The Faith Divide

United Iranians on the Brink

This blog was written by Eboo Patel and Samantha Kirby.

This afternoon, like every Friday, members of Muslim communities join together and pray the jum'ah prayer. But in Iran, this Friday afternoon is different.

Hours ago, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lead prayers at Tehran University. Yesterday, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported that a large turnout of Iranians for the Friday prayers would show "solidarity and unity among Iranians."

If you ask us, the unremitting string of protests - which in the capital drew more than 1 million people over the past day or two - has already shown both unity and solidarity among Iranians. In every stolen picture and every snippet of film, we see an opposition movement of women and men; young and old; clad in chadors or dress slacks or blood-stained t-shirts; in Tehran and Shiraz and Isfahan. It was reported that leaflets being handed out said: "Remember, police can attack a thousand people, but no police in the world can attack half a million."

The unity of Iranians isn't in question. Their collective voice is loud and clear.

They seek democracy.

Opposition candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi and former president Mohammad Khatami wrote, in a letter to the head of the judiciary in Iran: "Men and women are beaten up and injured, buildings are wrecked and things happen that are not in any way compatible with the Islamic Republic...We urge you to stand by your legal and religious duty and your sense of responsibility toward the civil rights of people and to spare no efforts to end the current worrying and provocative situation, stop violent action against people and release the arrested [activists]."

They know that democracy and peace, not violence or oppression, are at the heart of Islam. They have answered the call to stand by these values, and because they believe the Islamic Republic is held to the same standards, are appealing others to do so as well.

But what did Ayatollah Khamenei say to the tens of thousands in his audience in Tehran today? "Street challenge is not acceptable. This questions the principles of election and democracy."

He later addressed the spirituality of young people: "Despite all the diversions, our people are faithful...The youth are confused. Being away from spirituality has caused confusion. They don't know what to do."

The young people turning out in droves, the students mobilizing hundreds of thousands through messages on twitter, the masses who worked before the voting even began to elect Moussavi - these young Iranians don't seem confused to us.

Indeed, this Friday in Iran is different.

Sometimes the call to prayer rings from the Mosque and sometimes it rings through the streets.

By Eboo Patel  |  June 19, 2009; 10:23 AM ET  | Category:  Religion & Politics Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   Del.icio.us   StumbleUpon   Technorati  
Previous: Breaking Down Barriers to Charity | Next: Two Forces Shaping Iran

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Change is gonna come there, sooner or later. Thing about democracy, real democracy, is you've gotta really want it. Here's why.

Posted by: Paganplace | June 22, 2009 2:39 PM
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Note: Mr. Eboo Patel: FOR OUR PREZident & for "THE PEOPLE"

WE [i] have the Master-PLAN or 'RECOMMENDATIONs" for today's Presidental & Congress's Quagmire via today's two important Issues/Questions.

1st:
ON: The Solution of "Proceedures for Handling "PRiSONER CiVIL-RiGHTS Cases" Contrary to Todays ancient FEDERAL/.State policy's that still enforces such oldways as if be real LAW" AND

2nd:
ON: The Solution to the Current American "UN-iNSURED" Crisis. A Blue-Print for A very Cheap and slightly Profit-able (not Prophet-ics) practice. So,

for US on "WHAT TO DO NEXT" is no brainer.

Note: YE 'inferior' [Jealous] minds cannot see what WE [i] 'superior' [Fearless] minds INTROVISION!

Note Again:

Example: WE [i] , on this blogg [exclusively] warned Ye all about the inevitable "PANDeMIC" {via the AVIAN not Swine Flu} wipe-out to come, of many humans on Earth. And

the "FINANCIAL" baloon/bust crisis of today; And

the fact that Oil Producing Nations & their Children will Drown & Swim in their own Petroleum!

---

Hint: ALL of this Earth's [a Space-Ship of Many] URANIUM & PETROLIUM , via a International BANK, like the Moon & Planets & Galaxy belongs to ANYONE WHO SEEKS to inhabit them, must Belong to ALL, EVERY & ANY born & un-born Earthlings!

---

As told YE; WE [i] are going to win many of this planet's Internatiuonal AWARDS! i.e. Pulitzer Prize, Templeton et al!

WE [i] are JOK{TANians EBERU's & not like Ye PELEGians!

PS: "The PEOPLE"s U.S. Federal Reserve & thier U.S. Treasury should NEVER again be allowed Quasi, but Seperate Governmental Privilidges! Or else the "Financial Trusnami" will snow-ball in the future again; resulting in Nuclear Holocaust the World Over!

Hint: This Planet will FREEZE again & then Thaw-out again 1,444 times, and then Earth, along with OUR Solar System and everything within will inevitably Die!

Hint: According to the "O.U.R." Book" that OUR immortal "MEME"s will forever out-live & outshine OUR Evoluting BIO-FINITE Body's!

Posted by: liveandlove | June 21, 2009 1:36 PM
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WE: The "NEW-AGE SECULAR" Movement on Space-SAhip Earth, as Predicted (inevitable, not prayed for) & told You all, here and there "DOWN WITH THEOCRACY/Nepotism Systems...! via OUR chant/NewSong coming from old-songs"

So, MONARCHY is next! There is no Escape nor Denying the "Inevitable".

SINGULARITY, not PLURALITY of old-time (man-made) Religion Systems is the New-VOGUE, the New-Style, the Ultimate PROPHECY!

Goodbye ABRAHAMICS: Mr. MOSES, JESUS, MUHAMMAD, SMITH...

Goodbye VEDICS: Mr. VYASA, GAUTAMA, BUDDHA, CONFUCUS, TAO...

HELLO O.U.R.: The "O.ne U.niversal R.eligion" profoundly fullfilled, as promised in All 3-Major (competing)Religions Systems {Chumash/Bible, Quran/Koran & Geeta/Kangyurs..} via the U.nited N.ations!

imagine; the "RELIGION of everything before, the Science of Everything"!?

WE are Here to stay untill OUR Sun/Solar also inevitably Dies! No biblical Raptures, No biblio dispensations, not via man made oldtime MYTH stories!

So, DEAR Abrahamics, Dear Vedics, Dear Pagans, Dear Witches/Wicaans, Dear Voddooists, Shamans etc.. do not be afraid of REALITY ; the Ultimate TRUTH (opposite MYTH), aka LOVE = LIFE.

Hence: WE are "STUDENTS FOREVER OF SOURCEW-ONE" and WE never Graduate! How about YE???

Posted by: liveandlove | June 21, 2009 11:23 AM
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Mr. Patel n Ms. Kirby n friends.

RE: On "WHAT TO DO NEXT":

The same people who marry 10 Year oldGirls; like the MULLAH's or Ayatollah's and President Amajinidad himself also has a 11 year old wife [hidden] somewhere in Iran also.

You wrote, "... they don't know what to do!" [meaninig, what (they) should do next?] ..."

There should be an all-out REVOLUTION to go "SECULAR" like and never again like "THEO-CRAT's"

And the most REVEALING thing is that Persians, Farsi's, Iranian's are NOT-ARAB. Iranians need to stop thinking ARAB and start thinking Original Persia; like via King CYRUS THE GREAT [pbuh] whom emancipoated the "JEW'S OF BABYLONIA".

Note: Many Orthodox [finatic] Jew's are themselves Anti-Israel (not anti semite) and as shown they also side with IRAN's President Publically?

Iranian's need ZOROASTRIAN again (less having Vulcher's eat a already dead body's pactices etc..) a genuinely MONOTHEO SYSTEM.

They (today's Persian bollixed Multitudal's; Young Adults Middle-ager's & Elders alike) must alway's remember the AHURA MAZDA Creed:

"Think Good, Do Good and Say Good"

Posted by: liveandlove | June 19, 2009 10:56 PM
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“They know that democracy and peace, not violence or oppression, are at the heart of Islam.
Moi:
Eboo can’t help but repeat the above platitude in whatever subject he writes about and whether it is relevant or not believing that if we hear it enough times we might believe it. Does Eboo believes he knows more about Islam than the Supreme mullah?

“But what did Ayatollah Khamenei say to the tens of thousands in his audience in Tehran today?”Street challenge is not acceptable. This questions the principles of election and democracy."”
Moi: Theocratic dictatorship is the mullahs’ idea of democracy.

Posted by: abhab | June 19, 2009 6:23 PM
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They are shooting the students in the streets. Watch it, and weep for Iran.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/19/world/worldwatch/entry5096912.shtml
----------------------
IranWatch: June 19


Posted by CBSNews.com
For highlights of previous coverage, see IranWatch: June 18, June 17

Updated 3:30 p.m. Eastern: Reading the mood on the ground: The depth of the disconnect
IranWatch:

Updated 3:30 p.m. Eastern: Reading the mood on the ground: The depth of the disconnect

Politics is as much about symbolism as anything.


While domestic critics urge President Barack Obama to make a more forceful statement about the situation in Iran, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution today that supports "all Iranians who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties and the rule of law" and condemned " the ongoing violence against demonstrators." (Apropos, here's a video of one such clash:)

Posted by: Farnaz1Mansouri1 | June 19, 2009 3:51 PM
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Thousands gather to mourn the deaths in Iran. Take a look at this clip with some amazing footage. http://pfx.me/v9

Posted by: InformationDesk | June 19, 2009 1:50 PM
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