Iranian regime manipulates religion to crackdown its opponents
By: Heshmat Alavi
The 70th session of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, Thursday November 19, 2015, condemning flagrant and systematic violations of human rights in Iran by the clerical regime. The resolution is concerned about increase in the executions and “carrying-out of the death penalty against minors and persons who at the time of their offence were under the age of 18.”
Earlier, last year, in response to the wave of international disapproval for the dreadful number of executions in Iran, Rouhani, the president, and Larijani, spokesman of the parliament, declared that “executions are the will of God”. Members of the UN General Assembly seem to have no fear that their resolution may seethe God’s infuriation. The resolution also asks Iranian regime “to ensure, in law and in practice, that no one is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Should we bow to what “high ranking officials” of a country declare? Should we avert our eyes reasoning that what happen there are their country and their judicial system? Shall we go by the philosophy that supporters of appeasement consider it “just” and political protocols? Should we agree to the theories some politicians presented when talks ended in Vienna that the final nuclear deal would open the way to talk about Iran’s other violations than its ambitions to acquire nuclear bomb? The answer, taking into account the deeds of Iranian officials in the past three decades, is certainly no.
Using people’s religious believes has been the main instrument of maintaining power in Iran since, 37 years ago, when Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini established the present regime there. Khomeini, himself, was an Ayatollah which is the highest rank in the Mullahs hierarchy. He used his religious influence to prevail his rein in Iran in the first place. “Enmity to God “which is punishable by death, a charge Mullahs have used to suppress their opponents, is, of course, an insult to every human being whose basic right attributed by all divine religions secures his freedom to believe or disbelieve in God or in any religion. In the past 37 years the Iranian people have shown their abhorrence for the regime by waves of protests, demonstrations and clashes with the state suppressive forces. Several national and local uprisings such as the one in 2009 have shown Iranian people’s will to change the system.
The UN General Assembly’s 62nd resolution against the blatant violations of human rights in Iran also calls upon the regime “to end widespread and serious restrictions… on the right to freedom of expression, opinion, association and peaceful assembly” and “to release persons arbitrarily detained.” The Mullahs are implementing religious idioms to void the people of their simplest rights.
Image result for arrests and harassment on Iranian people by IRGC forces
Condemning the Nov.13th terrorist attack that caused the death of over 120 innocent French citizens Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian resistance, the first Muslim leader to denounce this attack, called on all Muslims of the world to do the same thing. “This is a duty for all Muslims all over the world to speak out against this violent act. Also it is a duty for Western governments and Western people to unite with the tolerant and democratic Muslims and to give their backing to those who believe in a different version of Islam and who want a peaceful world for everyone.” She said that true Muslims are against the ‘brutal acts which are being carried out under the name of Islam.
“We have experienced this ourselves in Iran under a religious dictatorship which has victimized and terrorized our own people under the name of Islamic extremism. So we fully understand the present situation of French people. They have all our sympathy in this, and we will stand with them, and we should be united hand-in-hand against Islamic fundamentalism.” Rajavi added.
Adopting a resolution condemning the clerical regime for its carrying out death penalties, flagrant and systematic violations of human rights in Iran by the 70th session of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, although does not reveal all the sufferings of the Iranian people nevertheless is a serious action to push back the regime’s inhuman atrocities. This regime exploits Islam to spread its inhuman and anti-people policies.
Heshmat Alavi is an Iraninan human rights activist who writes for regime change in Iran. Heshmat tweets on @heshmatalavi
