Father of Martyr Assaulted

I saw this video linked on a couple of tweets. The man speaking on the left is the father of a martyr, protesting is son's death. I'm not sure what's being said, but the man on the far right, next to the man in white begins to insult the man before physically assaulting him.

As someone trying to keep up with the events and trying to find ways to support, it makes me so sad to see parents mourning for the children that gave their lives for others. No parent should ever have to bury their child. And it makes me even sadder at how the government treats these parents who all worked so hard to raise their children, how much they loved them. I've seen the videos of Neda's mother in mourning, and crying out for her daughter; I wished I could be there for her to comfort her. I've read how the Mourning Mothers group has been chased away from their usual meetings...for what? Mourning their children.

There's no love like the love between a parent and their child. But what can one do for these heartbroken parents? I often think about how many parents today are in pain. It makes me so angry to see people like the man on the far right just basically spitting on the wounds of the poor father on the left. How could Ahmadinejad do this? How could Khamenei just walk around in all his so-called holiness and preach about righteousness and take away so many children from their loving families? How can anyone brush off the loss of so many lives so easily? I'll never understand that about people... Isn't each and every life supposed to be precious? I wish I could got to New York on the 23rd and confront Ahmadinejad by myself and force him to realize the horrors he and the Supreme Murderer Khamenei are bringing to their people. Just who do they think they are? Allah? Who are they to decide to execute others just for speaking out against their tyranny and their lies?

I really want to know what goes on in their minds... I hope that man in the video, as well as many parents will be able to heal, and that Iran will be free.

Letter to Fayah - A Poem Written By Me

Dear child, sweet child,
I read your letter.
I kept your words in my heart,
and now I send a letter to you.

I did not know you,
and you did not know me,
yet our hearts were connected.
And from one letter I learned so much about you.

I know you loved life.
You loved it so much,
that you gave it,
so others could be free.

You wanted to become a mother,
and you expressed your regret,
that this would never happen.
But it did.

You became the mother,
of hope, courage, and inspiration.
Your children reside in the hearts of many,
and they encourage all to continue the fight.

You are feeling the sun in your face,
for now you are much closer to it.
And Neda is there with you,
as are all your brothers and sisters who also gave their lives.

I know you are with them.
And Allah is there with all of you.
And those that linger here,
will be able to see freedom in their country because of you.

They will heal,
they will laugh,
they will love life,
and they will be free.

The tyrants may have shattered your body,
but not your spirit, and what you gave to your people.
And you will continue to live on in the hearts of your family and friends,
as well as ours.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
A friend you did not meet, a friend you did not know.

---

Dedicated to Fayah June 23, 1986 - August 2, 2009.

Another brave person taken from her loved ones by tyrants in Iran. She sent a letter to her friends, and that letter reached countless people around the world. This was her final message to the world:

"I love life. I love to laugh and be with my friends. There are so many books I want to read, movies I want to see, people I want to meet. I want to marry, to be a good wife and mother. I want to grow old with the people I love, to feel the sun on my face, to see the ocean, to travel.

My country is in a terrible state. People have no jobs. There is no money. People have no freedom. Women must hide themselves from the world, and we have no choices.

Our people--we are not terrorists. We hate terrorists. And that is what our government has become. They kill our people for no reason. They torture us in their prisons because we want freedom. They make our country look evil, they make our religion look evil.

We are fighting for our freedom, for our religion, for our country. If we do nothing while injustice abounds, we become unjust. We turn into the ones we hate.

I have to fight. I have to go back on the streets. I will make them kill me. I will join Neda, with my friends, and then maybe the world will hear us.

I never thought I would become a martyr, but it is needed. The more of us they kill, the smaller they become, the more strength the people will have. Maybe my death will mean nothing, but maybe it will buy my country freedom.

I am very sad that I will never be a mother, that I will never do the things I love, but I would rather die than do nothing and know that I am to blame for the tortures, the murder, the hatred.

Please tell the world how much we love life. That we are not terrorists. We just want to be free."

She died on August 2, 2009 after being beaten by the Basiji forces. Her family notified her contacts weeks later. Today is her 40th day anniversary, and I wanted to dedicate this poem to her, as well as those who died since the Green Movement began. And though I never knew this woman, I am still deeply saddened that this happened to her - however, it is nothing compared to what her family must be going through, as they are undoubtedly being harassed by the government as a result of a stance for freedom. I can only offer my deepest sympathies to her family and her friends, and hope they will heal and be safe.

Rest in peace, Fayah.

Complete Translation of the Supreme Leader's Friday Prayer Address

http://enduringamerica.com/2009/09/11/iran-the-translation-of-the-supreme-leaders-friday-prayer-address-part-1/

Barely a few minutes in the speech, and I just found this statement by Khamenei very ironic:

[08:15:13] Politics, if founded in religion and virtue, then for the people who are subjected to it, is a way to heaven.
[08:15:36] However, politics, separated from religion and morality, becomes a means for
acquiring power at any cost and for acquiring wealth, and putting one’s own goal in life ahead of everything else.

Mm-hmm, because no man of faith, especially of such high-rank is ever so capable of ensuring the man he wants as president remains in office, and encourage a crackdown on people who want and deserve freedom; and making others soil their hands while his remain squeaky clean. If Khamenei were being a sincere person, I would find parts of the speech beautiful...

However, because I know the lying, cowardly, heartless, hypocritical son of a bitch he is, the entire speech looked like just one big pile of dung. He and Ahmadinejad are the reason there's a revolution going on in the first place! The audacity to preach about morality and the beauty of Islam - when everything he has done and allowed goes against Islam itself. In fact, every religion. No religion ever endorses people to bring so much suffering to others. It is people like him that distort faith, and seek their own personal gain that create so much suffering. And then use God/Allah/etc. as their shield and their license. That is an even bigger sin.

But I'm not surprised to see Khamenei spewing so much hypocrisy. These days he seems to be making the effort to make himself seem like quite the humanitarian. But Greens know otherwise. No one is fooled, Khamenei...Only your lapdogs happily sit there and eat up the lies you spoonfeed them. The day will come where all your lies and malice will catch up to you and hit you back hard. Until then, enjoy trying to redeem yourself in the eyes of Iran. It's a doomed mission, you have no credibility, but you may as well have fun, no?

Plus, didn't he just say a few days ago that, and I quote: "clerics should say out of politics"? So much for preaching against a separation of religion and government.