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