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Politics : Israel to U.S. : Now Deal with Syria and Iran -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas M. who wrote (1032)	6/4/2003 8:19:55 PM
From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck	Respond to of 22250

The US media has not trumpeted on the nonevent of an imagined fatwa being lifted on Salman Rushdie (peace be upon him) because koranics (piss be on them) are consummate liars and no one would believe them (the koranics) anyway.

To: Thomas M. who wrote (1032)	6/4/2003 8:39:35 PM
From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck	Respond to of 22250

The threat of death made against that brilliant man, Salman Rushdie, was not renounced. It was *RENEWED* Cease spreading your pathetic, koranic lies: Saturday, 15 February, 2003, 06:29 GMT Iran 'renews' Rushdie death sentence Iranian hardliners occasionally renew calls for Rushdie's death Iran's hardline Revolutionary Guards have renewed the death sentence on British author Salman Rushdie issued 14 years ago by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khatami said in 2001 the death sentence should be seen as closed The hardline military organisation, which answers directly to Iran's current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that the original fatwa, issued in 1989 following the publication of Mr Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses", was still valid. "The historical decree on Salman Rushdie is irrevocable and nothing can change it," said a statement carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency. Iran's current president, the moderate Mohammad Khatami, has said that the death sentence should be seen as closed. However hardliners within the country have occasionally renewed their calls for Mr Rushdie's death for writing a novel, which they have denounced as blasphemous. These calls have continued despite the Iranian Government publicly committing itself in 1998 to not carrying out the death sentence, a decision which led to a deal between Iran and the UK to normalise relations. Gradual re-emergence The British Foreign Office said that the statement was "not the first time that statements have been made that are contrary to oft-repeated official Iranian policy". It also reiterated Iran's 1998 decision not "take any action whatsoever, to threaten the life of the author of the Satanic Verses or anyone associated with his work". Since 1989 Rushdie has received round-the-clock protection in the UK as a result of the Iranian Government's fatwa. The writer had to keep his whereabouts secret and he ended up living in 30 different locations in the UK over nine years. However after current Iranian Government distanced itself from the fatwa, Rushdie has begun to emerge more frequently in public, even appearing in the hit Hollywood movie Bridget Jones's Diary.

To: Thomas M. who wrote (1032)	6/6/2003 9:06:32 AM
From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 22250

The following is a frim account of a murderous koranic cult: Saudi executioner tells all Beshi says his job does not spoil his social life (photo: Arab News) Saudi Arabia's leading executioner says he is "very proud to do God's work" and does not lose sleep over beheading several people in one day. In a rare interview, Muhammad Saad al-Beshi, 42, told the Saudi daily Arab News that he had executed numerous women, as well as men. "Despite the fact that I hate violence against women, when it comes to God's will, I have to carry it out." He expressed indifference about the number of beheadings he was required to carry out. I sleep very well... I live a normal life like everyone else Muhammad Saad al-Beshi "It doesn't matter to me: two, four, 10 - as long as I'm doing God's will, it doesn't matter how many people I execute". Under the Gulf kingdom's strict Islamic Sharia laws, the death penalty can be imposed for murder, rape, apostasy, armed robbery, drug trafficking and repeated drug use. The Saudi authorities report public executions regularly - and are condemned by Western human rights groups. Choice of death Mr Beshi said he sometimes shot dead women convicted under Sharia. "It depends what they ask me to use. Sometimes they ask me to use a sword and sometimes a gun. But most of the time I use the sword," he said. When they get to the execution square, their strength drains away Muhammad Saad al-Beshi His job at a prison in Taif, where he had to handcuff and blindfold prisoners facing death, gave him a taste for executions, he told Arab News. Back in 1998, when he carried out his first execution in Jeddah, he was nervous, because many people were watching. But now he no longer suffers from "stage fright," he explained. "The criminal was tied and blindfolded. With one stroke of the sword I severed his head. It rolled metres away," he said, recalling his first beheading. "There are many people who faint when they witness an execution. I don't know why they come and watch if they don't have the stomach for it," he said. "No one is afraid of me. I have a lot of relatives, and many friends at the mosque, and I live a normal life like everyone else. There are no drawbacks for my social life." Treasured sword He is a contented father of seven. Beshi trains the next generation of executioners (photo: Arab News) Mr Beshi said his sword was a gift from the government. He keeps it razor sharp and sometimes his children help him clean it. "People are amazed how fast it can separate the head from the body," he said. Before an execution he visits the victim's family to seek forgiveness for the criminal, which can lead to the criminal's life being spared. "I always have that hope, until the very last minute, and I pray to God to give the criminal a new lease of life." Once an execution goes ahead, his only conversation with the prisoner is to tell him or her to recite the "Shahada" - an affirmation of Muslim faith. "When they get to the execution square, their strength drains away. Then I read the execution order, and at a signal I cut the prisoner's head off," he said. Training As an experienced executioner, Mr Beshi now trains others for the grim task. He is proud that his son was taken on as an executioner. Training focuses on how to hold the sword and where to bring the blade down. Sometimes he also has to carry out amputations of hands or legs. "I use a special sharp knife, not a sword. When I cut off a hand I cut it from the joint. If it is a leg the authorities specify where it is to be taken off, so I follow that."