 |
|
July
8, 2003, 9:10 a.m.
Judgment Day
July 9 and beyond.
By Pooya Dayanim
|
|
omorrow is Judgment Day for the terrorist mullahs that run the Islamic
regime in Iran. July 9 is the four-year anniversary of the beginning of
the student uprising that has now matured and has begun to shake the foundations
of the Islamic regime. Iranians all around the world are holding rallies
in support of and in solidarity with the pro-democracy supporters and
freedom fighters inside Iran who are about to begin a movement to liberate
themselves from one the darkest chapters in the history of Iran. So what
is going to happen tomorrow in Iran?
The Islamic regime
announced last week that it has already arrested over 4,000 pro-democracy
demonstrators including 800 students including the key student leaders who
have lead demonstrations in the past. The true number is even higher. The
Islamic Republic's prisons are now home to more journalists, dissidents,
and students than any other country in the world. Several people were killed
in the demonstrations two weeks ago and hundreds were badly beaten by the
regime's thugs.
The regime has closed
the University of Tehran. All other universities are closed. The so-called
reformist city council and the Khatami government have banned all rallies
and demonstrations inside university campuses and outside in the streets.
Newspapers inside Iran have been told not to report what is happening.
The few foreign journalists who are there are being urged to cover the
visit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief (when the
regime will promise more cooperation on its nuclear program in order to
divert world attention from the popular unrest) and stay away from any
gatherings. There is currently no freedom of speech, no freedom of press
and no freedom of assembly in a dictatorship some naively call a "democracy."
The streets of Tehran
and several other major cities are swarming with members of the revolutionary
guard, the Hezbollah militia, plainclothes thugs, foreign mercenaries,
and others hired by the regime to immediately suppress and crush any gatherings.
And it seems the
regime has not settled for suppressing the people inside Iran, but is
now attempting to silence the pro-democracy voices outside of Iran. For
the past two days, three Los Angeles-based satellite TV stations (NITV,
Azadi TV, and Channel One) that were largely responsible for carrying
political messages and urging pro-democracy activists to pour to the streets
of Tehran have had their signals jammed — at a time when they are
about to play a potentially historic role in the liberation of Iran. (Disturbingly,
there are indications that the signals are being stopped from locations
in Europe and the U.S.) The regime has also restricted access to the website
of Reza Pahlavi,
the website of
the student movement, as well as access to the website of the three
satellite television stations. Meanwhile, the other Satellite broadcasters
that are beaming non-political content into Iran have not had their signals
jammed.
All of this, however,
is irrelevant. The people of Iran (inside Iran and outside) want an end
to this evil regime. Freedom will prevail. There will be demonstrations.
The regime with attack, but the people will fight back. Today, in Los
Angeles, several thousand Iranian Americans will stand in solidarity with
people of Iran. Tomorrow, Iranian Americans will stand in solidarity with
the people of Iran in front of Capitol Hill and will be joined by members
of Congress (make sure
your member is there) who believe that the people of Iran deserve
freedom.
We just celebrated
America's Independence Day. People throughout the world deserve freedom
as well. As lovers of freedom we should all join the Iranian-American
community and stand in solidarity with the people of Iran.
Judgment Day is approaching
for those who have shed the blood of tens of thousands of innocent Iranians.
Judgment Day is approaching for those who have ordered the stoning of
women. Judgment Day is approaching for those who ordered the bombing of
the Jewish community center in Argentina. Judgment Day is approaching
for those who ordered the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon and
the Khobar Towers in Riyadh. Judgment Day is approaching for those who
started the chant: "Death to America" and everything America
stands for. Judgment Day is approaching for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
It may not be tomorrow, but soon this evil regime will join the other
evil regimes in the dustbin of history. Judgment Day will come.
—
Pooya Dayanim is the president of the U.S.-based Iranian Jewish Public
Affairs Committee (IJPAC). The views expressed in this article are his
own.
|
<% dim printurl
printurl = Request.ServerVariables("URL")%>
