Jihad Watch reader David has kindly sent me the above photos and this report:
On Tuesday evening, a group of "Persian Royalists" "occupied" the Arc de Triomphe in the center of Paris to protest the Iranian nuclear program, and the emerging alliance between Russia, China, and Iran. They flew the flag called the "draphshe," which is the royal crescent of ancient Persia.The group undertaking the action is called "Derafsh e Kaviani". It is an anti-Islamic Iranian goup which is calling for the overthrow of the Islamic regime in Teheran, and its replacement by a royal regime. The protesters remained on the Arc de Triomphe until Wednesday morning.
Since 1995, this group has protested against the Iranian nuclear program, as well as the support for this program provided by Russia and China. In 2005 the group organized a protest in the European Union headquarters in Brussels against European negotiations with Teheran over the nuclear program. This group states that the Iranian nuclear program is one of the greatest dangers of our time. Their website is:
http://www.iran-resist.org/ -- but it is in French...
And they are right...Iran with a nuke is the the gravest danger America faces...Russia and china are blinded by a lust for power and greed..A book was written about this along time ago...Hats off these people are very brave...Iran has a very long arm.
the left and Democrats say they fear more Bush than Iran, how ironic that Iranian people know who to really fear, the iranian mullahs and iranian muslim fanatics. hats off to these brave souls, may it wake up the people of Europe and may they place hot coals at the feet of the EU elite and politicians.
americaningermany:
Well, I used to believe the same way. I guess the prevailing attitudes among the media and the political and intellectual elite cause that.
Arm em to the teeth,send the back to iran,let them go at the mullahs.
Recently I saw an interview with the former Empress of Persia - Farah Diba.
She was saying that most Iranians would like to see a return of royalty and she felt these people would overthrow the current government.
They hate sharia law.
The heir to the peacock throne, her son, is still around, and perhaps he will return from exile one day with his mother.
I hope she is right.
Good luck to these demonstrators.
americaningermany:
I guess those pinheads never heard about the millions of Iranians who died during the Iran/Iraq war, including young boys sent to certain death in landmined territory, or the hundreds of thousands if not millions of internal victims of the regime.
Or about Iran's contribution to the civil war in Lebanon, for that matter and its support for the bloody regime in Syria.
Perhaps you should remind them.
The Book of the Revelation is being played out before our eyes. Come quickly Lord Jesus.
Strikes me as odd that they chose to hang a sign written in English from the Arc de Triumphe since the French are such diehard linguomanicas.
GreatShaitan, they know who their friends are. Otherwise it would have been in French.
americaningermany:
there is a german blog whose operators have borrowed from Robert Spencer and they call themselves PI for "Politically Incorrect"...,sometimes its pretty ruff in there (germans), but I think it is the closest thing to JihatWatch in Europe:
http://www.myblog.de/politicallyincorrect
"I guess the prevailing attitudes among the media and the political and intellectual elite cause that [anti-American appeasement of Islam]."
The media and political elite cause that, and also reflect its broad presence among ordinary people.
Why is there an unconditional support of Persian royalty until we know for sure what it is? It's not the Sassanids or the Parthians, let alone the Medians, which were the last non-Islamic rulers that Persia had. They aren't the pre-Islamic Ilkhan descendants of Hulegu Khan either, who anyway were Mongols, not Persians.
They are Pahlavis. Who were Muslims who did little to de-Islamize Iran. That's what needs to happen. And no Iranian royal dynasty can pull that off, since the last one that they had was ages ago. Even from Reza Pahlavi, who wrote the book "Winds of Change", there is little to suggest that Islam would be de-fanged were he to be the one to come to power.
I like the fact that the Derafsh e Kaviani are anti-Islamic. While I am not anti-monarchy in any country (and don't really have an opinion on whether a monarchy or a republic is a better form of government), the fact that they claim to be "Persian Royalists" makes me pause. This isn't like the restoration of King Charles II in Britain, after a brief Cromwellian interlude - it's been 1400 years since Persia last had non-Islamic rulers. They can get it again, but a royal succession? Are they going to trace back the descendants, if any, of Yazdgird III and his son Phiroze, who settled in Tibet? Or are they going to put some new non-Muslim on the throne of Iran, and start a new dynasty?
How about simpler solutions, Derafsh e Kaviani?
It would be nice to see many, many more such protests from non-Americans around the world. And they probably chose English because 10% of France speaks and reads Arabic now.
The French have been in danger of "giving away the farm" to the Muslims for years.
Free Iran.
Does anyone else find it interesting that the sign is in English? We will stay strong for them and honor their bravery.
Gramfan,
Reza Pahlavi, the heir to the Peacock Throne of Iran lives in exile with his wife and three daughters near Wahington DC. He is a thoroughly decent man who should be Shah.
Despite the bad press, his father was an ruler who did his best to restrain the abuses of Islam and bring Iran into modernity. Because of this, Khomeini and his thugs hated him and hounded him into exile. However, the blame for the fall of the Iranian monarchy lies squarely on Jimmy Carter who btrayed this dependable ally of the West.
For more info on the man who could be leader of Iran, you can vist his website at:
www.rezapahlavi.org
or
www.rezapahlavi.org/index.htm
Unfortunately, the US gives no support to the Persian monarchists and instead finances the Iranian Peoples Mujahhidin which is a bizarre Islamo-Marxist personality cult.
Given the horrendous human rights records of China and Russia (and Iran's mullahs) it is extremely unlikely that this very legitimate organization, the Persian Royalists, is going to make significant progress in its cause at least in the near future. And that is a shame; I support their cause wholeheartedly.
I am aware of the Persian civilization and its greatness. I am in profound horror over the tragic past millennium that these fine people have been forced to endure under the inhuman yolk of Islam. I truly hope this organization DOES FREE Persia whatever it takes. BUT-----
Are China and Russia (or the mullah-monsters)going to permit the Persian Royalists to succeed in its cause?
I am afraid the answer is no, unfortunately. At least, not without the greatest struggle of the new millennium.
Let's look at China's destruction of Tibet in the 1950s (brutal repression in action). We might also examine Myanmar's 1990s military coup and note that this dictatorship is a Beijing-sponsored puppet/monstrosity. Then there is Tiananmen Square...China has been threatening to nuke Taiwan if it doesn't yield to Beijing rule--and Moscow has offered to assist in any way it can in subduing Taiwan if necessary (very accommodating of Putin). Beijing may also be the real force propping Venezuela's dictator-elect, Hugo Chavez. China is also preparing nuclear first-strikes against America, according to Gordon Chang, an authority on Red China.
Not an encouraging record. And, God forbid, Iran's oil petro-dollars from China will almost certainly be used to keep the Iranian people repressed with Beijing's again almost certain full approval.
Russia is no less brutal under the iron fists of Vladimir Putrid. Although he has not yet established a global track record of horrors on par with Beijing's, given enough time he certainly will.
These brave souls,the Persian Royalists, are demonstrating plenty of verve and guts. Good thing too, they will need it. I admire them!
America should stand firmly behind these people and help them drive out of Persia the Communist aggressor-imperialists that are China and Russia and Venezuela(Hugo Chavea has gotten real touchy-feely with the mullahs lately).
In fairness, past American foreign policy in Iran may not have been much help either. We should attempt to make things right with the Persian people if we can.
ps-- a memo to the Persians: consider capturing Ahmadinejad and extraditing him to the US where he is wanted for kidnapping and accessory to murder. (Actually if you can assassinate the b*st*rd, that would be fine too).
A memo to the Russian people: You should eliminate Vladimir Putin!
With such a large % of the Iranian population under 30, one wonders what sort of image the Pahlavi dynasty has. Do young Iranians have any desire to restore a regime they do not remember? Has the Peacock Throne been consigned to the junkyard of history? The Pahlavi clan could not hold onto power when they had it; what are the odds of a restoration?
Not having a personal memory of the pre-mullah-nian past in Iran may not be such a bad thing in the younger crowd. People have a tendency to glorify and romanticize the unexperienced past when their present is unsatisfactory.
Anything less Islamic is progress.
Read Among The Belivers where V. Naipul inspects several Islamic countries including Pakistan and Iran . . . all failed states. What I found interesting in his travelogue is that more than a few people in Pakistan admitted the state was corrupt and was a failure, but never--not once--was the blame placed at Islam. Far from it, the blame was that Pakistan was not sufficiently Muslim. More Islam was the only answer. To see how far, how low Iran has disinigrated since 1979 is truly sad, pathetic. The revolution was considered--at the time--to be a time of hope. Out with the old, in with the new. Of course, the useless promises and alliances of Khomani were all for show. The leftists, the secular crowd, many Jews and others were jailed, killed, or, if lucky, moved to LA.
I wonder how their mind 'ticks.' For the rich, who send their sons to America for education, must ask, 'why can't we produce such academic centers?' Is it that America is 'more Muslim?' What tortured logic they must endure to rationalize everything away. Murdering fellow Muslim adherents in Mosques, one day weddings with child brides in India. This is Islam? If the problem is not Islam but one of the sins in man's heart, then there must be a hell of a lot of sinners within Islam. Of course, the opposite reality is too painful to consider: that the problem is not 'man' but the problem is Islam itself.
biorabbi-
Islam is like a Stupid Helmet forced onto the growing skulls of every young Muslim child that locks them at Moron forever. And ever.
The first line of the Koran: "This book is not to be doubted" is the crassest piece of absurd, mind-killing lunacy ever written by a man.
And they're forced to regurgitate this idiocy, daily, for life.
How could you NOT end up an imbecile?
Sic semper 'sacred' sucker.
The sign says that they "warn" russia and china. What does that mean? Sounds like a threat. With those funny hats, they don't look to threatening, though.
What the world needs, is some anti-islam terrorism for a change. Maybe if these clowns actually blew something up, perhaps I could cheer for them.
"What the world needs, is some anti-islam terrorism for a change."
According to Timothy McVeigh, Noam Chomsky, Ward Churchill, Michael Moore, Michael Berg, Cindy Sheehan, Sean Penn, Hot Lips Jolie, probably her husband Brad, probably also the groom's best man George Clooney, George Soros, George Galloway, et cetera ad nauseam -- America is the anti-Islam Terrorist the world doesn't need.
I am all for supporting Iranian youth who want to overthrow their lunatic, insane, Mullahcracy. As for their attempt to restore the monarchy, that's a pipe dream. They're not stupid -- I believe they can establish a Democratic Republic, which they would be more successful at doing.
Pythagoras, Vladimir Putin has done a magnificent job of clobbering the Chechen Islamist radicals. The problem is that the Bush admin went out of its way to antagonize Putin by parroting the EU invectives, and expanding the dying NATO right upto Russian borders, attempting to give it new life at Russia's expense.
Let's also remember that it was the US which was originally backing the Taliban in conjunction with Pakistan, for the very purpose of creating an Islamist beachead into CentralAsia and "liberating" it from Putin. Let's not forget the bad old ways and days of Unocal. We can see how that whole stupid venture turned out -- it resulted in 9/11.
Instead of trying to divide the anti-Islamist camp, the Bush admin should have turned away from its EU-sponsored collision course with Russia at the outset. Antagonizing Putin off the bat, and then blaming him for not liking you, is a pathetic way to attempt foriegn policy.
It's thinking like this which will only leave the US friendless and isolated. I find American anti-Islamists to be a bunch of slow-witted dinosaurs who are floundering in slow-motion while sinking deeper into the tar pits. Their inability to adapt to the new geopolitical realities is keeping the anti-Islamist bloc divided.
The US should place higher importance on relations with Russia than on its relations with EU. Because EU doesn't care a fig about the Islamist militant threat, since it has no borders with Islam. They're just not a reliable ally in this new war, where they don't have any appreciable stakes.
Russia has moved towards Iran because the US has gone out of its way to drive it into Iran's arms.
Clutching a rusty blade called NATO and holding it to Russia's throat, is no way to woo an ally. If the US is still stuck in the Cold War of the previous era, and hasn't yet made up its mind to fully commit to the new war on Islamist terror, then its Hamlet-style hesitation will prove to be fatal.
television:
the Americans you have mentioned share primarily ANTI-AMERICAN AGENDAs and have been acting out of hatred against mainstream America. None of the people you have mentioned represents American society. The desired political goal of most of these people is to destroy America.
The anti-American movement which the people you mentioned typify not based in America. Most of these people have strongly leftist views which are represented in countries where Communism and fascism has resurfaced. Venezuela would be a good example. So would Red China.
As for the world not needing America, the USA spends 200 billion dollars on global charities many of them very important. America in addition grows one-third of the world's food supply.
So I take exception to your comment about us, pal.
Pythagoras, read more about:
How the West Spurned Russia
So now we can see why they're hanging around with Tehran and Beijing. The answers are all right under the nose.
sanman: Not true.
Please read Claire Sterling's book 'Network of Terror' written in the 1970s. An alliance between elements within Russia and Islamic terror networks in Iran and elsewhere has been in place since the 1970s if not earlier. There is little reason to think it has been dismantled.
So please tell us why Russia was selling nuclear and other weapons technology to Saddam Hussein's government during the 1990s? America "drove" Russia to do this? Or did Russia do this of its own accord for worldwide political leverage? Before you mention that America did this in the 1980s (which is true), recall that that was before Hussein made his power play in Kuwait in 1990 and later sent his Mukhabarat intelligence agents into Sudan to deal with al-Qaeda on a regular basis (it happened), and had become a jihad/terrorism sponsor in the process. Russia's conduct endangered countless civilians across the globe then as it has recently with its deals Iran's mullahs recently. Iran is a major sponsor of Islamic terrorism if you didn't know it already (Iran's Hizbollah is the world' largest terrorism network). The pattern of Russian foreign policy is unmistakable.
A personal friend of mine who immigrated from Iran to the US in the 1980s remarked to me that the Iranian mullahs "would be able to do nothing without Russia." This person clearly did not see eye to eye with you about Iran's relationship with Russia and he's an Iranian! A visitor to America from Russia recently commented to me that Russia did NOT leave Communism behind it just hid its allegiance to Communism from the world. Even if you disagree, remember this person was FROM RUSSIA....
In the early 1990s the Russian government signed an anti-US alliance with China which is still in effect. Russia's selling of nuclear and missile technologies to Iran was strictly of its own accord--an act which is consistent with the goals of this pact. On the basis of this it is difficult to see how anyone "drove" Russia to do anything. No one 'drove' Russia and the Putin government to do anything on the international stage. The Russian government is doing what it has been right along--playing a double game. Slapping the western democracies on the back with one hand, and stabbing them in the back with the other. It is not at all clear that Russia ended its own Cold War practices and therefore the US cannot be expected to trust Russia, especially in view of its dealings in the Middle East.
I might add, you will notice that the Persian Royalists don't agree with you here either. But ultimately, Russia will be held accountable to the Iranians in this case--not the Americans. Unless of course the Iranian mullahs attack western nations with their nuclear missiles. Russians better hope that this doesn't happen!
As for Chechnya, MEMRI website possesses some recently-taken videos which indicate that Islamic insurrection is alive and well there. Russia's war there is not focused on fighting terrorism, by the way, it is focused on maintaining territorial sovereignty and control over natural resources (which I am not actually critical of--it just does not happen to be particularly anti-terrorism). Russia would be fighting anyone trying to take sovereign land away from it (and who wouldn't).
Russia has yet to show that it has the will stand up to Islamic terror. And for the moment I doubt if it will--cutting deals with Iran's fanatical mullahs is not way to do this. If Russia does not stand up to Islamic terror and remains a handmaiden to Islamic terrorism, Russia alone will be responsible for that decision.
pythagora, Of course, I don't agree with those deranged people I listed; but I don't agree with your rosy picture of the American people either. I'd say that the majority of the Blue States are solid whitewashers of Islam -- whether naively so, or out of lurking self-hatred (American anti-Americanism); and as the Dixie Chicks show, there is probably a significant minority in the Red States who share the same confused deformation. Add that up, and you get millions (out of the total population of 300 million) of ordinary Americans who are no better than the Canadian and European dhimmis.
Pythagoras, I find your comments to be a diversionary whitewash. Please remember that Russia is NOT the USSR. Whatever the Soviet communists did, the Russians are not the automatic inheritors of. If that were the case, then there'd be no Russo-German pipeline treaty, or Russian arms sales to China.
The Russians are under severe Islamist attack, and they've done the right thing in bombing their domestic Islamic insurgents back into the stone age. The problem with those in charge of American foreign policy is that they always coddle the Sunnis. Coddling the Saudis, coddling the Pakistanis -- these so-called "allies" are the heart and soul of Islamist terror.
The US seems to have reserved its whimsical anti-Islamist stance solely for the Iranian Shiites and for the Arab Communist Baathists. How can we contain the Islamist threat when the Whitehouse has left a huge gap where the Sunnis are concerned??
Trying to pretend that the Iranians are the heart and soul of Taliban or AlQaeda is nonsense. The main threat is from the Sunnis. Oh, I don't say that the Shiites didn't have their moment of Schadenfreude when 9/11 occurred -- hell, so did Castro, I bet. But I'm saying that Shiites aren't the lifeblood of AlQaeda -- it's the Sunnis who are. And the US can't seem to get out of bed with the Sunnis.
Cribbing at the Russians after driving them to the Iranians, or alluding to some obsolete network between the Soviets and the Iranians is like the tall tales told about Saddam's WMD. It's cute contrived fiction, but it won't stand up to scrutiny, and it's nothing to base geopolitical strategy upon.
sanman:
I'm with Pythagoras on Russian duplicity. Putin is an old KGB guy who wants to revive the glory days of being a superpower.
As for who is the real "Islamic threat", I believe much of the money the (Sunni) Saudis have spent around the world over the last 30 years has been spent to maintain the Sunni claim to being "defenders of the faith" in direct response to the Shia Khomeini revolution. The battleground, so far, has been Israel/Lebanon.
sanman: Iran is the source of a terrorist network called Hizbollah. It is the world's largest terror network. Hizbollah has murdered more people than has al-Qaeda.
You do not have to believe ME. It is a fact nonetheless whether you believe it or not. I recommend that you do your homework on terrorism before telling me about nonsense in this field.
Although the Shia and Sunni do not get along and gladly slaughter each other, Sunnis also slaughter Sunnis and Shia also slaughter Shia. So the danger the non-Islamic world faces comes from from Islam--PERIOD.
As for Russia, old habits die hard. Germany, you will remember is the birth place of Karl Marx. An alliance between Germany and Russia is not surprising especially when you realize that Germany has a large and powerful Commnist party of which Gerhard Schroder was once a member (and may not have renounced all of his beliefs). If Russia was so concerned about Islamic terrorism it had no business dealing with iran's mullahs. Since it did I have no choice but to believe it is duplistic in its cliams to be concerned about islamic terrorism against it. Or maybe it just needs more honest leaders than it now has.