Free Republic

On a sunny autumn mid-morning Friday a huge howl made me run out of the house I was visiting to see what was happening. I rushed toward the sound. It was coming from the center of the village. The minute I saw the source, I brought myself to a screeching halt. It was a large gathering. A huge mullah—Shiite cleric—was seated on a chair under the shade of a solitary tree preaching. Men on one side on the ground took up about a third of a circle and women covered the ground on the other side. A narrow fire lane...

Islam is in shambles for a variety of reasons. A major problem with Islam is that there are as many different versions of Islam as there are Islamic pundits and there are legions of them. Another reason why Islam is in shambles is that it is all things to all people. Even a cursory study of the Qur’an, the immutable word of God, as Muslims see it; the Hadith, the authoritative sayings of the Prophet; and, the Sunna, the Prophet’s life conduct, present a body of contradictory and even outright erroneous information. This body of Islamic doctrine enables a person...

In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate I, Hasan, the son of Akbar, resident of the village of Saraab, being of sound mind and resolute belief in Muhammad, praise be upon him (PBUH) and the 12 Imams, the Pure Ones, declare this here as my last and final will and testament. I have found it my sacred duty to answer the call and volunteer as suicide martyr for any mission that our Olama (religious leaders) assign to this humble servant. I have given the matter great thoughts and have consulted extensively with our village Agha (the mullah). Agha,...

Iran's President Ahmadinejad, a veteran of the Islamic Republic's repressive Revolutionary Guard, took office 3 August 2005, after a surprise win in a June sham presidential election -- there are no democratic elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran. All candidates are prescreened by the Guardian Council before they are allowed to run for office. In practice, a president of Iran is already chosen through a farce process of giving the voters a chance to elect one of the men hand-picked from the regime's functionaries, as was the case with President Ahmadinejad. No sooner did President Ahmadinejad emerge from obscurity...

The biggest surprise of 2003 was when an Iranian human rights activist, Shirin Ebadi, became the first Iranian ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, the Nobel committee referred to her as the first Muslim woman, completely denying her nationality, which angered Iranian nationalists. It is rumored Ebadi will appear on an up coming Oprah Winfrey Show while Ebadi tours the United States to promote her book.

Recently, Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice has requested $75 million to support pro-democracy elements inside Iran and also assist the Iranian opposition groups outside of Iran. While I am grateful for this kind gesture from President George W. Bush’s administration, I have serious doubts that this amount can change anything in Iran. I doubt that the $75 million (if Secretary Rice indeed receives it) will be used effectively and wisely. President Bush, in his 2005 state of union address, once again reiterated his support of the Iranian people. He said, “And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you...

Islam: A False Religion By: Amil Imani “In science it often happens that scientists say, you know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken, and then they actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion”. Carl Sagan As has been said, if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it,...

The vast land of America was once inhabited by a relatively small number of indigenous people. These “Indians” had lived throughout the land for thousands of years, and they will always remain the true fathers of America. American Indians helped the Pilgrims survive the winter. Later, more European immigrants came, and American settlement finally outgrew the Indian fathers. Then, on July 4, 1776, America declared its independence from England, the old white grandfather across the sea. The miracle of America happened, and its dynamic birth rapidly changed the entire world. America developed into thirteen colonies, then into the strong 50...

Recently, the handpicked President of the illegitimate body of government in Iran, President Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic, has been publicly and without any provocation denouncing the existence of the state of Israel. He has called for Israel “to be wiped off the map”, and claimed that "the Holocaust was a myth".

On behalf of the voiceless Iranian people in Iran, I strongly condemn the recent blatant comments calling for the destruction of the great nation of Israel by the newly selected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iranian people neither agree with the handpicked President Ahmadinejad’s comments, nor have any such desire to eradicate the people of Israel. As a matter of fact, Iranians are very proud of the action of their champion of human rights, Cyrus the Great. It was this great Persian trailblazer of human rights who freed the Jews from captivity and promoted freedom of culture, religion...

Copyright@2005 Ali was a student at the University of Tehran. He was one of the students who was brutally attacked by the Ansar-i Hezbullah, the militia forces of the Islamic Republic, during the attack of storming of a dormitory on July 9th of 1999. The attack sent shock waves around the country and for six consecutive days, brought the Islamic regime to it’s knees. Ali was one of the protesters who was captured the day after the attack and was sent to the notorious Evin prison for interrogation. He was brutally beaten, forced to confess to crimes he never committed...

Copyright@2005 By: Amil Imani The aim of this letter is to address the future generation as well as the current Iranian youth. The time to keep silence has passed and the time to speak of the truth has begun. As I write this letter to you today, I am perplexed and frightened to think about what it will be like when you are born. My mind is filled with uncertainty for your future. My soul is filled with pain and agony of the unknown. Today, Iran is under the occupation of the most savage form of the Islamic butchers. These...

To: UNESCO World Heritage Committee Members, Honorable Koffi A. Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, Honorable leaders of the Free World, Honorable Citizens of the Planet Earth: The Islamic Republic of Iran, which holds in great contempt any non-Islamic belief or heritage, has embarked on destroying the archeological sites of Pasargad and Persepolis -- some of humanity's most prized cultural heritage. The heinous destruction of the two Buddha statues by Afghanistan's Taliban, pales in comparison to the present barbaric designs of the Islamic Republic. http://www.petitiononline.com/ai8t2828/petition.html

In recent years, the US State Department has called the Islamic Republic of Iran the world's "most active state sponsor of terrorism." The Islamic Republic has been in a state of war with the world since its inception 26 years ago. The Islamic Republic is waging a war of construction, the war to build up an Islamic empire and to change the whole face of the earth. They are also at war with the Iranian people. As a matter of fact, the first victims of the Islamic Republic's appetite for the destruction of the civilized world were the Iranian people...

Amil Imani SPECIAL TO THINK & ASK NEW YORK It was journalist Ziba (Zahra) Kazemi's fourth interrogation, which was orchestrated in a bright room in the presence of about six revolutionary guards and militia torturers, and Tehran's chief prosecutor. She was asked about her connections with Iran's political oppositions, especially the MKO. She was severely beaten, struck on the head, punched on both sides of her chest and was also badly beaten with a rubber truncheon on her shoulders and back. Later, she was stretched out on a bed to which her wrists were tied with metal-wire, causing sharp, painful...

An open letter to Mr. Reza Pahlavi By: Amil Imani January 18, 2005 Dear Mr. Reza Pahlavi, "What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do." Aristotle 384-322, BC, Greek Philosopher. I am not a very important man. I have had a simple life. I have not accumulated a great deal of wealth. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I have never held or occupied a position of grand authority. Yet, I have always hoped to be as effective as my pen allows me to be. As has...

By: Amil Imani We are living in a troubled time. This is the era of universal propaganda, lies, deceit, and the complete perversion of truth on all levels. Truth has become a dangerous ideology. We see so many inhumane, unjust and violent acts around the world, yet, only a handful of people take the time to condemn or even bother with these events. We are becoming a society of the nonchalant. Many world governments purposely and deliberately misinform and endeavor to keep the masses misinformed and powerless. It is the responsibility of the people of the world to be alert...

Terror in Iran by means of Islam By: Amil Imani July 24, 2004 The Islamic Republic terror machine once again has taken off at the speed of light. The Islamic Republic exemplifies a depraved, clerical system of government, which legitimizes its depravity through a series of terror, fear and intimidation of Iranian people. With the additional handpicking of the newly selected members of the "Majles," the clergies have intensified their terror and war against the people of Iran and their insatiable appetite for another holocaust against the Jewish State, at all cost. The leaders of the Islamic Republic have gone...

Today, everyone is an Iranian "You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind." Darwin P. Kingsley Today is 18 Tir, July 8, 2004. It was exactly five years ago when the brutal and totalitarian regime of the Islamic Republic attacked the student dorm and savagely beat the sleeping students and murdered others. The July 8, 1999 tragedy is a day that will live forever in the minds of all freedom loving people. Today, we are...

Universal Iranian Demonstration I read somewhere that "the whole story of the progress of human liberty shows that concessions yet made...have been born of earnest struggle... If there is no struggle, there is no progress." I believe all human beings deserve to have liberty. Prejudiced, medieval-like actions must and should be eliminated in this 21st Century. This pinnacle of cruelty must and should be obliterated in our new era. Human beings are deserving of a brighter and more enlightening future and are obliged to work hard to bring prosperity, not only to this generation, but also to the generations to...