MESBAH-YAZDI AND AHMADINEJAD'S SINCERE belief that the imminent return of the 12th Imam -- ushered in by an apocalyptic conflagration -- echoes the grim prognostication of the shadowy Hojjatieh Society. Founded in 1953 by the Shah, the society was originally dedicated to converting followers of the Ba'hai religion. As the group expanded, it began to develop and embrace more fantastic concepts, including one which justified the instigation of societal chaos, so as to augur the return of the Mahdi. Using this belief as their guide, Hojjatieh members refused to become involved in the 1979 Revolution, believing the Shah's missteps to be the perfect spark for the return of the Mahdi. Considered so extreme that the Ayatollah Khomeini formally banned the group in the early 1980s, the society was forced to move underground.
However, it is widely believed that the philosophy of Hojjatieh survives, espoused by numerous theological schools in Iran, the most prestigious being the Hojjatieh-founded Haqqani school in Qom. Haqqani's most famous graduate? Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi.
While Ahmadinejad's advocacy of tyrannical order do not necessarily gel with the tumultuous prophecy of Hojjatieh, their shared recognition of chaos on an international scale as a legitimate precursor to the return of the mythical figure of the 12th Imam is troubling enough, especially considering the fact that Ahmadinejad is close to gaining the perfect weapon for the instigation of said disorder. The idea that such a man, mesmerized by stagnant and violent myth, could soon gain access to nuclear weapons, is simply unconscionable, especially considering the tragic historical precedent of allowing certifiable madmen to gain access to the instruments of mass destruction.
Patrick Devenny is the Henry M. Jackson National Security Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C.
Source: The American Spectator
There's really no longer any doubt that Ahmadinejad and his pals are lunatic believers in the 12th Mahdi, and that ushering in the Armageddon needed to empower the Mahdi is one of their priority agenda items.
Even before Ahmadinejad - going back at least a year ago or more - Iranian mullahs were being quoted over at www.memri.org saying that the "martyrdom" of the entire nation of Iran was worth it, because it would bring the Mahdi back to lead Islam.
This is the insane, self-destructive, and suicidal ideology we're facing, and Ahmadinejad has done nothing other than to reinforce what's been stated in the past. If they get nukes, they *will* use them, irrespective of the consequences (actually, because those consequences are exactly what they seek, as a precursor to the return of the 12th Mahdi).
America and the world had best not underestimate the unfathomable things that Ahmadinijad is threatening to do for the sake and cause of the reappearing of their Mahdi. We are dealing with madmen in a nuclear age.- OB1