Dissention is Death

out4good3

The parallels between the attitudes hardline Islamic clerics and the WT leadership shines through.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,78622,00.html

Friday, February 14, 2003

TEHRAN, Iran Iran's Supreme Court has lifted the death sentence ordered in the case of a university professor whose sentencing provoked nationwide demonstrations, one of the judges who heard his appeal said Friday.

Hashem Aghajari, a history professor at Tehran's Teachers Training University, had been condemned to death for insulting Islam and questioning clerical rule during a speech in June.

"The death sentence against Aghajari has been revoked by a majority of votes by the review judges. Three out of four of the judges voted to revoke the sentence," said Ayatollah Mohammad Sajjadi, one of the judges who heard the appeal in the Supreme Court in Qom.

"The decision came after weeks of careful study and scrutinizing of Aghajari's entire speech. Three out of four judges decided that the charges against Aghajari was not compatible with his speech," said Sajjadi.

He said the fourth judge opposed the lifting the sentence.

Hard-line clerics warned this month that they would execute Hashem Aghajari themselves if the court overturned the death sentence. It was not clear Friday what they intended to do.

Aghajari's sentencing last November provoked the biggest student protests in Iran in three years, and highlighted the power struggle between the country's liberals and hard-liners.

The parliament denounced the verdict as "disgusting" and President Mohammad Khatami said it "should never have been issued."

But hard-liners defended the verdict. Conservatives, who dominate government bodies such as the judiciary and police, oppose reformists allied to Khatami, accusing them of undermining the principles of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

In his speech last June, Aghajari infuriated hard-line clerics when he asked why only clerics were authorized to interpret Islam. He said that each new generation should be able to interpret the faith.

Aghajari initially said he would not appeal against the death sentence, challenging the judiciary to carry it out. But his lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, filed an appeal on Dec. 2 despite his client's objections.

Elsewhere

The only reason my family hasn't executed me is because the feel restrained by the laws that prevent them from doing this... just imagine if the JWs had a world of their own with the ability to pass whatever laws they wanted.... Ohhh, that's call the Middle East.

*** Nov 15, 1952 Watchtower ***
Questions from Readers
In the case of where a father or mother or son or daughter is disfellowshiped, how should such person be treated by members of the family in their family relationship?-P. C., Ontario, Canada.
We are not living today among theocratic nations where such members of our fleshly family relationship could be exterminated for apostasy from God and his theocratic organization, as was possible and was ordered in the nation of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai and in the land of Palestine. "Thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him to death with stones, because he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God, . . . And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee."-Deut. 13:6-11, AS.
Being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live and also by the laws of God through Jesus Christ, we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent, that is, consistent with both sets of laws. The law of the land and God's law through Christ forbid us to kill apostates, even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship.

Carmel

This will surely put our dear friend O'riely in the "liberal" camp! He's painted himself into a corner with this one "labeling" the fanatical clerics "conservative" and those wishing for freedom from oppression as "liberals".

Ya gotta love it!

carm

Francois

Do you all remember the "WT Study Article" that maybe Amazing or someone wrote here a year or more ago that was all about how before, the GB's understanding was that even though in ancient times apostates were stoned to death, modern-day JW's had not up to that time, been privileged to put apostates to death. However, new light had been revealed...

And on and on and on in that vein? I didn't realize it was someone having us all on. I bought it. Hook. Line. Sinker. The entire shot. I was stomping around the house loading up my .357 and inviting the JWs to come on in for a piece of me.

It was only a little later that I realized that we had in that guy a writer worth his salt. I wish I could remember who that was and the date of the post. It was chilling. He got me, he got us all, really good.

But you know what's scary about it? The fact that I COULD BUY THE IDEA that JWs would come after apostates with a view to killing them.

Does anyone remember this great, great WT "study article"

francois

CoonDawg

Well, hell yeah, they'd love to mow down a group reveling at a local 'postafest....if they could kill each of us, it's that much less likely that we will rain on their parade by exposing them for what they are. They, like most fundamentalists, would LOVE to pick this particular detail of mosaic law to focus in on...though, of course, it would only be excercised by those in power...

After all..."All animals are equal....some are more equal than others." --George Orwell "Animal Farm"

ThiChi

One more reason to respond to these Islamo-Fascists before its too late!