THE SAD STATE OF THE ROADMAP 08-18-03

I could not have written this better.

Posted by Judith 6:06 p.m. EST

DAN PIPES AND PEACE INSTITUTE GRANTS

It seems that the Daniel Pipes controversy is reaching a peak and being the naive political amateur I am, I had to listen to Marty Moss-Cohen on NPR to figure out what the fuss is all about. Apparently, it is all about the grant money distributed by the Institute of Peace.

Without Daniel Pipes on the board, the money will continue to flow to the mainstream practitioners of Middle East Studies, those who argue that the terrorism emanating from radical Islam is a marginal though"understandable" response to Western"aggression" in the Third World as a whole and in the Middle East in particular. Their studies focus on the"sins" committed by the West against the Arab world with the creation of Israel as the most egregious symbol of this Western"aggression." Solve the Arab Israeli conflict, they have been teaching their students and telling American presidents and you have solved the problem of Middle east radicalism. No one followed this advice more religiously than President Clinton. Under no president did radical Islam enjoy greater growth than under the same president.

Consequently, when President Bush searched for a Middle east academic who could explain to him 9/11 he had to reach out to an eminent octogenarian named Bernard Lewis. For young Middle Eastern scholars who did not share the establishment's point of view had difficulty getting funded or finding a teaching position. Dan Pipes had to find private financing.

Daniel Pipes views Radical Islam as radical political ideology which uses terror as a legitimate method to achieve its goal of world domination. He wants to confront this virulent ideology in the same manner the US confronted Nazism and Communism, i.e., ideologically, economically, politically and militarily. He can be expected to support funding for scholars who would look into the governance problems which retarded Middle east development and left it prey to the virulent ideology of radical Islam.

Such funding is the lifeline of Middle east studies at our universities. Ph. D. students consciously or unconsciously choose topics which can be funded. Universities seek scholars able to attract funding. So, though as a single board member Dan Pipe's voice would not be decisive, it would help widen the range of projects funded by the Institute. Campus Watch is proof of his commitment to encouraging such much needed reform in Middle Eastern Studies.

Therefore, it is absolutely vital not only to our country's long term national security but to world peace that he be appointed to the board to help insure that Americans would be in possession of more varied, and hopefully, more accurate, analysis. Mistaken academics fearful of losing their fiefdoms should not be allowed to stand in the way!

Posted by Judith 6:06 p.m. EST

I AM BACK 08-15-03

Sorry about the lengthy silence. I had hoped to continue to post from Western Canada but it did not work out. Sorry! To be honest, little new is happening in these dog days of summer except forest fires, heat waves and power cuts. But, thank God, no major terrorist success! This does not mean that all is well. The Palestinian Authority continues promote child sacrifice and leading Egyptian Islamic clerics call for Jihad Against U.S. Troops in Iraq.

It is a small wonder that Moslems feel humiliated. Given such religious and political leadership, how else can they feel? Still, they should be encouraged by the few courageous voices which refuse to be intimidated into silence and by the fact that their voices are varied. A Saudi call for reform follows a Syrian call for reform. Then, their is a Then there is a reminder that the Arabs, too, have occupied non Moslem lands.

"RED TAPE" IS THE ENEMY OF THIRD WORLD DEVELOPMENT

My friend just came back from a year in Turkey. He has been invited to revamp their English curriculum."How was it?" I asked."The country is wonderful. The people are wonderful. The bureaucracy is terrible." His words reminded me of the Anna Lanoszka's perceptive op-ed in the Canadian paper The Globe and Mail about that very same subject."Cutting through the development barrier" means busting bureaucracy and building trust. Yes, trust! Indeed, the American success in Iraq, depends on generating trust in a country very much bereft of it.

CANADA, OH CANADA

A popular commentator of Canadian political culture summed it up thus: Canadians want to keep Americans out, the French in and the natives down in the subconscious. Well, signs of the First Nations are everywhere but what remains uncounscious is the RACISM treatment accorded to Asians in Canada. No, I am not talking about immigration laws. I am not talking about the concentration camps in which Canadians like their Southern neighbors confined their Japanese residents during the Second World war. I am talking about the treatment of Chinese born in Canada. Did you know that until 1947 Chinese Canadians could not vote, were barred from civil service as well as professions such as pharmacy, accountancy and law.

I discovered this during a visit to the Chinese Cultural Center in Vancouver. Suprised at my ignorance on the subject, I rushed to the book store. I looked under suffrage, elections, voting and nothing. Actually, I discovered that French Canada did not permit its women to vote until 1945! But there was nothing about the disfranchisement of the Chinese. It seems that they failed to pass the appropriate victimhood test.

A canandian professor suggested that Canada become "A new kind of 'World power" by"doing a job the U.S. cannot: Nation-building". After visiting Chinatown, his criticism of the US sounds more hollow than ever.

DO NOT RELEASE AL AKZA PRISONERS 08-04-03

This is not a very nice post. But it is imperative that the punishment fit the crime.

In southern Jerusalem late Sunday, a 40-year-old woman was seriously wounded and her three children were also hurt as Palestinian gunmen fired on their car, Israeli emergency service officials said. The woman's daughter, nine, was shot in the leg, while the other children were only lightly hurt by shrapnel, public radio said.

The shooting comes exactly a month after the Israeli army pulled out of the nearby West Bank town of Bethlehem and surrounding villages, as part of a deal to transfer security responsibility to Palestinian security forces.

The Al Akza brigade took responsibility for the attack. Hence, their prisoners should not be released! And their Palestinian families should know who to hold accountable for their continued imprisonment.

Mistakes are unavoidable but let us not repeat the costly Oslo ones!

Posted by Judith 8p.m. Est.

NEWS FROM THE IRAQI WMD FRONT 08-02-03

It looks as if David Kay is going to deliver for Bush. At least this is what the Debka reports.

FRENCH VANDALIZE ANGLO-SAXON WAR GRAVES

First they vandalized Jewish graves, now its the turn of those who dared to kick the Nazis out.

INDIA TOO IS BUILDING A FENCE

For decades India has been consturcting a fence to prevent militants' infiltration between India and Pakistan. The Indian fence is made of a thick mud wall, topped by an 8-foot high, 30-tier maze of barbed wire, along with Israeli ground sensors, radars, and French thermal-imaging devices to detect movement. Some 900 miles of fence have been completed, and the intent is to cover the entire 1,800 miles of border with Pakistan. The fence is now pushing ahead in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan considers this area disputed territory and objects to the fence along the cease-fire line. Some 21 bulldozer drivers constructing the wall have been shot.

Maybe there too, good fences will make good neigbors.

CHINA BITES THE BULLET 08-01-03

Good news from Korea. America did nothing and in so not doing forced China to act. After all, the nuclearization of the Korean peninsula is worse for China than it is for the US. Three cheers to the Bush administration. See my article on the subject.

SUICIDE BOMBING PAYS

That is the chilling message of this chilling article entitled THE GLOBALIZATION OF GAZA

GALBRAITH DOES NOT LIKE IRAQ

The NYT quotes Peter W. Galbraith wish to see Sadam judged by"the world" rather than by Iraqis. Of course, he works for Indict, a London based group vying for a piece of the action. This reminded me of Galbraith's keynote speech last spring in a Kurdish conference at American University (I think!). He told the audience not to settle for ANYTHING LESS THAT FULL KURDISH INDEPENDENCE. I thought that was a rather irresponsible recommendation (the Kurds with whom I discussed the matter seemed to agree) and I think his recommendation now is similarly irresponsible.

ISRAELI ARABS ARE IN DANGER

No, Israel is not the main danger facing the Israeli Arabs. The Palestinian leadership is. Having destroyed the Palestinians under their own authority, they are now turning their attention to those living in Israel. First, they recommended that they engage in fictious marriages with non-citizens and then began to train their children in blowing them selves up!

This from the Israel National News:

Police in the Galilee have arrested four summer camp organizers on charges of rebellion and incitement. The four have been running a camp they call Camp of Shahidim - Holy Martyrs - for Israeli-Arab children and youth. Channel 10 TV says the camp is designed to"erase from the children's heads the propaganda of the Zionist educational system."

The police who arrived at the camp yesterday were astonished to find that one of the organizers was a Jewish left-wing activist from Haifa, age 48, who has already been charged 150 times with incitement and rebellion. The police arrested him, as well as three others, and are pursuing a fifth.

The camp is geared for 6-15-year-olds, of which 200 attend. Education Minister Limor Livnat said she has no doubt that these camps"base their appalling content of incitement and hatred on the same material that we see in camps like this in the Palestinian Authority - funded partially by the United Nations." She stated, as an example,"The Shahids Boy Scout Camp."

MORE ON THE PRO-TERROR CONFERENCE AT RUTGERS

Well, I am NOT happy. Some Jewish organizations, including Hillel, made a tactical decision to not to challenge the conference but to use it for recruitment. Newspapers decided it is a"freespeech issue" and refuse to entertain all arguments to the contrary. Republicans to use McGreevey's support for the conference against him and so it goes. Read this article to learn more and do not forget to check out the petition asking"No sanction for promoting ethnic hatred and advocating violence at Rutgers University."

Posted by Judith 12:00 p.m. Est.

SAUDIS FUME BUT REFUSE TO COOPERATE 07-30-03

The media is filled with Saudi complaints of unjustified vilification. I needed to go to Albawaba.com for the following:

After the White House meeting, Prince Saud spoke for about an hour with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. He said later she told him U.S. authorities want to question Omar al-Bayoumi, an employee of the Saudi aviation authority who befriended two of the Saudi hijackers on their arrival in California.

Earlier, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz on Tuesday ruled out the extradition of al-Bayumi.

"We have never handed over a Saudi to a state or a foreign side and we will never do it," Prince Nayef told al-Hayat.

Reports that Omar al-Bayumi is an agent of the Saudi government are baseless and not true," the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, said last week.

DO SIGN - IF YOU AGREE

the petition asking"No sanction for promoting ethnic hatred and advocating violence at Rutgers University."

HOW LOW CAN ONE SINK? 07-29-03

As I have mentioned a friend of mine started a petition to Governor McGreevey asking him to stop the ISM from holding its conference at Rutgers. At one point some people began to post hateful messages. Fair enough. But this one went too far. Somebody noticed that I share the last name with Leon Klinghoffer, the terror victim of the Achilles Laurel shipjacking. So, they posted the following signature:

Name - Leon Klinghoffer

Profession - Professional Long Distance Swimmer (wheelchair Olympics)

State/City - Bottom O' The Briny Sea

FRENCH OURSMARTED

Here is an instructive paragraph from today's NYT:

But the startegy of setting condions for possible troop deployment in Iraq could backfire. When Secretary General Kofi Annan of the UN asked Mr. CHirac in May to sen Frenceh troops to lead a peacekeeping force in Congo, Mr. CHirac did not say no but responded with tough condiditions. He was said by aides to have been stunned when the conditions were swiftly met.

ONLY ISRAELI CONCESSIONS? 07-27-03

Barry Rubin whose new book about Yassir Arafat is about to hit the stands sent me this excellent analysis of the media coverage of the Abas visit:

led me recently to ask about Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s trip to Washington. After a few moments it became clear that the story was defined as follows: Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazin was going to Washington to make demands, what will Sharon concede and what will President George Bush do if he doesn’t do so?

other words, this conception of the story—not shared by the Bush administration but dominating the way most others are presenting it--Abu Mazin or the Palestinians don’t have to do anything except say what they want and explain what a great job they are doing. Israel’s job is to make concessions, there isn’t much question of getting anything in return except a “continuation” of the ceasefire. Bush’s job is to put pressure on Israel until it gives what Abu Mazin wants.

idea that Israel might have legitimate demands or concerns, the notion that maybe there isn’t so much of a ceasefire after all, the very definition of the Roadmap (which we should always remember is called a “Performance-Based Roadmap”), and other such key factors are left out of the equation.

can see this orientation in many of the media stories and in international reactions. The politicians and journalists are straining to say over and over: what will Israel give? Why doesn’t Israel make more concessions? It isn’t enough! Even when the specific items—releasing the prisoners; stopping the building of a security fence—aren’t even in the Roadmap.

the same time, Palestinian obligations under the Roadmap, like dismantling the terrorist groups and really stopping incitement, are barely mentioned or are declared unreasonable.

There should be no doubt, however: this is not the Bush administration’s position. Even the State Department briefings stress the requirement for Palestinian action and effectiveness.

Which reminds me of my favorite line in Abu Mazin’s White House statement: The Palestinians, he boasted, have stopped the attacks, something that the mighty Israeli army failed to do. Funny, I can remember being repeatedly told over the last two years by the Palestinian leadership that of course it had no control over the attacks and no connection with them. He who turns the spigot off so easily is the one who turned it on in the first place.

runner up was Abu Mazin’s statement that those whose release he is demanding are “political prisoners,” despite their own proud and officially sanctioned record of murder or attempted murder.

entally, it went generally unnoted that Abu Mazin climbed down from his earlier statement that he would never visit Washington unless Arafat could go anywhere he wanted.

And of course the attacks have not stopped, though they have fallen by perhaps fifty or sixty percent. My other favorite reporters’ line of the week was from a journalist who explained to me that the continuing terrorism was only being waged by “renegades.”

That sounds good to someone who doesn’t give it another moment’s thought but the flimsiness of the excuse is embarrassing. By definition, anyone who attacks is an “opponent” of the ceasefire. Yet are these people stopped, deterred or punished? Are they insulted and disgraced or winked at and even helped? In that case, they may be opponents of the ceasefire but instruments of the Palestinian leadership, at least the real leadership that continues to be in control behind Abu Mazin’s back.

HOW TO WEAKEN ABAS 07-26-03

No one is more delighted with the rise of Mahmoud Abas (it is important to drop the use of his nom DE guerre Abu Mazen) as I am. I also believe that he enjoys widespread support within the Palestinian people. Otherwise, the terrorists would not have agreed to a cease fire! He signed the road map in which he agreed to dismantle the terrorists infra structure and create a single authoritative authority with which Israel can negotiate and hold responsible for noncompliance.

Arafat signed the same agreement in Oslo and then ignored it without being held to account. How? By focusing world attention on the Israeli settlements which were NOT a part of OSLO. The terrorists and Arafat demand that Abas follow the same strategy. Instead of trying to fulfill his own obligations they told him he should focus world attention on the release of prisoners which were NOT part of the ROAD MAP.

The success of this strategy will UNDERMINE Abas and prove that Arafat and the terrorists were right - Abas does not need to comply with his obligations to benefit from Israeli concession and world support.

No - the release of prisoners is not a way to strengthen moderates and encourage Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular to take their responsibilities seriously. The opposite is true.

WHO WON THE INTIFADA?

It is worth reading Khuttab's analysis.

Unfortunately Kuttab end his thus:"To be honest I would say that the Palestinians have lost the latest round in points rather than through a knockout, which means that they still have a chance to regroup themselves. This means that national unity must be preserved at all costs. Palestinians must be careful not to fall in the trap of a civil war or a leadership struggle and, at the same time, try to agree on an honest evaluation of what is possible in the current political landscape".

In other words, do everything but do not dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

Reports from the Bush-Abbas meeting seem to imply that Bush was not buying. We may have peace yet!

INTELLECTUAL HONESTY COMES AT A PRICE AT THE PA

But, then, I should not be too tough on Kuttab. Being honest can be dangerous in the Arab World and, most especialy, in the region Arafat controls. Read this!

PRESCIENT BUSH

I am reading Woodward's"Bush at War" and I came across something Bush said as he was planning to address the nation for the first time after 9/11

We will defeat our enemies, we will set a tone for future Presidents, he said."Two years from now only the Brits May be with us."

Posted by Judith at 9 p.m. EST

MCGREEVEY JOINS OPPOSITION TO ISM CONFERENCE AT RUTGERS 07-23-03

Well, I am delighted. In fact, this is the most delicious crow I ever ate. After checking with Assemblyman Egan's office, I am forwarding the most encouraging email I received from him. His office also assured me that the Assemblyman discussed the matter with the governor and the governor is committed to work hard to make sure that the conference does not happen. This does not mean that we can drop our vigilance. I do hope that you will help strengthen the Governor's position by signing the petition bellow.

This is the important part of the email:

In the email you sent, your criticism of the Governor for appointing Amir Baraka, is misdirected. He was not appointed by Governor McGreevey. He was appointed by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and the New Jersey Council on the Arts. C:52;16A-26.9, otherwise known as the New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit, only allows the Governor to present the citation. It does not allow the Governor to be part of the selection process. Nor does it allow him veto power over the selected choice.

You also criticized Governor McGreevey for his stance on the proposed conference at Rutgers University. You may be surprised to know that Governor McGreevey expressed serious concerns about this conference and his position on the conference has not changed. It is my belief that the Governor shares your views on these matters, and I feel compelled to assure you that Governor McGreevey is and will continue to work hard to end racism in New Jersey

This further strengthens by belief in democracy. Sooner or later in works.

AN INCISIVE ANALYSIS OF ANTI-AMERICANISM

I highly recommend this National Interest article> reprinted by frontpagemag.com.

CNN PLAYS GOD AGAIN

CNN editor admitted after the fall of Iraq that it had failed to broadcast the information it had showing the brutality of the regime. It is doing it again.> How sad!

Posted by Judith at 9 p.m.EST

SAY NO TO HATE IS THE NAME OF THE PETITION 07-22-03

I could not be more delighted. My friend, the father of an alumnus and a current Rutgers Univerity Student took the initiative and posted a petition asking University president and the state governor to cancel the three day pro-terrorist international conference tentatively planned to take place at Rutgers. I have just read and signed the petition asking"No sanction for promoting ethnic hatred and advocating violence at Rutgers University."

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself and forwarding it to your friends. Together we should be able to make a difference.

If you wish to know why there are few moderates speaking out in the Arab world, click here.>

Posted by Judith 8:00 p.m. EST

SAD TIMES AT RUTGERS AND NEW JERSEY 07-18-03

Rutgers University decided that the best way to inaugurate its next academic year is with a three day international conference of the Palestinian Solidarity Movement. The Movement supports"any" measure Palestinians may choose to bring about the destruction of the state of Israel. That means it supports terror and suicide bombers.

The president of the university decided that"freedom of speech" equals providing the"deplorable" views of the groups public money and a location for their conference. The AAUP university leadership did not bother to ask their members' opinions and came out in support of the President. Our governor soon backed him. I beg to differ and have only just began to fight. Here are some letters I posted to my listserv:

1.Does anyone imagine President McCormick would have agreed to have a three day Ku Klas Klan conference on campus? Or that he would have had the guts to ask Black students not to let such a conference upset the campus harmony?

2.Well, now the AAUP stepped in to protect the right of a group of anti-Semitic terrorist advocates to use university funds and locale for a three day conference. See their press release bellow.

First let's be clear, this is NOT a free speech issue. Free speech means the right to express you opinion on street corners or even march in downtown New Brunswick. It does not include the right to public funds (extracted from students) to PAY for a major conference promoting terror and homicide bombing.

Second, the AAUP"leadership" is wrong. These days, holding a philo-Semitic, anti terrorist conference would help promote 'the mission of the University as promoting the free exchange of ideas and discourse on a variety of issues, including those that are controversial". Anti-Semitism is all the rage. Note our esteemed former New Jersey poet laureate.

Finally, to hold this kind of conference at the state university is an affront to all the New Jersey citizens who lost their lives on 9/11 to suicide bombers.

What can I say, some people never learn. They must wait until they themselves are hurt. The hurt of their fellow citizens does not seem to touch them.

As a member of a family who lost most of its members during the holocaust and as a friend of Israelis and Americans who lost their lives to suicide bombers both here and in Israel, I have vowed never to commit the crime of silence. I urge you to make the same commitment.

3. Once a philosopher. Twice a pervert. This is how this New Jersey voter feels about our spineless governor. I cannot imagine ever voting for McGreevey again. The man has done nothing but encourage ethnic conflict in New Jersey. He began by appointing a premier racist named Amir Baraka (ne LeRoi Jones) to the position of New Jersey poet laureate.

Here are some of the exalted verses that made him worthy of the honor:

"Who do Tom Ass Clarence Work for

Who doo come out the Colon's mouth

Who know what kind of Skeeza is a Condoleeza

Who pay Connelly to be a wooden Negro"

Then there is:

"nihilismus. Rape the white girls. Rape their fathers. Cut the mothers' throats. Black dada Nihilismus, choke my friends".

Then, came 9/11 and the New Jersey poet laureate responded to it with his infamous anti-Semitic blood libel.

Our governor proclaimed not to have known who he was dealing with and took long months to take away his official title. Baraka used the time to spread his racist message in schools and colleges all over the state.

Let me reiterate again: Neither the Baraka case nor the pro-terrorist"New Jersey Solidarity" conference have anything to do with the issue of free speech. Free speech means the right to express you opinion on street corners or even march in downtown Newark. It does not include the right to public funds (funds student are forced to pay to a state university are public funds) to PAY for an international conference promoting terror and homicide bombing. I suggest doubters read today's New York Times article on the subject Trenton Backs Rutgers U. on Conference along with the profile of Charlotte Kates, the group's self professed Communist leader Public Lives: A History of Left Turns

Note the following developments: At first McGreevey's spokesman said that"the governor has grave concern about whether this is going to be a balanced, open forum or a pro-scripted anti-Israeli rally and he intents to present them to President McCormick."We take this very seriously," the spokesman concluded. After he spoke to McCormick he no longer took those concerns seriously. Instead he fell back on the bogus free speech argument. Instead, he announced that there is no proof the organizers"espouse terrorism."

The governor must be the only person in the world who does not understand that"We unconditionally support Palestinians' human right to resist occupation and oppression by any means necessary" means we support terror and suicide bombings. (As Americans learned on 9/11 that any argument valid to murder Jews is valid to murder Americans, Australians, Russians, Philippines, Moroccans, etc..)

What are the governor's current concerns? Security for the racists and those protesting against them. McCormick assured him"that Rutgers will work with the conference organizers to provide adequate security for the event, while allowing attendees and protesters a chance to express their views".

So, additional public funds will be used to protect the participants in the ethnic clashes expected to accompany this conference.

BRAVO McGreevey - You really know how to bring us together!

I will keep you abreast of further developments.

Posted by Judith 12p.m. Est.

THE NOT TOO SPONTANEOUS GRAFFITI COMES DOWN - 07-15-03

Good news can come in funny packages. This one demonstrates that the hate messages were as centrally financed as the suicide bombers. Surprise, suprise!

BUT DO NOT PUT ON ROSE COLORED GLASSES YET

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY TV: MOHAMMED ORDERED MUSLIMS TO KILL JEWS

Palestinian Media Watch reports on yet another PLO TV broadcast presenting the murder of Jews as a religious obligation. Dr. Hassan Khader, founder of the Al Quds Encyclopedia, appeared on PA television on Sunday with the following quote from Mohammed:"The Hour [Day of Resurrection] will not arrive until you fight the Jews, [until a Jew will hide behind a rock or tree] and the rock and the tree will say: Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!"

Although the basis for the current negotiations between Israel and the Arabs is that the conflict is not a religious dispute but rather a political one, PLO religious and academic leaders repeatedly cite Islamic sources demanding, in the name of Allah, that Jews be hated and even killed.

Yesterday's broadcast is but another example of the world-view propagated by the PA media according to which Redemption is dependent on Muslims' murder of Jews. Click here to view the broadcast, as well as a previous televised citation of the same source by a Muslim religious leader.

PMW also reports that yet another PA summer camp for children has been named for a terrorist. The most recent one is now named Shihad Al-Amarin, in memory of the founder of the suicide terror division of Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade.

A report in Sunday's edition of the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida writes that 150 boys and girls aged 12 and 13 are taking part in the camp, and that"yesterday the camp's participants went to the home of the shahid Jihad Al-Amarin, where [they were greeted by] the shahid's wife, children and family. During the visit there were speeches praising the virtues of the shahid Jihad Al-Amarin, who was assassinated a year ago by the forces of the occupation.

Other schools and camps have been named for Dalal Mughrabi, who participated in the bus hijacking and murder of 37 Jews in Israel in 1978; for Ayyat al-Akhras, an Arab girl who killed two Israelis as she blew herself up in a supermarket in Jerusalem in March 2002; and others.

THE BATTLE IN IRAN GOES ON

Despite the deafening silence of the international media, the battle for democracy in Iran goes on.

350 Iranian dissidents demand regime reforms In an open letter to the Supreme Leader, they hit out at the judiciary and call for all political prisoners to be released