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Omar, Bravo! A very bad week for Iran.
NRO ^ | June 14, 2006 | Michael Ledeen

Posted on 06/14/2006 10:23:32 AM PDT by isaiah55version11_0

The mullahs have had a lot of bad news in recent days — news with a particularly sinister aura, in fact. So sinister that they must be asking themselves what they have done to incur the Divine wrath.

I kid you not.

First is the loss of one of their terrorist stars, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the deus ex machina of the terror war against us in Iraq. Not only does that deprive the mullahs of a prime instrument for generating civil war — his constant incitement to the Sunnis to rise up against the Shiites was the cutting edge of their three-year program to turn major Iraqi ethnic and religious groups against one another — but it is a serious blow to recruitment throughout the terror network. It is as bad for them as the beheading videos were good. Potential jihadis want to do the beheading, not suffer the consequences of 500-pound bombs. The quick Iranian deception, pretending they were pleased at the death of Zarqawi, shouldn’t fool anybody. They have lost a basic building block of the terror structure.

Second is the worldwide campaign against terror cells, many of which were linked to Zarqawi, or to Iran itself. Some of the Canadians now in jail in Ontario had been in contact with Zarqawi, and the cell in Sarajevo had longstanding ties to Tehran.

Third is this ominous line from al-Reuters on the occasion of President Bush’s jaunt to Baghdad:

BAGHDAD, June 13 - U.S. President George W. Bush told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad on Tuesday Iran’s “interference” in Iraq must end, said Iraqi government sources who attended the talks.

Can it be that, at long last, we are going to take steps against the mullahs to save the lives of our fighters and the Iraqi civilians who have been targeted by the terrorists who are armed and manipulated by the Iranians and the Syrians? Faster, please.

But that is nothing compared to the clear message from On High on the soccer fields of Germany. No, I’m not talking about the demonstrations against President Ahmadinejad, I’m talking about the Mexican victory over Iran in the first round of the World Cup.

With the game tied 1-1, a Mexican player named Omar Bravo scored for Mexico, which went on to win 3-1. That name, Omar Bravo, sends chills down the spines of the mullahs. “Bravo” is a universal plaudit, enthusiastic praise for the person to whom the “bravo” is directed. And Omar? Well...Omar is the most hated name in the Shiite lexicon, the symbol of the forces of evil, the incarnation of satanic influence on earth.

And why? Because after the death of the Prophet, Mohammed’s son in law, Ali (the husband of Mohammed’s daughter Fatima) was fighting to become the leader of all Muslims. Ali lost out to Omar Bakr and to Omar, his close adviser and successor as Caliph. To this day, the Shiites believe that Abu Bakr and Omar usurped Ali’s rightful inheritance as ruler of Islam. Not only that, but during the succession struggle Omar burst into Ali’s house, crushing the pregnant Fatima behind the door, leading to the stillbirth of her son. And although Ali formally accepted the elevation of Abu Bakr, and then Omar, the Shiites still speak of Omar with intense hatred. In Iran today, one of the harshest things you can say about another person is Iaanat be’Omar, cursed by Omar.

To a devout Shiite of the sort that governs Iran today, the defeat of the Iranian national team by somebody named Omar Bravo cannot be easily dismissed as a random event. It cannot possibly be a coincidence (it is hard for Iranians to believe that anything is a coincidence), and it is most certainly a terrible augury. Many Iranians will interpret it as a message to the mullahs: just as Ali was defeated by Omar, so your doom has been signaled by a modern Omar. And that “bravo,” can it be an accident? No way.

As I said, tough times for the mullahs. Very tough. — Michael Ledeen, an NRO contributing editor, is most recently the author of The War Against the Terror Masters. He is resident scholar in the Freedom Chair at the American Enterprise Institute.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: iran; omar
Being a big believer in God’s sovereignty, this story Rocks.
1 posted on 06/14/2006 10:23:36 AM PDT by isaiah55version11_0
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To: isaiah55version11_0

bookmark


2 posted on 06/14/2006 10:27:36 AM PDT by Soul Seeker (Deport the United States Senate)
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To: Soul Seeker

Before this is over, we in the west will be carrying a pig's foot for luck, instead of a rabbit's foot.


3 posted on 06/14/2006 10:43:23 AM PDT by Mister Da (The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)
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To: isaiah55version11_0

Maybe Allah is NOT happy with them. Maybe Allah is not the complete a$$hole he needs to be for Islam to be the 'religion' it claims to be. Maybe the Muzzles don't have the word of God in their scary/comic book, the Koran. Maybe the whole thing is built on the shifting sand of the so-called prophet Mohammed, who was really an evil person. Maybe, finally, time will catch up with these people and their deck of cards will collapse. One can hope.


4 posted on 06/14/2006 10:50:31 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
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To: Mister Da

You said -- "Before this is over, we in the west will be carrying a pig's foot for luck, instead of a rabbit's foot."

Well..., I still like furry rabbit's feet better. But, bad for the rabbit, I guess.

Regards,
Star Traveler


5 posted on 06/14/2006 10:51:20 AM PDT by Star Traveler
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To: isaiah55version11_0
...so your doom has been signaled by a modern Omar. And that “bravo,” can it be an accident? No way.


6 posted on 06/14/2006 11:56:10 AM PDT by humint (...err the least and endure! --- VDH)
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To: isaiah55version11_0
The mullahs have had a lot of bad news in recent days — news with a particularly sinister aura, in fact. So sinister that they must be asking themselves what they have done to incur the Divine wrath.

Pass that crack pipe, brother! The "wrath of Allah" stuff goes the other way. They figure Allah is telling them that they haven't been crazy enough, that they haven't blown up enough Jews, etc. We saw that kind of delusional thinking after the tsunami, after every M.E. earthquake, etc.

7 posted on 06/14/2006 2:23:57 PM PDT by jiggyboy (Ten per cent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: isaiah55version11_0

How could a tent have a solid door to hit people with?


8 posted on 06/14/2006 4:13:11 PM PDT by GSlob
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