[23 Dec 2013] Mortar attack kill 4 officers, 2 soldiers near Baghdad -...
At least eight people have been killed in mortar shell attacks on an Iraqi army base west of the capital Baghdad.
Officials say four of the...
At least eight people have been killed in mortar shell attacks on an Iraqi army base west of the capital Baghdad.
Officials say four of the victims were army officers, including a brigade commander. Four soldiers were also killed in the attack, which took place in the Abu Ghraib area. Just two days ago, gunmen killed five senior officers and ten soldiers in the western province of Anbar. Violence has spiked in Iraq in 2013. Based on UN figures, at least eight-thousand people have lost their lives across the country this year alone.
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Court shown fatal US police beating video - 10May12 - All Languages
Two US police officers have been ordered to stand trial in the death of a mentally ill homeless man following a violent arrest last summer....
Two US police officers have been ordered to stand trial in the death of a mentally ill homeless man following a violent arrest last summer.
California's Orange County Superior Court Judge Walter Schwarm made the ruling after a hearing that included surveillance video of the confrontation between the officers and 37-year-old Kelly Thomas in the city of Fullerton.
Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Jay Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault or battery by a public officer. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The officers confronted Thomas while responding to reports that a homeless man was looking into parked cars at a transit center.
"This is another victory, on another battle," said Thomas' father, Ron. "We're going to start a new one with the trial."
John Barnett, Ramos' attorney, said he would seek another court's review of Schwarm's ruling and did not expect his client would end up facing a jury trial.
"We're disappointed that they were held to answer but we will seek review in an appropriate manner," he told reporters after the ruling. "He believes, and he is innocent."
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said during the hearing that Ramos bullied a shirtless Thomas with his menacing remarks and aggressive stance — actions that would have led anyone to fear they were about to get beaten by police.
"Any person, any creature on this earth would have fear at that point," Rackauckas told the court during the preliminary hearing.
"You're going to fight or flee because this is an imminent threat of a serious beating by a police officer who is there with a baton and a gun and other police officers.... This is going to be a very bad deal," the prosecutor said.
Defence attorneys countered that police — who are authorised and trained to use force when necessary — viewed the incident as an encounter with a man who refused to give his name and continued to resist arrest even as multiple officers rushed to assist.
The three-day hearing was marked by repeated showing of clips from surveillance video and audio recordings of the confrontation. The footage includes scenes of officers pummelling and pinning down Thomas as he screams that he can't breathe and moans for his father until he goes silent and is taken away by medics, leaving behind a pool of blood.
Barnett, Ramos' attorney, said during the hearing that the video — which was introduced by the prosecution — shows that his client made a conditional threat during his conversation with Thomas, stating he wanted the man to start listening and following police orders, such as sitting with his legs stretched out and providing his name to officers.
"All that Kelly Thomas had to do was simply comply," Barnett said. "Officer Ramos just lifts him up, he's going to arrest him. ... Not only can he do it, he must do it. He is bound to do it."
"Officer Ramos didn't do anything that should or could kill Kelly Thomas," Barnett said, pointing out that his client is often seen on the video at the man's feet.
Prosecutors have argued that Ramos punched Thomas in the ribs, tackled him and lay on him to hold him down while Cicinelli — who arrived later on the scene — used a Taser four times on Thomas as he hollered in pain and hit him in the face eight times with the Taser.
Thomas lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital. He was taken off life support and died five days later.
The coroner's office found that Thomas died from compression of his chest that made it difficult for him to breathe and deprived his brain of oxygen, and facial injuries stemming from his confrontation with law enforcement.
In court, Schwartz, Cicinelli's attorney, challenged those findings, noting that testimony by a paramedic who treated Thomas at the scene indicates that Thomas was breathing, although with difficulty, during the confrontation.
Schwartz also defended his client's use of the Taser on Thomas, who was still struggling and resisting officers' efforts to handcuff him, and said Cicinelli only swung the Taser at Thomas' hand when the man made an effort to grab the weapon.
"To call that a crime is to effectively handcuff our police officers out in the field from dealing with any combative suspect," Schwartz said.
The hearing in a Santa Ana courtroom was marked by lengthy testimony from medical experts and graphic photos of Thomas' injuries, including multiple bruises and a bloodied eye, while he was lying on the autopsy table.
Attorneys repeatedly played portions of the grainy surveillance video, which was paired with audio from digital recorders worn by some of the officers who were present and which brought some of Thomas' supporters to tears and prompted them to leave the courtroom.
The incident last July prompted an ongoing FBI investigation to determine if Thomas' civil rights were violated, an internal probe by the city, protests by residents and an effort to recall three Fullerton councilmembers that is slated for next month's ballot.
The recall was sparked after angry residents chastised the council members for failing to take significant action regarding the incident.
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[21 June 2012] Should world be worried about emerging total war ideology...
[21 June 2012] Should world be worried about emerging total war ideology" against Islam - Islam And Life - English
It is revealed by American...
[21 June 2012] Should world be worried about emerging total war ideology" against Islam - Islam And Life - English
It is revealed by American magazine Wired in May 2012, that the American Army teaches its officers to "Use 'Hiroshima' tactics for a 'total war' on Islam". The course teaches officers there is no such thing as moderate Islam and that they should consider Islam their enemy. It advocated taking war to civilian populations using similar tactics as used in Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well possible nuclear attacks on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the wiping out civilian populations. The teaching material also suggests that there is no such thing as the moderate Islam and concludes "It is therefore time for the United States to make our true intentions clear. This barbaric ideology will no longer be tolerated. Islam must change or we will facilitate its self-destruction."
The Pentagon has confirmed the course material obtained by the magazine is authentic. The report says the officer who delivered the lectures, still maintains his position at the Norfolk, Virginia College, pending an investigation. It is not clear that how much of the similar material has been taught in the US Army. What is alarming according to BBC is that all those commanders, captains and colonels must have sat through the course and not felt anything unusual. It brings into question the validity of claims that killing at least 16 Afghan civilians by a US soldier was an isolated incident. This week's Islam and Life asks: Should the world be worried about the emerging "total war ideology" against Islam
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Chinese Shia Muslim Reciting in Mosque - All Languages - Chinese
China has one of the biggest population in the world. Shia Muslims are peaceful, loving and caring. They are in every part of China. They are...
China has one of the biggest population in the world. Shia Muslims are peaceful, loving and caring. They are in every part of China. They are mainly in Xinjiang Uygur, Beijning, Shanghai and other old cities. They are officers in PLA China and Police. They all love China.
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[15 July 2012] Israel tortures Palestinian minors Maha Rezeq - English
[15 July 2012] Israel tortures Palestinian minors Maha Rezeq - English
Israeli police officers continue their violence against Palestinian...
[15 July 2012] Israel tortures Palestinian minors Maha Rezeq - English
Israeli police officers continue their violence against Palestinian children, brutally attacking and mistreating them in Israeli jails. The Israeli authorities arrest around 700 Palestinian minors annually. Some 200 Palestinian children are arrested on a monthly basis.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Maha Rezeq, child protection advocate, to hear her opinion on this issue.
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خطاب سماحة الامام القائد السيد علي...
Imam speech Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei during the graduation of army officers 2013 - خطاب سماحة الامام القائد السيد علي...
Imam speech Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei during the graduation of army officers 2013 - خطاب سماحة الامام القائد السيد علي الخامنئي خلال تخريج دفعة من ضباط الجيش - Arabic
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[25 Dec 2013] Indian soldiers to be court-martialed for killing...
Indian army has ordered the court martial of six army soldiers, including two officers, for their involvement in the killings of three youths in a...
Indian army has ordered the court martial of six army soldiers, including two officers, for their involvement in the killings of three youths in a fake encounter in north Kashmir\'s Kupwara district back in April 2010. The army soldiers claimed the victims were militants but it was later found out that they were just three innocent civilians.
The incident sparked violent protests against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act that gives unbridled power to army personnel in the region. More than 110 civilians were killed in protests that lasted several months back in 2010. Now, three years after the incident, rights activists are not optimistic about the outcome of the court martial proceedings. They say the court martial is just a cover-up because the accused enjoy the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. That act gives legal immunity to Indian forces in Kashmir and forbids their prosecution without the sanction from the Indian government. According to rights activists, hundreds of security personnel face charges of murder, rape, and arrest in Kashmir, but prosecution against them has been hindered due to the special powers. The army has ordered court martial proceedings against the accused army soldiers in Machil fake encounter. But it remains to be seen whether the real perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice in the near future.
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[25 Dec 2013] Indian soldiers to be court-martialed for killing...
Indian army has ordered the court martial of six army soldiers, including two officers, for their involvement in the killings of three youths in a...
Indian army has ordered the court martial of six army soldiers, including two officers, for their involvement in the killings of three youths in a fake encounter in north Kashmir\'s Kupwara district back in April 2010. The army soldiers claimed the vicitms were militants but it was later found out that they were just three innocent civilians.
The incident sparked violent protests against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act that gives unbridled power to army personnel in the region. More than 110 civilians were killed in protests that lasted several months back in 2010. Now, three years after the incident, rights activists are not optimistic about the outcome of the court martial proceedings. They say the court martial is just a cover-up because the accused enjoy the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. That act gives legal immunity to Indian forces in Kashmir and forbids their prosecution without the sanction from the Indian government. According to rights activists, hundreds of security personnel face charges of murder, rape, and arrest in Kashmir, but prosecution against them has been hindered due to the special powers. The army has ordered court martial proceedings against the accused army soldiers in Machil fake encounter. But it remains to be seen whether the real perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice in the near future.
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US becoming a police state - Cindy Sheehan - Jun 14, 2011 - English
The United States is slowly turning into a 'police state' and people are being controlled more and more by police state apparatus, an American...
The United States is slowly turning into a 'police state' and people are being controlled more and more by police state apparatus, an American peace activist says.
"We have to go through full body X-ray machines to get on flights," Cindy Sheehan told Press TV's US desk on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, over a dozen SWAT -- Special Weapons and Tactics -- officers broke into a house in California and detained a man, handcuffed him, put him and his three children, aged 3, 7 and 11, in a cruiser and commenced to search his house, she said.
The man was questioned for hours, all because of his ex-wife's overdue student loans.
Sheehan described the incident as “oppressive.”
"Of course we have seen such [incidents]. When we had a demo at the G-20, the last one was in Pittsburg, and there were more heavily armed police officers… I myself was there. I got tear gassed, I got shot at with rubber bullets, chased by the police just for exercising our freedom of speech!"
"The most damning thing that shows that the United States is in the process of [a] police state is the recent passage of the USA Patriot Act which basically makes the Constitution of the United States null and void," said Sheehan.
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers.
The first SWAT team in the US was established in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968.
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1/5/1390 حضور در پايگاه نیروی دريائی ارتش...
Vali Amr Muslimeen Ayatullah Sayyed Ali Khamenei delivered this lecture on July 23, 2011. Military presence in the naval base at Bandar Abbas....
Vali Amr Muslimeen Ayatullah Sayyed Ali Khamenei delivered this lecture on July 23, 2011. Military presence in the naval base at Bandar Abbas.
بازدید فرمانده كل قوا از نیروی دریایی ارتش در بندرعباس
http://farsi.khamenei.ir/news-content?id=16755
حضرت آیتالله خامنهای رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی صبح شنبه، اول مردادماه 1390، وارد بندرعباس شدند و از منطقه یكم و كارخانجات نیروی دریایی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران بازدید كردند.
فرمانده كل قوا در ابتدای ورود به قرارگاه مقدم نیروی دریائی ارتش - ناوگان جنوب، در محل یادمان شهدا حاضر شدند و با قرائت فاتحه، یاد و خاطره رشادت شهدای دفاع مقدس را گرامی داشتند.
حضرت آیتالله خامنهای سپس از یگانهای مختلف نیروهای مسلحِ حاضر در میدان سان دیدند.
حضرت آیتالله خامنهای در سخنانی در جمع فرماندهان و نیروهای قرارگاه مقدم نیروی دریایی ارتش و یگانهای نمونه نیروهای مسلح در منطقه، دریا را فرصتی بزرگ و راهبردی برای كشورها و ملتها دانستند و تأكید كردند: منافع و امكانات این دریاها متعلق به ملتها است و نیروهای دریایی ارتش و سپاه مظهر اقتدار ملت ایران در دفاع از منافع كشور در خلیج فارس و دریای عمان هستند.
ایشان افزودند: حكومتهای طاغوتی در سالهای متمادی سیطره بر ایران مانع پیشرفت دریانوردی و حضور دریایی ایران در پهنه آبهای منطقهای و بینالمللی بودند اما امروز شما باید با تلاش مضاعف عقبافتادگی طولانی مدت گذشته را جبران كنید.
حضرت آیتالله خامنهای با اشاره به سابقه حضور قدرتهای زورگو در منطقه بسیار حساس خلیج فارس و دریای عمان خاطرنشان كردند: امروز شرایط با گذشته بسیار متفاوت است و ساحل ممتد و طولانی این منطقه در اختیار دولتی مستقل و ملتی سرافراز و بیدار است كه قدرت و اراده ملی خود را میشناسد و با اتكاء به خداوند، اراده خود را بر هر قدرت سیاسی و نظامی تحمیل و او را مجبور به عقبنشینی خواهد كرد.
فرمانده كل قوا در همین زمینه افزودند: امروز خلیج فارس و دریای عمان به بركت حضور مقتدرانه ایران اسلامی، یك منطقه آزاد و مستقل است.
رهبر انقلاب اسلامی حضور ناوهای آمریكایی و كشورهای اروپایی در منطقه را مضّر و نامطلوب ارزیابی و تأكید كردند: دورانی كه قدرتهای مستكبر با حضور نظامی برای ملتها تعیین سرنوشت میكردند گذشته است و اگر حتی برخی دولتهای منطقه همچنان تمایل به تبعیت از دستورات قدرتهای مستكبر را داشته باشند ولی ملتهای منطقه هوشیار و بیدار شدهاند و حضور نظامی بیگانگان، در منطقه را موجب ناامنی میدانند.
Supreme Leader Meets Navy Officers
http://english.khamenei.ir//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1493&Itemid=2
In a meeting with Iranian Navy officers in the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei the Commander-in-
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[Audio] A Brief Account of the Life of Martyr Allameh Motahhari - English
Martyred professor, Allameh Morteza Motahhari, was born on February 2, 1919 in the town of Fariman, 75 kilometers from the holy city of Mashhad. At...
Martyred professor, Allameh Morteza Motahhari, was born on February 2, 1919 in the town of Fariman, 75 kilometers from the holy city of Mashhad. At the age of twelve, he set off for Mashhad seminary to embark on learning the basics of Islamic sciences. In 1937, despite Reza Khan’s intense confrontation with clergymen and also opposition by some of his friends and relatives, he left for Qom seminary to complete his studies.
During 15 years of his stay in Qom, he benefited from the presence of Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi (in jurisprudence and the principles of jurisprudence), Imam Khomeini (12 years in the philosophy of Molla Sadra, gnosis, ethics and principles of jurisprudence) and Allameh Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Tabatabaiee (in philosophy). He had also benefited from the presence of the late Ayatollah Haj Mirza Ali Aqa Shirazi in ethics and gnosis. Among other teachers of professor Motahhari mention can be made of the late Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hojjat (in principles of jurisprudence) and the late Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Mohaqqeqdamad (in jurisprudence). While he was in Qom, in addition to education, he participated in socio-political affairs as well and he was in contact with Fadaiyan-e-Eslam group.
In 1952, he migrated to Tehran though he was one of the renowned teachers and among the future hopes of the seminary. In Tehran, he taught at Marvi School and delivered well-researched speeches. In 1955, the first session of the exegesis of the holy Qur’an in the Students\\\' Islamic Association was held by professor Motahhari. In the same year, he began teaching at the faculty of divinity and Islamic teachings of Tehran University. In 1958-59 concurrent with the establishment of the Physicians\\\' Islamic Association, professor Motahhari was one of the main speakers of the Association and during 1961-1971 he was the only speaker of the Association leaving behind a number of important deliberations.
In 1962, with the start of Imam Khomeini’s uprising, professor Motahhari accompanied him to the extent that one can consider the organizing of the June 5th uprising in Tehran and its coordination with Imam Khomeini’s leadership as being indebted to him and his companions. Having given an enlightening speech against the Shah on Wednesday, 5th of June 1963, Ayatollah Motahhari was detained by the police at 1 a.m. and sent to the interim police headquarters and was imprisoned with a number of Tehrani clergymen. 43 days later, following the migration of Ulema from other provinces to Tehran and public pressure, he was freed together with other clergymen.
After the formation of groups called “Mo’talefe Eslami”, which was among the combatant groups of the time, Imam Khomeini called on martyr Motahhari to lead these groups along with a number of clergymen.
Following Imam Khomeini\\\'s exile, professor Motahhari and his companions shouldered a heavier responsibility. At that time, he wrote books covering social requirements and delivering speeches at universities, the Physicians\\\' Islamic Association and mosques. Professor Motahhari made a lot of ideological efforts to Islamicize the content of the movement and strongly fought against diversions and falsehoods. In 1967, he established Hosseinieh Ershad with the help of some friends.
In 1969, after releasing an announcement signed by him, Allameh Tabatabai and Ayatollah Haj Seyyed Abolfazl Mojtahed Zanjani calling for collection of aid for the displaced Palestinians and because of publicizing it during a speech in Hosseinieh Ershad, he was detained and held in solitary confinement for a short while. From 1970-72 he supervised publicity works by Al-jawad mosque where he was the main speaker until the mosque and the Hosseinieh were closed and professor Motahhari was detained for a while. Later, Ayatollah Motahhari gave speeches at Javid, Ark and a number of other mosques. After a while Javid mosque was also closed. Around the year 1974 he was forbidden to speak which lasted till the triumph of the Islamic revolution.
Presenting genuine Islamic ideology through teaching, speech and writing books were among the valuable activities of professor Motahhari reaching its climax particularly during the years 1972-78; since in those years the leftists had increased their propaganda and groups of leftist Muslims and also those with a hotchpotch of ideas had emerged. After Imam Khomeini, professor Motahhari was the first figure who found out the ideological deviation of the heads of the so-called “Mojahedin-e-Khalq” organization and prevented others from cooperating with them and even foresaw their change of ideology. In those years, upon Imam Khomeini’s recommendation, professor Motahhari traveled to Qom twice a week to teach at its seminary where he taught important courses and at the same time he taught some courses at home in Tehran. In 1976, following an ideological dispute with a communist teacher of the faculty of divinity, he became retired prematurely. Furthermore; in those years Ayatollah Motahhari, in collaboration with some clergymen, established “Jameye Rohaniat-e-Mobarez” of Tehran hoping that such an institution would be gradually established in other cities as well.
Although professor Motahhari’s contact with Imam Khomeini continued after the Imam’s exile in France via letters and other means, in the year 1976 he managed to travel to the holy city of Najaf and consulted with Imam Khomeini on the important issues of the revolution and also seminaries. After the martyrdom of Ayatollah Seyyed Mostafa Khomeini and the start of the new phase of the Islamic revolution, professor Motahhari fully devoted himself to the revolution and hence played a fundamental role in all of its phases.
At the time of Imam Khomeini’s stay in Paris, Ayatollah Motahhari traveled to France where he spoke with the Imam on the important issues of the revolution and it was then that Imam Khomeini urged him to shape the Islamic Revolution Council. Upon Imam Khomeini’s return to Iran, he personally took the responsibility of the welcoming committee and till the victory of the revolution and after that he always acted as a supporter of the leader of the Islamic revolution and served as a kind and trusted advisor for him. But at 22:20 p.m. of Tuesday, 1st of May 1979 he was martyred by a grouplet called “Forqan” after leaving an ideological and political gathering. This caused profound sorrow and grief for Imam Khomeini and the Islamic Ummah who had a lot of hopes for this great man’s future.
There remain tens of works by Ayatollah Motahhari. These works deal with a variety of religious issues and offer responses to many of the important questions of religious society so much so that we can name his works as a reliable source concerning the Islamic ideology system.
Some of Imam Khomeini’s Words on Martyr Allameh Morteza Motahhari
[Motahhari] was rare in Islamology and different Islamic and Qur’anic sciences. I have lost a very dear child. I am mourning for him who was one of the figures who was considered the fruit of my life. Martyrdom of this righteous child and immortal clergyman created a vacuum in the dear Islam that cannot be filled by any means.
Motahhari, who was rare in purifying spirit, the strength of belief and the power of speech, flew to the ethereal world, but the ill-wishers should know that his Islamic, scientific and philosophical personality won’t perish with his departure.
Motahhari was a dear child for me and a firm stronghold for the religious and scientific seminaries and a useful servant for people and country.
I recommend the students and the committed intellectuals not to let this dear professor’s books be forgotten by non-Islamic schemes.
In his short life, [Motahhari] left behind immortal works which stemmed from a wakeful conscience and a spirit filled with the love for religion. He embarked on educating and training the society with an eloquent style and an able thought in analyzing Islamic subjects and explaining philosophical facts with a popular diction and without uncertainty. His oral and written works are unexceptionally instructive and inspiring; and his advice and admonitions, which sprang from a heart filled with faith and belief, are useful both for the Ulema and the laymen.
Late Motahhari was an individual who had different aspects of personality; and few people have done the service to the young generation and others as Motahhari has done. All his works are unexceptionally good and I don’t know anybody else whose works I could call unexceptionally good. His works are unexceptionally good and constructive for humans.
Professor Motahhari from the Viewpoint of Ayatollah Khamenei
Interview with the Supreme Leader on Martyr Motahhari
‘I consider myself Mr. Motahhari’s pupil’
As you know late professor Motahhari was a philosopher; the science sought by him was mostly the philosophical science. Later on; however, he got to the subjects of theology, i.e. he dealt with Islamic issues with new argumentation method of modern philosophy. But he spent most of his time on philosophical matters. He was considered the philosophical student of Imam Khomeini and Allameh Tabatabaiee. Thus what he maintains in theology is Hekmat Mota’aliah, i.e. the Philosophy of Molla Sadra.
His behaviour was like that of the mystics who would set out to find a perfect instructor. Basically his spiritual and moral condition was in such a way. He would search to know for example if a perfect elderly instructor is somewhere in the world, and he would go to him to stay by him. Indeed, spiritually, such a situation was fitting him. Yet he had found such a perfect instructor in Iran. He was absorbed in Imam Khomeini and Allameh Tabatabaiee. He was captivated by their love and regarded their scientific and mystic status very high.
Morally, late Motahhari was a prominent man; and a pure-hearted, enlightened, just, self-possessed and mature person. In his personal bonds with God he was a mystic, a man of God’s remembrance, journey towards God and worship. He used to say: “I have learnt paying attention to and worship of God from my father.”
Professor Motahhari had a lot of historical information especially about the recent history, and particularly on the issues related to the Ulema, seminaries, scientific, spiritual, philosophical and mystic figures. These pieces of information were not registered in any book and are heard from the professors and great figures and kept in mind. Since he knew all professors and Ulema of Najaf, Samarra and Isfahan, he was well-informed about their events and he would talk of them in the gatherings and visits held on different occasions.
Supereme Leader’s Words on Professor Motahhari’s Personality and Works
“As time passes from his martyrdom, his spiritual and ideological works and bounties manifest more fresh dimensions. The ideological and scientific works of that grand clergyman become clearer in the scene of the country press and religious knowledge; and one understands that an intellectual clergyman with responsibilities could have so fruitful life.”
Martyr Motahhari with his strong and decent thought stepped in the fields of Islamic subjects that hitherto nobody had stepped; and considering the ideas that had prevailed or were going to prevail in the country---through translation and import from the west and east, he entered a profound, vast and interminable scientific challenge. He both embarked on a very clever struggle to confront with the Marxists and entered the scene to confront with the western and Liberalist thoughts. This role is very important; it needs both courage and self-confidence, it requires both thinking strength and Ijtihad (being well- qualified in jurisprudence and different theological fields), it both needs certainty and resolute belief. This great man had all these together; he was both a learned man and very faithful, he was firm in his belief and had self-confidence, too; these are all necessary.”
Leader’s Visit with Martyr Motahhari’s Family (1996)
He had three characteristics regarding ideological issues: First, he had a strong thought and he was a true thinker. Secondly, while presenting and spreading the ideological principles, he had no intention but God’s nearness, promotion of the truth and fighting against the false. There was sincerity in him and his personal actions which would naturally make the second characteristic tangible. For example think of some people who are thinkers, yet do not present their thought for God’s sake, but they present it to show that they are knowledgeable, to draw people’s attention and to say that they are philosophers. Martyr Motahhari was not such. He would present thought for God’s sake and for Islam. He would truly burn up [like a candle] and would gush forth [like a fountain] and would present [Islamic ideas]. The reason for his survival is his second characteristic. It means that sincerity will have its impact and the Almighty God will grace any deed done with sincerity. The third characteristic was his working hard and his inexhaustibility.
The truth is that he wouldn’t sit till he might be referred to; but rather he would himself go after activity. He had these three characteristics.”
Leader’s Visit with Martyr Motahhari’s Family (1998)
“We should introduce Mr. Motahhari to the world especially the Islamic world. And if we want to introduce him, which points should be highlighted? I think this is your most important job. Some aspects of a figure’s personality are either unique that must be highlighted or are very outstanding that should be stressed.
In the life of the late Martyr Ayatollah Motahhari, his personality and his scientific identity there are numerous examples of these. One point, that in my opinion has the prime importance, is the new interpretation of the Islamic teachings. This is apart from his philosophical aspect and his strong and compelling arguments in the footnotes of ‘The principles of philosophy’ by ‘Ayatollah Tabatabaiee. This is another point. He elucidated Islamic concepts and teachings with a novel diction and expression which was much needed. I don’t say that if the works of the predecessors were pondered and scrutinized signs of this exegesis would not be found. Really if one had attentively studied the works of the Ulema he would have found some hints and cues; but I want to say that nobody had done this. As far as we know, nobody had done it before Mr. Motahhari. Even the modernist writers, who had emerged in the Arab countries, and we knew some of them, had not done this. These Egyptian authors, who were modernists and would write things with a broader sight and who knew the world somewhat more than Martyr Motahhari, most of them had traveled a lot and had visited different universities. Yet he [Ayatollah Motahhari] was not so, he was confined. I mean he was inside Iran and Tehran but his profound vision of the Islamic issues and his novel understanding of the verses [of Qur’an] and the narrations [of the Ahl-ul-Bayt], in my opinion, was one of his most outstanding aspects. It was he who, for the first time, substantively expressed the subjects related to principles of ideology, piety, patience, love, fairness, justice, and so on in the ideological atmosphere of Iran.
We thank God that Mr. Motahhari’s name was not forgotten in our society and the mental atmosphere of this country; but rather it became more prominent day by day. Many of the world phenomena are naturally perishable and by the lapse of time they become older. Most of the world phenomena are such. Yet there are some phenomena that not only do not fall into oblivion via lapse of time but become brighter, more manifest, more spectacular and more impressive. The phenomena based on reality are usually such. I clearly feel that, thank God, Martyr Ayatollah Motahhari’s thoughts are such.”
Memoirs of Dr. Ali Motahhari (Martyr Motahhari’s Son)
Night Supplication in front of the Word Allah
As it is said he didn’t give up midnight vigilance, midnight prayer, and wakefulness since his youth till the end of his life. It was his practice both at the time of studentship and after that and even at the time of martyrdom. I remember that facing our house there was the house of one of the previous regime’s officials which was usually guarded by two police officers. Apparently since the official had seen that the lamp of our house was lit at midnight, had worried to find the reason and it was important for him from the security point of view. He had told the guards to look for the reason. Professor [Motahhari] had a neon board of Allah which was green when lit. He would turn it on and perform his midnight prayer in its light. After the revolution one of the officers said, we had examined several nights and I had looked through the window to see what was going on inside the house. At the end I myself saw that he came at midnight and started worshipping for an hour. We were somehow absorbed by the professor, and despite much negative propaganda against the clergymen and him in particular to make us pessimist to them, we became very interested in him so much so that some would say we got our salary from the government but it was as if we were guarding him.
A Voice vis-à-vis MHe was very sensitive against ideological deviations and believed that we were seeking Islamic revolution and not mere revolution. It is not important that Shah goes but it is important to see what system is established after his going. Because if after the ouster of the Shah, for example the Mojahedin-e-Khalq take the lead, it is much better not to stage a revolution at all. Thus the deviated groups had found out professor Motahhari’s sensitiveness and had become his enemy. Three or four months before the victory of the Islamic revolution, a person, who had some tendencies to Mojahedin-e-Khalq and the leftists and was intended to be religious, too, was freed from the prison. Professor [Motahhari] said we had better visit him. I was with the professor. There was a man by the name of Ashuri as one of the heads of the Forqan group. He spoke of Islam and Marxism and said: ‘These two religions say one single thing and their content is the same with different forms. They speak of the laborers and we speak of the oppressed. Therefore our word is the same. We should unite to topple the regime of Shah and basically there is no difference between Islam and Marxism, etc.’ Professor was very upset and that man knew that professor Motahhari would answer him. That’s why he rose to leave. The professor said: ‘No, Be seated! Be seated!’ He made him sit and explained him in detail that our path is fundamentally separate from that of the Marxists. In no way can the forms be different with the same content. And we cannot unite with the Marxists in any way.
Immortal among People
Prior to the victory of the Islamic revolution, at the time of Imam Khomeini’s staying in Paris, it was heard everywhere that the regime of Shah wanted to arrest the leaders and prominent figures of the revolution.
Some people told him [Ayatollah Motahhari] it was better to go somewhere else to hide. He said: ‘Such actions are not good for clergymen. It is not good for us to escape from one place to another to hide; such things are not good for us.’ He stayed at home like before and nothing happened.
His Method of Training Children
One of the features of the professor’s training method for his children was that he would never resort to force and coercion and he would let them to realize and choose the right path with their own thought and wisdom. About choosing the field of education and the way of spending leisure time and the like he would never force us to do something necessarily; but he would show us the way. As the holy Qur’an says: ‘…be he grateful or ungrateful.’ And it was we who would choose the way. There was never force over our heads and we would choose one way with interest and free will.
The Professor’s Arrest after anti-Israel Speech
I have another memory from the year 1969 when he delivered the provocative speech on Palestine in Hosseinieh Ershad. This speech has been broadcast many times by IRIB. It was a very provocative, important and interesting speech which shook the regime of Shah; and it required a lot of courage to deliver such a speech when the regime of Shah was in the zenith of power and had the highest level of relations and unity with Israel. When the Israeli planes would refuel in Iran’s airport(s) during the 1967 war and would fly over the heads of the Arabs and Muslims, much bravery was needed to give such a speech and we saw that professor Motahhari gave that speech and was promptly arrested and taken away. When he was freed he said, ‘They made me sit in a car and blindfolded me and the car set out. I told them there is no need to blindfold and I will not look. If you want me not to look I will close my eyes. But they didn’t agree. Yet I realized the route till Ferdowsi square but didn’t realize after that.’ Apparently they had taken him to the committee of the SAVAK which was presumably located in the same Ferdowsi Street.
Allameh Tabatabaiee’s Message on the Occasion of Ayatollah Motahhari’s Martyrdom
In the name of the Almighty God
In memory of a scientific and philosophical personality who cast a world into grief and made the world of science and merit mournful with his departure.
Late Motahhari, who was a scientist, a thinker and a researcher with an overflowing intellect, a bright thought and a realistic mind, has left behind marvelous works and researches written about scientific and argumentative purposes that are seen in his books.
Late Motahhari, through his precious and blissful life that was abundant with scientific effort and philosophical thinking, sends an expressive and valuable message to the enthusiasts of science and philosophy never to repose from effort towards perfection and never forget scientific struggle for perfection; and in the market of realities turn their life--which is the best human commodity-- to the spiritual life— which is the lofty human life and is lasting till the world exists; and not to be absorbed and deceived by fabricated and imaginary personalities in this short life.
Yes, a narrow route opened by a scientist towards realities will bestow eternal life upon him and this is more valuable than the world and what it contains.
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The Least Worst Place - new policies in Guantanamo - English
In this edition of the show Susan interviews Karen Greenberg, author of The Least Worst Place.
In her recent book The Least Worst Place, she...
In this edition of the show Susan interviews Karen Greenberg, author of The Least Worst Place.
In her recent book The Least Worst Place, she offers a gripping narrative account of the first one hundred days of Guantanamo.
Greenberg, one of America's leading experts on the Bush Administration's policies on terrorism, tells the story through a group of career officers who tried and ultimately failed to stymie the Pentagon's desire to implement harsh new policies in Guantanamo and bypass the Geneva Conventions.
She outlines how the US has systematically violated all rules and norms of the Geneva Conventions and has made Guantanamo a lawless prison camp.
In this narrative of the earliest days of the post-9/11 era centers on the conflicts Gitmo-based Marine officers confess about faulty intelligence.
Ultimately from Bush to Obama transparency is replaced with secrecy, military protocol with violations of basic operation procedures, and humane and legal detainee treatment with harsh interrogation methods and torture.
Greenberg's riveting account puts a human face on this little-known story, revealing how America first lost its moral bearings in the wake of 9/11
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[18 Feb 2014] At least 5 protesters are killed, and 150 others injured...
Deadly clashes in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. At least five anti-government protesters are killed and scores of others-- including police...
Deadly clashes in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. At least five anti-government protesters are killed and scores of others-- including police officers-- are injured.
Reports say over 47 police officers and 150 protesters were injured in the clashes. Violence erupted as protesters gathered outside the parliament building. Opposition lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to pass constitutional changes stripping President Viktor Yanukovych of some of his powers. A group of protesters also attacked the ruling-party headquarters. Russia blamed the policies of Western countries for the latest clashes between pro-E-U protesters and police. The E-U and the U-S on the one side and Russia on the other, have accused each other of interfering in Ukraine\'s internal affairs.
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Lahore Attack - CCTV footage of Terrorists fleeing from the scene with...
Exclusive CCTV footage. You can easily notice the calm and ease with which the attackers fled the scene after killing more than a dozen police...
Exclusive CCTV footage. You can easily notice the calm and ease with which the attackers fled the scene after killing more than a dozen police officers.
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President Ahmadinejad requests the crowd to forgive the clowns - 20Apr09...
The opening of a United Nations conference in Switzerland on anti-racism was marred by chaotic scenes Monday as protests and a walkout by delegates...
The opening of a United Nations conference in Switzerland on anti-racism was marred by chaotic scenes Monday as protests and a walkout by delegates disrupted a controversial address by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The presence of the Iranian leader at the conference had already prompted Israel to withdraw its ambassador from Switzerland, while several countries including the United States are also boycotting the gathering.
Dozens of delegates walked out of the chamber as Ahmadinejad accused Israel and the West of making "an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering ... in order to establish a totally racist government." Video Watch delegates make their exit »
He said Zionism, the Jewish national movement, "personifies racism," and accused Zionists of wielding economic and political resources to silence opponents. He also blasted the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan.
Protesters in brightly colored wigs interrupted Ahmadinejad as he began to speak, shouting: "You're a racist!" in accented English.
But some delegates cheered, while security officers dragged at least two protesters from the chamber.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Ambassador Ilan Elgar home to protest a meeting between the Swiss president and Ahmadinejad, Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The meeting of a president of a democratic country with a notorious Holocaust denier such as the Iranian president, who has openly declared his intention of wiping Israel off the map, is not in keeping with the values represented by Switzerland," the ministry said.
Netanyahu's office had earlier said the diplomatic move was a response to the presence of Ahmadinejad at the conference.
Ahmadinejad has said that the Holocaust is a myth, and Iran hosted a conference in 2006 questioning the Holocaust, in which about 6 million Jews were killed.
The United States, among others, is refusing to send envoys to the Durban Review Conference.
The U.N. high commissioner for human rights said Sunday that she regrets -- and is "shocked" by -- the United States' decision to boycott.
"I am shocked and deeply disappointed by the United States' decision not to attend a conference that aims to combat racism, xenophobia, racial discrimination and other forms of intolerance worldwide," High Commissioner Navi Pillay said in a written statement.
"A handful of states have permitted one or two issues to dominate their approach to this issue, allowing them to outweigh the concerns of numerous groups of people that suffer racism and similar forms of intolerance... These are truly global issues, and it is essential that they are discussed at a global level, however sensitive and difficult they may be," she said.
The U.S. State Department said Washington's decision was based in part on a conference document that "singles out" Israel in its criticism and conflicts with the United States' "commitment to unfettered free speech."
President Barack Obama noted Sunday that the United States had previously warned it would not attend the conference if the document was not sufficiently altered in advance. According to the State Department, the document contains language that "prejudges key issues that can only be resolved in negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians."
The language reaffirms the Durban Declaration and Programme of Actions from the 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa, which the United States has said it won't support.
Obama said the United States hopes to partner with other countries "to actually reduce discrimination around the globe, but this (conference) wasn't an opportunity to do it."
Australia, Canada, Germany and Italy, among others, are also boycotting the conference. Poland announced Monday it too would pull out of the conference.
Netanyahu on Monday praised the countries that refused to attend: "I congratulate the nations that boycotted the show of hate."
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Cynthia McKinney in an Israeli jail - English
As if we needed any more proof that the international media deliberately avoids exposing anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian injustices, its suspect...
As if we needed any more proof that the international media deliberately avoids exposing anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian injustices, its suspect behavior during recent days has sealed the case.
Even as we were being force-fed minute details of Michael Jackson's colorful life along with endless speculation as to the true parentage of his children, a former U.S. Congresswomen and presidential candidate, Cynthia McKinney, was languishing in an Israeli jail.
Her 'crime' was boarding the Free Gaza Movement's aid vessel The Spirit of Humanity in Cyprus, in an effort to break Israel's cruel siege of Gaza, which even the U.S. President has condemned.
Like several of her sister vessels, The Spirit of Humanity was attacked by the Israeli Navy in international waters before being boarded by Israeli commandos and dragged along with its crew and passengers towards Israel.
Once there, 21 human rights advocates from the U.S., Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Jordan, Palestine and Yemen, including McKinney, Noble Laureate Mairead Maguire, and documentary filmmaker Adam Shapiro, were incarcerated.
Let's be realistic. If just about any other high-profile U.S. politician on any other mission had been detained within a cell block on foreign soil, the incident would have merited headlines.
However, McKinney's abduction went almost unnoticed. Not only was the story relegated to the back pages, if it ran at all, there was a corresponding absence of comment from Congress and the White House.
McKinney is now home after refusing to sign a statement in Hebrew that she was guilty of a violation, but the mainstream media is certainly not clamoring at her door for interviews.
As far as I can tell, her ordeal has mostly been covered by left-wing outlets such as Democracy Now or Middle East networks including Al Jazeera and Press TV.
A number of McKinney's supporters say the reason for the media blackout was the fact that she is a Black American. But, in fact, it's her cause that's the problem rather than her color.
My analysis is based on the lack of media coverage given to the Viva Palestina aid convoy of trucks and ambulances from London to Gaza, led by British Parliamentarian George Galloway.
The Herculean efforts of hundreds of ordinary Britons to deliver much-needed humanitarian supplies to war-torn Gaza earlier this year was a non-event as far as the media was concerned until Galloway was barred from entering Canada as a result.
Unless you're a person who relentlessly digs on the internet, you probably are not aware that during McKinney's ordeal, Galloway, along with Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic, were meeting up with over 200 Americans in Cairo armed with $2 million (Dh7.35 million) that was raised in the U.S. to buy trucks and medical aid destined for Gaza.
The Egyptian English-language paper Al Ahram Weekly dubs this ""the largest grassroots medical relief effort for Gaza in U.S. history"" but once again, this doesn't merit column inches in either U.S. or European mainstream papers.
In a similar vein, is the way that the horrendous courtroom stabbing of 32-year-old Marwa Al Sherbini was considered inconsequential by the German media until it elicited angry protests in her hometown of Alexandria.
There are so many aspects to this story, which should have been emblazoned across front pages.
First of all it was a blatant race crime, which Germany is normally sensitive about. Second, it begs questions concerning court security.
What were armed officers doing when Marwa was stabbed 18 times and why was her husband shot when he attempted to protect his pregnant wife?
What kind of editors would bin reports of such a horrendous crime carried out in full view of the authorities? What were they thinking?
Purely coincidentally, I was sitting at a table with one of Marwa's uncles in an Alexandria coffee shop when he received a call on his mobile and had to dash off because of a ""family emergency"".
Today, this exceptionally close-knit family is devastated and hurt that the murder of one of their own wasn't initially treated with the weight the crime deserved.
Egyptians are outraged at Germany's disinterest and the inaction of their own foreign office. The numbers who attended her funeral, who gathered outside the German embassy in Cairo and who demonstrated in Cairo and Alexandria speak for themselves.
Because Marwa's dispute with her attacker was based on his objections to her Islamic headscarf, the death of the young pharmacist has become an emblem for the rights of Muslim women at a time when the French President is attempting to ban the burqa. Marwa loved life.
She didn't plan to become a martyr. But in the eyes of Egyptians calling for a mosque and a street in Alexandria to be renamed in her honor, she is a heroine.
If the U.S. and Europe are chronically supine when it comes to Muslim causes, then the governments and media throughout the Arab and Muslim world should embrace them clearly and loudly.
With anti-Muslim hate crimes on the rise, Muslims need a strong united voice on the international stage. Shame on the world's media that appears to be united only in its anti-Muslim bias!
Linda S. Heard is a specialist British writer on Middle East affairs.
(Source: Gulf News
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20090709 Brother of Terrorist - US Support Jundullah Terrorist Group-...
Jundullah leader Abdulmalik Rigi received $100,000 from US operatives to fuel sectarianism in Iran in just one of their meetings, his brother has...
Jundullah leader Abdulmalik Rigi received $100,000 from US operatives to fuel sectarianism in Iran in just one of their meetings, his brother has said.
"My brother Abdulmalik met several times with US forces in Pakistan," Abdulhamid Rigi told a group of tribal leaders and citizens in the town of Iranshahr in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan.
"I myself took part in one of those meetings, where we discussed recruitment, training, infiltrating Iran and methods of inflaming Sunni-Shia sectarianism for three hours. In that meeting, the Americans gave my brother $100,000," he added.
Abdulhamid also said that during the meeting in question, his brother had asked for computer and satellite equipment, which he used to recruit young Sunni Baluchies.
According to Jundullah's former number two, young men were attracted to the group because it sought to portray itself as an Islamic and Jihadist movement.
He said that the group promoted the idea that killing two people from the Shia community would ensure entry to Paradise as they are infidels.
Abdulhamid said that he had shot his wife dead in the Pakistani city of Quetta while she was asleep, because his brother had said she must die for being a Shia and a government spy.
He added that Abdulmalik too had previously killed his own wife by slitting her throat for the same reason.
Abdulhamid Rigi had earlier confirmed that the ring leader had repeatedly met with US agents in the Pakistani cities of Islamabad and Karachi since 2005.
"In Pakistan, Malik [Abdulmalik Rigi] contacted an individual who resided in the US, who then put him through to the FBI," he said in a recent interview with Press TV.
Jundullah (meaning 'God's Army') is a Pakistan-based terrorist group closely affiliated with the notorious al-Qaeda organization and is made up of disgruntled members of Iran's Sunni Baluch community.
A 2007 Sunday Telegraph report revealed that the CIA had created Jundullah to achieve 'regime change in Iran'.
The report said it was the very same US intelligence outfit that had tried to destabilize Iran by 'supplying arms-length support' and 'money and weapons' to Jundullah.
Another report posted by ABC also revealed that the US officials had ordered Jundullah to 'stage deadly guerrilla raids inside the Islamic Republic, kidnap Iranian officials and execute them on camera', all as part of a 'programmatic objective to overthrow the Iranian government'.
Jundullah has carried out a number of bombings and other violent attacks in Iran resulting in many casualties. Some of the attacks for which it has claimed responsibility are the killings of at least 16 Iranian police officers in a 2008 attack, nine Iranian security guards in 2005, and another 11 in a 2007 bombing.
The group's leader Abdulmalik Rigi has also publicly claimed responsibility for a bombing in May at a Shia mosque in the southeastern city of Zahedan, which left 25 worshipers dead and scores injured.
Soon after the attack, Abdulmalik Rigi admitted during an interview with a US-based satellite TV station that his group collaborated with another anti-Iranian terrorist group, the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO).
"They (MKO) inform us about the regime's activities in our areas of operations and let us know of the regime's forces in these districts and send us most of the intelligence of our interest by email and messages," Rigi told the station.
MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, Iran, and Iraq. Nevertheless, the US government has still not classified Jundullah as a proscribed terrorist organization.
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Iran caputres ringleader of Jundullah terrorist group Abdolmalek Rigi -...
Iran's security officers grounded the plane carrying the ringleader of Jundullah terrorist group Abdolmalek Rigi in one of Iran's southern ports,...
Iran's security officers grounded the plane carrying the ringleader of Jundullah terrorist group Abdolmalek Rigi in one of Iran's southern ports, informed sources say.
Jundullah, which has operated in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan's Baluchistan provinces, has carried out a number of attacks against high profile Iranian targets, especially the government and security officials.
Jundallah is responsible for several terrorist attacks inside Iran. In October, the group claimed responsibility for a bombing that left over 40 people dead in Iran's southeast.
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[ORIGINAL CONFESSION] Terrorist Abdolmalek Rigi - Captured by Iran - Farsi
Iran's security officers grounded the plane carrying the ringleader of Jundullah terrorist group Abdolmalek Rigi in one of Iran's southern ports,...
Iran's security officers grounded the plane carrying the ringleader of Jundullah terrorist group Abdolmalek Rigi in one of Iran's southern ports, informed sources say. Jundullah, which has operated in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan's Baluchistan provinces, has carried out a number of attacks against high profile Iranian targets, especially the government and security officials. Jundallah is responsible for several terrorist attacks inside Iran. In October, the group claimed responsibility for a bombing that left over 40 people dead in Iran's southeast.
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Massive Protests In Pakistan Against Quran Burning And Sentence On Aafia...
Massive anti-US rallies held in Pakistan
Thousands of people have held anti-US demonstrations across Pakistan to protest an American court's...
Massive anti-US rallies held in Pakistan
Thousands of people have held anti-US demonstrations across Pakistan to protest an American court's verdict against a female Pakistani scientist.
The protests on Friday come after a New York court sentenced 38-year-old Aafia Siddiqui to 86 years in prison. Hundreds of police officers were deployed across the capital Islamabad to stop angry protesters from marching into the US Embassy.
In Siddiqui's hometown of Karachi, police fired tear gas to prevent protesters from moving towards the US consulate.
In Multan, scores of activists including lawyers blocked traffic.
Siddiqui has been found guilty of allegedly trying to kill FBI agents and US military service members in Afghanistan.
Human rights groups argue that she was kidnapped and held in secret US prisons abroad.
Political activists and Siddiqui's relatives have strongly criticized the US justice system for its handling of the case.
The Islamabad government says it will petition Washington to secure the repatriation of the mother of three on humanitarian grounds.
Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143818.html
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