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| Iran, Saudi Arabia denounce US detention of Muslims |
| 2002-12-22 |
| Tehran Times Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi has described as 'insulting and unacceptable' U.S. new immigration measures which have led to widespread detention of Middle Eastern nationals, mostly Iranians. Wonder what Soddy Arabia and Iran do with illegal residents? Assefi described the measure as "unacceptable", saying it was not justified by any international standards, the Persian daily Siasat-e Rouz said. "You have no right to keep riff-raff out of your country..." U.S. immigration lawyers have estimated that at least 500 Middle Eastern immigrants, mostly Iranians, have been detained in California since Monday when male visa holders were asked to report to local immigration offices to be fingerprinted and photographed. Better make sure your visa's not forged, though... U.S. civil rights groups and Muslim leaders on Thursday called on Washington to scrap the "flawed and misguided" program aimed at men from the Middle East, North Africa and North Korea following the arrest of scores of immigrants who voluntarily turned up to register under the new rules. "And give their explosives back, too!" The detentions sparked an angry street protest in Los Angeles on Wednesday by thousands of Iranian-Americans protesting the "unjust" detentions of loved ones. "The American government has put violence, threat and pressure on the agenda of its foreign policy. It has taken measures against those Iranians who, in American officials' own words, are among the elite and educated of that country," the paper said quoting Assefi. This step of the American government contradicts international conventions on civil rights and Iran's Foreign Ministry regrets it." Perhaps he can discuss it with them, if we send them back to Iran. I suspect most of them won't be deported, though... Saudi dailies also on Saturday said the detention of hundreds of Muslim men under a new U.S. anti-terrorism campaign is an act of racism that will only deepen the divide between Muslims and Americans. "To a great extent, it is similar to racist practices we thought had disappeared long ago. But now they come anew with hi-tech means," Okaz newspaper said. "The Soddy approach is much more enlightened. We torture them in our prisons and then cut their heads off." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 Yeah. And taking over an embassy and holding the diplomats as hostages was unacceptable also. And if we hadn't had a wimp like Jimmy Carter as president you turbans would have paid a dear price. |
| Posted by: Denny 2002-12-22 21:19:14 |