Category: Islam

IS HALTING EXECUTIONS IN IRAN GOOD ENOUGH?

Pulling back from military intervention following bellicose threats, is Trump failing – like Carter, Obama and Biden preceding him – the long-suffering people of Iran?

By Jonathan Feldstein

On January 16, 1979, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was forced to flee Iran along with his family due to the US and European countries withdrawing their support. This ushered in what’s called the Islamic Revolution, the return of exiled Ayatollah Khomeini, and the hijacking of a country that had been prosperous and a source of peace and stability in the Middle East. In the 47 years since then, chaos, death, terror have reigned.

Since then, Iran has devolved into a failed state with the Islamist leaders not even able to provide water and electricity, and its currency devalued to record lows, more than one million rials per dollar.

Since then, the Islamic Republic of Iran has become the world’s biggest funder of terrorism, with terrorist proxies literally all over the world. Tens of thousands or more have been killed at the hands of the Islamic regime and its proxies. Millions have been impacted, threatened, and havesuffered.

As we mark this anniversary of the West failing to support a stable ally, ushering in the evil terrorist regime, reports indicate that President Trump may have balked and failed the Iranian people as Carter did in 1979, as Obama did in 2009, and as Biden did in 2022. But if Trump has truly backed down from his harsh rhetoric to take action, and now may be seeking a “diplomatic solution,” the outcome of his actions will be worse than Obama and Biden. His harsh rhetoric emboldened the Iranian people who took to the streets in more than 100 cities in record numbers to protest the regime. They believed that Trump had their back, and were prepared to risk their lives to take back their country after almost half a century. And they were slaughtered by the Islamic regime and its agents in record numbers, at least thousands, if not tens of thousands.

On the verge of striking Iran, the US held off following reports of halting executions. What happens next is up to Trump who is seen here being interviewed in the Oval Office on Wednesday. (Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Here’s the thing however. Trump’s threats were based on a false premise. He calculated whether the US would take action based on the number of Iranians being killed. As horrific as tens of thousands being killed by forces of their own government is, the massacre of people in their own country is not sufficient pretext for the United States to take military action.

Therefore, if it’s correct that Trump walked back his battle plans based solely on reports that the Iranians “halted executions” of some 800 people who were arrested amid the ongoing recent protests, this would make little sense. “Halting” is a temporary action. No doubt these 800, along with thousands more who have been arrested, still remain in Iranian prison and can be executed at any moment. If not all at once, the regime could execute a few a week and stay below Trump’s radar of “too many” people being killed.

Let’s also recognize the fact that the protests have taken place for less than three weeks. It is a remarkable injustice that anyone can be arrested and sentenced to death in such a short period.

So much for due process!

Left in the Lurch? Nationwide protests across Iran from 289 Dec 2025 to 11 Jan 2026.

But all this – as horrible, evil and unjust as it is – is not a pretext for military action. The reasons for military action are the threats that the Islamic Republic has made and continues to make, as the single greatest source of instability and terror in the world. The Iranian President recently openly declared that Iran is at war with the United States, with Israel, and with Europe. These are threats, not to be taken lightly. They include military threats, but they also include terror, and infiltration of the West to carry out its nefarious goals of spreading radical Islam globally.

From Calling to Prayer to Calling for Executions. Tehran’s Friday prayer leader, hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami called for the execution of detained protesters and the arrest of anyone who supported the protests. He accused the protesters of acting on behalf of foreign powers, calling them “servants” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “soldiers of Trump.”

While Trump was correct to offer support for the Iranian citizens who are protesting for their own freedom, the basis for that support should never have been the number of people killed. It’s a perverse inversion of the Biblical story of Abraham negotiating with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah. How many people are too many?  10? 100? 500? 1000? 10,000? And in any event, if that was the measure, reports of at least 12,000 to more than 20,000 civilians being slaughtered in the streets is, and should have been, enough for the US to take action. “Halting” 800 extra-judicial executions on top of the many thousands who were slaughtered in the streets is also not grounds for not taking action.

Flowers for the Fallen. Impressing upon the US President, flowers are placed next to a display with photos of Iranian protestors killed by Iranian Americans outside the White House in Washington, January 16, 2026. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP)

I fear that Trump has not only failed the Iranian people, but the West, and the world. His rhetoric put a wind in the sails of Iranian citizens who took to the streets, risking their lives only to see them shot down in cold blood. This has been the single greatest opportunity since 1979 to eliminate the Islamic Republic once and for all. THAT should have been the stated goal of any US action, and it should not have been qualified based on the number of Iranians that their government massacred.

Bodies Piling Up. Distressing new videos have emerged from a mortuary in Tehran showing rows of bodies, blood-soaked floors and crowds of people searching for loved ones following a deadly government crackdown on protesters in Iran.

An additional failure is that China, Russia, and numerous Arab and Islamic nations are watching and measuring what they can get away with. They saw Trump sweep in to arrest Maduro in Venezuela next door, but are seeing the US now inept at doing anything about the ayatollahs on the other side of the world. That gives American adversaries around the world license to invade other countries, support terror, engage in direct and indirect threats to the United States and the world, and even slaughter their own citizens and others with impunity.

I’m not saying that making an example of the Islamic regime is a suitable goal of military action, but threatening military action and not pulling the trigger risks losing on a global scale in ways that will not only keep the ayatollah in power for another generation, but also embolden terrorists around the world.

It’s horrific if hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands have been executed in the streets of Iran with impunity. To the extent that they protested and lost their lives because of a threat that Trump made and was never prepared to carry out, their blood is on his hands. If that’s the case, he has let down the Iranian people even more radically than his predecessors by setting them up and not following through.

Fired-Up. Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on January 9, 2026. (Photo: MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Let’s be clear, if we ever want to see peace in the Middle East, the only way is the elimination of the Islamic Republic and the reasoning to reach this decision does not require counting how many more people have been slaughtered. On this 47th anniversary of the US withdrawing support for the Shah causing him and his family to flee, it seems that Iran and its people may have been let down once again. They and the world will continue to suffer.

If I am wrong, and I hope I am, I will publicly apologize – but if I’m right, then President Trump should apologize to the Iranian people, to Americans, and to the world. Even Obama recognized in retrospect his inaction in 2009 was a miscalculation. The negative consequences of Trump’s action – or rather inaction – will be felt for years to come.



About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein ­­­­- President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Journal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

PROTESTS IN TEHRAN TODAY BRING HOPES FOR IRANIANS TOMORROW

If President Trump likes to speak of “making deals“, the best deals are to be made after the Islamic regime falls.

By Marziyeh Amirizadeh

(First published in The Times of Israel)

Unprecedented protests are taking place across Iran, both in terms of the number of people participating, and number of cities in which the protests are taking place. Countless videos have documented Iranians protesting. And it’s growing. The reason is the compounded suffering to which Iranians have been subject under the Islamic republic, and which hopefully are at the breaking point.

Irate Iranians. Protestors march over a bridge in Teheran 29 December 2025 (Photo: Fars News Agency via ATP/file)

The Iranian rial is at lowest point in history. Today, one million rials are worth less than $1. The economic impact is widespread, punishing, and impacting every single Iranian.

This is the impact of the ayatollahs stealing billions from Iranians to fund its jihadi goals including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and others, around the world. Yet the policy of funding the world’s largest terror network has come home to roost.

For months, Iranians have also suffered an unprecedented water and energy crisis, leading to power outages across the country, and reservoirs so low that there has been talk of evacuating millions from Tehran due to the inability to provide water.

Even if they were not living under a brutal, evil Islamic regime for nearly five decades, Iranians collectively are suffering the most they have since then, the cumulative impact of the evil regime focusing on spreading extremist Islam, fighting the West, and mismanagement and corruption of every basic need.

Iranians are not just living under widespread mismanagement, they are living under the cumulative national disaster of millions having been arrested, beaten, tortured, murdered, and disappeared. My knowledge is firsthand growing up and spending most of my life there, but also being arrested and sentenced to death, held in the notorious Evin prison for nine months, all because of my Christian faith.

The drought has not only exposed incompetence and mass mismanagement of basic needs.  As reservoirs have dried up, 74 bodies have been found just in one location, bound, at the bottom of the once life-giving bodies of water that are all but gone, and which became their victims graves.  Being bound shows an extra level of evil that they were thrown in alive rather than executed elsewhere and thrown into the water to hide the Islamic regimes crimes.

There have been protests in the past over the murder of Mahsa Amini in 2022, and more recently truckers going on strike in 160 cities due to massive increased in prices.  For a variety of reasons these protests did not cause the regime change for which most Iranians are praying.

Iranians are having it no more. The current protests are because all Iranians are hurting economically, and without the basic needs to live.  The current crisis has exposed new depths of the evil of the Islamic regime.  More than ever, and more publicly than ever, Iranians are chanting for the restoration of the Pahlavi dynasty, and in favor of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and death of the ayatollahs.

Currency Collapse. Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Dec. 29, 2025 following the collapse of the rial with prices up on meat, rice and other staples of the Iranian dinner table. The nation has been struggling with an annual inflation rate of some 40%. (Photo: Fars News Agency via AP, File)

It’s a formula that will hopefully bring the pressure needed for the regime to fall and Iran to be free.

Pressure is also needed from the world because the threats are directed at the world. We even heard it from the “moderate” Iranian president this week, that Iran is at full scale war with the US, Israel, and Europe.  

At the same time Iranians are risking their lives just to protest, it was encouraging to hear President Trump speak out in favor of renewed military action against the regime and particularly the brutal IRGC. In the wake of the 12-day war between Israel and the Islamic Republic in June, standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump stated that he supports renewed military action against Iran if they try to rebuild their ballistic missile or nuclear program. 

Rather than pretending that the Islamic regime will ever negotiate for anything in good faith to make a deal, other than to keep itself alive and in control of Iran for another day, Iranians know that what’s needed from outside is unrelenting destruction of the regime, its leaders, military, and if necessary, its ability to fund itself through oil exports and more. Iranians are prepared to suffer more if it means their eventual freedom.

The United States needs to lead the charge, along with Israel and the EU, and even the Saudis, Emiratis, and other Arab states, to bring down the regime. Iranians pray for that. Iranians were frustrated, even feeling abandoned, that the 12-day war in June did not go on and end with the destruction of the regime, or at least giving Iranians cover to do what’s needed on the ground to do so themselves.

The Islamic Republic has created unprecedented suffering for all Iranians, and for millions of people all around the world.  Not just by targeting Israel and the Jewish people, but by infiltrating the West, in developing nations, and across the Arab and Islamic world. In fact, it’s hard to think of a place in the world that has not suffered as a result of the Islamic revolution in 1979. 

Regime Rickety. Displaying a leadership’s anxiety as much as  an anti-US and anti-Israel message on this  billboard that reads ‘watch out for your soldiers’ in Tehran on January 4, 2026 (Photo: Atta Kenare/ AFP)

Accordingly, it’s necessary that people and nations across the world unite with a singular purpose, to end the Islamic regime and to bring Crown Prince Pahlavi to power and restore the once thriving nation that Iranians yearn for. No one singular act -certainly since the end of World War II – has the potential to eliminate suffering of millions and bring peace.

President Trump likes to speak of making deals. The truth is the best deals to be made are after the Islamic regime falls, and Iran begins necessary reconstruction. The US can play a huge role in that, bringing prosperity to Iran, and peace to the world.  Israel can also play an important role by rescuing Iran with its world-leading water reclamation and desalination abilities, filling up the reservoirs and bringing Iranians hope, and life.


About the writer:

Marziyeh Amirizadeh is an Iranian American who immigrated to the US after being sentenced to death in Iran for the crime of converting to Christianity.   She endured months of mental and physical hardships and intense interrogation. She is author of two books (the latest, A Love Journey with God), public speaker, and columnist. She has shared her inspiring story throughout the United States and around the world, to bring awareness about the ongoing human rights violations and persecution of women and religious minorities in Iran, www.MarzisJourney.com.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

APPEASEMENT IS BACK

How Australian government policies led to the disaster on Bondi Beach.

By Neville Berman

Year after year governments around the world are passing deficit budgets that include massive increases in defense spending. They are arming themselves in the hope of being able to better defend themselves against external enemies.  At the same time, in the name of multiculturalism, diversity, and equality, they have opened their borders to millions of immigrants who do not share their culture, language, religious practices or heritage. The threat to many countries is now internal rather than external. 

What is happening is that incredibly rich Muslim oil exporting countries are promoting the subjugation of the west to Islamic doctrine. One of the ways that they are using to undermine the west is to finance the building of large mosques in major Western cities across the world. The Imams in these mosques are handpicked by the people providing the finance.  They are spreading their opposition to Western culture, and are radicalizing their followers to incite and create anarchy. They are well organized and financed and face almost zero opposition from local governments. They are using the western concept of free speech in order to promote hatred.

Iman Influence. Twenty-four-year-old Bondi Beach shooting gunman Naveed Akram, was a follower of pro-Islamic State preacher Wisam Haddad (above) who has been closely watched by ASIO for most of his adult life but has never been charged with a terrorism offence. (Photo: Four Corners/Sissy Reyes).

The latest attack at Bondi Beach in Australia is the direct result of the total lack of any attempt by the Australian government to take action against hate speech. What is really amazing is to see the current TV briefing by Australian officials. Initially the New South Wales police announced that they were treating the incident as a terrorist attack.  It must have taken a person of exceptional bravery or stupidity to use the word “terrorist” in this day of political correctness. The word “terrorist” has become offensive to millions of people around the world who cheered the attack against America by al-Qaeda on 9/11, 2001.  It is also offensive to millions of people who celebrated the attack on Israel by Hamas on the morning of October 7, 2023.  These are the people that are now setting the standards that society needs to adhere to. The word terrorist conjures up visions of hundreds of actual Muslim terrorist acts across the world, that have killed and maimed thousands of innocent people. The West has simply bowed to the demands of those who want to destroy western culture and civilization and has decided that the word terrorist is now a derogatory term that needs to be removed from the lexicon of the English language. Words like ‘apartheid’, ‘genocide’ and expressions such as ‘rape their daughters’ are now completely acceptable.  Terrorists have become ‘freedom fighters’ or ‘militants’, and the Australians have now found a plethora of new words to lower the bar even further.

Videos show Naveed Akram preaching on the streets of Sydney as a 17-year-old.

The Australian Prime Minister immediately called the incident an act of antisemitism. Considering the fact that that the attack was against thousands of Australian Jews celebrating the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, one can assume that the detective acumen of neither a Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot were needed to conclude that it was indeed an antisemitic act. The fact that the same Prime Minister has failed to take any serious action against hundreds of demonstrations that have taken place on Australian soil, against Jews and Israel, speaks volumes about his political bias and his concerns to appease the growing Muslim immigrant population in Australia. History has shown over and over again that appeasement leads to calamity. What happened on Bondi Beach did not happen in a vacuum. Ever since the Australian government opened its borders to large scale immigration from Muslim countries, the government has allowed hate speech to go unpunished. Hate speech and Jihad should have no place in Australia or anywhere else for that matter. 

In a TV broadcast soon after the attack, the head of New South Wales governing body described the terrorists who carried out the attack as “shooters.” The next speaker used the word “gunmen.” The spokesman for the New South Wales Police stated that “The offenders have been identified as a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son.”  This is hardly the language that one would expect the spokesman of the police department to use about  mass killers of innocent people celebrating on a beach!

Targeting Jews. This is where global antisemitism leads. As if playing an arcade video game, killer Naveed Akram takes aim and shoots to kill, defenseless Jews on Bondi Beach.

So, there you have it, the two radicalized Islamic terrorists that killed 15 innocent civilians and wounded 40 others on Bondi Beach are described as antisemites, then shooters, then gunmen, and finally offenders. Not a single one of the spokespersons used the words Muslim Terrorists or Militant Islamists to describe what happened on Bondi Beach. Not once have the victims of this terrorist attack been described as innocent civilians. The double standards are obvious. Welcome to Australia today.

The one person that stands out in the whole affair is Ahmed al-Ahmed who risked his life and single handedly disarmed one of the terrorists who was shooting at the people on Bondi Beach. The fact that he is a Muslim is a credit to the millions of Muslims who abhor terrorism. He is a shining light that shows that despite all the hatred that is now spreading across the world, there are still people of character and courage. Ahmed al-Ahmed deserves a medal.

Stepping Up Too Late. A report that has sat on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s desk for months is being raised by critics as key evidence that the federal government has done too little, too late to respond to the rising tide of antisemitism since the 7 October terror attack in Israel.

The tragedy on Bondi Beach needs to be the catalyst that unites Australia and the Western world against the falsehoods and hatred that has arisen in the world.  Hatred is not a policy. It is a one-way street to anarchy. It is time to wake up to the fact that countries are abandoning their own culture and heritage by bowing to the demands of those immigrants that wish to subjugate the lifestyle and beliefs of the countries that have welcomed them and provided them with enormous assistance and financial aid. The past cannot be changed. The future definitely needs to be changed.  The writing so to speak is on the wall. What a pity that the only action of the present Australian government is to announce that they will be tightening up on gun control. What a pathetic attempt to find an excuse for their own disastrous policies and appeasement of hatred.  




*Feature picture: People paying tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah in Sydney, Australia, where 15 people were killed and 38 others hospitalized.  (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images).



About the writer:

Accountant Neville Berman had an illustrious sporting career in South Africa, being twice awarded the South African State Presidents Award for Sport and was a three times winner of the South African Maccabi Sportsman of the Year Award.  In 1978 he immigrated to the USA  to coach the United States men’s field hockey team, whereafter, in 1981 he immigrated to Israel where he practiced as an accountant and then for 20 years was the Admin Manager at the American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel.  He is married with two children and one granddaughter.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

THE GREAT PRETENDER

Behind the polished façade, the “gifts” of Gift of the Givers has a price tag.

By Allan Wolman

Back in the 1950s, The Platters made a hit song called The Great Pretender. Over the decades it was revived by any number of performers — most memorably Freddie Mercury in 1987. Since then, the world has never been short of “great pretenders”, not only on the entertainment stage but very prominently on the political one, where the list of contenders is endless.

Today I want to propose the greatest of the modern-day “Great Pretenders”: none other than Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, a man who has pulled the wool over an entire nation’s eyes and risen to become South Africa’s most admired humanitarian — both at home and abroad.

Parallel Power. Why is this man – Imtiaz Sooliman – treated by the media as a minster?

With every natural or man-made disaster anywhere in the world, Gift of the Givers is among the first to appear on the scene, ensuring their efforts are rewarded with generous front-page coverage — complete with a full-colour photograph of the good doctor in his trademark green shirt and boldly displayed logo. Not to mention the tsunami of philanthropical donations he attracts.

Sooliman has once again made headlines, this time regarding the mysterious “unknown aircraft” that recently landed at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg. I urge you to read this excellent exposé posted on Facebook by Ivor Blumenthal:

WHY THAT LEGAL CHALLENGE IS IMPERATIVE?



*[Editor’s note: Soon after this article was written, South Africa revoked visa-free access for Palestinian passport holders. Taking its cue from Sooliman’s outrageous initial accusation, the SA government followed blindly reiterating the antisemitic rhetoric of the Gift of the Givers CEO by speculating without substantiation that the mystery flight is an Israeli plot to ethnically cleanse Gaza.]


The South African media should hang their heads in shame. But as the obedient mouthpiece of a rotten and corrupt government, that same media — devoid of morality, integrity, or even the most basic sense of journalistic honesty — would never dare venture into the territory that exposes who and what this organisation really is — and, more importantly, what the man’s true agenda appears to be.

Over decades, Imtiaz Sooliman has cultivated an image of saintly benevolence, rushing from one disaster zone to the next, dispensing aid and compassion with no political or ideological motive, (I also once believed in the tooth fairy). Very few people living a ‘humble’ lifestyle could command aircrafts and other costly facilities at a moment’s notice, but Gift of the Givers opens more doors than presidents and monarchs. Scratch even lightly beneath the surface and a very different picture emerges — one of a shrewd operator who understands perfectly how to manipulate optics, press coverage, and public sentiment.

Unapologetic Law Breaker. In his own words, this man is a law unto himself.

BLOWING THE WHISTLE
However, the true face of Sooliman and his Gift of the Givers is being revealed not by the media but by ordinary folk – non-Muslims – who not only see through but experience the ‘packaged’ deception. Watch the video clip below of a South African woman exposing the true face on this so-called Muslim human rights organization that weaponizes food aid by tying it to conversion. Her outrage disabuses the polished public image of Gift of the Givers, exposing it for leveraging hunger as a recruitment tool for Islam. It has been reported that food parcels have been distributed exclusively to Muslims, while vulnerable Christian families were told they will “get more” if they embrace Islam. Behind the polished façade, the “gifts” of Gift of the Givers has a price tag.

Gift of the Givers is a slick well-oiled reputational machine, capitalizing on every episode of suffering that Sooliman exploits to the full creating another opportunity for branding, hero-worship, and political leverage. The green shirt is no accident; it is a uniform designed for instant recognition, ensuring that Sooliman himself — not the cause, not the victims — becomes the headline.

And here’s where the media and gullible public looks the other way, ignoring the company this man keeps. He has no shame aligning himself to radical Islamic causes, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS, openly stating on national television that he adheres to only one law, NOT the law of the land. That’s a statement that goes beyond mere arrogance, but showing his middle finger to his country and the world.

The False Humanitarian. At a protest against Israel in Cape Town on the 5 October 2024, ‘humanitarian’ charity ‘Gift of the Givers’ founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman stood beneath this banner “WE ARE ALL HAMAS” and engaged in antisemitic conspiracy theories, railing against Israel and Jews who “run the world with fear … and control the world with money”. 

Aligning himself with the ANC ‘s agenda of open hostility to Israel and the Jewish people has elevated his stature within South Africa’s political elite affording him a hotline to government ministers who comply to his demands. All this while the media tip-toes around the mysterious aircraft incident at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport and allows Sooliman and his cunningly crafted ‘humanitarian’ Gift of the Givers to weaponize their aims.

Behind the veneer of humanitarianism, a toothless media lacking courage and hiding the truth from the public, feeds the man and his hidden agenda.

Asserting this point, Tim Flack writes in BizNews (8 December), that institutions in South Africa today:

 “…have grown weak and individuals with charismatic branding have filled the void. Sooliman is the clearest example of this trend. He speaks like a minister, moves like a minister, negotiates like a minister, and is treated by the media as if he has the democratic legitimacy of a minister.

But he does not.

He is unelected. He is unappointed. He is unaccountable. And the country has quietly allowed him to operate as a parallel authority in everything from refugee management to foreign policy interpretation.

This is not humanitarianism. It is governance without consent.”

Its time for the media to do their job and expose the true aims behind the façades ofDr. Imtiaz Sooliman and his Islamic charity –  Gift of the Givers.



About the writer:

Allan Wolman in 1967 joined 1200 young South Africans to volunteer to work on agricultural settlements in Israel during the Six Day War. After spending a year in Israel, he returned to South Africa where he met and married Jocelyn Lipschitz and would run  one of the oldest travel agencies in Johannesburg – Rosebank Travel. He would also literally ‘run’ three times in the “Comrades”, one of the most grueling marathons in the world as well as participate in the “Argus” (Cape Town’s famed international annual cycling race) an impressive eight times. Allan and Jocelyn immigrated to Israel in 2019.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

THE HYPOCRISY AND BRAINWASHING OVER GAZA

Israeli withdrawal from Gaza exposes  horrific global hypocrisy and silence of those who ‘claim’ to be pro-Palestine.

By Jonathan Feldstein

The recent days of October 2025 in Israel have been filled with heart wrenching euphoria mixed with cautious optimism, and foreboding.  After two years in unspeakable conditions and captivity, Hamas has released all the 20 living hostages who have returned home to begin a long process of physical and emotional recovery.  Predictably, Hamas has also violated the terms of the agreement to release all the bodies of the 28 remaining hostages. As of this writing, most still remain in the terrorists’ clutches and one of the bodies that they released was not that of a hostage – a ploy they have done before. It’s noteworthy that each of the coffins released needs to be scanned first for explosives before beginning the process of identification of the remains and autopsies.

These are violations of the terms of the agreement that Hamas signed, another form of psychological terror, fitting well in the Islamic practice of taqiya – lying to “infidels”.

At the same time, Israel has agreed to release 2000 terrorists, hundreds of whom serving multiple life sentences for maiming and murdering Israelis. The pain and suffering from the family members of the victims is palpable, as is the fear that any of us could be these terrorists next victims. Or one might rise to become a leader like Yahya Sinwar who masterminded the October 7 attack and massacre, and who was released in a previous deal to free one kidnapped Israeli soldier over a decade ago.

We are also witnessing something only slightly less horrifying: the silence of Hamas supporters around the world who have been chanting for a ceasefire and to protect Gazans for the past two years, even before the slaughter of Hamas terrorists on October 7-8, 2023, was put down.  It’s not new, but flies in the face of anyone claiming to be pro-Palestine (whatever that means), using any made-up reason to blame Israel for the suffering of Gazans, but turning a blind eye to the fact that all the Gazans’ suffering is a direct consequence of Hamas using them as human shields.

Now that Israeli troops have withdrawn from Hamas controlled population centers, what we’re witnessing today is a horrific hypocrisy met by silence of those who claim to be “pro-Palestine”. Hamas has not only not disarmed per the deal, but has undertaken widespread executions in broad daylight across Gaza, ostensibly to eliminate collaborators, but mostly to exert their control and continue to instill fear among Gazans. The gruesome public executions are witnessed and filmed by hundreds.

Sin City. The true nature of Gaza that the world shuts its eyes to – a closeup of a huge crowd of civilians watch an execution in public in Gaza City. Videos showing Hamas carrying out execution – style killing in Gaza

The world remains silent!

  • Why are these executions happening?
  • Why are people standing around watching, filming, and not resisting?
  • Why is the world largely silent?
  • Why is there no widespread media outrage calling out Hamas as the inhuman brutal Islamic terrorist organization that it is?
  • Why are there not a plethora of public statements from world leaders and celebrities who have protested against Israel?
  • Why are there no “Free Palestine” hashtags in response to these executions?

Because without Israel to blame, the actual suffering of Gazans isn’t worth a tweet. Because nobody really cares about Gazans. Their ire is more against Israel rather than pro anything.

With Israeli troops withdrawn and a ceasefire in place, even the UN now admits there’s enough food in Gaza for three months. What happened to the “famine” narrative? The UN’s hypocrisy underscores that there never was one, but it was just another lie, ingested by a world smacking its lips to villainize Israel.

Gazan ‘Humanity’. The world stands silent while other pro-Palestinian activists justify as Hamas militant grabs a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel, before being executed in Gaza City, August 22, 2014. (Photo: Reuters/Stringer)
 

The veil has been lifted.  No famine and Hamas executing Gazans. But wait, there’s more.

Of the alleged “genocide” Hamas claims that 67,000 have been killed since October 7, 2023.  Other than the fact this this conflates several thousand terrorists who were killed that day, and tens of thousands more in targeted combat, the Hamas numbers are not verifiable. Nevertheless, if we’re to believe that number, it’s now also reported that 58,000 of them were terrorists…that’s an 86% ratio, the lowest proportion of civilian to combatant casualties in any war in history. Ever.

If Israel attempted a “genocide”, then Israel executed the most failed genocide ever. It’s astounding how many bought into the “genocide” lie, and who are now silent.

Comprending the Incomprehensible. British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore laments that while the October 7 2023 Hamas attack resembled “a medieval Mongol raid for slaughter and human trophies,” academics, students, artists, and activists “have denied, excused, or even celebrated the murders….”

With Hamas streaming the deliberate killing of Gazans, the veil is lifted. Why are there no:

– “Free Palestine” outcries

– no pleas to save Gazans from Hamas?

Because it was never about freeing “Palestine” but excoriating Israel.

That fraudulent brainwashing has been nothing less than psychological manipulation designed to make the world hate Jews even more. To make Jew-hatred acceptable. Through their vile protests, in which people were paid to partake and instigate others, they have made the world think that the Jews are the Nazis. But in fact, it’s the deliberate mass brainwashing of millions of eager gullible people, and the literal execution of perceived opposition and enemies of their regime, it’s clear that they are the Nazis. Their ideology is what is genocidal.

October 7th was the single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust and somehow, the narrative was twisted. Israel and Jews have been blamed for all of it, and the world actually believed it. If you’re reading this, please take the time in the coming weeks and months to dig deeper. To understand. Not to accept the reflexive blame of Israel that will continue to come from the four corners of the world, and which has always been a lie. Do not accept the silence as so many Gazans continue to be tortured by Hamas. Have the courage to speak out against abhorrent false information.

The threats are real, to Gazans, to Israel and to the West.  The enemy is the same. Please take time to understand, and speak up. The deal reached, and already violated by Hamas, is not a peace deal, but an agreement to see the end of active combat and release of all the hostages – dead and alive.  Hopefully.

Gazan ‘Justice’. A graphic clip, which ABC NEWS has verified shows several men in Gaza City being forced to kneel in the middle of a large gathered crowd as they are about to be executed in public by high-powered weapons.(Planet Labs PBC)

Please pray for the hostages and their loved ones, that they should have full physical and emotional rehabilitation. Pray for the families of those who have been killed as they, hopefully, received their loved ones remains and begin to find closure. Pray for Israel, and its continued safety and security and, if needed, success in continuing to eliminate Hamas threats.




*Feature picture:  Hamas militants kill seven suspected collaborators with Israel in a public execution in Gaza City.



About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein ­­­­- President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

SOUTH AFRICA SHOULD TREAD VERY CAREFULLY WHEN IT COMES TO JIHADIST TERRORISM

Why should a minority foreign import be allowed to determine the future of the majority?

By Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe

I was taken aback by the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) when it accepted the application of the Shariah-based political party called the Islamic State of Africa (ISA). This application was forwarded by a man who is not new to controversy. Farhad Hoomer was arrested in 2018 after he was accused of being involved in the deadly attack at the Imam Hussain Mosque in Verulam,  a town 24 kilometres north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, however, his charges were later withdrawn.

The name Islamic State of Africa raises a serious concern as it suggests that Hoomer may be associated with Islamic State (ISIS or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations (UN) and many countries around the world, including Muslim countries.

Hoodlum Hoomer. Farhad Hoomer and four others were arrested at a warehouse in Mayville, Durban in June 2021 where police seized more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition, handguns, an AK-47, a bolt action rifle with a scope and a cellphone jammer. Charges were later dropped against Hoomer and his co-accused. (Photos: SAPS)

This terrorist organisation needs no introduction in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as it continues to cause chaos in Mozambique where South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been involved to stop the Jihadi terrorism unleashed by a group known as Islamic State of Mozambique (ISM).

The accusations by some Western politicians that Africa  – to some extent – is an enabler of growing terrorism on the continent could be true. Countries such as Sudan and Chad have allowed the Islamic organisations to operate in their countries, at times offering their countries as covers for wanted terrorists such as Osama Bin Laden.

The ideology and political aims of South Africa’s new party, ISA, does not in any way align with the country’s constitution. Just as the founder, Hooker, has said, its constitution makes it very clear that it will implement Shariah law – a legal and moral framework within Islam derived from the Quran and Islamic tradition. The chaotic scenes deriving from the Middle East and Asia are entirely caused by the proponents of this belief, who are convinced that the whole world should be forced, through violence, to follow Islam. 

Farhad has visions of getting far ahead. Durban businessperson Farhad Hoomer – accused by the US of leading an “Isis cell” – denies being a terrorist but says his goal is the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and he is willing to take up arms to achieve his goals. He sees democracy as a form of “evil, tyranny and enslavement”. 
 

What Hoomer should understand is that South Africa is and will forever remain a secular state, which has a greater respect for all religions and has always allowed everyone to practice their religion. Section 15 of the South African Constitution guarantees to all the “freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, and opinion.” With South Africa being a predominantly Christian country – a legacy due to its colonial past – it is not nor will ever be a religious state. From this vantage point, it does not make sense that a minority Islamic sect could be allowed to determine the future of the majority. 

Spearheading Sharia. Farhad Hoomer who wants his new political party, the Islamic State of Africa (ISA), to be part of South Africa’s political landscape said in an interview with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime “Will I fight for Sharia? I would say yes.”
 

The concern here is not whether this Sharia-based party’s application to the Electoral Commission would be approved or that Hoomer may not even get a parliamentary seat, but about the principle. The IEC was not supposed to even entertain the application of Farhad Hooler which would be a green light to import violence to South Africa. Just on our doorsteps in Mozambique, our brothers and sisters are terrorised by similar Islamic groups. 

South Africa is also harbouring immigrants and refugees who are running away from the Middle East and African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria, and many others.

Potential Import. In South Africa’s northern neighbour Mozambique, residents near Macomia in Cabo Delgado province, gather after their village was attacked in 2024 by the Islamic State group. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

According to the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI), South Africa has been and remains a source of funding for many terror activities across the African continent. There are Islamic State-loyal cells inside our country who are acting as middlemen by consolidating all the funds from all related terror organisations to generate income. MEARI further observes that Somalia and South Africa are financial hubs of all Islamic State cells or provinces as they are called, the money is then pooled inside South Africa and laundered across East Africa through an intricate network that finances the Islamic State’s activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

Frying Pan into the Fire. Fleeing civil wars, these refugees from Somalia, the DRC and Burundi camp outside the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) offices in Cape Town, South Africa in 2019 fearing for their lives due to local xenophobia. (Photo: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp)

Recent terrorist encounters in Djibouti and Mozambique should sound alarm bells for South Africa to neither associate nor tolerate any Islamic State related organisations to operate on its soil. To do so will only create a conducive environment for radical Islamic terrorism to thrive in a country that has absorbed so many illegal migrants from across the African continent.

On a matter of principle, South Africa’s Electoral Commission should not have entertained the application of ISA whose party platform is both foreign to South Africa’s political, cultural and social ethos and most certainly at odds with the country’s internationally acclaimed liberal constitution.

As much as we respect religious nations, we are not a religious state and do not wish to become one.

Islamic State of Africa eyes 2026 LGE: Farhad Hoomer
https://www.youtube.com/embed/yIKTYw_WyCE





About the writer:

Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe is a political writer and researcher based at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.








While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

LESSONS FROM MY FRIEND’S EXECUTION IN IRAN’S EVIN PRISON

Nearly executed like her cellmate affords understanding of the depravity and dangers of the Teheran regime.

By Marziyeh Amirizadeh

This year, more than ever, it’s impossible not to think about the execution of my best friend, Shirin Alamhooli on May 9, 2010. I met Shirin in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison where I had been arrested and sentenced to death by hanging because of converting to Christianity, a “crime” the Islamic regime calls “apostasy” and which carries a death penalty.  I was arrested in March 2009. Shirin had already been in prison for some time as a political Kurdish prisoner.

Iranian Injustice. This photo of Shirin Alamhooli was taken by the writer while in Evin Prisonm Teheran. Shiran was executed on May 9, 2010. (Photo: Marziyeh Amirizadeh)

As a Christian, I had many people advocating for my freedom from the first day, and miraculously, I was released that November, and then came to America where I have become a proud citizen. Unfortunately, neither the world nor the terrorist Islamic regime cared about the life of a 28-year-old Kurdish woman.  Shirin spent months being brutally tortured: repeatedly kicked in her stomach, bashing her head against the wall until she passed out, hanging her from the ceiling for hours on end, and beating her with a cable. They would only stop the torture for the Islamic prayer, to dedicate their savage acts to Allah. To satisfy him.

For months Shirin could not walk because the skin was torn from the bottom of her feet during the torture. Most of the time we would sit together and from a small window looked at the mountains beyond the walls of prison. She would sing a beautiful Kurdish song. She wished just to walk to the mountains freely, to fly away like a bird one more time.

At The Mercy Of Evil Men. Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish political prisoner and former aid worker, faces the confirmation of her death sentence by the Iranian Supreme Court.

We ate and talked together almost daily. She asked me to promise her that if I got released and she didn’t, to never stop fighting against the evil Islamic regime.

From the first day of my release, I started fighting for her release, even though I remained in mortal danger myself. I will never forget that horrific day I got a call from one of my cellmates still in prison:

“Marzi, Shirin was executed.”

…. then uncontrollable crying.

I felt like I died. I hung up the phone, and for a few hours I felt as if all my internal organs had frozen. My whole body froze. I could not move, talk, or think.

Along with my roommate, Maryam, with whom I had also been arrested and sentenced to death and then released, we went outside the prison with Shirin’s brother, pleading just to get her body to bury her with dignity. The prison authorities lied. They told us her body had been sent to the cemetery. We rushed there and they said they never received Shirin’s body. We returned to Evin Prison, begging them to give us her body. They refused, mocking us. Today, nobody knows her burial place, if she even has one.

Even 15 years later, Shirin’s execution is one of the most painful things in my life.  Growing up in the Islamic Republic, there were many.  This year we must take a lesson from her murder, as the Islamic regime remains the greatest threat to the US, and the world. I am pained that those leaders in my adopted country, which I love and am so grateful for, are being deceived by the notion that the ayatollahs can be rationalized with, that negotiation is anything more than a fool’s errand.

Indeed, the Iranian Islamic Republic cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon – ever, under any circumstances. Negotiation will only give them time to bury their centrifuge deeper, and to hide the enriched uranium that has no civilian purpose. To be clear: if the Islamic Republic is able to acquire a nuclear weapon, they will use it.  They will threaten the US and Israel, the “Great Satan,” and the “Little Satan.” They will establish a nuclear umbrella that will let them blackmail and terrorize the rest of the world.  There is no doubt about this, yet too many in the West don’t realize it.

While all this is horrible, and is threatening, and cause enough to do everything possible to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, no less horrible is the cancerous threat of spreading of their evil, extremist Islamic ideology: in the US and the rest of the world. A nuclear bomb can kill millions instantaneously, but their dangerous ideology infects the whole world, spreading like a virus, and destroying and threatening millions from within over decades.

Condemned to Die. For 46 years, the gallows of the Islamic Republic have claimed countless women’s lives.

My friend Shirin is evidence of that. Arrested, tortured, and executed, she was one of millions of Iranians alone who are victims of this extremist ideology. While no level of torture is out of bounds in the Islamic Republic, according to their strict following of Islamic laws, it’s not allowed to execute a virgin. It is a known practice for women like Shirin, and others, that before being executed they are brutally raped, taking the level of obscenity beyond imagination. That’s another example of why negotiations are futile, and they can never be trusted.

I was supposed to be one of its victims too.  Outside Iran, through its terrorist proxies around the world including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Syrian Assad regime, Kataib Hezbollah, and more, millions of others have been killed and maimed.  Vast “no-go” neighborhoods of major European cities have become dangerous cesspools of Islamic hate.

The US and the world must be saved from this threat. But there’s another reason as well. For more than 46 years, 85 million Iranians have been held captive, hostage to the ayatollahs -victims of their lies. They have been repeatedly let down by the West looking to make a deal.  The worst of these examples was President Obama who, while I was in prison, not only abandoned the Iranian people during the Green Movement, but sent billions of dollars to Iran, thinking that he could pay off the ayatollahs. Still today, Iranians consider Obama as having betrayed them.

Revelations from the Inside. In Captive in Iran, two courageous Iranian women – the writer and a former cellmate on death row in Evin Prison who made it out alive – recount their experiences in one of the world’s darkest places.

There have been reports of Islamic Republic, today, offering the US billions in contracts to rebuild Iran, but that is nothing more than extortion. In fact, the US can achieve unlimited potential and billions in contracts rebuilding Iran by doing everything possible to bring down the Islamic regime, making Iran and Iranians free, and eliminating the world’s greatest source of terror and war.

This is what needs to be done. While it cannot bring back Shirin, it will at least fulfill her wishes for a free Iran, and those of so many others who have suffered their brutality.



*Feature picture: Shirin Alam Holi, born in 1981 in a small village near Maku, executed in Evin Prison on May 9th 2010 after passing one year and nine months in prison. She was charged for cooperating with Pajak (Iranian branch of PKK) on Nov. 29th 2009 and sentenced to death. (Photos: Marziyeh Amirizadeh)



About the writer:

Marziyeh Amirizadeh is an Iranian American who immigrated to the US after being sentenced to death in Iran for the crime of converting to Christianity.   She endured months of mental and physical hardships and intense interrogation. She is author of two books (the latest, A Love Journey with God), public speaker, and columnist. She has shared her inspiring story throughout the United States and around the world, to bring awareness about the ongoing human rights violations and persecution of women and religious minorities in Iran, www.MarzisJourney.com.  Marzi also is the founder and president of NEW PERSIA whose mission is to be the voice of persecuted Christians and oppressed women under Islam, expose the lies of the Iranian Islamic regime, and restore the relationships between Persians, Jews, and Christians. www.NewPersia.org





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

PINKWASHING OR PROGRESS?

A Gen Z perspective on Gay Rights in the Middle East

By Blessing Mathabela

Pinkwashing critiques are loud, but in the Middle East, Israel’s queer rights progress is speaking louder! “Pinkwashing” is a term that often comes up when discussing Israel’s LGBTQ+ rights record. Critics argue that Israel uses its progressive stance on queer issues to deflect attention from its treatment of Palestinians. While this critique potentially holds some truth, it overlooks an important reality: in the broader Middle East, where queer rights are virtually non-existent, Israel’s progress in this area stands out. That doesn’t mean Israel is perfect, but it’s not pinkwashing to recognise the strides it has made towards the advancement of queer rights.

Critics of Israel’s pinkwashing are quick to point fingers, but where are the solutions for the LGBTQ+ people suffering in countries where simply existing as queer is a criminal act?

Homosexuality and Hypocrisy.  In the Palestinian territories, homosexuality is considered a taboo subject with LGBTQ people experiencing persecution and violence, while in neighbouring Israel, LGBTQI individuals enjoy a high degree of rights and freedoms incomparable anywhere else in the Middle East. Same-sex relationships in Israel have been legal since 1988.

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IN ISRAEL

Israel, for all its faults, is more progressive when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights than many of its neighbours. In Israel, LGBTQI individuals enjoy a higher degree of rights and freedoms compared to many countries in the Middle East. Same-sex relationships have been legal since 1988, and the country boasts a robust legal framework for LGBTQI individuals, including protections against workplace discrimination. Israel also has a thriving LGBTQI community, with Tel Aviv widely regarded as one of the most LGBTQI-friendly cities in the world. The city hosts one of the largest Pride events in the region, attracting both local and international visitors. In addition, LGBTQI Israelis have the right to adopt children, access IVF treatments, and even serve openly in the military. However, while progress has been made, challenges remain, especially within conservative religious Orthodox Jewish communities which maintain traditional views on gender and sexuality. Arab communities in Israel, particularly Palestinian Arabs, also tend to hold conservative views on LGBTQ+ issues, influenced by traditional cultural and religious norms. Many Arab citizens of Israel are Muslim or Christian, and in these communities, homosexuality is often seen as taboo due to conservative interpretations of Islam and Christianity. As a result, LGBTQ+ individuals in these communities often face significant social stigma, familial rejection, and discrimination. While Israel provides legal protections for LGBTQ+ people, including in its civil courts, the cultural acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals is still limited within many Arab communities, leading to challenges for queer Palestinians in living openly.

LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

In most Middle Eastern countries, LGBTQ+ individuals face extreme persecution. In Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, same-sex relationships are punishable by imprisonment, torture, and sometimes even execution. In these countries, being queer is not just illegal – it’s life-threatening. Israel may have a complicated history with its treatment of Palestinians, but when it comes to queer rights, it’s miles ahead of its neighbours. There is no denying that Israel’s queer community has more legal rights and visibility than queer people in countries like Saudi Arabia, where LGBTQ+ people face extreme danger just for existing. Yet, the conversation around pinkwashing too often ignores this harsh reality for millions of queer people across the region.

How Queer! Totally incoherent are the  Queers for Palestine  at anti-Israel rallies. Ostracized and persecuted in Palestine as in most Arab counties throughout the Middle East, is it any wonder that their slogans have been widely satirized with variations like “Chickens for KFC” or “Blacks for the KKK”.

PALESTINIAN LGBTQ+: CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE

It’s crucial to remember that queer Palestinians are not exempt from the oppression faced by LGBTQ+ in the broader Middle East. In Palestinian territories, homosexuality remains illegal, and LGBTQ+ individuals often face rejection from their families and communities. The situation is further complicated by the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, where queer Palestinians are caught between the struggle for liberation and the struggle for their own rights within their communities.

For Palestinian queers, the pinkwashing debate can feel like another form of erasure. While their struggle is often overshadowed by the political conflict, queer Palestinians are doubly oppressed: both by the larger societal and political systems around them, and by the discriminatory attitudes towards queerness within their own communities. This isn’t just about Israel – it’s about the broader regional context where queer people, regardless of nationality, are facing unimaginable hardships.

CRITICISING PINKWASHING WITHOUT SOLUTIONS

Critics of pinkwashing often focus on Israel’s use of LGBTQ+ rights to distract from its treatment of Palestinians, but they rarely offer concrete solutions to improve the lives of queer people in the Middle East. Yes, Israel’s policies towards Palestinians need attention, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the suffering of queer people in countries where being LGBTQ+ can result in imprisonment, violence, or worse.

Accusations of pink-washing are easy to make, but they fail to address the real problem: queer people in the Middle East are living under constant threat. So, while critics focus on the political strategy behind Israel’s queer-friendly policies, they miss the larger issue—how do we protect queer people in the region? Without offering actionable ideas to improve the situation, these criticisms are just noise.

Crazy Crowd. One of the many memes that the “Queers for Palestine” spawned highlighting just how incompatible the values of the Western left are with the Islamic right they so readily champion. (Source: X)

THE BIGGER PICTURE: REAL CHANGE, NOT DISTRACTION

While pinkwashing may be a valid critique, we need to keep it in perspective. The real issue is that queer people in the Middle East – whether Israeli or Palestinian – are facing violence and oppression. It’s time to stop letting the debate distract from the larger issue at hand. Instead of engaging in finger-pointing, let’s focus on what needs to change: the way queer people are treated in countries where their existence is criminalised.

If critics want to challenge Israel’s use of LGBTQ+ rights for political purposes, they need to come up with real solutions for the queer people who are suffering right now. It’s not enough to call out one country’s strategy without addressing the systematic abuse queer people face throughout the region.

Hang ’Em High. Hamas and Hezbollah’s major sponsor, Iran,  has executed between 4,000 to 6,000 gay, lesbian, and bi people since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, many of them in public like this hanging from a crane. ​​(Source: The Algemeiner)

As a South African, I recognise the value of a constitution that explicitly protects the rights of the LGBTQI+ community. In a country where equality is hard-won and deeply ingrained in our laws, it’s a privilege to live in a space that doesn’t treat sexual discrimination as an afterthought. This is something we should not take for granted, especially when so many Queer people worldwide are still fighting for their basic rights. From my perspective, I can appreciate Israel’s progress on queer rights, given the harsh realities faced by the LGBTQI+ community in Palestine and the other neighbouring countries. We must ensure that our advocacy is not limited to criticism alone but translates into meaningful action to protect the LGBTQI+ community everywhere.

Until the fight for global queer rights is truly universal, Israel’s steps forward in this area deserve recognition.


Israel’s 9/11 | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)






About the writer:

Blessing Mathabela is a passionate gender justice advocate and a third-year B.Ed student majoring in English and Social Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). With a strong commitment to creating inclusive and equitable spaces, Blessing has held leadership roles as the Deputy Chairperson of the School of Education and as a Secretary on the All-Residences Sub-Council. She has also volunteered at the Gender Equity Office at Wits, where she worked to amplify marginalised voices and challenge systemic injustice. A dedicated feminist, Blessing is driven by her mission to empower others and advocate for social change both on and off campus.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

IRAN’S WAR ON WOMEN

Wherever the Islamic Republic of Iran’s influence extends, human rights diminish, freedom contracts, and women are forced into submission.

By Catherine Perez-Shakdam

The arrest of a female student in Tehran, who courageously stripped down to her underwear in protest against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s oppressive dress codes, is yet another grim illustration of the regime’s endless war against personal freedom. Amnesty International’s urgent call for her immediate release highlights the brutal lengths to which the authorities of the Islamic Republic will go to maintain control over their citizens, especially women. Yet this event is far from an isolated episode within Iran’s borders. The Islamic Republic’s repressive ideology has metastasized far beyond Tehran, extending its reach to every corner of the so-called Shia Crescent, leaving a trail of intimidation, violence, and oppression in its wake.

Iran Exposed. The young woman student stripped in protest after being assaulted for improperly wearing a hijab in violation of Tehran’s strict modesty laws.(Photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA)

The Islamic Republic’s abuse of its own population is no new phenomenon, and women, in particular, have been subjected to some of its worst excesses. This young student – harassed, humiliated, and assaulted by security forces for defying Iran’s enforced veiling laws – was simply the latest target of an autocratic theocracy that cannot tolerate even the faintest sign of individual autonomy. But to see this as merely a domestic issue is to underestimate both the ambitions and the reach of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This Islamic regime has turned repression into an exportable doctrine, refining it over decades and passing its brutal model on to allies and proxies across the Middle East.

Iranian student arrested after removing clothes at university

Consider Iraq, where militias aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran terrorise activists, particularly women and minority groups, in a grotesque attempt to recreate the ideological stranglehold seen in Iran. Or Lebanon, where Hezbollah has systematically embedded the Islamic Republic’s worldview into Lebanese society, harnessing anti-Israel sentiment to deflect from the group’s own suffocating grip on the country. In Syria, Iran-backed forces have crushed any glimmer of democratic reform in favour of endless brutality and conformity to Tehran’s model. And in Yemen, the Houthis – armed and ideologically shaped by the Islamic Republic – have left ordinary Yemenis with little freedom and less hope, forcing the same script of obedience and control onto yet another suffering populace.

Women behind Bars. It was not too long ago that Iranian women were banned from entering stadiums as seen here as young girls watch a practice session of Iran’s national soccer team from behind the railings. (Photo: Morteza Nikoubazi/Reuters)

The disturbing consistency here is undeniable: wherever the Islamic Republic of Iran’s influence extends, human rights diminish, freedom contracts, and women, in particular, are forced into submission. But what’s particularly insidious is how the Islamic Republic cloaks this brutality. The regime has long relied on anti-Zionism as a powerful smokescreen, deflecting attention from its own abuses. By positioning itself as the “defender” of the Palestinian cause, the Islamic Republic has managed to rally international support and galvanise its base. Yet this posturing is a fraud. Anti-Zionism serves merely as a tool to distract from the regime’s very real war on freedom within its own borders and across the region.

Defiance. Says Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, author, and women’s rights activist who the IRGC attempted to assassinate, commented on X: “In Iran, a student harassed by her university’s morality police over her ‘improper’ hijab didn’t back down. She turned her body into a protest, stripping to her underwear and marching through campus – defying a regime that constantly controls women’s bodies. Her act is a powerful reminder of Iranian women’s fight for freedom. Yes, we use our bodies like weapons to fight back a regime that kills women for showing their hair.” 

The Islamic Republic’s calculated embrace of anti-Zionist rhetoric is not about solidarity; it’s about survival. For the regime, casting Israel as the enemy diverts attention from the crimes it commits daily against its own citizens. When people are focused on an external foe, they’re less likely to question the oppression and corruption of their own rulers. But the cost of this tactic is high, and it is borne by countless women, minorities, and dissenters across the Middle East who find themselves as pawns in the Islamic Republic’s grand narrative.

It’s time we look beyond the Islamic Republic of Iran’s self-styled image as a regional “resistance” force. The tragic case of this young student in Tehran, stripped of her dignity and denied her freedom for a simple act of protest, is a stark reminder of the true face of the regime. Her experience mirrors that of women and activists across the territories where the Islamic Republic’s proxies hold sway. This is not a war confined to Iran’s borders; it’s a transnational crusade against individual freedom and autonomy, exported through fear, repression, and force.

Targeting Women. Iranian teenager Nika Shakrami, killed after her arrest during protests in Iran, seen here on a cell phone, October 6, 2022. (Photo: AFP)

For too long, the West has failed to see through the Islamic Republic of Iran’s duplicity. Anti-Zionism may be a convenient political tool for Iran, but it is a mask for a regime that fears freedom, despises dissent, and punishes those who dare to defy it. If we are serious about supporting human rights and democracy, we must confront the Islamic Republic’s oppressive influence head-on, challenging both its domestic abuses and the exported doctrine that has left so many in fear and desperation.

Warpath against Women. Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law died in police custody in 2022,  sparked worldwide protests against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy.

The international community owes it to this young woman – and to every individual in Iran and across the region who still dares to seek freedom – to see through the Islamic Republic’s narrative for what it is: a sham. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s ideological warfare against Israel has never been about justice; it has been a calculated device to sustain a regime that survives by denying others their rights. The Islamic Republic’s war on women, on minorities, and on basic freedoms is not just Iran’s problem. It is a cancer that has spread through its proxies and threatens all who stand for the right to be free.

The time for understanding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s duplicity is over; the time to expose it is now.


Video evidence shows multiple arrests after regime launched draconian campaign against women and girls




About the writer:

A co-founder and director of UK-based media and consultancy company  ‘Forward Strategy’, Catherine Perez-Shakdam is a frequent contributor to i24NEWS, Al Jazeera, the BBC, The Jerusalem Post, Politico, the Daily Express, and the Daily Mail.
In 2021, Chatherine gained international attention when news broke of her decade-long infiltration of the Iranian regime, during which she was able to gain access to the highest echelons of the regime’s inner circles. Despite the danger following being labeled an ‘enemy of the state’ by Iran, Catherine utilized her extensive knowledge and close-encounter insight to expose a system that had long operated under a shroud of secrecy. Her revelations have provided a unique perspective on Iran’s actions, challenging its narrative and exposing the true nature of its operations.



Feature picture: AI Generate image courtesy of Catherine Perez-Shakdam





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

IRAN’S THREE-RING PRESIDENTIAL “SELECTION”

Voters are treated as powerless pawns to legitimize a terrorist regime.

By Marziyeh Amirizadeh

This week’s Iran’s presidential election is really a “selection”, controlled by its all-powerful Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Only candidates who are approved, vetted, and qualified by the 12 member Guardian Council are eligible to participate in this three-ring circus. Six Guardian Council members are appointed directly by the Supreme Leader. The other six are selected by Khamenei’s hand-picked judiciary chief. The judiciary chief is appointed not because of his qualifications as a jurist, but because of his loyalty to the Supreme Leader. The Guardian Council members are the singularly most loyal soldiers and servants of the Supreme Leader. They are his clowns to run the country, jumping through hoops as the ringmaster Khamenei wishes.  

Iran’s Supreme Puppeteer. Going through the visual pretense of an “election”, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei votes in Tehran, with the country going to the polls to elect a successor to the late president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash. (Photo: AFP)

After the mysterious death of President Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, the Islamic regime launched its circus presidential “selection”. The Guardian Council (AKA the Supreme Leader) approved six candidates. Five hardliners, and one reformist, Masoud Pezeshkian.

What qualifies the candidates is not their education, political or diplomatic proficiency, or their experience running a country. Their qualification is based exclusively on their subservience to the Supreme Leader, blood on their hands from killing dissidents, and supporting, organizing, and exporting extremist Islamic ideology and terrorism abroad.

The candidates are indeed clowns, puppets of the Supreme Leader. Their resumes echo their servitude, having served as commanders of the IRGC, members of Basij (secret police), parliamentarians, or in different capacities under the Supreme Leader’s direct supervision. Each candidate excels at serving the Supreme Leader through suppression and killing of countless Iranian civilians, or expanding terrorism in the Middle East to organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and other proxies, killing Israelis and other innocents.

In the circus of Iranian elections, the Supreme Leader always selects one reformist candidate to deceive people to bring them to the ballot box, ostensibly to legitimize the show. As always, the reformist clown, this time Pezeshkian, plays the part of a candidate on the side of people, seeming to care about their issues.

Contrived Contest. The election is presented as a three-way contest between two hardline candidates, Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, but the outcome is all decided before the first vote is cast. (Photo: Reuters)

One issue that reformists always play with is the suppression of women for not wearing a hijab. Publicly, Pezeshkian promises to address this issue and give women their freedom. His campaign motto is “For Iran”. “For” in Farsi is “baraye” which is the name of the song that became the anthem of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement after the brutal 2022 murder of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman who was murdered by the regime for not wearing a hijab. By using this motto “For Iran”, Pezeshkian tries to deceive Iranians that he cares about Iranians and is going to work for them. 

In fact, reformists and hardliners are opposite sides of the same coin. Together, they act as oxygen to the regime. In the presidential selection this week, Pezeshkian plays the sympathetic reformist clown of the Supreme Leader to deceive the world that Iranians support the Islamic regime through the electoral circus. Nevertheless, the majority of Iranians know that the president has already been selected, and the circus of an “election” is just a side show for the world to see, to legitimize a terrorist regime in power.

For years, Iranians were deceived by this tactic. In the 2009 presidential selection, millions of Iranians voted for a reformist candidate, but the Supreme Leader selected hardliner Ahmadinejad, teaching Iranians a lesson that in the Islamic regime dictatorship, Iranians have no voice, and their vote counts for nothing. It amplified that reformists only prop up the regime, and are worse than the hardliners.

After the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini, more than 80 million Iranians said “NO” to the Islamic regime. That is the true vote of Iranians that unfortunately the world’s leaders refuse to hear. Iranians chanted in the streets, “Hardliners, reformists, the game is over.”

Killed in Custody. For the writer, this is the true vote of the people of what that they think of their leadership. Iranian demonstrators take to the streets of the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini, days after she died in police custody. Protests spread to 15 cities across Iran over her death following her arrest by the country’s morality police. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

However, in this presidential selection in order to deceive people to vote for him, Pezeshkian, is using another tactic of the former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, the master of deceiving Iranians. Zarif, during one of his interviews outside Iran, said that despite all the regime’s suppression, Iranians always support their leaders. In addition to Pezeshkian as candidate, regime-exported reformist agents outside Iran work ceaselessly to extort legitimacy for the regime from western leaders. Zarif was one of the masterminds to plant reformists in key leadership roles outside Iran for this critical time.

While millions of Iranians boycott the presidential selection circus, the Islamic regime is working tirelessly to gather their followers to sham campaign rallies, deceiving people through bribery, and giving them false hope. They bus many of their followers, and Afghan migrants as additional clowns, to create a crowd for their presidential puppets. While Iranians are not familiar with iconic circus leader PT Barnum, the regime subscribes to his truism that there’s “a sucker born every minute.”

Shockingly, reformists outside Iran, with the help of the Biden administration, are also organizing more than 30 polling stations in different states for the regime’s agents who are enjoy freedoms in the United States, to be able to cast their votes for the killers at home. Through this, they use illusions through smoke and mirrors to pretend to Americans that Iran has any democracy.

Election Deception. The reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, who the writer characterizes as little more than a “clown” playing the part of a candidate on the side of people, seeming to care about their issues.

While Iranians have no hope for the future of their country as long as this evil regime is in power, President Biden is giving hope to the ayatollahs to stay in power for his own interests, and in support of his presidential candidacy.

No matter how hard the Biden administration and some western politicians are working behind the scenes to keep the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in power, history has proven that dictators will collapse when 90% of people say enough is enough.  The outcome of this week’s “selection” is pre-determined, but Iranians will eventually realize victory and take back their freedom despite all the betrayals.

Shame and treason will be the only legacy of those who stand on the wrong side of the history with the Supreme Leader and ayatollahs.



About the writer:

Marziyeh Amirizadeh is an Iranian American who immigrated to the US after being sentenced to death in Iran for the crime of converting to Christianity.   She endured months of mental and physical hardships and intense interrogation. She is author of two books (the latest, ‘A Love Journey with God’), public speaker, and activist for religious freedom. She has shared her inspiring story throughout the United States and around the world, to bring awareness about the ongoing human rights violations and persecution of women and religious minorities in Iran.

http://www.MarzisJourney.com.






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).