuclear programme and human rights.

But foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi, quoted by the official news agency IRNA, dismissed the report as "totally unfounded" and said the date of the president's visit had not yet been fixed.

On July 11, Belgium's state radio RTBF said Khatami was to visit Belgium to receive an honorary doctorate from the university of Liege, probably in the autumn.

Iran has rejected all "conditions or threats" attached to its negotiations with the EU.

European Union foreign ministers last week expressed "increasing concern" over Tehran's nuclear programme and warned the EU would review relations with Iran unless it cooperated fully with the UN's nuclear watchdog agency.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=6559

"Now is not the time to face the Americans. We're happy, we're rid of Saddam Hussein; the torture and executions of 35 years are over. We should wait to see what the Americans will do."

A popular backlash against such hatemongering would be very welcomed

I don't know if he is working FOR CNN, but he certainly is working WITH them.

Thanks for your posts.

Thank you for that information.

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, CNNI CORRESPONDENT
Also referred to as Freelance

Has done interviews (via phone) with JUDY WOODRUFF,
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD

In this 60 Minutes transcript, he's referred to as an Iranian newspaper editor.

Transcript: Saddam's bonanza
February 16, 2003

INTRODUCTION
TARA BROWN: The war may or may not be all about oil but it's oil that finances Saddam Hussein's regime. If he still has weapons of mass destruction, you can be sure oil paid for them. And that's despite international sanctions against Iraqi oil exports. Last year, Richard Carleton revealed how Saddam was raking in a bonanza, blatantly flaunting that embargo. Well, Richard's just been back to northern Iraq and he found that, even now, the huge illegal trade is still going strong. On the way there, though, he stopped off in neighbouring Iran, a country still trying to decide who is the greater Satan — America or Saddam Hussein.

STORY
RICHARD CARLETON: Distrust for America is nothing new in the Islamic world but right now, it's epidemic. This is Iran, part of the "axis of evil" where, according to the ruling clerics, the US is still the great Satan. It's quite safe here but, of course, I wasn't silly enough to dispute the sentiment behind the chant. "Down with America". "Down with America," yes, but how do you resolve this conundrum — these people, this country, Iran, is, for this moment, allied with America in opposing Saddam Hussein in Iraq, next door. Hard to follow? Well, yes it is. And do you remember 20 years ago here at the embassy of the United States of America, America was humiliated when 52 of their diplomats were held hostage here for 444 days? "Down with America", yes, but after America has disarmed Saddam Hussein.

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR: There is no love lost between the ... most of Iran, most Iranians, on the clerical side and the radical side, and the US but, at the same time, it is expedient to see that Saddam is removed now. If he's going to be removed by the great Satan, the US, so be it.

RICHARD CARLETON: Given that 500,000 Iranians died in Saddam's Iran-Iraq war, expediency may be understandable, but that doesn't mean newspaper editor Shirzad Bozorgmehr trusts America.

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR: The priority is to establish and deploy their army there so they can dictate to Iraqis, have their oil and also put pressure on Iran and keep an eye on others for the sake of Israel, basically.

RICHARD CARLETON: Is that what it boils down to in your view?
(excert)
http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2003_02_16/story_764.asp

Q&A WITH ZAIN VERJEE
Iranians Struggle for Democracy
Aired July 9, 2002 - 12:30:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A battle between religious hardliners and forces fighting for change in Iran.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Many students are encouraged by the removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

VERJEE: The reformist president, unable to fulfill his promises.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reformists will have to battle at every opportunity, particularly against the judiciary, which remains a bastion for those in favor of the status quo.

VERJEE: The religious hardliners want to keep the status quo, but faced with a population explosion, how long can they resist calls for change?

On Q&A, the struggle for democracy in Iran: Iranian exiles speak out.

(on camera): He joins us now.

Shirzad, what can you tell us about these clashes?

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, JOURNALIST: Zain, first of all, the number of the people, the crowd, was much smaller than three years ago. The film you just showed was three years ago. It might have created the wrong impression.

There were something, about 2,000 people gathered, not all of them students, despite the fact that the police and the militia and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) were present on the scene when the people arrived.

The people were not allowed to gather at one place. They were kept moving all the time by the police and the militia, and some minor clashes ensued. But there were no reports of any major clashes, any major arrests, or anything like that.

The Interior Ministry, as you mentioned, had banned this demonstration because of security reasons. They said -- they did not say why. They just said for security reasons. And the student organizations expected this, and said that they will not hold a protest.
(excerpted)
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0207/09/i_qaa.01.html

I read this today and thought you might find it interesting reading. It is a response from a young Iranian to a supporter of the mullahs of Iran. It is passionate but illustrates the frustration of the Iranian youth with the mullahs.

"I have read your tirades over the past few weeks and have wanted to contact you for some time now. As your last name clearly states... you are not up to speed with the wants and desires of the average Iranian. The youth of my generation want nothing to do with Islam. This is something your masters in Qom & Tehran are starting to come to grips with, and it is sending shivers up and down their spines. Why do you think they are clamping down even harder these days? They know their days are numbered, so they will take as many people down with them as possible. The "Tazi" are on the way out and there is nothing you can say or write that will legitimise their form of government for Iranians.

Secularism is not a bad concept... It is something you Islamists fear, and as a result you attempt to tarnish its image. This concept does work in everyday life, and the civilised western world can testify to its effectiveness. Islam as a form of governance, on the other hand, brings nothing but misery to its citizenry. As your mentor/idol Khomeini stated in 1979 "There is no room for laughter in Islam". Can you name one "Islamic" state that is progressive? I will save you time and some mental calories: The clear answer is NO. Trying to mix Islam with either progressiveness, tolerance, or equality is virtually like attempting to mix oil with water -- rather impossible! Islamic ideology is based on a cult of nomadic killers pillaging through the desert on horse and camel like pirates. What peace does Islam preach? Is it exercised in our world? I implore you to show me so me concrete examples! All Islam does is try to exterminate any non-believer, or infidel as your kind likes to say. I will give you one clear example: When that cult of killers reached Iran, what did those disgusting nomads say to my forefathers as their necks lay idle over a sharp sword? Do you know? If not I will refresh your memory: "If you do not renounce your religion and beliefs system with a 'Lah Allah al Allah', we will sever your neck." This is exactly what is going today in Iran, not to mention in all Islamic countries.

As our glorious history has shown before, we will kick out the Arabs out of "Iran Zamin" once again! Iranians will be the sole architects of our future, not some "Ali Baba" (That is what the residents of Baghdad refer to the thieves pillaging the capital) sitting atop a "mambar".

Once again, your Islam is good only for mullahs."