Posted on 06/17/2007 11:39:51 AM PDT by Starman417
Increasingly, the angry speeches of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reveal a desperate president in need of a conflict. Just a few days ago, he crossed a key rhetorical red line by expressing open hostility towards both Judaism and Christianity.
While his rhetoric may seem completely reckless to the western world, in the past, there have been certain limits beyond which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not dare to venture.
But this past week, he crossed a line which should be taken as a warning signal.
In the past, the Iranian has claimed that his problem is with political ideologies and not religion. Jews and Judaism, when kept in their place were just dandy, he said – his problem was with Zionism and Israel’s existence. At no time, before, or after his presidency, had Ahmadinejad made such a statement, which could be interpreted as hostile against the monotheistic religions which the Koran has declared as holy.
But on Friday, June 15th speaking at an Islamic seminary school, Ahmadinejad charged that “ideologies deviating from God’s teachings are being spread with dollars in the name of Judaism and Christianity around the world. Those who are doing this are saying they want to save humanity, whereas the only way to save humanity is Islam”.
This is the first time that Ahmadinejad has made a statement in which he has accused Jews and Christians of spreading blasphemy, without even bothering to include a hint that it is rogue groups within such religions who are responsible. This is unprecedented.
What is even more worrying is that these comments, which were reported by the Iranian news agency Aftab News, won the support of Moosa Ghorbani, a senior member of the Iranian parliament.
Rather than condemning the president for words which could cause offense and hostility, Ghorbani instead condemned other former presidents for not making similar statements. He went on to say that “Islam completes other religions” and that therefore “other religions are not accepted by God”.
The good news is, it is unlikely that his words will inspire an increase in anti-Semitic and anti- Christian activity in Iran, because most Iranian people do not share these radical beliefs. On a day-to-day level Iranian Jews and Christians live relatively comfortably in Iran. Iranian people are very tolerant of them. Jews and Christians openly pray in their churches and synagogues. Iranian Jews are even allowed to travel to Israel, despite the country’s president’s repeated threats and predictions about the destruction of the Jewish state.
Ahmendinejad hatred of all things Israeli is not new. Even Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic never harangued and provoked Israel verbally as much as Ahmadinejad, beginning with his speech in the city of Zahedan in December 2005, in which he called the Holocaust a “myth” and climaxing with the controversial Holocaust denial conference a year later in Tehran.
But Ahmadinejad always insisted on the clear distinction that the “enemy” was Zionism, and not Judaism. In a perversion of history, he associated the Holocaust with Zionist ideology, and nothing to do with Judaism. To help validate his position, he made sure that members of the Neturei Karta, a Jewish anti Zionist group were invited to the Holocaust denial conference and he was photographed embracing them warmly.
In this context, the new statements hostile to Judaism and Christianity made by Ahmadinejad, and the fact that they were backed by the parliamentary leadership should grab the attention of the international community. (Until now, they have not been reported in the international press in English)
There are a number of reasons why Ahmadinejad could have crossed this line.
First and foremost, it could have simply been because he got overexcited. On the same day, he had been handing out graduation awards to students at the Imam Khomeini foundation, run by his mentor, the extremist messianic Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi. The Yazd born Ayatollah is well known for his radical views and statements against the West. Perhaps by making some of his own, Ahmadinejad was showing him that he still is devout follower, and still grateful for the fact that Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi helped his presidential campaign by issuing a fatwa which supported his presidential bid.
The more threatening reason could be his own isolation. Ahmadinejad is a cornered man, who is losing popularity at a ferocious pace inside Iran, mainly due to the failings of his economic policies. He may feel that provoking a war with the West, in hopes of inspiring a public rallying around the flag will be his only saving grace. Otherwise, he stands very little chance of winning the 2009 presidential elections.
The more threatened Ahmadinejad feels, the more he will be looking for a conflict to survive. The Western world needs to think very carefully before giving him what he wants.
bump
The mahdi has been coming any day for the past thousand years. He will show up when it is time by his own clock (after hell has frozen over) and won’t be summoned by Iammadjohn.
Ahmadinejad should be careful what he wishes for.
this goofball wants war to prop up his crumbling goverment.
We cant ignore him and we cant contain him. If we had a good CIA, maybe we can try to cause a isurection. But the CIA seems good at trying to overthrow THIS goverment.
..all in order to save a few muslims from a hopeless, terror filled, unhappy ending.
Islam kills
It is clear he wants war to take the domestic pressure off the regime. The Iranians are just about fed up with their nutjob overlords. But there is always the chance that he will get what he’s asking for, and much, much more. Think ocean of glass.
I see no future for the mid-east other than distruction. Only question is, “By whom?” I know some Iranian expats here, and they hate Badmood Imadinnerjacket!
Take care of it. I’m retired.
Oh' well.
I guess she will just have to be mad.
He has crossed the war line about 6 times, as I recall. We back-up and redraw the line. I guess when he nukes Tel Aviv and sends uniformed Iranian soldires into the Port of NY, we might get some cojones.
We have missiles that can hit a target within a couple of feet.
There are American warships really close to Iran with these missiles on board
It sure would be satisfying to see one used at 3 am Tehran time.
“He has crossed the war line about 6 times, as I recall. We back-up and redraw the line. I guess when he nukes Tel Aviv and sends uniformed Iranian soldires into the Port of NY, we might get some cojones.”
Isn’t ironic - the world did the same thing with Hitler until it was too late. As for any cojones, only if El President Jorge taps one of his new constituents to do the job no American will do.
Ahmanutjob needs his head examined ASAP.
We are changing the ME with our current policies....and time is our friend in this battle over the long run...
Just a few days ago, he crossed a key rhetorical red line by expressing open hostility towards both Judaism and Christianity.
He’s right in line with the 9th circuit then. They declared “family values” hate speech.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1851754/posts
I have the time now..I was laid off....it will give me something to do...
It’s time to stick a neutron bomb up his butt and set it off. This guy wants to kill everyone in the world who is not a member of the islamic cult.
It’s time to stick a neutron bomb up his butt and set it off. This guy wants to kill everyone in the world who is not a member of the islamic cult.
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