Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls for letters on behalf of Mr. Ramin Zibaei of Iran

Action Alert

Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls for letters on behalf of Mr. Ramin Zibaei of Iran August 30, 2011 Scholars at Risk (SAR) is gravely concerned about Mr. Ramin Zibaei, a scholar of psychology and dean at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education in Tehran, who has been arrested and detained for several months.  SAR asks for letters, faxes and emails urging the appropriate authorities intervene by reexamining his case and, pending his earliest release, by ensuring his well-being, including access to family, legal representation of his choosing and medical treatment. Scholars at Risk is an international network of over 260 universities and colleges in 33 countries dedicated to protecting the human rights of scholars around the world and to raising awareness, understanding of, and respect for the principles of academic freedom and its constituent freedoms of expression, opinion, thought, association and travel. In cases like Mr. Zibaei's involving alleged infringement of these freedoms, SAR investigates hoping to clarify and resolve matters favorably. Background Scholars at Risk has learned that Mr. Ramin Zibaei was one of over a dozen staff and faculty members of the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) arrested in late May. He has been held since. Mr. Zibaei completed a Master’s level program in psychology at BIHE and has taught extensively at the institute over the past 8 years, holding positions as member of the psychology department and dean of social science faculty. Scholars at Risk understands that since his arrest Mr. Zibaei has not been permitted to receive regular visits from his family and has not been granted access to legal counsel, in apparent disregard of international standards of due process, fair trial and detention as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is signatory.  The suddenness of Mr. Zibaei’s arrest and the lack of any clear basis for his detention raise grave concerns about the ability of intellectuals and scholars to safely work in Iran. Taking into account reported arrests of several additional Baha’i scholars in May—and the reported arrests of scholars following the June 2009 election—Mr. Zibaei’s detention suggest a wider attempt to exclude Baha’i individuals from the higher education community within Iran and more broadly to intimidate intellectuals and to limit academic freedom in Iran.  Scholars at Risk finds this suggestion particularly distressing and unfortunate, given Iran’s rich intellectual history and traditional support for the values of scholarship and free inquiry. Scholars at Risk therefore joins with many national and international academic associations, human rights organizations and individual scholars in respectfully urging authorities to ensure that Iran’s obligations under international law are upheld with regard to Mr. Zibaei, his colleagues at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) and other intellectuals in Iran. Scholars at Risk respectfully implores authorities to reexamine Mr. Zibaei's case and, pending his earliest release, to guarantee his well-being and to ensure that he is granted access to family, legal representation of his choosing, and medical treatment. Take Action Scholars at Risk invites letters, emails and faxes be sent: -respectfully urging authorities to ensure that Iran’s obligations under international law are upheld with regard to Mr. Zibaei, his colleagues at the Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) and other intellectuals in Iran; and -respectfully urging authorities to reexamine Mr. Zibaei's case and, pending his earliest release, to guarantee his well-being and to ensure that he is granted access to family, legal representation of his choosing, and medical treatment. PLEASE WRITE TO: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran c/o H.E. Mr. Mohammad Khazaee Ambassador of Iran to the United States Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 662 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Email to: iran@un.int Fax to: +1 (212) 867-7086 COPIES TO: Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary) Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave. (south of Serah-e Jomhouri) Tehran 1316814737 Islamic Republic of Iran Email: larijani@dadgostary-tehran.ir or info@dadgostary-tehran.ir The Honorable Hillary Clinton United States Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 USA Bahai International Community United Nations Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120 New York, NY 10017 USA Fax: +1 212-803-2566 Email: nyc@bic.org The Honorable _________ Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to [YOUR COUNTRY] [POSTAL ADDRESS] [FAX] [EMAIL] (See http://www.mfa.gov.ir/cms/cms/Tehran/en/Missions/ for a list of Iranian embassies worldwide.) The Honorable _________ Ambassador of [YOUR COUNTRY] to the Islamic Republic of Iran [POSTAL ADDRESS] [FAX] [EMAIL] Scholars at Risk New York University 194 Mercer St., 4th floor New York, NY 10012  USA Fax: +1 212 995-4402 scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu To view a model letter of appeal, as well as a copy of SAR's letter, please visit: http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu/Education-Advocacy/Alerts-Scholars-in-Prison.php.    This Action Alert was posted by the AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program on behalf of Scholars at Risk. SRHRL has not independently verified its contents.   Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program American Association for the Advancement of Science 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 Tel: 202 326 6600  Fax: 202 289 4950 Web: srhrl.aaas.org   Email: srhrl@aaas.org

Via JMG: FLORIDA: Students Of "Cesspool" Teacher Share His Homophobic Comments

After being suspended for posting anti-gay comments on his Facebook page, last week Florida teacher Jerry Buell was reinstated when the KKK threatened to picket the local school board in his defense. The defiant Buell said that he did not intend to change his teaching philosophy, which includes speaking "as if Lake County had hired Jesus Christ himself." 

 

Today Equality Florida shares some examples of Buell's in-class comments as reported by former students.

Brian Blaise, an honors student who graduated in 2003, described the day Mr. Buell offered his disturbing take on the issue of gays serving in the military: "I looked up when he said he supported gays in the military, stunned by the answer. He immediately followed that comment with the statement that we should then put them on the front lines, and pull back," Blaise said. Another of his students recounted Mr. Buell invoking the quote "A pig in a tuxedo is still a pig" to declare his disdain for recognizing gay relationships.

Got that? "Jesus Christ himself" is telling public school students that setting up gay soldiers to be murdered would be a hilarious thing to do. Christian Love.™

TAKE ACTION: Send an email to the Lake County School Board and demand that they expand anti-bullying and non-discrimination policies to include LGBT students.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The source for the KKK aspect of this story, Orlando's WFTV-ABC, has edited their original story to remove this claim. No explanation has yet been provided for this change.

Labels: assholery, bigotry, Christian Love, education, Florida, religion

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: The Return Of Ratty Hairpiece Woman

Focus On The Family's Ratty Hairpiece Woman (Candi Cushman) goes on and on about the "indoctrination" of students by groups such as GLSEN. Let those kids grow up to be the violent Christian bullies that God meant them to be!

Labels: bullying, Focus On The Family, Gay Straight Alliance, GLSEN, hate groups, LGBT youth, religion

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Possibly Good News On Prop 8

Via Zack Ford at Think Progress:

Goodwin Liu’s nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court may have been derailed by Senate Republicans, but his nomination to California’s Supreme Court is right on track. The Commission on Judicial Appointments will consider Liu’s appointment Wednesday, but the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominations has already given him its highest rating: “exceptionally well-qualified.” It’s expected that, if confirmed, Liu — who has previously spoken out for marriage equality — will be seated in time for next week’s hearing on proponents’ standing in the Prop 8 case.

Labels: California, marriage equality, Proposition 8

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Tony Perkins & The KKK

I've blogged many times about Tony Perkins' ties to the KKK. Today Equality California picks up on Perkins' racist past in a clip about his attempt to undo California's LGBT education bill. Watch this!

Labels: bigotry, Equality California, Family Reseach Council, hate groups, racism, religion, Tony Perkins

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Erwin Chemerinsky

"I continue to believe that the [Supreme] Court will rule, five-to-four, in an opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, that laws prohibiting marriage equality violate the United States Constitution. Kennedy wrote the Court’s opinions in Romer v. Evans (1996) and Lawrence v. Texas (2003), and I think that he will see his longest-lasting legacy from over a quarter of a century on the Court being in the area of eliminating discrimination against gays and lesbians. I believe that his opinion will emphasize, as he did in Romer and Lawrence, the absence of any legitimate interest for prohibiting marriage by same-sex couples. As in Lawrence, and other opinions, he will point to the trend across the world." - Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Irvine's law school.

Labels: marriage equality, Quote Of The Day, SCOTUS

reposted from Joe

The Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love?

More on GLBT and Uganda from the Baha'i World Centre

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT

Bahá’í World Centre • P.O. Box 155 • 31001 Haifa, Israel

Tel: 972 (4) 835 8358 • Fax: 972 (4) 835 8280 • Email: secretariat@bwc.org

27 July 2008

Transmitted by email: name address withheld

Dear Bahá’í Friend,

Your email letter dated 12 May 2008 has been received by the Universal House of Justice, and we have been asked to convey to you the following response.

You state in your letter that you have learned that you and your sister, Miss , are being investigated at the Bahá’í World Centre as a result of your signing and forwarding a petition titled “Speak Up Against Bahá’í Discrimination Against Homosexuals”.

You may rest assured, however, that no such investigation is being conducted.

With regard to the above-mentioned petition, you may wish to consider the following.

According to the Bahá’í Teachings, marriage is a union between a man and a woman and sexual relations are only permissible between a couple who are married to each other. These teachings are set forth in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and in the authoritative statements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and are not susceptible to change by the House of Justice. However, the Bahá’í community does not seek to impose its values on others. Furthermore, to regard those with a homosexual orientation with prejudice and disdain would be entirely against the spirit of the Faith.

With respect to the incident in Uganda to which you refer, the Bahá’í representative to the interfaith association was unwittingly drawn into this controversy. Some reports have incorrectly characterized the Bahá’í involvement in the matter. The National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda is taking steps to ensure that such issues are handled appropriately in the future.

The House of Justice appreciates your desire to clarify your feelings on this matter and

assures you of its prayers in the Holy Shrines that the Blessed Beauty may guide and sustain you.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

Department of the Secretariat

Via JMG: GOProud: This Is Not A Culture War

Even though four of the leading GOP presidential candidates have signed a hateful Christianist pledge to destroy the civil rights of LGBT Americans, even though the Tea Party has successfully dismantled abortion rights in several states, and even though the Republican Party has waged a brutal campaign against immigrants and the poor, GOProud says liberals are falsely promoting the idea that we're in a "culture war."

The only people talking about the “culture wars” are on the left and the reason is simple: they can not defend the abysmal record of the Obama administration when it comes to the bread and butter issues most Americans care about. Contrary to what the left, and their enablers in the main stream media, would have you believe, there is no new culture war brewing on the right. The Republican candidates for President haven’t been crisscrossing the country banging the drum of abortion, gay marriage, creationism, etc. Quite the contrary, even the most conservative candidates – such as Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann – have repeatedly said these are NOT the issues they are running on.

GOProud apparently doesn't listen to the stump speeches of their fellow teabaggers, who do nothing but "bang the drum of abortion, gay marriage, and creationism." According to GOProud's Chris Barron, "The 2010 elections were laser-focused on the size of government and fiscal issues." Yes, yes, Herr Barron. Keep loading up those cattle cars.

 

Labels: abortion rights, GOP, GOProud, kapos, LGBT rights, Quislings, Tea Party, teabaggers

reposted from Joe

Via AmericablogGay: NYT: Release the Prop. 8 videotapes

The New York Times editorial page wants the Prop. 8 videotapes released. We do, too:

On Monday, a lawyer representing the victorious plaintiffs will be urging a federal district judge in San Francisco, James Ware, to grant a motion to make public the videotape of the 12-day trial. In the interest of fostering confidence in the judicial system, the motion should be granted. Proposition 8’s supporters insisted that the broadcast ban was needed to protect their two witnesses — experts who testified in open court and whose identities were well known. Their arguments are even less persuasive now. 

The trial was over more than a year ago, and the 13-volume trial transcript is public and available on the Internet. Legally, there is a presumption of access to judicial records, a point made in a brief filed by a media coalition, including The New York Times Company.

The demand to keep the videotapes secret is as flimsy as the arguments for denying gay people the fundamental right to marry. The proposition’s backers will not be hurt in any way if the footage is released. The American public, on the other hand, stands to lose something very valuable if it is denied the chance to see and hear what happened in a critically important case on marriage equality.

The proponents of Prop. 8 have no legitimate arguments against marriage. They know that. We know that. They just don't want the rest of the country to see how pathetic their case is.