Kamangir (Archer)

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UCLA Abuse.2, Or Muslim Against Muslim

Kamangir | November 21, 2006 | Category Iran

The victim of the UCLA incident was an American abused by the American system. However, many of us preferred to look at him through his connections to Iran or Islam. Still, we are not sure if Mostafa Tabatabainejad can read Persian or if he says his prayers, but after all, this was a good reason to blame the American system and discrimination. What happens if an Iranian Muslim is killed by the Iranian Islamic Republic?

A few days ago a person very similar to Mostafa was abused. Unfortunately, no one had a cell phone with an embedded camera to capture the moment he was stabbed. Even if anyone did have a handy camera, I am not sure he would dare take pictures. The story goes like this,

Saturday evening, around 8pm, Towhid Ghafar Zadeh (Persian: ØªÙˆØÛŒØ¯ ØºÙØ§Ø±Ø²Ø§Ø¯Ù‡) is standing in front of the gates of the university of Sabzevar, accompanied by his fiancee. That is right before a member of Basij, the Islamic militia, starts struggling with him [for having relationship with a female person out of wedlock] and subsequently stabbs him. He passes away in the hospital. University security says the stabber has called his action “to be inspired by his religious ideas and Sharia” (see).

We all laughed sarcastically when UCLA administration called for an investigation to the incident. In the Iranian version, though, the Ministry of Higher Education implicitly praises the idea, while condemning “overreaction”. As the ministry sees the event, the killer has been “trying to save the girl from an abuser” (see). Then, dean comments on the incident, which to his information “has been only one minute long”. He denies that the killer has been a member of Basij by saying “he has had mental problems and his mood is very different from Basij members” (see).

From the experience of living in a country controlled by Sharia, or whatever they call it, I know that an important part of “Islam” is the so called “lead to the good and stop from the bad”. In my ideology books I was even taught how to carry out that. So, basically, I am allowed to judge people and then apply my ideas on them. This rather negligible deviation leads to what has happened.

If you think anything serious will happen to the killer, you are dead wrong. He can use the mental disorder claim or very simply “prove” that he has had a religious goal. Just like that…

This piece is also posted here.

Reader's Comments

azah | November 21st, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Dear Arash I think you are confusing two different concepts, one is the corruption of a judiciary system which allows people to abuse their powers with no consequences the other one is the rationalization for bases of a legal system. These are two different issues that are both need to be addresses in an ideal society. In the US case it was the first one that had to be addresses while in our Iranian system they both need to be addressed. For example in the past even before this Islamic regime was in power we had the same corruption problem, just replace the Basij person with some of shahâ€™s family member and still no consequences would follow.
kamangir | November 21st, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Azah,
I understand what you mean but here we are talking about an ideology which supports corruption under the name of Allah.
anonymous | November 21st, 2006 at 11:53 pm
And here’s another person, Mansour Osanlou, http://www.kosoof.com/archive/332.php
Loopy | November 22nd, 2006 at 2:09 pm
In case you are interested in an update on the UCLA incident:
http://zayyani.free.fr/blog/?p=530
Mahi | November 22nd, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Arash
How many cases you have seen that the killers (basiji or others) have not ponished?this “Dead wrong” pharase should have at least a tousends items behind it. check this http://www.manintexas.persianblog.com/
kamangir | November 22nd, 2006 at 4:15 pm
Anonymous,
Good example.
kamangir | November 22nd, 2006 at 4:15 pm
Loopy,
Thanks for the update.
kamangir | November 22nd, 2006 at 4:16 pm
Mahi,
Please! Have you forgotten the case of Hajjarian’s assassination? And all other Basij-related terrors? Come on!
Mahi | November 22nd, 2006 at 4:42 pm
I didn’t mean political cases,you know better than me if you want to get no result in Iran,make your case political.
I was talking about ordinary life cases.
kamangir | November 22nd, 2006 at 6:16 pm
Mahi,
Let’s see if I have gotten you point: You mean a member of Basij undergoes the same judiciary system as other people do. Right?
ella | November 23rd, 2006 at 5:09 am
Archer

What I am surprised at is that after independent administrative hearing policeman was suspended not thrown out of police force. I will wait what the legal trial will show because this event is in my view too politicized. Most people assume that either student is right because he was of iranian descent so he was discriminated against. I had different view, however if that police guy had history of rather violent dealing with some people then perhaps that policeman was in the wrong. Nevertheless the student shouting about Patriot Act shows rather clearly his views.
So I will wait for the trial.
And that is the main difference between Iran and the West, in Iran some people because they belong to political/religious parties are above legal procedures. Although to be truthfull rich people in the West can afford to buy the best lawyers increasing the possibility of the verdict being “not guilty”.
Mahi | November 23rd, 2006 at 9:54 am
We are in different page:)
good luck.
kamangir | November 23rd, 2006 at 12:57 pm
the student shouting about Patriot Act shows rather clearly his views.

So? From when people are punished because of their “views”?
kamangir | November 23rd, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Mahi,
No we are not! :)
Mahi | November 23rd, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Yes, we are. I am in page 220, where are u?:))(kidding)
what I want to say has been said clearly in the link (manintexas belog)that I previusly wrote and here (Behnood’s article in “ETEMADE MELLI “http://www.roozna.com/Negaresh_site/FullStory/?Id=23473
that is where I am.Constructive and ducumented critique is what I belive in,others are just nagging.
ella | November 24th, 2006 at 3:17 am
Kamangir

Never said that people should be punished for their view of Patriot Act, if that would be true half of US would be punished. I just said that it shows his view on government overall. He did not shout on that policeman “you stupid pig” but put the blame for policeman behaviour on the government.
kamangir | November 25th, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Ella,
So what? I think we should go on and leave this subject. It is interesting how technicalities lead to forgetting human values. It is sad, very sad.
kamangir | November 25th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
Mahi,
Unfortunately, the line between constructive and destructive discussions is very fuzzy and subjective.