The Crime Against Islam Of Developing Successful Software -- Punishable By Death
The barbarian state of Iran has sentenced to death a 35-year-old web designer on the grounds that he is guilty of desecrating and insulting Islam with software he created. From the Globe and Mail, an editorial calling for Canada to keep up pressure on Iran to free the man, Canadian resident Saeed Malekpour, who was in Iran to visit his terminally-ill father:
His crime was to develop software to upload photographs - a web program that was then used by pornographic websites.Mr. Malekpour has said that he had no knowledge his software was used for this purpose. Even if he did, his actions in no way justify the death penalty.
The Canadian government is right to call on Iran to release Mr. Malekpour - as well as the many other people imprisoned without due process. ... Thousands of people are believed to be on death row in Iran, including Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, sentenced to death by stoning, or hanging, for committing adultery.
Although Canada's influence in Iran is limited, lobbying for Mr. Malekpour's release could be effective in the long run. Last year, Iran released two American hikers who were accused of espionage, in part to appear magnanimous in advance of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's appearance at the United Nations General Assembly. Iran is not immune from the pressure of international condemnation.
Who the heck is the Canadian government to interfere with the Iranian legal process (for someone who is not even a Canadian citizen)? How would we feel if Iran demanded that we use Sharia law on Iranian citizens charged with crimes here? And why not focus on problems with our own legal system instead of worrying about some foreign legal system halfway around the world?
Snoopy at February 6, 2012 6:27 AM
I can't speak for Canada but in the US other countries are telling us how we should run our country all. the. time. Health Care, private ownership of firearms, criminal penalties, and on and on and on.
If your (for any given "you") country doesn't like that, they are certainly free to say so. If their dislike of how we do things here is strong enough, they are even free to decide they don't want to do business with the US. And we are free to respond in kind.
I don't see any particular reason Canada cannot have the same liberty with respect to Iran.
David L. Burkhead at February 6, 2012 7:35 AM
Um Snoopy, I think the point is that he is a canadian citizen and has been sentanced to death for a 'crime' he commited while living in canada
That "crime" being 3rd parties (NOT HIM) use his program to upload pornography.
lujlp at February 6, 2012 8:58 AM
lujlp - he's just a Canadian resident, not citizen.
Snoopy at February 6, 2012 9:24 AM
"he's just a Canadian resident, not citizen."
Oh, well all right then.
Old RPM Daddy at February 6, 2012 9:50 AM
"Oh, well all right then."
I certainly did not say this was alright.
Snoopy at February 6, 2012 5:35 PM
Just obliterate Iran and the problem goes away. It's not like they care enough about their country to maintain the population anyhow (the native-born Persian population is around 35% and declining).
We should have done this in 1979.
brian at February 7, 2012 4:48 PM
I'm curious to see what Prez Obama is going to do about the American citizens who are being held captive in Egypt and are about to be subject to show trials. It's the Iranian hostage crisis all over again.
Cousin Dave at February 7, 2012 6:26 PM
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