Iran: Pro-Regime Media Asks, "Which is Worse: Stoning or Prostitution?"

We are still working on the tribute to our new favourite Iran website, www.barackobama.ir. Who is behind its latest news, incisive analysis, and essential question, "Is Obama the First Jewish President?"



In the meantime, we bring you today's top story from the site, "Why did Iranian Media call Carla Bruni a 'prostitute'?"

In view of the fact that committing adultery as well as being an accomplice in spouse’s murder is described as ‘pure love’ by Carla Bruni without paying any attention to religious beliefs of Iranians relying on her immoral mentality, she has to be ready for Iranian people’s judgment.

"According to the recent reports Carla Bruni- Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife who became accidentally the French ‘First Lady’ in a night party- supported Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani who was sentenced to death because of committing adultery and being an accomplice in her husband’s murder." Iranian Media reported.

"The French First Lady’s support of Sakineh Ashtiani along with the other vulgar film’s stars is due to their resemblance to Sakineh Ashtiani." Iranian Media, referring to the sexual scandals of Carla Bruni such as her illicit relationships before and after her marriage.

It is evident that Carala Bruni was just shocked of being called prostitute by Iranian Media. She’s not a prostitute in western culture even if she has the illicit relationships and she got bored with monogamy. That’s because a prostitute is who has sex just for money in western culture.

Carla Bruni has no rights to protest!

Carla Bruni described the "adultery" as "pure love" in support of Sakineh Ashtiani paying no attention to religious beliefs of Iranian people as well as their social rules. So she should be ready for every judgment having no rights to protest, when she interferes in Iran’s affairs.

In Iran, the prostitution means having any covert sexual relationship, even though the promiscuity is "freedom" in Bruni’s opinion.

As Iranian Media reported, they believe that bruni’s immoral mentality makes family basis unstable. These relations are also unacceptable in French public opinion and they think Carla Bruni had really bad effects on Sarkozy’s popularity as his wife.

Considering our ancient literature as well as the Iranian religious society, it was really difficult but inevitable to use the word of "prostitute" for informing the people publishing a part of this promiscuous woman’s immoral acts. Bruni’s support of an adulteress and an accomplice in a murder was so significant and ridiculous; that’s why Iranian Media had to publish such a report.

Which is worse? Stoning or promiscuity

Thanks to laws enacted by Islam for better life, the family structure is more solid in Iran and there aren’t such anomalies in our country. Stoning is one of these laws with human object even though it seems cruel. Stoning shows how important is family structure in Islam and Islam imposes heavy penalty for treachery which causes instability of family structure.

There are so difficult situations to condemn somebody to stoning in Islam, that’s why it is one of the rare punishments just for public immoral crimes which affect Muslim society. Islam even invites the criminal to Towbeh suggesting them not repeating the crime.

Contrary to the number of the spouses and children whose life is corrupted as a result of unstable family basis in western countries, a few numbers of people were condemned to stoning during the last years in Iran. Who knows how many people committed murder or even suicide because of mental complex in western families?

It is better that the western experts study the crime rate in western countries comparing it to the reasons of the decreasing crimes in Iran as well as fidelity of Iranian men and women to their families. That’s exactly what the Iranian Media suggest to the western countries.

The Latest from Iran (1 September): The Threat of Stoning

1750 GMT: Repression. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has issued a new statement, "Authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran are continuing to arrest and jail civil society activists while persecuting and prosecuting independent lawyers."

“With a majority of Iranian human rights activists and lawyers already imprisoned or forced into exile, their remaining colleagues are systematically being taken down by the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,” Aaron Rhodes, a Campaign spokesperson said.

1740 GMT: At the Movies. Esteemed director Jafar Panahi, who was detained for three months earlier this year, has been barred by Iran authorities from attending the Venice Film Festival.

Panahi's short film "Accordion" is showing at the event, but he claims he has officially been banned from making movies for five years. He says, ""Despite having been released, I am still not free to travel outside my country to attend film festivals. When a filmmaker is not allowed to make films, it is as if his mind was still imprisoned. Maybe he is not locked up in a small cell, but he keeps wandering in a much bigger jail."

NEW Iran Special: Thoughts on Protest, Stoning, and Human Rights (Shahryar)
Iran: Ahmadinejad’s Trash Talk (Theodoulou)
Iran Witness: Activist Mahboubeh Karami on Six Months in Detention
Iran: The Latest on the Karroubi “Siege” and the Qods Day Rally
The Latest from Iran (31 August): Unity? What Unity?

1515 GMT: Karroubi Watch. In a meeting with clerics and students of Qom, Mehdi Karroubi has said the intrusion of some security and intelligence forces in hawzah (religious circles) is "very alarming".

1500 GMT: Economy Watch. Conservative MP Ali Motahari, a member of Parliament's Communications Commission, has issued a warning over privatisation: "We oppose any kind of monopoly in the (tele)communications sector."

Khabar Online reports an extensive reshuffle of officials in Iran's national oil company is on the way, concluding that the move is "not sensible at all".

An EA correspondent reads the report as a warning of consolidation of power by Ahmadinejad allies.

1440 GMT: Today's We-Are-Not-Scared-at-All Message. Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi has declared, "If people stage a riot or coup, we must stop them with security forces."

1425 GMT: Another Slap at Ahmadinejad's Foreign Policy. Hossein Sobhani-Nia, a member of the National Security Council, has repeated the Supreme Leader's criticism of the President's appointment of four special representatives for international matters.

Sobhani-Nia declared that Ayatollah Khamenei had said that the Foreign Ministry's position should not be damaged. He emphasised that, for unity in foreign policy and in accordance with the Constitution, all decisions must be made by the Foreign Ministry. Parallel organisations should not stop that and division in foreign policy should not prevent Iran from reaching its goals.

1415 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Teacher's union activist Mokhtar Asadi has been released on bail after two months in detention.

1400 GMT: The Karrroubis Fight the Siege. Fatemeh Karroubi, the wife of Mehdi Karroubi, has written to the Supreme Leader to condemn the attacks on her home and family by pro-regimes crowds.

Fatemeh Karroubi asks the Leader: “What do the disagreements between you and my husband over issues, that are evident to all by now, have to do with our right to live?”

She pulls no punches as she describes the crowd chanting “derogatory words” against Mehdi Karroubi and “writing slogans on the walls of the residential complex and the neighbours' houses": “These obvious crimes are taking place with your support and in front of the security forces who do not dare to approach these attackers.”

So, noting the policy of “attacking the family and neighbours of political opponents”, Fatemeh Karroubi asks Ayatollah Khamenei if he condones such “unethical acts".

1350 GMT: Claim of the Day. From the Supreme Leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guards, Mojtaba Zolnour: "Israel is out to kill the hidden (12th) Imam."

1345 GMT: Academic Corner. Minister of Science Kamran Daneshjoo, who threatened universities with "destruction" if they were not Islamic enough, now wants a referendum on their fate.

Iranian authorities have "retired" almost 20 senior officials at universities in recent months.

0920 GMT: A Break in Service for Birthdays and Monkeys. It is Ms EA's birthday today, and we're celebrating by going to Monkey Forest --- yes, really.

I'll be away until late afternoon but, as usual, I know I can rely on EA's top-flight readers to bring in the latest news and analysis.

0825 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Mojgan Ebadi and Nasim Rouhi, both of the Baha'i community, have been re-arrested 24 hours after their release from prison.

RAHANA also reports that more activists have been detained in northern Khuzestan in western Iran.

0815 GMT: The Next Campaign? International attention to the case of 18-year-old Ebrahim Hamidi, sentenced to death for sodomy, is growing. Writers Philippe Besson and Gilles Leroy organised an open letter by French activists, publicised by Le Monde last week.

0715 GMT: If You Don't Accept Stoning, You are a Prostitute (cont.). The Foreign Ministry may have told off "hard-line" media for calling Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a "prostitute" after she criticised the death sentence handed down to Sakineh Mohammad Ashtiani; however, the message does not seem to have gotten through.

Iran Newspaper on Network (INN), citing British reports of Bruni's past affair with singer Mick Jagger, declares, "Western Media approved implicitly the fact that Carla Bruni is a prostitute". (The story has been reprinted in the almost surreal website www.barackobama.ir. More on this "news outlet" later in the week.)

0655 GMT: Sieges for Qods Day. Pro-regime crowds, who surrounded the home of Mehdi Karroubi on Sunday and Monday night, reportedly moved to the house of reformist politician and cleric Abdollah Nouri on Tuesday evening.

0650 GMT: Freedom of the Press? Daneshjoo News reports that several journalists of Nasim-e Bidari magazine were threatened and interrogated on Tuesday.

0645 GMT: On Air. RASA TV, the Internet-based opposition channel, is now broadcasting.

0605 GMT: Labour Front. Writing for In These Times, Kari Lyderson reports on the continuing repression of Iran's trade unionists, specifically members of the Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate.

0600 GMT: We have posted a special feature by Josh Shahryar, reflecting on the reaction to his speech at last Saturday's rally in Washington against stoning, "Thoughts on Protest, Stoning, and Human Rights".

0500 GMT: We noted earlier this week how the controversy had grown over the death sentence for adultery --- initially to be carried out by stoning, though that has been suspended --- handed down on Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani; indeed, the Iranian Government was now appearing very unsettled by the reaction.

Although one website supporting the Government has tried to deflect the issue with the question, "Does the West Want a Real Discussion with Iran?", it is unlikely to disappear. There are reports of two other people condemned to die by stoning. Yesterday Ashtiani's son Sajad said his mother was subjected to a "mock execution", told last Saturday that she was to be hanged at dawn on Sunday.

Ashtiani wrote her will and embraced her cellmates in Tabriz Prison just before the call to morning prayer, but nothing happened as she waited. Sajad Ashtiani said, "Pressure from the international community has so far stopped them from carrying out the sentence but they're killing her every day by any means possible."

Sajad Ashtiani added that he had been told by Iranian authorities that the file on his father's murder case had been lost. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, first convicted of adultery, was later found guilty of complicity in the homicide.