Tweet Of The Day - Bryan Fischer

Fischer: U.S. Should Outlaw Blasphemy

Iran Claims Bin Laden Died Years Ago

This should please the Obama haters.

In a unique twist on the Osama bin Laden saga, Iran's intelligence minister says Tehran has "genuine intelligence showing that the terrorist leader died of disease long before the alleged raid" by the United States, the Iranian semiofficial FARS news agency reports. "We have accurate information that bin Laden died of illness some time ago," Heidar Moslehi said on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting Sunday, FARS reports. "If the U.S. military and intelligence apparatus have really arrested or killed bin Laden, why don't they show him (his dead body)? Why have they thrown his corpse into the sea?" Moslehi asked, according to a TV report, FARS says.

Iran Threatens Olympic Boycott Over Logo

Iran says that the logo for the 2012 London Olympics secretly spells out the word "Zion." And if the Brits don't change it, they're going to boycott.

The logo, a jagged representation of the year 2012, has been said by its critics to resemble many things, from a swastika to a sexual act, but the Iranian government argues it represents a veiled pro-Israeli conspiracy. In a formal complaint to the International Olympic Committee, Tehran has called for the graphic to be replaced and its designers "confronted", warning that Iranian athletes might otherwise be ordered to stay away from the London Games. According to the state-backed Iranian Students News Agency, which is frequently used to convey official pronouncements, the letter says: "As internet documents have proved, using the word Zion in the logo of the 2012 Olympic Games is a disgracing action and against the Olympics' valuable mottos. "There is no doubt that negligence of the issue from your side may affect the presence of some countries in the Games, especially Iran which abides by commitment to the values and principles."

Nobody knows what "internal document" Iran is talking about. The logo conspiracy theory has been floating around on YouTube for months.

IGLHRC Issues Statement On Iran

The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission has issued a statement on yesterday's story about the possible execution by stoning of two young men in Iran for having gay sex. At IGLHRC's request, I pulled my first post on the story while they investigated. Via email:

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has received reports of the imminent execution of two men in Piranshahr, Iran. By some media accounts, Ayub and Mosleh have been sentenced to death for raping a young man, filming their actions, and inserting images of President Ahmadinejad into the film. There have been reports that the men are scheduled to be killed by stoning on January 21. IGLHRC has been unable to confirm the allegations in this case.

This case is evidence, however, of much bigger problems in Iran: widespread abuse in the justice system and censorship of information. People, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender may be arbitrarily arrested, tortured, and convicted on baseless charges. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to know the facts that lie behind convictions.

IGLHRC condemns the use of capital punishment in all instances, including this one, regardless of the alleged acts with which the individuals have been accused or convicted. Likewise, IGLHRC condemns all forms of sexual violence and rape. We call on the Government of Iran to immediately annul any execution order related to this case, to end the practice of death by stoning, and to repeal the criminalization of same-sex activity.

"Iran has an impenetrable and opaque criminal justice system that makes knowing what is really happening inside the country impossible," said Hossein Alizadeh, Regional Coordinator for IGLHRC's Middle East and North Africa Program. "What we do know is that killing is wrong in all its forms, even when committed by the State."

I will update you at once when further information is available.

Regarding Yesterday's Post About Iran...

Many of you have noted that I have removed yesterday's post regarding the pending executions of two young gay men in Iran. Shortly after that post went up, both Andy Towle and I were contacted by Jessica Stern at the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, who was very concerned that fragile communications being made on the men's behalf could be damaged by excessive publicity in the blogosphere.

This morning Stern sends us this update: "IGLHRC is deeply concerned about the alleged charges facing two men from Piranshahr, Iran, and we are urgently investigating them. We are also concerned that some stories circulating about these men may contain factual inaccuracies and be based on hearsay. Until more is understood, we urge journalists and advocates to act with extreme caution. The death penalty is always wrong, however the specifics of each case matter immensely. Nothing less than the lives of two young men is at stake."

I will update you on any further developments today.

"Ex-Gay" Nutter James Hartline Speaks To Iranian Christian TV Network

In this clip titled Dark Past & Homosexuality, San Diego's "ex-gay" loon James Hartline tells Farsi-language Mohabat TV about how his mean mother turned him into a drug-addicted multiple-felon homosexual. Complete with sepia-tinged dramatic reenactments! Any Farsi speakers care to translate?

Iran Bans Music

A month after banning the ownership of pet dogs, Iran's Exalted Glorious Supreme Islamic Leader has banned the teaching or playing of music, saying it is "not compatible" with Islamic values.

In some of the most extreme comments by a senior regime figure since the 1979 revolution, Khamenei said: "Although music is halal, promoting and teaching it is not compatible with the highest values of the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic." Khamenei's comments came in response to a request for a ruling by a 21-year-old follower of his, who was thinking of starting music lessons, but wanted to know if they were acceptable according to Islam, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. "It's better that our dear youth spend their valuable time in learning science and essential and useful skills and fill their time with sport and healthy recreations instead of music," he said. Unlike other clerics in Iran, whose religious rulings are practised by their own followers, Khamenei's views are interpreted as administrative orders for the whole country, which must be obeyed by the government. Last month Khamenei issued a controversial fatwa in which he likened his leadership to that of the Prophet Muhammad and obliged all Iranians to obey his orders.

Iran Bans Pet Dogs

A high-ranking ayatollah in Iran has told police they are to fine anybody found a with a pet dog. Working dogs are exempt, praise to Allah.

A senior Iranian cleric has decreed dogs are "unclean" and should not be kept as pets -- a move aimed at discouraging Western-style dog ownership in the Islamic state, a newspaper reported on Saturday. Dogs are considered "unclean" under Islamic tradition but, while relatively rare in Iran, some people do keep them as pets. By issuing a fatwa -- a religious ruling -- Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has sent a clear message that this trend must stop. "Friendship with dogs is a blind imitation of the West," he was quoted as saying in Javan daily. "There are lots of people in the West who love their dogs more than their wives and children." Guard dogs and sheep dogs are considered acceptable under Islamic law but Iranians who carry dogs in their cars or take them to public parks can be stopped by police and fined.

KLM To Gay Flight Attendants: You Must Continue To Fly To Iran

Royal Dutch Airlines has turned down reassignment requests from gay flight attendants who say they fear flying to Iran.

Trouble is brewing at Dutch airline KLM, where a number of homosexual stewards want to be excused from flying to Iran. Iran is one of the most intolerant countries in the world when it comes to homosexuality, and the stewards - who have to spend the night there because of their work - do not feel safe. Dutch newspaper AD reports that they asked KLM for alternative destinations but were turned down. KLM has already allowed a number of stewardesses not to serve on flights to Iran because "unpleasant things happened to them there", but the company says it cannot make any more exceptions. No further changes will be made unless it becomes really unsafe for personnel.

Female flight attendants say they don't want to wear headscarves when flying to Iran. Male flight attendants don't want to wear a noose.