"When evaluating the Iranian regime, it is important to understand that its militarism and repressive policies are actually fostered by the exertion of outside pressure on the country."
Nope. It's Sharia Law.
Criminal law structured around sharia principles, including qisas (retribution), diyya (blood money), and ta’zir (discretionary punishments), with reports of torture, harsh/death sentences applied unevenly, particularly against women, ethnic and religious minorities.
Sunni Sharia does not have any warmth for Shi'a Sharia. To Iran, friend of Sunni is enemy of Shi'a. That militarism is 1000 years old and neither we nor the British caused that.
In the 20th century the Saudi Royal Family became much more enamored with money than Sharia. Sharia became for them more of a front. At the same time, they haven’t forgotten the significance of Mecca and Medina and the need to keep both Shia and Sunni political forces in balance while at the same time courting western acceptance and technology. The Saudis became more political than ideological.
The same process has not played out with the mullahs in Iran. They remain a theocracy, more ideological than political, and very devoted to Sharia and the destiny of the Caliphate.
Criminal law structured around sharia principles, including qisas (retribution), diyya (blood money), and ta’zir (discretionary punishments), with reports of torture, harsh/death sentences applied unevenly, particularly against women, ethnic and religious minorities."
Are you describing our current "ally" - Syria, under - al-Jolani's rule?!
And thus justifies destroying a civilization? That is the exact definition of propaganda. Find a hated practice by a group and use it to condemn the whole nation.
So we need to spend billions, while paying off past wars, going back to World War I, and killing other human beings because of extreme religious practices? This thinking pattern is identical to the crusade campaigns.
My neighbor beats his wife, she's not allowed outside. May not speak to anyone, without permission. She had a forced clitoectomy at 9, wears a full hijab, they have gatherings weekly where they chant loudly death to America. His adult son has a daughter, but Im pretty sure the 10 year old is his wife.
Just different religious practices, right?
None of my business, right?
The crusades were to reconquer the holy lands from the islamo facists of the day.
Plainly you know nothing about the actual country of Iran. For example, 70 percent of current engineering students in Iranian universities are women....
How about our borders and not Israel's or Ukraine's? That would be a great start. We send over $300 billion a year to Israel. For what? Israel is a US military base, so our Neocons can launch their useless, never-ending wars. The Jewish political power in DC is enormous. We produce our oil; we don't need oil from any Middle Eastern country. So what exactly are we defending? Tell us, what is it?
There is no shortage of militarism or repressive policies in Syria either. They are clearly only a reluctant "Ally", so there is no contradiction in the statement, to be fair.
And, the US is captured by its silly belief that Israel is the Holy Land where a new Temple is to be built. Your reasoning is completely corrupted by propaganda.
I have colleagues at work, in their 60s who think like her... Very good people otherwise but unable to adjust their world views in the light of facts due to heavy, cumulative, scorched in their brains propaganda.
Sadly, there is *nothing* to do about such people.
Watch I24 Israeli TV and listen to the truth. Hard to hear with all the "Death to Israel!' and "Death to the USA!" chants coming out of murdering lying fanatical Iran and its proxies.
It seems you don't know much about fundamentalist Islam. If you did, you would realize they are bent on world domination and subjugation. More resources means they can accomplish their goals much more quickly and easier. Learn from history. It is an effective teacher. This has been Islam through its existence.
With all respect, please stick to medicine. No, removing sanction on the Islamic Council will not bring more freedom. They are a brutal, violent regime bent on wiping America and Israel and anyone else who stands in their way to their divinely inspired hegemony off the face of the earth.There is but a single way to deal with barbarians like this and Trump is doing it. The term civilization destruction is the only language they understand. They will not be satisfied until the entire globe is under Sharia law. BTW, The Islamist extremists have been this brutal for over a thousand years.
Very good point! People, especially in the west think of all Sharia Law as the same. But is it not a single system. Iran's Sharia power and fundamental structure come extremist clerics whose sole goal is to spread their version of Sharia throughout the world. Saudi Arabia's Sunni Sharia comes from the Royal Family. They considerate it a moderate religion amd have no such bellicose underpinnings. There's lots more, but that's the nickel tour!
Yowza! just finished reading dr Malone’s Friday funnies. Wonder if anyone looked hard at the handful of terrorist organizations supported by strict Islamist Iranian regime? Worse, given the 47 years of repeating “death to Americans”how many billions of US cash was handed to this same regime by 757 aircrafts by Obama, and subsequently $6billion by Biden.
us military has been destroying bunkers, munitions and infrastructure prior US administrations paid for!?!
I recently found out that several of the countries that had sanctions on Iran were paying for oil, in fact, with Cash. This is one of the reasons why Trump is trying to bring the cheaters to the table by cutting their oil supply.
This load of rubbish keeps getting larger. He says that without sanctions, "The Islamic Republic will likely become much stronger, but also more moderate, free, and open" and he blames the UK and the US for Iran's often stated intent to destroy Western civilization. Granting the premise for a moment, how did two wrongs become a right?
But as for his premise, where in the world is a Shia theocracy moderate, free and open? Did Iran murder 25,000+ of its citizens in January because they were not as moderate, free and open as the mullahs demanded?
Was Obama just kidding when he extended a hand of friendship?
Ask a million Uygers how China became moderate, free and open after we allowed it to enter the WTO.
Pull your head out of the sand, ignore your critical theory impulse and look at what they have done.
I’m a Calvinist, and it’s no austere religion; you’ve sorely mischaracterized it. Indeed, it was the Reformed/Calvinist faith that brought about great prosperity throughout Europe, and was a leading force of Westernization, both in Europe and the U.S. Your Puritan relatives “ditching” their Calvinism to become “far more secular and worldly,” is no virtue, but a shame, if that’s what happened. No society becoming more secular or worldly has, or will ever, make a change for the better. I would sooner believe any betterment of society in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay was not caused by your ancestors’ abandonment of their Calvinist heritage, but in spite of it. “Trade and interaction with the rest of the world [fostering] openness and liberality” does not occur in a vacuum—but is a direct result of a God-fearing society. Your inserting this statement about your Puritan ancestors—implying a comparison between Puritanism and Islamic Fundamentalism, or that religious societies stand in opposition of “open” societies—is unnecessary and bogus.
As Sam Harris has said - when jihadists say outright over and over that their goal is to destroy Israel and the US and they don't care if they destroy themselves and the rest of the world in the process because that is their ultimate salvation, it would be smart of us to believe them. You can't appease a death cult which is what they are.
They've had 47 years to mellow out and become reasonable. Maybe learn a kinder gentle way to cut off hands, heads or other body parts over minor violations of the goat breeders.
LOL…How many ‘articles’ do we get in one day? Visions of the author typing voraciously at his computer….page after page of political opinion. Perhaps it’s time for him to calm down and take his meds. Just a suggestion.
John, nicely done always, but you leave out Zionist lust for utter and complete destruction of anything not Zionist. Peace in Gaza..remember that..ha ha..(over 60% under Zionist control..emm)
there will be no peace : Zionism and their financial strangle hold on us Gov will never allow it. Our only hope is if Russia and China are to Iran what US of A is to Zionism.
We should not care less what other countries are doing on the other side of the world as long as it doesn’t directly impact us and it wouldn’t if we stopped bombing their countries and supporting Israel.
Our immigration system has been hijacked by citizens loyal to Israel, who imported culturally incompatible migrants predominantly with little to no skill set, gave them financial assistance once they arrived so they could exist and have more children. Then our government help helps Israel bomb their home countries. Iran was not about to have a nuclear weapon (even though Israel has been claiming this regularly for 30 years) and even if they did who cares, Israel has over 200 nukes. Israel stole its initial nuclear material from the United States, Israel has an official policy called the Samson option which states that if they are about to be wiped out in a war, and the US doesn’t come to help them that they will launch all their nuclear missiles in every direction at uninvolved countries, Israel also murdered nearly 20,000 children that belong to unarmed parents in Gaza in addition to attacking the USS liberty and staging 911.
If we should have a problem with any country having nuclear weapons it’s clearly Israel.
“when Ruhollah Khomeini led a popular revolution to throw out the Shah, who had served as a British-US puppet since the British invaded in 1941.”
Right:
It was never a “popular revolution”. France funded and injected Khomeini into Iran because their state oil/nation change / espionage agent, Total Oil, was not getting a slice. So the French burned the house down.
This whole mess was about The Great Game.
Just as France rejoined the fighting alliance of NATO in order to fuck over “les anglos”.
A few nukes on Paris and Tel Aviv would resolve many problems.
"When evaluating the Iranian regime, it is important to understand that its militarism and repressive policies are actually fostered by the exertion of outside pressure on the country."
Nope. It's Sharia Law.
Criminal law structured around sharia principles, including qisas (retribution), diyya (blood money), and ta’zir (discretionary punishments), with reports of torture, harsh/death sentences applied unevenly, particularly against women, ethnic and religious minorities.
Wake up.
What do make of US ally Saudi Arabia and its Sharia law judiciary?
Sunni Sharia does not have any warmth for Shi'a Sharia. To Iran, friend of Sunni is enemy of Shi'a. That militarism is 1000 years old and neither we nor the British caused that.
In the 20th century the Saudi Royal Family became much more enamored with money than Sharia. Sharia became for them more of a front. At the same time, they haven’t forgotten the significance of Mecca and Medina and the need to keep both Shia and Sunni political forces in balance while at the same time courting western acceptance and technology. The Saudis became more political than ideological.
The same process has not played out with the mullahs in Iran. They remain a theocracy, more ideological than political, and very devoted to Sharia and the destiny of the Caliphate.
Exactly, The Saudi's are compliant with US policy; their religious practices are their own business in the eyes of US political power.
What would the Middle East be like today if no oil had been discovered?
A fun mind experiment.
"Nope. It's Sharia Law.
Criminal law structured around sharia principles, including qisas (retribution), diyya (blood money), and ta’zir (discretionary punishments), with reports of torture, harsh/death sentences applied unevenly, particularly against women, ethnic and religious minorities."
Are you describing our current "ally" - Syria, under - al-Jolani's rule?!
And thus justifies destroying a civilization? That is the exact definition of propaganda. Find a hated practice by a group and use it to condemn the whole nation.
So we need to spend billions, while paying off past wars, going back to World War I, and killing other human beings because of extreme religious practices? This thinking pattern is identical to the crusade campaigns.
My neighbor beats his wife, she's not allowed outside. May not speak to anyone, without permission. She had a forced clitoectomy at 9, wears a full hijab, they have gatherings weekly where they chant loudly death to America. His adult son has a daughter, but Im pretty sure the 10 year old is his wife.
Just different religious practices, right?
None of my business, right?
The crusades were to reconquer the holy lands from the islamo facists of the day.
Plainly you know nothing about the actual country of Iran. For example, 70 percent of current engineering students in Iranian universities are women....
Thats nice. How is that relevant to anything I've said?
The propaganda that there is such a Holy place on the earth sucks you guys in every time. So go ahead, travel to the area and fight over some sand.
I wonder if there is anything you would feel the need to defend.
How about our borders and not Israel's or Ukraine's? That would be a great start. We send over $300 billion a year to Israel. For what? Israel is a US military base, so our Neocons can launch their useless, never-ending wars. The Jewish political power in DC is enormous. We produce our oil; we don't need oil from any Middle Eastern country. So what exactly are we defending? Tell us, what is it?
There is no shortage of militarism or repressive policies in Syria either. They are clearly only a reluctant "Ally", so there is no contradiction in the statement, to be fair.
And, the US is captured by its silly belief that Israel is the Holy Land where a new Temple is to be built. Your reasoning is completely corrupted by propaganda.
I have colleagues at work, in their 60s who think like her... Very good people otherwise but unable to adjust their world views in the light of facts due to heavy, cumulative, scorched in their brains propaganda.
Sadly, there is *nothing* to do about such people.
You can deny God, Jesus, the biblical story.
But its still true.
But I won't try to convince an atheist. Your heart and mind are closed.
Im past that point.
You have e that backwards. Read Revelation.
Which came first?
Jesus or Mohammed?
The holy lands refer to what part of the world, where did that name originated?
What year did the Israelis move into Israel?
You beat me to it (and more eloquently).
Excellent article, John.
Thanks!
Watch I24 Israeli TV and listen to the truth. Hard to hear with all the "Death to Israel!' and "Death to the USA!" chants coming out of murdering lying fanatical Iran and its proxies.
And Mayhar Tousi of Tousitv or TBN israel 2 guys brilliant levelheaded reporting.
Thank you, Jennifer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_sk6HjCEVE&list=PL2gRfOcqelFWAab7b_OXUcbJqag_IY1TF&index=1
Mr. Leake,
It seems you don't know much about fundamentalist Islam. If you did, you would realize they are bent on world domination and subjugation. More resources means they can accomplish their goals much more quickly and easier. Learn from history. It is an effective teacher. This has been Islam through its existence.
With all respect, please stick to medicine. No, removing sanction on the Islamic Council will not bring more freedom. They are a brutal, violent regime bent on wiping America and Israel and anyone else who stands in their way to their divinely inspired hegemony off the face of the earth.There is but a single way to deal with barbarians like this and Trump is doing it. The term civilization destruction is the only language they understand. They will not be satisfied until the entire globe is under Sharia law. BTW, The Islamist extremists have been this brutal for over a thousand years.
What do make of US ally Saudi Arabia and its Sharia law judiciary?
Very good point! People, especially in the west think of all Sharia Law as the same. But is it not a single system. Iran's Sharia power and fundamental structure come extremist clerics whose sole goal is to spread their version of Sharia throughout the world. Saudi Arabia's Sunni Sharia comes from the Royal Family. They considerate it a moderate religion amd have no such bellicose underpinnings. There's lots more, but that's the nickel tour!
Yowza! just finished reading dr Malone’s Friday funnies. Wonder if anyone looked hard at the handful of terrorist organizations supported by strict Islamist Iranian regime? Worse, given the 47 years of repeating “death to Americans”how many billions of US cash was handed to this same regime by 757 aircrafts by Obama, and subsequently $6billion by Biden.
us military has been destroying bunkers, munitions and infrastructure prior US administrations paid for!?!
Here’s a link, see for yourself! https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/friday-funnies-when-the-moon-hits?r=vkjt6&utm_medium=ios
I recently found out that several of the countries that had sanctions on Iran were paying for oil, in fact, with Cash. This is one of the reasons why Trump is trying to bring the cheaters to the table by cutting their oil supply.
This load of rubbish keeps getting larger. He says that without sanctions, "The Islamic Republic will likely become much stronger, but also more moderate, free, and open" and he blames the UK and the US for Iran's often stated intent to destroy Western civilization. Granting the premise for a moment, how did two wrongs become a right?
But as for his premise, where in the world is a Shia theocracy moderate, free and open? Did Iran murder 25,000+ of its citizens in January because they were not as moderate, free and open as the mullahs demanded?
Was Obama just kidding when he extended a hand of friendship?
Ask a million Uygers how China became moderate, free and open after we allowed it to enter the WTO.
Pull your head out of the sand, ignore your critical theory impulse and look at what they have done.
Agree, john comes up with pretty stupid shit.🤔🤫
I’m a Calvinist, and it’s no austere religion; you’ve sorely mischaracterized it. Indeed, it was the Reformed/Calvinist faith that brought about great prosperity throughout Europe, and was a leading force of Westernization, both in Europe and the U.S. Your Puritan relatives “ditching” their Calvinism to become “far more secular and worldly,” is no virtue, but a shame, if that’s what happened. No society becoming more secular or worldly has, or will ever, make a change for the better. I would sooner believe any betterment of society in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay was not caused by your ancestors’ abandonment of their Calvinist heritage, but in spite of it. “Trade and interaction with the rest of the world [fostering] openness and liberality” does not occur in a vacuum—but is a direct result of a God-fearing society. Your inserting this statement about your Puritan ancestors—implying a comparison between Puritanism and Islamic Fundamentalism, or that religious societies stand in opposition of “open” societies—is unnecessary and bogus.
As Sam Harris has said - when jihadists say outright over and over that their goal is to destroy Israel and the US and they don't care if they destroy themselves and the rest of the world in the process because that is their ultimate salvation, it would be smart of us to believe them. You can't appease a death cult which is what they are.
They've had 47 years to mellow out and become reasonable. Maybe learn a kinder gentle way to cut off hands, heads or other body parts over minor violations of the goat breeders.
Nah, ain't gonna happen!
LOL…How many ‘articles’ do we get in one day? Visions of the author typing voraciously at his computer….page after page of political opinion. Perhaps it’s time for him to calm down and take his meds. Just a suggestion.
How many do you read? Thanks for reading them. I am grateful for my readership, even my critical readers.
I have received 2 in the past 3 hours.
Thanks for reading them!
John, nicely done always, but you leave out Zionist lust for utter and complete destruction of anything not Zionist. Peace in Gaza..remember that..ha ha..(over 60% under Zionist control..emm)
there will be no peace : Zionism and their financial strangle hold on us Gov will never allow it. Our only hope is if Russia and China are to Iran what US of A is to Zionism.
We should not care less what other countries are doing on the other side of the world as long as it doesn’t directly impact us and it wouldn’t if we stopped bombing their countries and supporting Israel.
Our immigration system has been hijacked by citizens loyal to Israel, who imported culturally incompatible migrants predominantly with little to no skill set, gave them financial assistance once they arrived so they could exist and have more children. Then our government help helps Israel bomb their home countries. Iran was not about to have a nuclear weapon (even though Israel has been claiming this regularly for 30 years) and even if they did who cares, Israel has over 200 nukes. Israel stole its initial nuclear material from the United States, Israel has an official policy called the Samson option which states that if they are about to be wiped out in a war, and the US doesn’t come to help them that they will launch all their nuclear missiles in every direction at uninvolved countries, Israel also murdered nearly 20,000 children that belong to unarmed parents in Gaza in addition to attacking the USS liberty and staging 911.
If we should have a problem with any country having nuclear weapons it’s clearly Israel.
Sanctions are nothing more than modern-day siege warfare. And, they are as useless as the following video 🤣
https://youtu.be/MbUSfMCaibk?si=y8ntxoq8e9brO4ta
Wrong:
“when Ruhollah Khomeini led a popular revolution to throw out the Shah, who had served as a British-US puppet since the British invaded in 1941.”
Right:
It was never a “popular revolution”. France funded and injected Khomeini into Iran because their state oil/nation change / espionage agent, Total Oil, was not getting a slice. So the French burned the house down.
This whole mess was about The Great Game.
Just as France rejoined the fighting alliance of NATO in order to fuck over “les anglos”.
A few nukes on Paris and Tel Aviv would resolve many problems.