For fans of Juche-oriented blogging

Yaacov Lozowick links to photo collections here and here, showing field guidance from the Dear Leader, people who would be rallying closely around the headquarters of the revolution if they were not posing at attention in front of tractors, etc. Soon Imperialist lands will be permeated with the Juche idea! (h/t Soccer Dad)

Tehran Times: "Zionist regime on verge of collapse"

Interesting illustration of what the Iranian press and Iranian leaders mean by the sort of rhetoric used in the headline:

[...] Many Israeli analysts, and especially those working for the strategic institutes of the Zionist regime, are frightened by the accelerating rate of change produced by the revolution. They believe that the popular uprising in Egypt is on exactly the same path as Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979, and sooner or later Egypt will stand beside countries like Turkey and Syria in the resistance front under the leadership of Iran.

And if developments continue to move in this direction, Israel will eventually be surrounded. Moreover, if the wave of revolutions reaches Jordan, it will overthrow the country’s monarchist system and Israel will have no more allies in the region. [...]

So, as used here, being on the "verge of collapse," although that normally refers to some sort of inner weakness, means being in danger of a military invasion? I am making this point because pundits on the left sometimes downplay the violent implications of Iranian statements about Israel.

IRIB (Iran): "IR Leader warns about new enemy scenario"

Mr. Supreme blames the World Arrogance for his spat with Ahmadinejad?

The domineering powers now seek to deal a blow to the Islamic Republic by torpedoing the economy, dividing the authorities and undermining the Islamic beliefs among the nation, Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei told members of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) Sunday.

Ayatollah Khamenei thanked the parliament for its decisive stance against the US conspiracies and said it was a divine blessing that the Iranian nation commands a good and clear understanding about the goals of the hegemoniy system.

"The arrogance seeks to trouble the situation and impede the nations from getting a true understanding however the Iranian nation has increasingly got a better understanding of their conspiracies," Ayatollah Khamenei said. [...]

Articles based on Supreme Leader speeches are hard to tell apart because of the horoscope-like vague language: Extra vigilance is necessary today to thwart all World Arrogance plots. In the evening you will get a a good and clear understanding about the goals of the hegemony system . . .

Mehr (Iran): "U.S. itself is laying the ground for reign of Islam in world: Basij commander"

What is the US doing? "Expanding communications."

Basij Commander Mohammad-Reza Naqdi has said that the United States is setting the stage for the future dominance of Islam over the world by its own hands.

“The United States, through expanding communications, is developing the infrastructures for the universal reign of Islam. Expansion of communications in the world has provided a historic opportunity for the faster and wider propagation of the Islamic Revolution and the thoughts of the Late Imam (Khomeini, the Founder of the Islamic Republic) throughout the world and (the opportunity) must be used appropriately,” Naqdi stated in Tehran on Sunday.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Basij commander made a mockery of U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent call for Israel to halt its settlement activity in the West Bank and said, “Our recommendation to the Zionists is that they push ahead with their settlement activity in the occupied territories, regardless of the U.S. president’s remarks so that the Palestinians, who will return to their homeland soon, would not face housing problems.”

Naqdi also said, “Today the world’s nations have chosen the Islamic Republic as their leader, and as a first step, Muslims in the region will soon bring the borders of the Middle East back to the lines set before 1919.”

He was referring to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, organized by the victors of World War I to negotiate the peace treaties between the Allied and Associated Powers and the defeated Central Powers, which led to the conclusion of a number of peace treaties that reshaped the map of Europe and the world.

In addition, Naqdi announced that a new branch of the Basij organization, made up of members from the engineering graduates in the field of information and communication technology, will be established in the near future.

According to another Mehr headline "‘Zionism has hijacked the identity of Judaism.'" The article is devoted to pronouncements from a Neturei Karta leader who visited Iran to "attend the International Conference on Global Alliance against Terrorism for a Just Peace." You are hereby spared having to read any of it.

Fars (Iran): "Hamas Leader: Fatah Still Pursuing Failed Policies"

Hamas leaders don't say the same things they say to Western journalists when they are covered by Iranian news agencies. It is very puzzling:

A senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, lambasted the Fatah movement for pursuing the failed experiences of the past which created a wide gap among the different Palestinian groups.

"The Fatah movement has opted for deception and intrigues after signing the national reconciliation agreement and seeks to bypass the Constitution," Younus al-Astal told FNA on Sunday.

He criticized Fatah's proposal for the members of the government to take their oath before the Head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, instead of the parliament, and said this means that Fatah is still moving on the same old wrong way.

Astal cautioned that the Fatah movement has hatched a plot to materialize the wishes and aspirations of the US and the Zionist regime, and said they seek to persuade us to desist from resistance and recognize the Zionist regime, but this is a wish which will never come true.

Also yesterday, another senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, had reiterated that the group will not implement the national reconciliation agreement unless its members imprisoned in the Palestinian Authority's jails are freed.

"Palestinians' national reconciliation will not be materialized as along as the members of the (Hamas) movement in the West Bank are not freed from the PA prisons," Hussein Abu Kawik told FNA on Saturday. [...]

IRNA (Iran): "Spokesman: US new move is another failed experience"

Gotta love that title:

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mihman-parast said that the US new move to impose sanctions against Venezuelan State Oil Company for having ties with Iran is another failed experience.

According to the report of Foreign Ministry Media Department on Saturday evening, Mihman-parast added that US resorting to unilateral sanctions indicated isolation of the country in the world and insulting other nations intention in choosing their trade and political partners.

Referring to expressed strong stances by Venezuelan president and other senior officials of the country, Mehman-parast said the stances indicated that illegal and arrogant measures of the USA have no effect on independent nations.

The spokesman said that the US policy is in direction of measures like imposing sanctions or threating independent governments and supporting dictatorial regimes characterize a collapsing power.

"The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela communicated by telephone with his brother, the President of the Syrian Arab Republic"

According to "Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine," or more properly, its e-zine, this is a communiqué from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry. Heartwarming:

The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela communicated by telephone with his brother, the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, in order to convey to him a personal greeting full of affection and hope at a moment when the imperialist forces are unleashing violence against the Syrian people.

President Hugo Chávez received from President Bashar al-Assad a complete picture of the real situation in this brother Arab nation, where a fascist conspiracy is seeking to sow chaos and disorder, with the goal of subjecting the nation to the dictates of the Western powers. President Bashar explained to his Venezuelan counterpart that these outbreaks of minoritarian violence had been repudiated by the vast majority of Syrians and that the situation had begun to get back to normal thanks to the action of the institutions and government of Syria.

President Hugo Chávez was able to hear firsthand the important process of reforms that President Bashar has pushed forward for the purposes of responding to the legitimate needs and demands of those who have exercised their right to demonstrate peacefully and who have nothing to do with the extremist groups armed and financed from abroad. Especially, the Syrian president highlighted the new social policies implemented by his government to support the poorest strata of the population.

President Hugo Chávez passed on to his Syrian counterpart the expressions of solidarity from numerous Latin American and Caribbean leaders and took this occasion to express his most firm political and personal support, conveying his absolute conviction that the dignity of the Syrian people and government will make peace prevail, defeating the imperial aggressions.

In the meantime, of course, Chavez's "brother" has been outdoing himself. And I'd just like to welcome Monthly Review to the Judeopundit family of content-providers. (h/t: Harry's Place)

ISNA (Iran): "Zionist acts for spread of Semitism in Baku"

"Spread of Semitism"? So I'm allowed to call this an anti-Semitic article?

The Director of Azeri TV of Sahar Universal Network Borhan Heshmati called for Azerbaijan's media not to gloss over Zionist acts for spread of Semitism in Baku.

The request came after many residential towers in Baku had used to be left without any inhabitant.

Dig that Irangrish.

Heshmati said Zionist regime is trying to penetrate into the Republic of Azerbaijan and secure its interests through the Muslim state bordering Iran.

He also said, "Sahar Universal Network has been warning for years over Zionist regime's attempts to penetrate into political and economic domains in Central Asia and particularly Azerbaijan which neighbors Iran."

He added, "the towers have been left without any inhabitant and their rent is so high that nobody can afford it, it represents that these towers were constructed with special intentions."

"Evidence show that the towers have been constructed to house 7,000 jews in Baku," he said adding, "Zionist regime's officials have been calling the Republic of Azerbaijan as a country which represents no threat to them and they (Zionists) feel safe and secure there as they feel in their home. The republic of Azerbaijan's ruling system frequently stresses the country is safe for Jews. It is not surprising at all if semi-official sources in the Republic of Azerbaijan declare that the residential units have been prepared for Jews who are to be brought to Baku from other countries and Palestine's occupied lands."

"Currently, Jews' presence has risen in Azerbaijan and Zionist lobbies are clearly visible in Azerbaijan, trying to secure their positions in different fields. A synagogue was built in Baku a month ago," Heshmatian noted.

How Zionist.

(North) Korean News: "Superior Korean Language"

We have seen that the DPRK believes in Juche genes. Here we learn why their language is "superior":

Some time ago, the DPRK observed the 45th anniversary of President Kim Il Sung's work "On Correctly Preserving the National Characteristics of the Korean Language."

The Korean language is rich in pronunciation and expression.

The language has 19 consonants and 21 vowels, 40 in all.

It makes it possible to correctly pronounce any difficult and complicated words and properly express delicate feelings and subtle differences between things.

The Korean language provides favorable conditions for pronouncing other languages distinctly.

It has different tones and good intonation so that it sounds beautiful.

The distribution rate of the open syllables in practice is some 65 percent.

The pronunciation rules are also well framed.

And that's the key to linguistic superiority, as we all know.

Interesting article on Salafism at Ikhwanweb

I'm a bit distrustful of this article, but it is certainly interesting, especially the following paragraphs:

[...] Kharajites are Takfiris who believe that they alone are capable of distinguishing Islam from unbelief and that they have an obligation to kill unbelievers. Their view is that anyone who has committed a serious sin is a kafir and deserves death. This orientation is almost as old as Islam and is generally understood as heresy. Historically Kharajites have condemned as unbelievers almost all Muslim leaders, including the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law Ali, who is beloved by all other Muslims. The Kharajites killed him, a crime for which the Muslim community has never forgiven them. They are a tiny, but dangerous, minority of the world’s Muslims.

The Saudi royal family and other Muslim elites fear Kharajites, and with good reason. Many Muslim scholars, Wahhabi and non-Wahhabi alike, have used this term to describe Usama bin-Laden and his supporters. This judgment is entirely reasonable because Al-Qaeda and associates denounce Muslim rulers as kafir and kill them whenever possible. The Saudis would like to believe, and would like others to believe, that Kharajite thinking is on the decline. This is wishful thinking. Public recantations by a handful of jailed and most likely tortured terrorists count for very little. Torture works. When it is severe and prolonged enough victims will say almost anything that perpetrators want them to. It makes for bad intelligence but good propaganda. On this point I agree with Scheuer.

There is little that Western governments can do the influence the war of ideas that rages in the Muslim World. It would be the height of absurdity to think that Muslim governments could influence the war of ideas raging within the Anglican Communion concerning homosexual bishops. It is equally absurd to entertain the notion that US public diplomacy can shape the direction of Muslim discourse. [...]

This much makes sense, and it is not what many on the left believe.

(North) Korean News: "New Health Drink Developed"

And it comes in three flavors: Paektu Punch, Juche Julep, and Grape Leap Forward:

The Central Experiment Analytical Institute of the State Academy of Sciences developed a new drink with Kumgang medical stone.

The drink contains microelements and other mineral matters essential for human body.

The mineral water enriches protein and fat and promotes nucleic acid metabolism and function of cells.

It helps control osmotic pressure, promote movement of the tissue fluid, absorption and excretion and keeps acid-base equilibrium and pH in good state in human body.

It is also useful for the development of humors, bone, muscle and tooth and disinfection of water contaminated by microorganism.

The drink has already proved effective in treatment of diseases.

Very good for ideological deviation, I hear.

(North) Korean News: "Hamas: Reconciliation Boosts Armed Struggle against Israel"

And that's a good thing if you are rallying closely around the headquarters of the revolution in Songun North Korea:

A Hamas official said Sunday that the reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah boosts armed struggle against Israel.

"Resistance is the only one capable of ending the (Israeli) occupation," the official said.

Ynet (quoting an Iranian cleric): "'Ahmadinejad wants friendship with Israel'"

Mesha'ei's statement, if it is the well-known one that got him in significant hot water, did not exactly call for "friendly ties" "with the Jewish State." Ynet should stress more that the cleric's claim is just an attempt to hurt Ahmadinejad. That seems obvious to me, at any rate:

Unprecedented accusation against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: a Muslim cleric accused the Iranian president of wanting "friendship with Israel," an Iranian website associated with the opposition reported on Thursday.

According to religious scholar Mahmoud Nubian, Ahmadinejad's top adviser Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei stated three years ago that Iran should have "friendly ties" with the Jewish State, but Ahmadinejad has refrained from reiterating this position in public because of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's fierce objection.

Nubian further claimed that the Iranian president personally told him that he supported Mashaei's statement, but couldn’t say anything out of respect to the leader. [...]

He said publicly that there was nothing non-Khomeinisticly correct about the statement. In a related development . . .

Scottish book boycott goes forward

From Ynet:

Scottish citizens might not be able to purchase English translations of Israeli masterpieces such as "A tale of love and darkness" by Amos Oz and "Someone to run with" by David Grossman, due to a boycott on Israeli books.

Two and a half years ago, shortly after Operation Cast Lead, the West Dunbartonshire Regional Council, located west of Glasgow, approved a bill that called to boycott goods produced in Israel.

According to the law, the council and all public bodies under its jurisdiction are forbidden to sell goods that originated from Israel.

Following the botched raid on the Turkish Flotilla to Gaza last May, the council expanded the boycott to include a ban on the purchase of English translations of Israeli books and the distribution of these books in public libraries throughout the council's jurisdiction.

West Dunbartonshire was joined by the large Scottish city Dundee, which decided to issue a recommendation to boycott all goods produced in Israel.

Legal advisers instructed Dundee's mayor to refrain from legally enforcing the boycott in order to avoid future lawsuits. Instead, the municipality plans to distribute posters throughout the city, calling on some 150,000 residents to refrain from buying Israeli goods, and will also apply a special mark on Israeli products, in order to make them easily identifiable. [...]

The article is not so clear. Does the category "public bodies under its jurisdiction" include private bookstores? The point of the legal advice is that private bookstores aren't included? Or the point is that banning books is going too far? Read the rest of the article for an interesting discussion of why Scotland is not banning books from Syria and Libya (assuming there is anything to ban) and other matters. The first commenter in the comment thread starts to suggest boycotting single-malt scotch and then regains his composure. Right, let's not get carried way . . .

PIC: "UNRWA strikers enraged after being 'blackmailed'"

This is not as dramatic as the headlines about how John Ging had to obtain machine guns for his bodyguards, but all is not well in UNRWA-land:

UNRWA's ”blackmail” and threats to dock strikers for the two days of work they missed for protests ”will only increase the staff's determination to defend their cause and rights,” said a statement released Sunday night by the UNRWA labor union.

Union members have convened constantly and will gather this Thursday to evaluate the situation after volunteers intervened to help defuse the crisis, the statement says.

It adds that ”negative results by the UNRWA administration has inevitably led to escalated and more powerful action”.

The union declared that it would ”give a new margin for talks with the UNRWA administration”.

All UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip went on strike on Wednesday and Thursday after the administration dismissed three men who were exonerated of various charges by the Palestinian courts.

In a related development, a teacher at an UNRWA school in Gaza has filed a claim against UNRWA after he was dismissed from his job unfairly.

He was reported to have been fired for alleged political activity ”outside of UNRWA's framework”.

Mazin al-Sheikh, an active member of the teachers union, said he was invited to attend a youth conference in Sweden, but his application for visa was rejected because Germany and Belgium rejected his entry to Europe.

Sheikh added that he was surprised that the German News Agency published a news item saying that Sweden refuses entry of Mazin al-Sheikh as a representative of Hamas.

Former UNRWA director of operations John Ging summoned Sheikh and asked him about the news item, and Sheikh told him that he was invited to participate in the conference as an active member of the teachers union and not to represent any political party but Ging went on to ask him to choose between resignation and dismissal because of what he called exercise of political activity outside the framework of UNRWA, according to Sheikh.

Sheikh says he has an impeccable record as a teacher at UNRWA schools and that he was unfairly dismissed because of Israeli and European dictates to UNRWA.

Ahmadinejad: "Iranian women, flag-bearers of human perfection"

IRIB Radio always gives Ahmadinejad the title "Dr." He has a doctorate in blather, evidently:

President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that the Iranian women are the flag-bearer of human perfection in the world.

According to IRIB, in an address to conference held to laud Iranian women, on Monday, President Ahmadinejad added that Iranian women are, today, a source of honor for the Iranians and all the freedom-seeking people in the world.

In further remarks, President Ahmadinejad reminded that the capitalist world has trampled upon women’s dignity, and uses women to publicize its products.

President underlined that in the wake of betrayal of women during the era of Marxism and Capitalism, selfishness and expansionism gained power, and individuals emerged that found the murder of human beings as joyous.

President Ahmadinejad added in an opinion poll of married women in a European country, 70% of these women announced that they have been repeatedly battered by their husbands, but remain silent to maintain the foundation of their families.

Moreover, President Ahmadinejad underscored that a community, in which women do not have a sense of identity and do not maintain a historical mission and perfection, is dead and will never experience the essence of prosperity.

It's that time of year again

The anniversary of when the Supreme Leader met the Great Leader:

A Korean photo exhibition, a film show and round-table talks were held at the Iran-Korea Friendship Magsal Agro-Stock Farm on May 17 to mark the 22nd anniversary of President Kim Il Sung's meeting with Seyed Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

On display in the venue of the events were photos of Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il providing field guidance to the work in different fields of the national economy.

Among those present at the events were personages and employees of the farm and the DPRK ambassador to Iran and his embassy officials.

The participants of the events looked round photos on display and watched the Korean film "HE Seyed Ali Khamenei, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Visits Our Country".

The manager of the farm in his speech at the round-table talks praised Kim Il Sung as a great man who recorded a great chapter in the history of world politics.

He said that the Iranian people would always remember the exploits performed by Kim Il Sung for the development of the friendly relations between the two countries.

The friendly and cooperative relations between the peoples of the two countries standing together on the common front of the struggle against imperialism and the U.S. would grow stronger, he stressed.

Read about last year's festivities!

Update: It is also that time of the week. Haveil Havalim is up!

Heretical thought for the day

Bibi stood up to Obama? That must have been the Arab Spring coming to Israel.

Great news! "Iran to Launch Human Rights News Agency"

The source of this little news tidbit is also cool: (North) Korean News!

A senior Iranian Lawmaker announced on Monday that Tehran would soon launch an English-language news agency to review the latest human rights abuses in the West, specially in the UK and the U.S.

Vice-Chairman of the Parliament's Human Rights Committee Mohammad Karim Abedi said the Human Rights News Agency will exclusively deal with human rights issues in English language.

Move over IRNA, here comes HeRNiA?

Bin Laden wives "turning on each other in custody"

And I suppose Obama has an exit-strategy for this? From the Australian:

THE three widows of Osama bin Laden are turning on each other in custody, with two older Saudi women blaming a much younger Yemeni wife for leading US intelligence to their hideout.

"It's vicious," said a Pakistani official briefed on the interrogation of the widows.

"The older wives think the younger one tipped off the Americans or was tracked when she came to join him." [...]