Literal Truths



Iran is supposedly out to end its pariah status, the biggest symbol of which was the recent election of a new and allegedly moderate President in the shape of Hasan Rouhani.

Now the President may have opposed the barbaric hanging of a man who queried the literal word of the Koran, which many Christians have done down the years, of course, in relation to the Bible.

And while Christians may have paid with their lives for challenging the religious orthodoxy of the time, by being tortured or burned at the stake, by and large, these cruel acts took place many hundreds of years ago.

Not in the 21st century.     

Iranian who doubted Jonah story hanged

A surge of hangings across Iran undermines President Rouhani’s pledge for moderation Mike Segar/Reuters


By Hugh Tomlinson - The Times

An Iranian man has been executed for heresy after holding discussions about the Koran at his home. The killing is the latest in a surge of hangings across Iran that undermine President Rouhani’s pledge for moderation.

Mohsen Amir-Aslani, a 37-year-old psychotherapist, was put to death in Tehran nine years after he was convicted of spreading “corruption of earth” and making “innovations in religion”. His family said Mr Amir-Aslani was targeted for his religious beliefs, which included making his own interpretations of Islam.

He held religious reading sessions and discussions at his home. At one it was alleged that he interpreted the story of the prophet Jonah as a metaphor.

The Iranian authorities have insisted that Mr Amir-Aslani was executed after being convicted of rape. It was claimed he had relationships with members of his group but his family deny this and say no evidence was ever produced.

His death continues a surge of executions since Mr Rouhani took office. More than 550 people, including 16 women, are known to have been put to death in Iran during 2014, the highest rate for 25 years. Human rights groups believe the true figure is much higher as hardliners look to reimpose their authority and stamp out the optimism that surrounded last year’s election.

“The elections in 2013 inspired great hope of change in Iran’s youth and civil society. These executions are a response to that optimism,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam of the group Iran Human Rights. “The death penalty is a powerful instrument of fear.”

An Iranian woman facing execution for killing a man she claimed had raped her was given a 10-day reprieve yesterday. Reyhaneh Jabbari, 26, was due to be hanged yesterday for killing a former Iranian intelligence officer in 2007.

The case has caused outrage at home and abroad, with the UN demanding a retrial because compelling evidence in her defence was ignored. Jabbari’s mother spent Monday night at the Tehran jail begging for her daughter’s life.

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