Obama Sides With Iran Over Families of Beirut Bombing Victims

Obama and his pro-Islamic Department of Justice (DOJ), have stabbed the families of the Beirut bombing victims in the back. Just like he did the families of the 911 victims, when he had the DOJ fill a brief to shield the Saudi Royal Family from any 911 lawsuits. Any questions where his loyalties lie?


Hat tip to Bare Naked Islam.

Adding insult to infamy
26 years after attack on Marine barracks in Beirut, families stymied again in bid for restitution

On Veterans Day, Christine Devlin stood in the cold in Westwood for the unveiling of a new memorial to local soldiers lost overseas, including her son Michael, one of the 241 servicemen killed in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.

Devlin is among 30 Massachusetts relatives of victims of the Beirut attack who have been fighting for more than a decade to get compensation for what many consider the first major terrorist attack against the United States. After a federal judge ruled in 2007 that Iran was liable for $2.65 billion in damages to be shared by 150 families seeking restitution, they believed they were on the cusp of victory.

But now, the Obama administration is going to court to try to block payments from Iranian assets that the families’ lawyers want seized, contending that it would jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and establish a potentially damaging precedent.

In a little-noticed filing in federal court, the Justice Department is arguing that giving the money to the victims “can have significant, detrimental impact on our foreign relations, as well as the reciprocal treatment of the United States and its extensive overseas property holdings.’’

The Obama administration’s position is a blow to those like Devlin, who is still waiting for some measure of justice for her son, who was 21 when Hezbollah terrorists rammed a suicide truck bomb into the peacekeepers’ headquarters.

“It is offensive that our government - the government that [the Marines] were fighting for, who sent them there - are against us collecting from Iran,’’ Devlin said in an interview this week. “I felt justice was going to be served, but so far it hasn’t.’’

“We can’t go on with our lives,’’ said Marlys Lemnah, 62, of St. Albans, Vt., whose husband, Richard, a Marine sergeant nearing his 20-year retirement, was killed in Beirut. “It’s not about the money. We need something tangible: responsibility and accountability. We will fight until we have no more fight left.’’

SNIP

The Justice Department declined to comment further on the administration’s position, but as the congressional analysis stated, “The issue has pitted the compensation of victims of terrorism against US foreign policy goals and some business interests.’’

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Muslims Decry Move to Seize Houston Mosque

Yesterday the Feds went after 4 US Mosques and a Muslim owned skyscraper. As usual less than 24 hours later, Muslims are crying victim. Keep crying wolf, less and less people are falling for it.

Muslims decry move to seize Houston mosque
Houston spiritual center among U.S. buildings federal prosecutors link to Iran
By MOISES MENDOZA, MARY FLOOD and LINDSAY WISE

The U.S. government on Thursday moved to seize more than $500 million in assets from a New York-based foundation accused of being a front for the Iranian government, including a building that houses the Islamic Education Center of Houston.

The news provoked confusion and anger among Houston's Shia Muslims, many of whom worship at the center's mosque or send their children to an Islamic school that occupies the same large white building at 2313 S. Voss.

Faheem Kazimi, chairman of the board of directors, said IEC leases its building from the Alavi Foundation but no other connection exists.

“The Islamic Education Center is a nonprofit, independent organization, not affiliated with any other organization,” Kazimi said.

He refused to answer any other questions Thursday evening.

The 97-page civil forfeiture lawsuit filed by federal prosecutors in Manhattan alleges that the Alavi Foundation, which files federal taxes as a charitable foundation, is illegally funneling money to the government of Iran.

The U.S. government has accused Iran of financing terrorist organizations and trying to build nuclear weapons. There are no allegations of wrongdoing against those who work and worship at the Houston mosque.

"No action has been taken against any tenants or occupants of those properties," said Yusill Scribner, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. "There are no allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of any of these tenants or occupants."

The foundation released a written statement through an attorney, saying the group was disappointed with the government's legal move.

SNIP

Citing U.S. policy under several presidents and the International Emergency Economic Power Act, the civil suit alleges that the foundation's property, which includes the Islamic Education Center, is forfeitable as proceeds of violations of laws including money laundering.

The indictment alleges how the Alavi Foundation has been providing services to Iran and the government-owned Bank Melli. The suit also alleges how shell corporations were used to dodge taxes and how a foundation official was arrested for allegedly destroying documents being sought in a grand jury investigation.

The U.S. Treasury has accused Bank Melli of providing support for Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The civil suit seeks forfeiture of a 36-story New York City office tower along with other property in New York, California, Virginia, Maryland and several bank accounts. This lawsuit replaces one prosecutors filed in 2008 seeking forfeiture of only a portion of the New York City office tower.

SNIP

‘Somewhat of a surprise'

Distraught worshippers milled around the center Thursday. Several guarded the gated entrance, shooing away reporters who tried to approach. A few women peeked out windows at the television satellite trucks and cameras and then looked away.

Farouk Abdulghani said he has three boys who attend the center's Islamic school.

“I know for a fact this center has not done anything wrong or suspicious,” Abdulghani said.

The allegations were “somewhat of a surprise,” he said, “but you're always expecting something like this. Muslims always feel they're on the defensive.”

Abdulghani added that he's worried about the consequences for his community and his children.

“It's really upsetting,” he said. “I don't want my kids to lose their school because of something like this.”

Hussein Abdi said he moved to the U.S. from Iran more than 30 years ago and he's been worshipping at IEC for two decades. He came Thursday to pray.

“It makes me furious,” Abdi said. “We're under attack.”

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Feds Move to Seize 4 US Mosques, Tower Linked to Iran

The war with Islam, on US soil goes on and on. Thankfully the Feds are starting to fight back!

Feds move to seize 4 mosques, tower linked to Iran
By ADAM GOLDMAN

NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.

In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York.

Confiscating the properties would be a sharp blow against Iran, which has been accused by the U.S. government of bankrolling terrorism and trying to build a nuclear bomb.

A telephone call and e-mail to Iran's U.N. Mission seeking comment were not immediately answered. Nor was a call to the Alavi Foundation.

It is extremely rare for U.S. law enforcement authorities to seize a house of worship, a step fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

The action against the Shiite Muslim mosques is sure to inflame relations between the U.S. government and American Muslims, many of whom are fearful of a backlash after last week's Fort Hood shooting rampage, blamed on a Muslim American major.
The mosques and the skyscraper will remain open while the forfeiture case works its way through court in what could be a long process. What will happen to them if the government ultimately prevails is unclear. But the government typically sells properties it has seized through forfeiture, and the proceeds are sometimes distributed to crime victims.

Prosecutors said the Alavi Foundation managed the office tower on behalf of the Iranian government and, working with a front company known as Assa Corp., illegally funneled millions in rental income to Iran's state-owned Bank Melli. Bank Melli has been accused by a U.S. Treasury official of providing support for Iran's nuclear program, and it is illegal in the United States to do business with the bank.

The U.S. has long suspected the foundation was an arm of the Iranian government; a 97-page complaint details involvement in foundation business by several top Iranian officials, including the deputy prime minister and ambassadors to the United Nations.

"For two decades, the Alavi Foundation's affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

There were no raids Thursday as part of the forfeiture action. The government is simply required to post notices of the civil complaint on the property.

As prosecutors outlined their allegations against Alavi, the Islamic centers and the schools they run carried on with normal activity. The mosques' leaders had no immediate comment.

Parents lined up in their cars to pick up their children at the schools within the Islamic Education Center of Greater Houston and the Islamic Education Center in Rockville, Md. No notices of the forfeiture action were posted at either place as of late Thursday.

At the Islamic Institute of New York, a mosque and school in Queens, two U.S. marshals came to the door and rang the bell repeatedly. The marshals taped a forfeiture notice to the window and left a large document sitting on the ground. After they left a group of men came out of the building and took the document.

The fourth Islamic center marked for seizure is in Carmichael, Calif.
The skyscraper, known as the Piaget building, was erected in the 1970s under the shah of Iran, who was overthrown in 1979. The tenants include law and investment firms and other businesses.

The sleek, modern building, last valued at $570 million to $650 million in 2007, has served as an important source of income for the foundation over the past 36 years. The most recent tax records show the foundation earned $4.5 million from rents in 2007.

Rents collected from the building help fund the centers and other ventures, such as sending educational literature to imprisoned Muslims in the U.S. The foundation has also invested in dozens of mosques around the country and supported Iranian academics at prominent universities.

If federal prosecutors seize the skyscraper, the Alavi Foundation would have almost no way to continue supporting the Islamic centers, which house schools and mosques. That could leave a major void in Shiite communities, and hard feelings toward the FBI.

The forfeiture action comes at a tense moment in U.S.-Iranian relations, with the two sides at odds over Iran's nuclear program and its arrest of three American hikers.

But Michael Rubin, an expert on Iran at the American Enterprise Institute, said the timing of the forfeiture action was probably a coincidence, not an effort to influence Iran on those issues.

"Suspicion about the Alavi Foundation transcends three administrations," Rubin said. "It's taken ages dealing with the nuts and bolts of the investigation. It's not the type of investigation which is part of any larger strategy."

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Iran and Turkey Foster Relations at Islam Summit

While non-Muslims are arguing amongst ourselves over if there really is an Islamic threat, Iran with their hard line cabinet, and the anti-Israel Turkish government, are joining hands in unity. Hopefully we will figure this all out before it is too late.

Iran and Turkey foster relations at Islam summit

Iran and Turkey are expected to take their improving relations a step further at an international Islamic summit in Istanbul starting today. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was warmly welcomed by his Turkish counterpart Abdulah Gul.

Turkey has recently defended Iran over its nuclear programme, which the West fears Tehran is using to develop atomic weapons. Ankara’s apparent efforts to strengthen links with Iran have alarmed the US and the EU, which Turkey wants to join.

And Brussels had been equally troubled by a decision to invite Sudan’s president to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference meeting.

The EU had urged the Turkish government to withdraw the invitation to war crimes suspect Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

But the Sudanese leader has pulled out of his own accord. Bashir is wanted over alleged war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region.

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Iranian-American Academic Gets 12 years for Unrest

The hard line Iranian government, has continued to punish those that opposed them and their rigged election.

Iranian-American academic gets 12 years for unrest
By NASSER KARIMI

TEHRAN, Iran – A special court formed after Iran's post-election unrest has convicted an Iranian-American academic and sentenced him to more than 12 years in prison, state media said Tuesday.

Kian Tajbakhsh was the only American in an ongoing mass trial of alleged Iranian opposition members and reportedly faced charges including espionage, contacting foreign agents and acting against Iran's national security.

Tajbakhsh was arrested July 9 during a crackdown on protesters and Iranian political figures rallying against the disputed presidential elections, which critics claimed were rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Washington has repeatedly denounced Tajbaksh's arrest. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appealed in August for Tajbakhsh's release, and he was specially named in a call by the British rock star Sting to free all political prisoners in Iran.

In 2007, Tajbakhsh, a social scientist and urban planner, spent four months in prison on charges of endangering national security. He denied the charges at the time, and has also denied the post-election allegations against him.

His lawyer, Houshang Azhari, was quoted by the official Islamic Republic News Agency as confirming Tuesday he received the verdict. The attorney said Tajbakhsh's sentence was "more than 12 years," but that the law prohibits him from divulging further details.

The report came as more than a third of Iran's parliament asked judicial authorities to prosecute opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. According to IRNA, 100 deputies in the 290-member parliament supported the demand in a letter to State Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi.

The letter, delivered by lawmaker Hamid Rasai, a staunch Ahmadinejad supporter, said Mousavi should be put on trial because his statements and actions had damaged "reputation of the Islamic system."

It's unclear whether authorities would bring charges against Mousavi, who declared himself the rightful winner in June's election. But he has vowed to press ahead with opposition to the government.

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'Iranian President was born Jewish'

So the Jew hating madman of Iran used to be a Jew himself. Once again we see how Islam brings out the best in people.

Oct 3, 2009
'Iranian president was born Jewish'
By JPOST.COM STAFF

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born a Jew and converted to Islam, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.

The report cited a photograph from 2008 that showed Ahmadinejad holding up his identity card, bearing his former last name, Sabourjian, a common Jewish name in Iran.

The Telegraph said that the name was "Jewish" for cloth weaver, and that the Iranian president's family had changed the name when they converted to Islam. "The name derives from 'weaver of the sabour,' the name for the Jewish tallit shawl in Persia," the report said.

It also cited experts speculating that Ahmadinejad's anti-Semitic rhetoric may be a kind of overcompensation to conceal his heritage.

"Every family that converts into a different religion takes a new identity by condemning their old faith... By making anti-Israeli statements he is trying to shed any suspicions about his Jewish connections," Ali Nourizadeh, the head of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies in London, was quoted as saying.

On July 3, The Jerusalem Post reported that an Iranian blogger who claimed Ahmadinejad has Jewish roots was being detained by the authorities after he was arrested along with 150 university students a few days earlier, according to sources in Teheran. He was subsequently released from Evin Prison

Dr. Mehdi Khazali, who reportedly participated in several opposition demonstrations, was reportedly summoned to a special court convened for religious figures, detained and transferred to an unknown location.

The son of a prominent, conservative pro-Ahmadinejad ayatollah, Khazali wrote on his Web site earlier this year that the president was of partially Jewish origin, asserting that Ahmadinejad had changed his family name from Sabourjian, and calling for the origins of the Sabourjian family in the town of Aradan to be investigated.

The assertion featured in the bitter presidential election campaign, when rival reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi challenged Ahmadinejad in a live TV debate, reportedly stating: 'My full name is Mehdi Karroubi. What is your full name?'

Ahmadinejad gave his full name, according to an Al-Arabiya TV report, but left out one surname which is said to indicate Jewish ancestry.

The 'Jewish Ahmadinejad' dispute spread beyond Iran, when Bahrain's oldest newspaper, Akhbar al-Khaleej, was briefly shut down by the governing authorities in June after it published an article recycling the claim.

Khazali, director of the Hayyan Cultural Institute in Teheran, has argued that while religion occupies an essential place in political life, too much intervention of religion in political matters is dangerous for modern societies.

Sabina Amidi contributed to this report.

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Iran Nuclear Talks in Geneva: So Far, So Good

According to TIME online, Obama has made some headway with the leaders of Iran. Do they really expect us to buy this nonsense? The Iranians have given a positive response on the meeting. That says it all right there.

Iran Nuclear Talks in Geneva: So Far, So Good
By TONY KARON – Thu Oct 1

President Barack Obama's strategy of engaging Iran finally got under way in earnest on Thursday with a positive response from Tehran to at least some of the concerns about its nuclear program. At a meeting in Geneva with officials from Western powers, Russia and China, Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili agreed to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect a hitherto secret uranium-enrichment facility under construction near Qum. President Obama and his allies expressed grave concern last week about the site after revelations of its existence, and they made the demand for its inspection a key benchmark of Iran's willingness to cooperate in resolving questions about its nuclear intent. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana announced that Iran had agreed to inspections at the site "in the next couple of weeks" and hailed the talks as "the start of what we hope will be an intensive process." Further talks are expected to be held later this month.

Obama later called the talks a "constructive beginning" but insisted that Iran follow up with "constructive action" to prove its stated commitment to confine itself to peaceful nuclear development. "We're not interested in talking for the sake of talking," he said. "Pledges of cooperation must be fulfilled."

From the Administration's perspective, then, the meeting appears to have succeeded beyond (diminished) expectations, and Iran's representatives seem to have demonstrated sufficient flexibility to warrant further talks. "Iran has told us that it plans to cooperate fully and immediately with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the new enrichment facility near Qum," Solana said, "and will invite experts from the agency to visit soon - we expect in the next couple of weeks." He also disclosed that the delegates had agreed in principle that Iran would transport some of the low-enriched uranium it had produced to a third country for further enrichment so that the uranium could be used to fuel a research reactor in Tehran that produces medical isotopes.

Link to Article.

Obama on Nuke Conflict With Iran: ‘I’m Not Interested in Victory’~Video

Even though we have recently learned that Iran was hiding another nuclear plant, and that they are going to ask for nuclear fuel at a UN meeting next week, Obama admits that he does not want victory over the madmen of Iran. What a leader.....

Obama Threatens Iran With Military Action!

Is the new King of the United Nations, actually going to take a stand against Iran and their nuclear ambitions?

Obama warns Iran: `come clean' on nukes
By CHARLES BABINGTON and ROBERT BURNS

PITTSBURGH – Backed by other world powers, President Barack Obama declared Friday that Iran is speeding down a path to confrontation and demanded that Tehran quickly "come clean" on all nuclear efforts and open a newly revealed secret site for close international inspection. He said he would not rule out military action if the Iranians refuse.

Obama joined the leaders of Britain and France in accusing the Islamic republic of clandestinely building an underground plant to make nuclear fuel that could be used to build an atomic bomb. Iranian officials acknowledged the facility but insisted it had been reported to nuclear authorities as required.

"Iran's action raised grave doubts" about its promise to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes only, Obama told a news conference at the conclusion of a G-20 summit whose focus on world economic recovery was overshadowed by disclosure of the Iranian plant.

Obama said a telling moment could come next week when Iran meets with U.S. and other major nations to discuss the nuclear issue.

"Iran is on notice that when we meet with them on Oct. 1 they are going to have to come clean and they are going to have to make a choice" between international isolation and giving up any aspirations to becoming a nuclear power, he said. If they refuse to give ground, they will stay on "a path that is going to lead to confrontation."

In a dramatic, early morning announcement about the secret Iranian facility, Obama said, "Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow. The size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program."

Unbowed, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country had done nothing wrong and Obama would regret his accusations.

At a news conference in New York, Ahmadinejad said the plant wouldn't be operational for 18 months but sidestepped a question about whether Iran had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a nuclear weapon. Still, he said such armaments "are against humanity, they are inhumane," and he said anyone who pursues them "is retarded politically."

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New UN Resolution Aims at Nuclear-Free World

Once again we just how upside down the world is today. Just yesterday it was revealed that Iran will ask for nuclear fuel at a UN meeting next week. Today King of the UN Obama, is claiming that all countries will be giving up their nuclear weapons. Has anyone over there been paying attention to the fact that Iran is getting closer to having nuclear weapons, and their threats to Israel? Of course they have, they just do not care.

New UN resolution aims at nuclear-free world
By EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS – With U.S. President Barack Obama presiding over an historic session, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a U.S.-drafted resolution Thursday aimed at ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

Russia, China and developing nations supported the U.S.-sponsored measure, giving it global clout and strong political backing.

The resolution calls for stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote disarmament and "reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism."

It was only the fifth time the Security Council met at summit level since the U.N.
was founded in 1945. And Obama was the first American president to preside over a Security Council summit, gaveling the meeting into session and announcing that "the draft resolution has been adopted unanimously."

"The historic resolution we just adopted enshrines our shared commitment to a goal of a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said immediately after the vote. "And it brings Security Council agreement on a broad framework for action to reduce nuclear dangers as we work toward that goal."

Just one nuclear weapon set off in a major city could cause major destruction, Obama said.

He said the global effort would seek to "lock down all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years."

"This is not about singling out an individual nation," he said. "International law is not an empty promise, and treaties must be enforced."

"We will leave this meeting with renewed determination," Obama said.

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Iran to ask for Nuclear Fuel at Talks Next Week

While the world sits and watches, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will represent his new hard line cabinet, and thumb his nose at the world by asking for nuclear fuel at a UN meeting next week. Will anyone stop this man? Israel?

Iran to ask for nuclear fuel at talks next week
By GEORGE JAHN

Iran's president says his country will ask the six world powers at nuclear talks next week for imports of highly enriched uranium — material that the U.S. fears Tehran wants to use to arm nuclear warheads.

Iran vehemently denies having nuclear weapons aspirations and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his country was seeking to buy uranium that is highly enriched — or near that level — to fuel a small research reactor.

He also made clear that Iran is seeking uranium that is enriched only to 20 percent — the threshold for the high-enrichment level but substantially below then 90 percent- plus grade needed for nuclear warheads.

"We are interested in purchasing it, and we'd like to offer that as an issue to expand discussions on the table for the next meeting," he told the AP on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

That request could put the U.S. and its five negotiating partners in a bind at the Oct. 1 talks in Geneva. Until now, Iran has produced only low-enriched uranium, but it could use refusal of its request as a pretext to start producing high-enriched material.

Ahead of the negotiations, the foreign ministers of the six nations — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany — were meeting Wednesday on the sidelines of the General Assembly to discuss how to get Iran to stop uranium enrichment. Russian news agencies cited an official in the Russian delegation as saying Moscow does not rule out new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

U.N. sanctions on Iran are meant to prohibit exports of sensitive nuclear material and technology. The international community is unlikely to give Iran enriched uranium closer to weapons-grade level at a time when it wants Tehran to stop enrichment.

In the enrichment process, uranium oxide is processed into uranium hexafluoride, which then is spun to varying degrees of enrichment, with low-enriched uranium used for nuclear fuel and upper-end high-enriched uranium used for nuclear weapons.

Security Council refusal to waive the sanctions could give Tehran a plausible reason to turn to its own facilities and produce high-enriched uranium.

Since Iran's program was discovered seven years ago, it has put thousands of centrifuges online to churn out enriched uranium. But the International Atomic Energy Agency says the more than a ton of enriched material it has amassed is all below the 5 percent level and well below the 20 percent highly enriched mark.

Still Iran's accumulation of well over 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of low-enriched uranium gives it more than enough material to produce enough weapons-grade uranium through further enrichment for one nuclear weapon.

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NY Helmsley Hotel Boots Pres. of Iran!

While Obama seems to have no issue with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being on our turf, the Helmsley Hotel does. With a heads up from the United Against Nuclear Iran, Helmsley has given Mahmoud the NYC welcome he deserves.

Hat tip to Kerry.

A'jad gets heave-ho from Helmsley Hotel
By CARL CAMPANILE

The New York Helmsley Hotel last night abruptly canceled a long-planned banquet for next week after finding out that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was scheduled to attend and speak, The Post has learned.

Helmsley representatives told Ahmadinejad to beat it after being informed by the security group United Against Nuclear Iran that the Israel-hating, Holocaust-denying America basher was going to be in the house next Thursday.

Helmsley execs were unaware that Ahmadinejad -- who will be in town for a meeting of the UN General Assembly next week -- was involved in the event until informed by UANI yesterday.

An Iranian student group had booked the space months ago, said Howard Rubenstein, spokesman for Helmsley Properties.

"As soon as Helmsley corporate management learned of the possibility of either the Iranian Mission or President Ahmadinejad holding a function at the New York Helmsley Hotel, they immediately ordered the cancellation of that function," Rubenstein said.

"Neither the Iranian Mission nor President Ahmadinejad is welcome at any Helmsley facility. The Helmsley organization is grateful to United Against Nuclear Iran for bringing this matter to its attention so that appropriate action could be taken."

UANI applauded the New York Helmsley's move.

"We are pleased with the decision by the Helmsley group. Now more than ever, American corporations must realize that doing business with Iran provides legitimacy to a brutal dictator and indirectly supports the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb," UANI President Mark Wallace said last night.

In a letter to New York Helmsley general manager Mark Briskin, Wallace had warned about Ahmadinejad.

"By doing business with the Iranian government, the Helmsley is accepting blood money from a regime that brutally suppresses its own people and that is a danger to global security," Wallace wrote.

"Moreover, by providing a forum for President Ahmadinejad's speech, the Helmsley is serving as a bullhorn for the propaganda of the illegitimate leader of a brutal, theocratic dictatorship."

UANI also threatened a public boycott of Helmsley properties, if the company went ahead with the Ahmadinejad event.

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Iran:Anti-Israel, Anti-Govt Protesters hit the Streets

Iranians hit the streets to today for two different protests. One against their own government, and one against Israel. Unfortunately the protests against Israel were much larger.

Thousands march in Iran opposition protests
By NASSER KARIMI

TEHRAN, Iran – Hard-liners attacked senior pro-reform leaders in the streets as tens of thousands marched in competing mass demonstrations by the opposition and government supporters. Opposition protesters, chanting "death to the dictator," hurled stones and bricks in clashes with security forces firing tear gas.

The opposition held its first major street protests since mid-July, with marchers decked out in green — the reform movement's color — waving V-for-victory signs on major boulevards in the capital.

In some cases on several blocks away, larger crowds marched in government-sponsored rallies marking an annual anti-Israel commemoration, waving pictures of Iran's supreme leader and president and placards denouncing the Jewish state.

The commemoration, known as Quds Day, is a major political occasion for the government — a day for it to show its anti-Israeli credentials and its support for the Palestinians. Quds is the Arabic word for Jerusalem. During a speech for the rallies, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad railed against Israel and the West, questioning whether the Holocaust occurred and calling it a pretext for occupying Arab land.

But the opposition was determined to turn the day into a show of its survival and continued strength despite a fierce three-month-old crackdown against it since the disputed June 12 presidential election.

Top opposition leaders joined the protests, in direct defiance of commands by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who barred anti-government demonstrations on Quds Day. That could provoke an escalation in the crackdown: hard-line clerics have been demanding the past week that any leader backing the protests should be arrested.

Several tens of thousands joined the opposition marches, witnesses said — far smaller than the masses that turned out in the Quds Day rallies, which were helped by government organizing. Police and security forces, along with pro-government Basij militiamen, fanned out along main squares and avenues and in many cases tried to keep nearby opposition protesters away from the Quds Day rallies to prevent clashes, witnesses said.

Opposition supporters poured onto main boulevards and squares, wearing green T-shirts and wristbands and waving green banners and balloons. They waved pictures of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and denounced Ahmadinejad, chanting "death to the dictator."

Others chanted, "Not Gaza, not Lebanon — our life is for Iran" — a slogan directly challenging the government's support for anti-Israeli Palestinian militants in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla. Some shouted for Ahmadinejad's government to resign. Some women marched with their children in tow.

But at one of the several opposition rallies around the city, a group of hard-liners pushed through the crowd and attacked former President Mohamad Khatami, a cleric who is one of the most prominent pro-reform figures, according to a reformist Web site. The report cited witnesses as saying the opposition activists rescued Khatami and quickly repelled the assailants.

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East Europe Grumbles About Downgrade in US Ties

This is a follow-up to the "Obama Backs Away From Missile Shield in Europe" article. While some people are calling Obama stupid, I don't think that of him at all. He is clearly trying to drive a wedge between us and our allies. All in his effort to weaken America.

East Europe grumbles about downgrade in US ties
By KAREL JANICEK and WILLIAM J. KOLE

PRAGUE – Scuttling a missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland helps smooth relations between the U.S. and Russia. But at what price?

Some of America's staunchest allies are the East Europeans — and on Thursday, they expressed dismay at what many see as a slight after decades of their support for the U.S.

Among them were some famous names, including Lech Walesa, the former Solidarity leader and Polish ex-president. "I can see what kind of policy the Obama administration is pursuing toward this part of Europe," he said ruefully, adding: "The way we are being approached needs to change."

For most of the past decade, cozy relations with Washington were practically a given across the "new Europe." George W. Bush famously courted the region after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and leaned on it for troops to fight alongside U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Barack Obama took office undecided about Bush's plan to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and sophisticated radar in the Czech Republic — a system designed to shoot down long-range missiles that might be fired from Iran or elsewhere in the Middle East. Building had not started in either country.

The Czech installation was planned for the Brdy military installation 55 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Prague. The Polish site was slated for a former military air base near the town of Redzikowo, about 115 miles from Russia's westernmost edge.
Obama has been reaching out to Russia, which had expressed outrage at the notion of missiles being pointed in its direction from a region that was firmly in the Soviet orbit just 20 years ago.

On Thursday, Obama announced he was shifting the plan from Eastern Europe to other locations. He and other administration officials said they have concluded that Iran's medium- and short-range missiles pose a greater threat and require more flexible technology.

Obama's decision got a positive reception in Russia, hailed by President Dmitry Medvedev as a "responsible move."

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Obama Backs Away From Missile Shield in Europe

Apparently Iran and its newly approved hard line cabinet, obtaining nuclear weapons is of no concern to Obama. This is not unexpected though, as he has bowing down to our enemies since he took office.

U.S. backs away from missile shield in Europe
Thu Sep 17, 2009
By Jana Mlcochova and Gabriela Baczynska

PRAGUE/WARSAW (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has told east European states he is backing away from plans for an anti-missile shield there, in a move that may ease Russian-U.S. ties but fuel fears of resurgent Kremlin influence.

Russia said it would welcome abandonment of the plans, which have been a major source of Russian-U.S. tensions.

Poland said Obama would announce a final decision later on Thursday (1400 GMT) on a project that has raised the prospect of multi-billion dollar contracts for U.S. defense giants.

The shield, involving interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar complex in the Czech republic, was promoted by Obama's predecessor George W. Bush to defend against any missile launches from "rogue" states such as Iran and North Korea.

"Today, shortly after midnight, Barack Obama telephoned me to announce that his government is backing away from the intention of building a missile defense radar on Czech territory," Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer told reporters.

"The Czech Republic acknowledges the decision."

A senior Polish source close to the negotiations told Reuters Warsaw had received a similar message. "We will not have the interceptors for now."

A U.S. defense official said Washington was now examining an alternative to the "large, fixed system" of the shield. This would target short- and medium-range missiles rather than the long-range rockets seen until now as the threat.

He gave no details.

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Wave of Arrests of Christians in Iran

Just last week the Iranian Assembly approved a mostly hard line cabinet. With that taken care of, the insane Mullahs have placed their focus back on persecuting Christians in Iran. Yet the Islamic world is silent.

Wave of arrests of Christians in Iran
POSTED: 10 SEPTEMBER, 2009

Iran (MNN) ― Iranian Christians have seen a wave of trouble coming from the government over recent weeks.

Last month, authorities arrested 27 believers of a Muslim background (BMBs) at a home church, seven of whom are still being detained.

Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, "There does seem to be a certain pattern of deliberateness to this. Why again? We can only speculate. But we simply observe that this is taking place."

One BMB remains detained in Rasht after arrest in late July. Seven other BMBs from Rasht, arrested at about the same time, have been released.

Voice of the Martyrs Canada also notes that two BMBs, Maryam and Marzieh, remain detained in Evin prison following their arrest on March 5. They appeared in court in early August when they resisted pressure to renounce their faith. No charges have been filed. One new report concerns Mariah Fish's arrest on August 3. She too has had possessions confiscated and is being held in Evin prison.

Another report concerns a number of BMBs being ordered to attend hearings at their local Ministry of Information offices within the western Kordestan province.

Officials intensely questioned each one in a detainment that stretched into several hours. This has happened in several towns.

Apparently, hope has drawn eyes to believers. Penner explains, "Young people, in particular, are desperate to know more about Jesus Christ. The churches are growing. Iranian religious leaders we know are very concerned about this and it's sending a message of that concern. At the same time, we're not really receiving any reports that this is having any sort of detrimental effect on the spread of the Gospel."

Is it likely that the harassment will increase? "One never knows where Iran is going to go," says Penner. "It is a country that is unstable. We need to be praying that God will continue to be at work in this country."

Pray that those detained will know the presence and peace of Jesus. Pray that believers will be able to meet with others for worship, prayer, fellowship and teaching without fear of harassment.

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Iran Says US Nuke Documents 'forged'

Since there has not been one non-Islamic country with the guts to stand up to the Mullahs of Iran, they continue to lash out in arrogance as they pursue their nuclear ambitions. Hopefully Israel will do what needs to be done ASAP.

Iran says US nuke documents 'forged'
By WILLIAM J. KOLE

VIENNA – Iran accused the U.S. on Friday of using "forged documents" and relying on subterfuge to make its case that Tehran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, according to a confidential letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The eight-page letter — written by Iran's chief envoy to the U.N. nuclear agency in Vienna — denounces Washington's allegations against the Islamic Republic as "fabricated, baseless and false." The letter does not specify what documents Iran is alleging were forged.

It also lashes out at Britain and France for "ill will and political motivation" in their dealings on Iran.

Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh sent the letter to Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose 35-nation board will take a hard new look at Iran's nuclear program next week.

Iran insists its nuclear activities are peaceful and geared solely toward generating electricity. The U.S. and key allies contend the Islamic Republic is covertly trying to build an atomic bomb.

Tehran has bristled at the agency's latest report, which accuses Iran of defiantly continuing to enrich uranium and refusing to clear up lingering questions about possible military dimensions to its nuclear program.

In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the AP, Soltanieh insists that Iran has demonstrated "the full commitment of my country to its obligations" under an IAEA nuclear safeguards agreement.

But it takes sharp aim at Washington for giving the U.N. nuclear watchdog unspecified intelligence and other evidence allegedly recovered from a laptop computer that reportedly was smuggled out of Iran.

U.S. intelligence later assessed the information as indicating that Tehran had been working on details of nuclear weapons, including missile trajectories and ideal altitudes for exploding warheads.

The material on the laptop also included videos of what intelligence officials believe were secret nuclear laboratories in Iran.

"By interfering in the work of the IAEA and exerting various political pressures, the government of the United States attempted to spoil the cooperative spirit between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IAEA," the letter reads.

"The government of the United States has not handed over original documents to the agency since it does not in fact have any authenticated document and all it has are forged documents," Soltanieh said.

"The agency didn't deliver any original documents to Iran and none of the documents and materials that were shown to Iran have authenticity and all proved to be fabricated, baseless allegations and false attributions to Iran," he added.

"Therefore, this subject must be closed," Soltanieh wrote.

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Iran Assembly Approves Most of Hard-Line Cabinet

Once again we see that democracy with Muslims does not change their religious views, or lessen the threat of Islam to the non-Islamic world.

Iran assembly approves most of hard-line Cabinet
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI and SEBASTIAN ABBOT

TEHRAN, Iran – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received a broad mandate Thursday as parliament backed his main Cabinet choices — naming the first woman minister since the 1979 Islamic Revolution but showing international defiance by supporting a suspected mastermind in the bombing of an Argentine Jewish center that killed 85 people.

The conservative-dominated legislature rejected Ahmadinejad's choice for energy minister and two other women nominated for less prominent posts. The rest of his 21-member Cabinet was approved.

The broad backing was somewhat stronger than many in Iran had expected because even some of the president's fellow conservatives had criticized him for nominating unqualified ministers. Ahmadinejad is also under fire for the abuse of protesters detained following the disputed June presidential election, which the pro-reform opposition claims he stole with massive vote fraud.

Analysts said parliament's strong support could indicate that despite differences among conservatives, they believe it is better to present a fairly united front as Iran faces possible harsher international sanctions over its nuclear program and continued pressure from reformists at home.

The most defiant message parliament sent was its overwhelming support for Ahmad Vahidi as defense minister. He is wanted over charges of involvement in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association building in Buenos Aires.

Vahidi was the commander of a special unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard known as the Quds Force at the time of the attack and is one of five prominent Iranians sought by Argentina in the bombing.

Lawmakers chanted "Allahu Akbar, or "God is great," as parliament speaker Ali Larijani announced the vote for Vahidi. Among the 286 lawmakers who attended, Vahidi received 227 votes — the most of any of the proposed ministers.

Jose Scaliter, vice president of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association, told Argentina's Jewish News Agency Thursday that Vahidi's approval "is an absolute shame."

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor also criticized it, saying it "is more proof of the violent nature of the regime and a total disregard of the need to work with the international community."

Shortly before the Cabinet vote, Ahmadinejad told parliament that Western countries he accuses of stoking the postelection unrest deserve "a crushing response from lawmakers to disappoint them."

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White House Response to the Death of Iraqi pro-Iranian Leader

Earlier to today I posted an article entitled "Michigan Muslims Mourn Pro-Iranian Iraqi Religious Leader".

I wonder if any members of our pro-Islamic government will be attending the memorial?

Hat tip to Cyd.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
____________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
August 26, 2009

Statement by the Press Secretary
on the death of His Eminence Abdul Aziz al-Hakim

We were saddened to learn of the passing of His Eminence Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who has played an important role in Iraq’s national history. We offer our condolences to his family and colleagues.

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Michigan Muslims Mourn Pro-Iranian Iraqi Religious Leader

Hundreds of Muslims in Michigan are expected to attend a memorial for Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. Al-Hakim was an Iraqi religious leader who also lead the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. The council is backed by Iran and they are said to follow the teachings of the now deceased Supreme Ruler Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

It is very telling that American Muslims find the time to come out in support of this man, or pro-Hezbollah and anti-Israel protests. But they do not say a word about the Islamic preachers of hate within America.

Michigan Shi'ite Muslims mourn Iraqi leader’s death
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

Memorials are planned for tonight and Friday in Dearborn as local Shi’ite Muslims mourn the death of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, an Iraqi religious and political leader who is well-known in metro Detroit’s Shi’ite communities.


Hakim, who once headed Iraq’s biggest political party, visited Michigan in December 2006, speaking at local Lebanese Shi’ite, Iraqi and Chaldean centers after meeting with then President George W. Bush. Hakim, 59, died Wednesday.

“It’s a great loss,” said Imam Husham Al-Husainy, head of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn. “It’s very sad. People are crying and coming into the center.”

Hundreds are expected to attend the services at the Karbalaa center in Dearborn. And many are watching the funeral services in Iran on satellite TV stations, Al-Husainy said.

Hakim was head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, formerly known as SCIRI, Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. He hailed from a prominent Shi’ite family of scholars and teachers.

Hakim was a prominent supporter of the Iraq war and met often with U.S. leaders.

Al-Husainy compared the death of Hakim to the death this week of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, in that both came from noted political families.

“As the Kennedy family is to America … the Hakim family is to Iraq,” Al-Husainy said.

Many of Hakim’s family members were killed by the former regime of Saddam Hussein, and he spent his life trying to win freedom for Iraqis, Al-Husainy said.

In metro Detroit, Shi’ites of Iraqi descent admired him, as did Lebanese-American Shi’ites.

In December 2006, Hakim spoke to Shi’ite Muslims at Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn, a hall named after a town in southern Lebanon largely populated by Shi'ite Muslims.

He told the crowd that Al Qaeda and remnants of the former regime of Saddam Hussein are behind the terrorist violence in Iraq.

“It's not the Shi'ites doing this,” Hakim said through a translator. “It's not the Sunnis doing this. It's the terrorists, the outsiders.”

Hakim also spoke to Chaldeans, Iraqi Catholics, in Southfield and West Bloomfield, and at the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn.

Hakim stressed religious and ethnic unity in his talk, noting that Shi'ites, Sunnis, Arabs, Kurds, Turkomen and Christians have long lived together in Iraq.

The recent violence between the groups is an aberration -- not the historical norm -- he said.

“We have nothing against each other,” Hakim said. “We go back hundreds of years, living together.”

Hakim’s son, Amar al-Hakim, viewed as a popular successor, also visited metro Detroit, speaking at local centers in August 2005. And decades ago, Hakim’s older brother, Mahdi Al-Hakim, also visited metro Detroit, meeting with local imams, Al-Husainy recalled.

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