When supporters of Palestine ally with Iran, Hamas and
Hizbullah, they undermine support for the Palestinian cause
Al-Quds Day is a day of
international protest in support of the Palestinian people. It was originated
by the leader of the Iranian Islamist revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini.
In London, this year's
al-Quds demonstration - held last Sunday - had the themes of: "End Child
Killing! End Oppression! End Israeli Apartheid!" It was supported by the
left-wing Respect Party, 1990 Trust, the Muslim Association of Britain, the
Islamic Human Rights Commission, Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Federation of Student
Islamic Societies. The post-march Trafalgar Square rally was addressed by the
Respect Party MP, George Galloway, and by the former Daily Express journalist,
Yvonne Ridley.
As a long-time supporter of
justice for the Palestinian people, I decided to join the protest. I am against
Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank, its divisive Berlin-style wall,
its illegal nuclear weapons programme and its often indiscriminate military
operations that kill innocent Palestinian civilians.
But I object to the way the
al-Quds Day marches invariably hijack the Palestinian cause and use the
occasion to also support the tyrannical, Holocaust-denying Iranian regime and
its fundamentalist, terrorist offshoots, Hamas and Hizbullah - two
organisations that mirror the Israeli disregard for international law, human
rights and innocent civilians. Defenders of Hamas and Hizbullah claim that
these two movements have popular support. True. So did the Nazis. Hitler won
the most votes in the 1933 elections. But that did not make him right or justify
his anti-humanitarian policies.
By aligning justice for
Palestine with the injustice of the Iranian autocracy, al-Quds Day undermines
international sympathy and support for the Palestinian people. While it suits
the public relations purposes of the tyrants in Tehran to pose as
anti-imperialists and defenders of an oppressed people, Iran's support for
Palestine is the kiss of death.
The London al-Quds march was
almost exclusively Muslim and fairly devout, judging by the preponderance of
hijabs and beards. I joined the marchers, carrying two placards. One with a
Palestinian flag and the slogan "Free Palestine", and the other
emblazoned with the words: "Oppose the government of Iran, Support the
people of Iran."
The latter placard included
a photograph of a 16-year-old Iranian girl, Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh, who was
publicly hanged in 2004 in the city of Neka for "crimes against
chastity", after having been sexually abused during her early teenage
years. Tehran hanged the female victim of abuse, not the male perpetrators.
Then the ayatollahs lied that she was 22, to cover up the fact that they had
hanged a minor, contrary to international human rights laws that Iran has
signed.
This case of state-sponsored
murder is, of course, just one aspect of a much wider pattern of human rights
abuses by the Iranian regime, including the arrest and torture of student and
trade union activists; the execution of Sunni Muslim leaders and ethnic Arabs
and Baluchs; the closure of newspapers and detention without trial of
journalists; and the arrest of more than 100,000 women for the crime of
dressing "immodestly" (such as letting a few wisps of hair show from
under their hijab).
The Iranian regime has all
the characteristics of fascism, albeit in a clerical form. Its suppression of
human rights is on a par with Franco's Spain, PW Botha's South Africa and
Pinochet's Chile. But whereas the latter three dictatorships provoked global
protests, Tehran's tyranny elicits mostly silence and inaction from left and
liberal opinion. Why the double standards?
As soon as I turned up at
the al-Quds demo, I was subjected to a barrage of violent, threatening
invective from large sections of the crowd. Some started chanting:
"Tatchell is a Zionist, Tatchell is a paedophile. Get out! Get out! Get
out!'"
This paedophile slander was
accompanied by allied falsehoods that I support "western attacks on Muslim
lands" - despite my long-standing opposition to Russia's war in Chechnya,
the war in Iraq and plans for a US attack on Iran.
Such lies show the moral
depravity of many Islamists, who readily borrow from the tactics of Stalinists
and the BNP to smear and discredit anyone who disagrees with them. Indeed, some
fundamentalist leaders have admitted that it is morally acceptable for Muslims
to lie in order to defeat "infidels" and to advance the Islamist
cause.
I was treated to a torrent
of hatred all the way from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square. Some of the al-Quds
marchers shouted things like: "You are all Zionists and CIA agents. How
much money did Bush pay you to come here today?" Others claimed: "Stop
posing as a supporter of Palestine. You have never supported Palestine" -
malevolently disregarding the fact that I was a founder member of the Palestine
Solidarity Campaign in 1982.
Six of the al-Quds marchers
made attempts to physically attack me. It was only police intervention that
stopped them.
What I found odd is that the
people who abused and attacked me were supposedly ultra-devout Muslims. Yet
their manner was more thuggish than pious. Like their Iranian mentors, they no
doubt claim to represent true, pure Islam. In my view they behaved in a most
un-Islamic and unreligious way; offering very negative, unattractive
caricatures of the Islamic faith and the Muslim community.
Many of the marchers
appeared to identify with pro-Iranian Shia fundamentalism, which preaches a
gospel of hatred and violence against Jews, gay people and even against other
Muslims who disagree with their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.
None of my Muslim friends
believe this bigoted nonsense, and most Muslims in Britain reject such
intolerance. In my prison and asylum work, helping many gay and straight
Muslims, I am constantly encouraged by imams who show great compassion and
tolerance. They happily work with me, despite my atheism and gayness. This is
the kind, gentle face of Islam that never seems to be newsworthy.
A different kind of Muslim
predominated last Sunday. Many of the marchers were carrying Hizbullah flags
and chanting: "We are all Hizbullah now." When I pointed out that
Hizbullah kills innocent Israeli civilians, and endorses the execution of women
and gay people who transgress their extremist version of Islam, I was told
things like: "That's good. Society has to have order. These punishments
are necessary for the good of society."
On a positive note, several
al-Quds marchers, nearly all women and nearly all wearing the hijab, expressed
their support. One confided: "We don't agree with the Iranian regime
either. Killing that young girl was wrong." Another said: "Islam is
about love and peace. Don't listen to the fanatics. We are only here because we
support Palestine." One other marcher told me: "I am glad you joined
us. What you are saying needs to be said. I don't support anyone being
oppressed."
Such responses were
gratifying to hear. It shows that there are progressive Muslims, even on
al-Quds demonstrations. Too often it is only the fundamentalist voices that are
heard in the media. People are seriously mistaken, and unfair, when they lump
together all Muslims as one reactionary mass. As with Jews, Christians, Hindus
and atheists, the Muslim community also has its illiberals and its liberals.
Bravo for liberals and progressives everywhere - including in Britain, Israel
and Palestine.
Addendum: Since the Iranian
regime's apologists always falsely accuse me of supporting a US attack on Iran,
I will pre-empt their malicious attempts at character assassination by making
my position clear:
I am not suddenly taking on
the Iranian regime. I have supported the Iranian people's struggle for
democracy and human rights for four decades - first against the western-backed
imperial fascist Shah and, since 1979, against the clerical fascism of the
ayatollahs.
I do not support a US attack
on Iran. Military intervention would strengthen the position of the hardliners in
Tehran; allowing President Ahmadinejad to play the nationalist card. Using the
pretext of national security and defending the country against imperialism, he
would further crack down on dissent.
Some anti-war and left-wing
campaigners refuse to condemn the Tehran dictatorship and refuse to support the
Iranian people's resistance; arguing that to do so would play into the hands of
the US neocons and militarists. I disagree. Opposing imperialism and defending
human rights are complementary, not contradictory.
------------------------------------------
Adam31bansGhaznavi's
response:
HYPERFASCISM:
THE DEMOCRATIC
DICTATORSHIP OF OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY
& THE BUM'S RUSH FOR
THE IRAN WAR
Oh dear, Mr Tatchell.
You write as if you believe
yourself to live in a democracy.
So I would ask you to check
out this link again:
Executive Order 11110:
"On June 4, 1963
President Kennedy signed this virtually unknown Presidential decree, which had
the authority to strip the Federal Reserve Bank of its power to loan money to
the United States Federal Government at interest, essentially putting the
privately owned Federal Reserve Bank out of business. The order returned to the
federal government, specifically the Treasury Department, the Constitutional
power to create and issue currency without going through the privately owned
Federal Reserve Bank. President Johnson reversed the order shortly after taking
office in November, 1963. Some conspiracy theorists believe this executive
order was the cause of President Kennedy's assassination.")
Eg the Fed is a PRIVATE
Bank, controlled by a Rothschilds led cabal that prints fiat currency it then
lends the USA govt which then raises taxes to pay said loans.
& all news outlets these last 94 years have maintained
it to be a US GOVT institution. We have similar radio silence on the 34 year
old Petrodollar & the 20 year old Plunge Protection Team.
WHY do YOU think this
is so?
Eg this utterly worthless
fiat currency is in turn dependent upon the Petrodollar (for its continuing
global reserve status), in turn dependent upon the petrodollar wars; morphing
into a war to bring in the Amero at the point of a smoking nuclear sixshooter,
so that the owners of the PRIVATE Fed reserve bank can write off a shedload of
debts acquire massive source of cannon fodder for more Amero wars/ use Mexican
Zetas to round up white USA workers/ middle classes `not pulling their weight'
in `the war on terror'
Hence, the Bum's rush for
the Iran war.
Eg the Lieberman/ Kyl
ammendment to a defense funding bill by declaring the Iranian Revolutionary
Guards a global terrorist organisation...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298157,00.html
...has given the Fed Reserve
(PRIVATE) Bank regime a pretext for the iran war/ conventional bombing of the
IRG in Iran by USA, creating a narrative pretext for a strategy of tension
nuclear terror op/ atrocity WITHIN the USA to pave the way for the nuking of
Iran/ Pakistan (& even Russia etc) & bring in the Amero/ North American
Union at the point of a smoking nuclear sixshooter...
Eg even Zbigniew
Brzezinski...
(architect of Operation
Cyclone http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=154
, entailing the arming of Jihadis to draw the USSR into invading Afghanistan
out of fear of having its central Asian missile bases over-run by Jihadis… Eg
USA petrodollar regime allied themselves with Saudi monarchy, who as custodians
of Mecca had to cover themselves from the threat of leftist or Islamic fascist
jihadi convergence; & allied themselves with the most reactionary fascist
forces by giving them vast amounts of danegeld to make trouble elsewhere.
ESPECIALLY Pakistan. Eg from where, Zbigniew Brzezinski [pictured at bottom of
link with Osama Bin Laden]...
http://www.jonesreport.com/articles/250407_brzezinski_911.html
...orchestrated the
development of the mujahadeen including one Osama Bin Laden, to draw the
Russians into invading out of fear of their central Asian missile bases being
over-run with jihadis)
...warned the Senate Foreign
relations Committee in Feb 2007...
http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2007/BrzezinskiTestimony070201.pdf
...of the threat of Gulf of
Tonkin II/ strategy of tension ops which would then be blamed on Iran leading
to a nuclear strike on Iran (leading also to war against Pakistan &
Russia). Which would then be blamed on Iran/ Pakistan leading to a nuclear
strike on Iran/ Pakistan leading also to war against Pakistan & Russia...
So WHO had the Means, Motive
AND Opportunity to acquire the missing (& hard to maintain) Russian nuclear
suitcase bombs? http://www.albionmonitor.com/9711b/suitcasebomb.html
(General Alexander Lebed
reported this in 1997 & was accused of treason by the comprador regime.
Putin was asked a Q about same &
said none had gone missing `on his watch’)
Bin Laden
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30003
& his Kosher sidekick
Adam Gadahn (AKA Adam Pearlman – grandson of board member of the Anti Defamation League - ADL)?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/may2007/300507phonytape.htm
Or the Rothschilds (Jacob
Rothschild is a friend of Mikhail Khordokhovsky & also purchased this so
called 'political prisoner's' shares in Yukos http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3235429.stm
) / Berezovsky – who actually ran Russia through their puppet Yeltsin following
the collapse of the USSR (see the Petrodollar, Brzezinski/ Operation Cyclone/
Bin Laden) in the pre Putin era?
ALSO of interest:
Navy veteran questions why
six nuclear missiles were flown on combat aircraft to staging area for Middle
East
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/october2007/091007veteran.htm
For much more info on, the
Controlled Demolition of the Petrodollar Imperium
http://www.geocities.com/Lucifer2e