One Law For All Update From Maryam Namazie

Hello

Thank you so much to those of you who sent in donations following our December appeal for One Law for All. We managed to raise £2,700 and now have ten 100Club donors supporting us every month.

With the money we’ve raised we are sending out letters to all Members of Parliament (including Peers) calling for an amendment to the Arbitration Act in order to stop Sharia courts from dealing with civil, family, and criminal matters and violating civil rights. We shall also be holding a debate in the Houses of Parliament to highlight the issues and gain support amongst MPs. In our next letter we shall be asking you for help in contacting your MP in order to secure support for our campaign and give you further information on the meeting in Parliament.

In the meantime, we have organised an International Conference on Women’s Rights, Sharia Law and Secularism on 12 March at the University of London Union from 10.00-19.00. The one-day conference marking International Women’s Day will discuss religion’s impact on women’s rights; religion and secularism and religion and the law. Speakers include Philosopher A.C. Grayling, Honorary Speaker of the Belgian Senate Anne-Marie Lizin; National Secular Society Vice President Elizabeth O'Casey; and women’s rights campaigner Yasmin Rehman. There will also be a showing of Ghazi Rabihavi’s play, Stoning, which Harold Pinter has described as ‘a very strong and powerful piece of work, beautifully constructed.’ You can find out more about the conference and booking a space via our website: 


http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/12-march-2010-international-conference-on-women%e2%80%99s-rights-sharia-law-and-secularism-london/. 
You may register on the day at the door but it would help us if you could pre-register.

Other recent activities that may be of interest to you are: a letter we have written to the Prime Minister; a Seminar entitled Enemies not Allies that was recently held in January (a report is forthcoming); a press release exposing the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal as liars after our correspondence with the Director of Public Prosecutions; and finally, a statement on the Channel 4 Dispatches: Lessons in Hate and Violence as well as on solicitors offering Sharia advice. Links to all of these can be found in the notes below.

I want to personally thank you again for your donations and/or support. Please do continue to support our work - every penny does make a real difference to us. And nothing we do would be possible were it not for your help.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you at our 12 March event. 

Warmest wishes

Maryam

Maryam Namazie

Spokesperson

NOTES:

1. Find out more about our most recent activities here:

* One Law for All’s Fury as Firm of Solicitors offers Sharia advice: http://www.secularism.org.uk/127264.html

* Our joint statement with the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain on Channel 4’s Despatches: Lessons on Hate and Violence on Islamic schools: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/on-channel-4%e2%80%99s-dispatches-lessons-in-hate-and-violence/

* Anne Marie Water’s Letter to the Prime Minister: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/one-law-for-alls-letter-to-the-prime-minister/

* Letter from Director of Public Prosecutions to Spokesperson Anne Marie Waters on the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal’s deceptive claims regarding decriminalisation of domestic violence and marital rape and our press release on it: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/the-muslim-arbitration-tribunal-as-liars/

* Video footage of Enemies not Allies Seminar: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/videos-seminar-on-enemies-not-allies/

2. Our International Conference on Women’s Rights, Sharia Law and Secularism will be held at the University of London Union, The Venue, Malet Street, London WC1E, on 12 March from 1000-1900 (Registration begins at 10am for a 1030am start). The one day conference marking International Women’s Day will discuss Religion’s Impact on Women’s Rights; Religion and Secularism and Religion and the Law. Philosopher AC Grayling will give the keynote address. Speakers include: Helle Merete Brix (Journalist); Patty Debonitas (Iran Solidarity); Nadia Geerts (Rappel); Maria Hagberg (Network against Honour-related Violence); Anne-Marie Lizin (Honorary Speaker of Belgian Senate); Maryam Namazie (One Law for All and Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain); Elizabeth O'Casey (National Secular Society); Yasmin Rehman (Women’s Rights Activist); Gita Sahgal (Women’s Rights Campaigner); Nina Sankari (European Feminist Initiative Poland); Sohaila Sharifi (Equal Rights Now); Annie Sugier (la ligue du Droit International des Femmes); Michele Vianes (Regard des Femmes); Anne Marie Waters (one Law for All); and others. There will also be a showing of Ghazi Rabihavi’s play Stoning. Entry fee: £10 individuals; £3 unwaged and students. To register, click here: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/12-march-2010-international-conference-on-women%e2%80%99s-rights-sharia-law-and-secularism-london/

3. To donate to the crucial work of One Law for All, please either send a cheque made payable to One Law for All to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX, UK or pay via Paypal by visiting: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/.

We need regular support that we can rely on and are asking for supporters to commit to giving at least £5-10 a month via direct debit. You can find out more about how to join the 100 Club here: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/.

4. The One Law for All Campaign was launched on 10 December 2008, International Human Rights Day, to call on the UK Government to recognise that Sharia and religious courts are arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular and that citizenship and human rights are non-negotiable. To join the campaign, sign our petition here: http://onelawforallpetition.com/onelaw/onela300.php?nr=40155035. The petition has already been signed by over 27000 individuals and organisations.

5. For further information contact:

Maryam Namazie

Spokesperson

One Law for All

BM Box 2387

London WC1N 3XX, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731

onelawforall@gmail.com

www.onelawforall.org.uk

The Execution Of Shahla Jahed

Shahla Jahed was executed today in Evin prison by the Islamic Republic of Iran. She was found guilty in 2002 of the murder of the primary wife of her footballer husband based what is widely believed to have been a forced confession which she later retracted.

Shahla was hanged this morning at 5am in the presence of the victim's family who declined to save her life by pardoning her.

For more information on this please see blogs from Iran Solidarity and Death Penalty News, and news articles from Reuters, BBC News and The Guardian.

Please continue to support the struggle against the death penalty and against Sharia and religious laws.

AIM Takes Part in International Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtaini Day

Friday night, well more Saturday early morning actually, saw me sitting on my living room floor cutting up cardboard packing boxes, applying tape, staples and poly pockets and doing lots and lots of printing. The end results were some homemade protest placards and signs of different sizes and alot of letters and petitions. I was pretty pleased with myself.

Saturday morning saw me carry these on the train to Edinburgh. 2pm saw Lilith and I standing at the bottom of the mound speaking to people about Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and her pending sentence of death by stoning, and collecting signatures to have Iran removed from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The response we had was almost all positive and it made us both feel good that so many people passing by recognised the picture of Sakineh and were aware of her case. Worryingly a large number of people were under the impression she had been pardoned and was out of danger but we did everything we could to give out the most accurate and up to date information. We were approached by several different Iranian people who were visiting Edinburgh from their new home countries such as France and Canada. One female Iranian was almost in tears as she thanked us for what we were doing and told us that the help of international campaigns and governments did make a difference and was definitely needed. During the two and a half hours that we were there we spoke to the old, the young, men, women, even some children, blacks, whites, asians, orientals, locals, tourists, lawyers, students, the unemployed, gays, straights... almost all of whom cared.

We ran out of letters and petitions to be signed, and gave out a good number of AIM business cards to the many people who wanted to follow the case further. Of nearly 100 pieces of paper taken with us, be they letters to the PM, petitions to the UN or facts and information about Sakineh and the campaigns working to help her, they were all either signed or handed out. Some passersby even agreed to have their pictures taken holding a photograph of Sakineh to show their support of her and all those many others in her position.

So that was The AIM in Edinburgh, but we were not alone in the actions we took. All over the world people came out and showed their support of Sakineh on what the campaign to save her has named International Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Day. The AIM was represented at a protest in Toronto, Canada by member Coffy and his daughter Dee. Our One Law For All comrades took part in protests in London and we also heard that an AIM supporter and GRep member held a small protest with her friends in California. Most countries in Europe had rallies and protests as well as a number of cities in Canada, the US and Australia.

There is still a lot of work to be done if Sakineh is to be saved. At the moment her case is being reviewed and the decision has been put off for a further 20 days. Many, including myself, believe that this is in the hope that the eyes of the world will turn elsewhere and Iran can then stone her behind the closed doors they have until recently enjoyed. We cannot allow this to happen. The life of Sakineh and the safety of those in Iran supporting her are in danger until this is over. Her son and her lawyer have both been summoned to the ministry of justice for questioning and have been threatened with arrest. Sakineh herself has been interrogated inside the prison about who she has had contact with outside of Iran and in the media and about how her photo has been circulated around the world.

If you have not already done so please sign one or all of the many petitions online and write a letter to as many people as you can think of. Ask your local government representative to apply pressure in the right places, find and get involved with a campaign in your local area. Tell your friends and family about it and ask them to sign the petition. Consider printing a picture of Sakineh or a sign and take a photo or record a video message of support and post it online, or send it to me and I will add it to those I already have to be posted. Make a video, write a blog, draw a picture. Until it is over one way or another then I will not stop fighting for this woman's life, and for the lives of the many others that are, or in future may be, in her position. Please fight with me.

The campaign to save Sakineh and the protests held yesterday were covered by a number of online blogs and news sources including Iran Solidarity, BBC, CNN, StopStoningNow and many users via YouTube.

International Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani Day: World Citizens against Stoning

Despite the massive international campaign to save her, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani still faces execution in Iran by stoning for the 'crime' of adultery.

I am against the death penalty in all cases, but cases where the penalty is applied for something that is not even a crime, and in such a barbaric form as stoning, I am completely outraged. This is a case that I have followed closely and have supported in many ways. If it were not for our actions to this point Sakineh would already have been murdered by her own country and the regime would be plowing on with it's campaign against women, freedom, political opposition and human rights. Due to our campaigning and pressure we have already delayed the stoning and have forced Iranian officials to hold an review of her case. But we cannot stop here as many believe that the delay in the decision is merely a ploy to allow the international community to relax and look elsewhere while the Iranian Regime goes ahead with it's cruel and inhumane punishments for actions not even deemed crimes by the civilized world and for actions that are often not even proven to be true.

Tomorrow has been named Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Day and people all over the world will be gathering in support of Sakineh and the many others like her, and against the barbaric practises of The Islamic Republic of Iran. Please join me in Edinburgh at the bottom of the mound at 2pm and stand with me and show your support. This is an issue that cannot be beaten except by the continued and focused international pressure that has been seen so far.

If you wish to bring posters or signs please do, examples can be found via Iran Solidarity, Mission Free Iran and The AIM's blog. If you are not in the Edinburgh area please attend or organise a protest near you.

Bad News All Day!

After several days of not feeling too good and having a house full of people and cats, I woke up this morning for the first time in 3 days without pain searing through my head and making my eyes feel like they're on fire. The relief lasted only until I read some blogs and news stories.

A quick round up of how bad it is in the world today...

Having submitted to International pressure The Islamic Regime of Iran had agreed not to 'stone' to death Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43 year old mother of two. It looked likely that she would instead face death by hanging for the crime she has been convicted of. The crime being adultery. This announcement was no victory but it was a step towards ending the barbaric practise if stoning people to death. This morning I was sent a message with a link to an article that stated that The IRI had taken a stand and would in fact go ahead with Sakineh's original sentence of stoning, and also that this is not only for the crime of adultery but also the crime of the murder of her husband. This is a charge that has never previously been mentioned in connection with Sakineh and it seems now to be a last ditch attempt or excuse to justify her murder sentence.

I also learnt that in the same city in Iran where Sakineh is being held a 26 year old woman has been punished for refusing to conform to The Islamic dress code (wearing a hijab). Elnaz Babazadeh was stopped by the local authorities and when she refused to conform to the dress code three agents jumped into her car, threatened her with a gun, raped her, executed her and dumped her body near a cemetery.

Next I find out that in that city alone The IRI will also be stoning a pregnant woman, will be hanging 18 people for the 'crime' of homosexuality, have been carrying out mock stonings on a teenager in preparation for the real thing and are holding a large number of juvenile 'offenders' on death row. All this from a country that has recently been awarded a seat on The UN Commission on the Status of Women??

While The IRI is clearly a gender-apartheidist regime that controls it's people with fear, violence, rape and torture, it is not only women and children who are targeted. As a result of the high profile campaign started by Mission Free Iran to prevent the stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, MFI have received another letter from Iran begging for help from the international community. This letter is sent at great risk to the family of those involved and shows how desperate they are for help. The letter was sent by the Mother and younger brother of a community and human rights worker named Behnam Ebrahimzadeh. He has been tortured and imprisoned by The IRI and his family now fear for his life as he languishes in an Iranian prison without access to medical treatment for the broken bones he sustained during his arrest and torture.

Also in today's news, 37 year old William L. Garner was executed at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility near Lucasville. He died by lethal injection at 10.38am local time. Garner became the 6th condemned inmate to be executed in Ohio this year and the 39th overall since capital punishment resumed in 1999. He also became the 31st condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1219th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.

If you wish to become involved with any of the many campaigns to help with any of the issues I have mentioned today then please visit some of the links and blogs posted below. They are also a great source of information if you want to find out more about anything I have mentioned.

Just to show that there is some hope in this world for true equality, the UK announced on Wednesday that it will now consider cases of asylum for people fleeing countries due to fear of violence or prosecution because of their sexuality. In some ways it's a small step, but it is long overdue and for me it was a reminder that if we keep working we will see change. It reminds me never to stop until that day has come. I was also overwhelmed by the blogs, videos and pictures from all over the world showing global acts of solidarity on Sunday's International Day Against Stoning. Please check them out in the links below.

Mission Free Iran

Iran Solidarity

Death Penalty News

July 11 - Copenhagen 

July 11 - MFI

Iran Solidarity - Sakineh Posts