"Islamic Mercy:" Roxana Saberi Free, Returning to Fargo, North Dakota

Roxana Saberi is free, but not exonerated.

"...Her sentence was changed to a two-year jail term suspended for five years, Iran's state-run news agency IRNA reported.

"State-run Press TV, citing 'officials close to the case,' reported that the suspended sentence 'will be automatically abolished if Saberi shows no unlawful conduct in the next five years.'..." (CNN)

I'll take her release, and regard it as good news.

As for the Ayatollahs, They're doing a fine job of showing the world their notion of Islamic justice at work. We're obviously supposed to be impressed.

"...A judiciary spokesman says the appeals court reduced Roxanna's jail term to a two-year suspended sentence as a gesture of 'Islamic mercy' because she had cooperated with authorities and expressed regret. Roxana's supporters are eager to welcome her home...." (WDAY)

Me? I'm impressed with this "Islamic mercy." Arrest a journalist, say she's a spy, threaten her with a long imprisonment, and then brag about being merciful when she's released.

I certainly am impressed with this "Islamic mercy." As I've said before, I don't assume that all Muslims follow the 'behead people your Imam doesn't like' flavor of Islam: so I won't claim that all Muslims are like the Ayatollahs and their band of followers.

Still, I certainly am impressed with this "Islamic mercy."

Last month, America's Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said: "...'Ms. Saberi was born and raised in the United States, yet chose to travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran due to her desire to learn more about her cultural heritage....' " (CNN)

I'd say that she's learned more about her cultural heritage than she wanted to. My own experience with Iranians has been quite positive, and I'm inclined to believe what her father said about the disconnect between the people of Iran and the little exercise in "Islamic mercy" that his daughter experienced.

"...The whole experience has been 'very depressing' for her, and she has gone through a great deal of frustration, Saberi's father said Monday. 'It will take some time before she can overcome it.'

"He added, 'It's not the [Iranian] people; they are very friendly. We don't understand why it happened.'..." (CNN)

Roxana's in good shape, according to her parents, considering that she's spent the last four months in an Iranian prison. According to WDAY-TV, the family will be back in Fargo in a few days.

I hope they are allowed to do so.

Related posts:

• "Ahmadinejad Urges Strong Defense for Roxana Saberi - 'Good Cop/Bad Cop'?"
  (April 19, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi, American-Iranian Journalist, Sentenced to Eight Years for 'Spying' "
  (April 19, 2009)
• "American Journalist Roxana Saberi: Fargo's Freedom; Iran's Ayatollahs"
  (April 14, 2009)

In the news:

• "Journalist's release prompts praise from Washington"
  CNN (May 11, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi is released from Iranian prison"
  WDAY (May 11, 2009)
• "Iran sentences U.S. journalist to 8 years"
  CNN (April 18, 2009)

Related posts, on censorship, propaganda, and freedom of speech.

'Pope Turns Back on Peace Dialog' - Sort of

I see in the news that the Pope is spreading distension in the Middle East. My guess is that, at least for a while, anything unpleasant that happens in the general vicinity of Israel will be the fault of the Jews - and the Pope. For 'sophisticated' people, at least.

A sample of what's been going on, during the Papal visit to Israel:

"Pope Benedict XVI urged the Israelis and Palestinians to find a 'just resolution' to their long-running conflict as he arrived in Israel Monday.

" 'I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue,' the pope said, 'So that both peoples may live in peace in a homeland of their own, within secure and internationally recognized borders.'..." (CNN)

Interreligious Dialog: 'Unite, Muslims and Christians, Against the Murderous Jews'

While in Israel, the Pope attended a meeting for interreligious dialog. Christians, Jews, and Muslims were there.

The Palestinian Authority's Chief Islamic Judge Sheik Tayseer Rajab Tamimi wasn't on the program, but he took the microphone right after the Pope. According to the sheik, Israel kills women and children.

Same old, same old.

I don't doubt that women who weren't putting suicide vests on their children at the moment have been killed by Israeli troops. When terrorists use occupied 'civilian' residences as shields, sooner or later they'll get the sort of publicity they want.

I'll give Sheik Tayseer Rajab Tamimi credit for trying an interesting variation on the tired old "death to the Jews/death to the great Satan America" line.

He said that Muslims and Christians have to work together against Israel.

" 'We struggle together and we suffer together from the injustice of the Israeli occupation and its oppressive practices, and we look forward to freedom and independence,' he said."

Before Germany's efforts to cleanse Europe's gene pool, back in WWII, that might have worked. Anti-Semitism isn't all that popular right now, as public policy. Not in America, anyway: I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem all that widely popular in Europe, either.

About the Pope's call for an independent Palestinian state, that sounds like a nice idea. I think it might work, provided that Arab leaders make good on their pledges of welfare for Palestinians, and that whoever runs the Palestinian state isn't the lot that regards killing Jews as a religious and/or patriotic duty.

The Pope left before the meeting was officially over, and so did a number of the Jews attending. I don't know what sort of significance that has: One news outlet said that the Pope shook Tamimi's hand before leaving. (Jerusalem Post)

In the news:

• "Pope addresses Holocaust, Mideast conflict on Israel visit"
  CNN (May 11, 2009)
• "Pope: Holocaust victims still heard"
  UPI (May 11, 2009)
• "Papal dialogue meeting cut short after Muslim cleric criticizes Israel"
  TheCatholicSpirit.com (May 11, 2009)
• "Sheikh attacks Israel, pope walks out"
  Jerusalem Post (May 11, 2009)
• "Pope's Israel visit raises tensions"
  AlJazeera (May 11, 2009)

Related posts:

• "Palestinian Plays Bocce Ball With Bulldozer and Police Car: Blast from the Past"
  (March 5, 2009)
• "Arab Leaders Pledge Billions to Gaza: But Not Quite Yet"
  (March 1, 2009)
• "Murderous Muslims, Catholic Extermination Camps, and Common Sense"
  (February 8, 2009)
• "'Go Back to the Oven' Message to Jews: Not in the News"
  (January 10, 2009)
• "Look at the Poor, Pulverized, Palestinians!"
  (January 6, 2009)
• "Hamas, Palestine, Israel, and How to Seem Sophisticated"
  (January 3, 2009)
• "Hamas Facing Logical Consequences: And the Jews Are to Blame"
  (January 3, 2009)
• "Carter Meetings Proof: Hamas a National Liberation Movement! Reality Check, Please"
  (April 19, 2008)
• "America is in Good Company: Bin Laden Slams Pope, Too"
  (March 20, 2008)
• " 'Pope attacks Iran at Jewish Congress'"
  (October 13, 2007)

Related posts, on tolerance, bigotry, racism, and hatred.

Related posts, on Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror.