In defence of the Iranian asylum
seekers participating
in a sit-in at the British parliament
right now
Maryam Namazie
People fleeing political Islam must be given asylum,
full stop.
You may think that this statement is outrageous.
Aren't most of them 'failed', 'illegals', 'scroungers'? Isn't only a handful
'genuine'?
No, they all are genuine. And for the very simple
reason that medieval Islamic laws are antithetical to 21st century lives and
values.
Let me explain. I say this not just because of outrages
like sweet 16 Atefeh Rajabi, hung from a city square for 'acts incompatible
with chastity' or Maryam Ayoobi, stoned to death for having sex outside of
marriage, or Abdul Rahman, facing execution in Afghanistan for converting to
Christianity... I say this not even because of the brutal attack and arrest of
women at a March 8 rally in Tehran or the arrest of Tehran bus workers,
including some of their wives and children, for demanding basic labour rights.
I say this for the everyday, more 'subtle' things - if
you can call them that. For the teacher threatened in Afghanistan, for doctors
being beaten in Iraq for treating female patients, for the students prevented
from studying because they did not pass the Islamic ideological test in Iran,
for the very fact that you cannot even give your child a non-Muslim name, for
the limited rights to divorce, for the reason that you cannot hold your lover's
hands and walk down the street...
The law, government agencies, army, baseej and
militias, just won't let you be. They just won't let you live your life even if
you have no intention of being politically active. They dictate your dress,
your sexual relationships, even the music you listen to.
And so we see that even though the British government
is jubilant that the asylum numbers are at a 13 year low in the
They have no choice but to come, thanks in large part
to this government's own policies in the region. But also thanks to cultural
relativism which deems that people deserve to live the way they are forced to.
Peace is at hand then - but according to Afghan standards; and Iranian prisons
are satisfactory then - for third world standards! It also has to do with the
close relations between governments and mostly because if they did grant
asylum, it would reflect most badly on them; after all
Saying that all those who do get here from
So too people fleeing political Islam have a right to
asylum. Full stop.
To see pictures of the sit-in: www.hambastegi.org/uk.htm
http://www.hambastegi.org/ifiruk/etelaye/tahson-pics-27-28march.htm.
To read more about the bogus
To support the sit-in and the International Federation
of Iranian Refugees' campaign, go to: http://www.hambastegi.org/ifiruk/eng-page.htm.
Support Iranian asylum seekers' sit-in
Three days sit-in in
(27-29 March in front of parliament)
Thousands of asylum seekers who have fled the Islamic
regime of
According to reports published by the Home Office, in
2005 alone more than 600 Iranian asylum seekers were deported back to the
Islamic regime of Iran and many more are at risk of being deported in the
future. Deporting Iranian asylum seekers to an Islamic dictatorship is taking
place despite the fact that any opposition is violently crushed, dissidents
suppressed, executions have increased, unfair trials are norms, freedom of
speech and press is denied, and human rights are violated with impunity.
In recent months, several political activists have
been executed; a number of young, teenaged gay boys have been hung publicly in
The flagrant violations of human rights by the Islamic
Republic of Iran have concerned many human rights organisations and even some
western governments! They have condemned state violence against the population
at large. It is interesting to note that the British government is amongst
those countries condemning the Islamic regime of Iran for violating human
rights but the truth is that its condemnations are nothing more than
politicking for its own political benefits not anything else!
The British government is not concerned that people in
The current policy of the British government towards
asylum seekers is totally arbitrary, irresponsible and inhumane Following our “life
without fear” campaign and in protest against these inhuman policies, the
International Federation of Iranian Refugees in the UK is organising a three
day sit-in protest on Monday- Wednesday 27- 29 March in London in front of
Parliament.
The International Federation of Iranian Refugees
(IFIR) in the
1-
2- There should be an immediate stop to all detentions
of Iranian asylum seekers. All those currently in detention in British prisons
for the ‘crime’ of seeking asylum should be freed;
3- Given the present suppressive nature of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, the British government must change its policy towards the
asylum seekers and grant them refuge.
We urge all humanitarian organisations and
individuals, trade unions, and all freedom lovers to support our campaign for
“a life without fear” and our three day sit-in.
For more information, please contact Siamak Amjadi,
the Secretary of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees, UK Branch.
Tel: 07946 75 25 34 or 07931 866 985
ifiruk@yahoo.com
BM