Friday, March 03, 2006

Tribute to the Beautiful Zahra Kazemi

Zahra Kazemi (1948 - 2003)

Born as Zahra Kazemi in Shiraz, Iran, on the first day of Autumn, 1948
Two years later her parents renamed her Ziba...






How Kazemi was Murdered
The Ottawa Citizen , Michael Petrou
"The murder of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in Iran has been shrouded in denial and speculation -- until now. In exclusive interviews, other dissidents reveal what happened inside Tehran's notorious Evin prison last June.

TEHRAN - Heshmatollah Tabarzadi will never forget Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi screaming in a nearby cell...



I am overwhelmed with sadness over the state of the Muslim world. I am looking at the photograph of an Iranian woman about to be stoned to death in Iran, buried to her waste in dirt to keep her from running away.
A few weeks ago, I read about a 14 year-old Iranian boy who died after receiving 85 lashes for the `sin' of eating in public in the month of Ramadan. Salah Uddin Choudhury has been in prison for one year in Bangladesh for the `crime' of urging his nation to recognize Israel and advocating interfaith dialogue among equals as well as warning against the growing power of Islamists in Bangladesh.

What are Muslim community activists in America doing about their homegrown brutal human rights violations? They are silent.

The picture of the stoned woman has been seen by some Muslims I know in the Middle East and also fellow Americans, Christians and Jews. The first reaction by the Muslims was "what did she do?" while the first reaction by Americans was "How could this happen?"...
"...They are silent in the face of Muslim poverty, corruption, neglect of human rights, oppression of women, honor killings and the brutal and unusual punishments such as cutting off limbs, flogging and stoning. They are not using American freedoms as an opportunity to change their countries of origin, but as an opportunity to influence and change America to be like the countries they came from. Their goal is also to keep Muslim-Americans under their control and the control of Muslim world mullahs, sheiks and dictators they should have left behind...."


What Will It Be by Deeyah

Irshad Manji, best-selling author of The Trouble with Islam Today, October 24, 2005 "Friends and Foes: I’m devoting this special edition of Muslim-Refusenik.com to Deeyah, a young Muslim singer and musician who has a maverick message for us all. Months ago, Deeyah emailed me out of the blue....

Lyrics of What Will It Be by Deeyah:
Verse 1):
Does the truth only come from the top of a holy man’s spire?
From three paces back, covered head to toe?
Are the rules just for the masses and written just for show?
Pre chorus):
Where the beat goes -- nobody knows
Where the street goes -- nobody knows
(Chorus):
Do you stand up, lay down or follow?...

See and hear it all, beautiful photography, lyrics, video at MUSLIM REFUSNICK








Photo Sources:

Globle & Mail Frontpage
: Kazemi, Sephrem.blogspot.com - CAN

Veiled women : Iran va Jahan
Context: "Tehran - Iranian women can now demand divorces from husbands who are alcoholics or drug addicts, one of ... "

Human Cruelty: The photograph with The Iranian Woman about to be stoned to death has been everywhere aroundthe Net, unfortunately I was unable to trace the origin. Perhaps one of the readers could would know.

Deeyah / Irshad & Friends :
Irshad, Deeyah and Donya at Muslim Refusnik

Lectrice du Nord de l'Iraq by Zahra Kazami : Lexane.info


Silence Off : Yvon Goulet / Montage: D.C.

Diane