Hamas members helping Iran crush dissent, protesters claim

[Fozzledick]

By SABINA AMIDI, SPECIAL TO THE JERUSALEM POST
TEHERAN

Palestinian Hamas members are helping the Iranian authorities crush street protests in support of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, two protesters told this reporter on the streets of the Iranian capital on Tuesday.

They made their allegations as rioting on a scale unseen in Iran for nearly a decade continued in the wake of Friday's elections and the allegations that the results were falsified. The protests have now spread from Teheran to other major cities.

...

Hamas formally welcomed incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ostensible reelection victory on Saturday. The Palestinian Islamist movement receives arms and funding from Iran, and its members have often received training there, including in terror tactics and weapons manufacture.

...

Amid the violence, confusion and government restrictions on communication, the accuracy of conflicting accounts is hard to ascertain.

"The most important thing that I believe people outside of Iran should be aware of," the young man went on, "is the participation of Palestinian forces in these riots."

Another protester, who spoke as he carried a kitchen knife in one hand and a stone in the other, also cited the presence of Hamas in Teheran.

On Monday, he said, "my brother had his ribs beaten in by those Palestinian animals. Taking our people's money is not enough, they are thirsty for our blood too."

It was ironic, this man said, that the victorious Ahmadinejad "tells us to pray for the young Palestinians, suffering at the hands of Israel." His hope, he added, was that Israel would "come to its senses" and ruthlessly deal with the Palestinians

When asked if these militia fighters could have been mistaken for Lebanese Shi'ites, sent by Hizbullah, he rejected the idea. "Ask anyone, they will tell you the same thing. They are out beating Iranians in the streets… The more we gave this arrogant race, the more they want… we will not let them push us around in our own country."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184848467&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Violet_Crumble]

1. Yuck, those particular protesters sound like absolute racists...

'Arrogant race'?Just exchange the word 'Jew' for 'Palestinian' and you'd be reading some absolutely antisemitic stuff. Sorry, but the racist rantings of a few protesters does not make something a fact...

[Sezu]

2. And if it IS fact? n/t

[Violet_Crumble]

3. Those things that were said are still totally unacceptable and ugly...

Do you think the stuff that was said about Palestinians in that article is acceptable?

[Sezu]

5. Of course they were ugly and bound to be if the guy

is telling the truth. The heat of the moment does not necessarily equal true feelings. Now, IF it is true do you have any problem with Palestinians doing goon work there or not?

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Then surely you must feel the same about bigoted things said about Jews...

Y'know, like when the crap has been bombed out of Gaza and similar bigoted things are said about bloodsucking Jews being animals and an arrogant race, I'm positive you wouldn't just go 'of course those things being said are ugly and bound to be. The heat of the moment does not necessarily equal true feelings.' You wouldn't be sitting there trying to make out there's some sort of justification for making bigoted comments if it was about Jews.

I didn't ask you if you thought those things that were said were ugly. I asked you if you found them acceptable, and from yr answer it's clear you do think they're justified and aceptable.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bemildred]

4. Emmanuel Goldstein sighting.

The story seems confused, incoherent even, I can't figure out if these "Hamas members" are on one side or another.

[Sezu]

6. Ah confusion.....delightful oblivious confusion. n/t

[bemildred]

7. A couple guys with knives and rocks ranting on the street is what I get.

I would expect Hamas to be friends with Ahmadinejad, yet the story appears to suggest the opposite. Being worked up is not the same thing (at all) as making some sort of sense. It's not clear who these guys are, or who is getting beat up by the "Hamas members", or who the "Hamas members" are beating them up in support of, etc. It's more like an emotional rant, a "two-minutes or hate" sort of thing, which is why I thought of Orwell.

Edit: Ooooops, there I did it again, revealed myself as a "Hamas supporter".

[regnaD kciN]

14. Remember, this same poster...

...just "gifted" us yesterday with another JPost article on how the Palestinians failing to embrace Netanyahu's "independence" proposal was a major mistake that would end any hope of a Palestinian state ever.

I'd trust anything from the JPost about as much as the average article from the Moonie Times.

[bemildred]

15. Well, I don't trust any of them.

But I do expect the propaganda to at least have some sort of internal consistency, which seems lacking here.

[shira]

8. WOW....if confirmed. BIG WOW.

[Sezu]

9. And how. But you can see already how

disinclined some are to believe even the possibility despite the cozy relationship between Iran and Hamas. I for one have no trouble believing it is possible.

[shira]

12. yes, nothing to see here....move along please!

[regnaD kciN]

13. Passing along another "story" from Israel's right-wing rag, I see...

While you're at it, why don't you start posting LBN items direct from Faux News? :eyes:

[IndianaGreen]

16. This is NOT Zionist propaganda. The Tweets and Robert Fisk's news reports

that I been following since last week, have indicated that non-Iranian Hizbollah Arabs have been used to break up demonstrations against Ahmadinejad. Many of those thugs on motorcycles that were beating people were Arabs, not Persian.

[azurnoir]

19. While it is true that Tweets are about all we have to go by

that is hardly a reliable or uncompromisable source and while I am sure it is somehow gratifing for some here to finger Hamas or Hezbollah as being the Arabs beating Iranians because it is very well known that both are supported by Iran the fact that there is a large supply of Shia Arabs close at hand those being Iraqi a possibility which quite "oddly" JPost does not mention

[shaayecanaan]

21. 5% of Iran's population is Arab

and mainly Shia. They don't have to be non-Iranian to be Arab.

At this point the reports seem a bit confused. The OP says these people are from Hamas (which is a bit unlikely, given the difficulty of the journey between Gaza and Iran and back again). You say that they are in fact Lebanese Shia.

Like any country, the majority Persians don't always think well of minorities. Many Persians resent Iranian money being sent to Lebanon in the same way that many Americans resent US money being sent to Israel, Egypt, etc.

[MrBig]

17. Given what we know about Hamas

And their proclivity for violent, ruthless acts against innocent civilians, this does not surprise me in the least.

That being said, I must agree with the above sentiments in calling the language these individuals used racist and nasty. It is a shame that the actions of a few are taken to represent an entire class of people. As a Jew and Israel supporter, I think it is shameful.

[proteus_lives]

18. Not surprising.

Hamas members are ruthless thugs, from mullahs to street-fighters.

[oberliner]

20. This piece was written by an Iranian-American college student

If that means anything to anyone.

She is a Sarah Lawrence student who traveled to Iran for her research project.

Both The Middle East Times and The Jerusalem Post have run special reports from her. She has also written for the Sarah Lawrence newspaper focusing on Iranian perceptions of the United States as well as issues dealing with women and children in Iran.

Mostly she appears to try to speak with ordinary Iranians to get their opinions on various matters.

[shira]

22. JPOST author of OP safely out of Iran

'Every knock on the door would send me into a panic as I waited'

After reporting for The Jerusalem Post in secret for the past few weeks, I have left the indescribable chaos now gripping the Islamic Republic of Iran. Gaiety and optimism have turned to anarchy in Teheran, and I no longer felt safe.

cont'd....

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184872959&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[shira]

23. Hamas Death Squads in Iran

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/6/18/743864/-Hamas-Death-Squads-in-Iran