Roxana Saberi Out of Iran, in Vienna: Islamic Mercy Followed Through

Roxana Saberi, the journalist who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, has dual citizenship, and went through several months of prison and trials in Iran, is in Vienna. She's spending some time with a friend.

That's good news.

I'm glad to see that she was allowed to actually leave Iran, after the Ayatollahs showed "Islamic mercy."

"...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...." (WDAY)

I'm impressed, if not favorably, with "Islamic mercy," as demonstrated by the Ayatollahs and their followers.

I still think there's reason to believe that the bizarre antics of Saudi courts, Sudan's reaction to a teddy bear, beheadings by Al Qaeda, and the Taliban's 'death to men who wear trousers' policy, aren't entirely representative of Islam.

But, Islam's loudest defenders seem determined to portray the religion as something that was over the top thirteen centuries ago, and has no place in the civilized world.

An ironic twist to the story of this Iranian-Japanese-American journalist and her treatment by Iran's rulers gets mentioned at the end of this video:

"She was working on a book about the Iranian culture when she was arrested." (AP)

"Freed Journalist Leaves Iran"

AssociatedPress, YouTube (May 15, 2009)
video (1:17)

Related posts:

• ""Islamic Mercy:" Roxana Saberi Free, Returning to Fargo, North Dakota"
  (May 11, 2009)
• "Ahmadinejad Urges Strong Defense for Roxana Saberi - 'Good Cop/Bad Cop'?"
  (April 19, 2009)
• "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:

• "US journalist freed from Iran arrives in Austria"
  The Associated Press (May 15, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi Arrives in Vienna from Iran"
  The Lede, The New York Times Blog, (May 15, 2009)
  • includes embedded video
• " Freed U.S. journalist leaves Iran"
  CNN (May 15, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi arrives in Vienna"
  Los Angeles Times (May 15, 2009)
• "Roxana Saberi is released from Iranian prison"
  WDAY (May 11, 2009)