Ahmadinejad Reportedly Claims U.S. is Blocking Return of Mankind's Savior
 

Now the question is...does blocking the Mahdi constitute a cause for war in the eyes of a significant percentage, or a majority, of the Islamic population? If so, then my first take is that Ahmadinejad has raised the stakes.

LINK

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims the United States is attempting to thwart the return of mankind's savior, according to reports from Al Arabiya, a television news station based in Dubai.

Ahmadinejad reportedly claims he has documented evidence that the U.S. is blocking the return of Mahdi, the Imam believed by Muslims to be the savior.

“We have documented proof that they believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world,” Ahmadinejad said during a speech on Monday, according to Al Arabiya.

"They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the grounds for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

Ahmadinejad continued the rant by claiming there have been plots by both the West as well as countries in the East to wipe out his country, according to Iranian news Web site Tabak.

"They have planned to annihilate Iran. This is why all policymakers and analysts believe Iran is the true winner in the Middle East," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the site. He also alleged that foreign nations seek to control Iran's oil and natural resources.

"In Afghanistan, they are caught like an animal in a quagmire. But instead of pulling their troops out to save themselves, they are deploying more soldiers. Even if they stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years they will be forced to leave with disgrace — because this is a historical experience," Ahmadinejad reportedly said.

"They know themselves that they need Iran in the Middle East, but because of their arrogance they do not want to accept this reality. They are nothing without the Iranian nation and all their rhetoric is because they don't want to appear weak."

That would depend on who you classify as the Savior....and this is one Infidel that does not think the "hidden imam" rates consideration.

Ahhmanutjob is running out of material. Maybe he needs Conan's writing team?

Politicians will say or do whatever it takes to gain power - and then once they've gained it, will then say or do whatever it takes to retain it whether they truly believe it or not.

Simple First Law of Politics - no matter what they claim to be the legitimacy for their holding power.

Richard's jaded $.02 :munchin

It's true. I have it on good authority that the Hidden Imam has been having some paperwork difficulties with Homeland Security and has been unable to leave Secaucus, where he has been living undercover.

He has been complaining to the ACLU that there has been one tough DHS agent in particular who has been riding his ass.
A Mexican fella.
I think his name is Jesus something or other.

I gather that the consensus is that no one - not even among the less-educated portions of some of the Islamic nations - might be persuaded by his rhetoric?

Those in search of a fight will eventually find the fight they seek. Even if they themselves must create the circumstances that begin the fight. Once the fight begins those that were too timid to begin the battle will wait until one side or the other becomes weakened in order to take advantage of the circumstances and claim at least a portion of the victory.

Fascist, Islamist, Politician, Hyena or other assorted sneak-thieves......

From a truly (fundamental) islamic position I do not think there is more "rhetoric" required to enter into jihad than is already provided for in the koran...

"In 2005, Ahmadinejad was called before the United Nations Security Council to explain his continued determination to develop nuclear weapons. He began his speech by declaring: 'In the name of of the God of Mercy, Compassion, Peace, Freedom and Justice...' and ended his speech with this prayer: 'I pray to youto hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace.' The "Promised One" in Ahmadinejad's prayer was a reference to the Twelfth Imam, a figure in Shi'ite teaching that parallels the figure of Al-Mahdi in Sunni teaching. In essence, both of these titles refer to the Islamic Messiah who is yet to come."

"Shi'ia Islam believes that the Twelfth Imam can appear only during a time of worldwide chaos. This explains Ahmadinejad's defiant actions....and said "Isreal must be wiped off the map."

From What in the World is Going On?
by Dr. David Jeremiah, pages 87-88.

There are three key figures in Islamic eschatology:

1. The Muslim Anti-Christ (Ad-Dajjal)

2. The Muslim Jesus (Isa Al-Maseeh)

3. The Muslim Savior/Messiah Figure (Al-Mahdi) or in Shi'ia (The Twelfth Imam)

From The Islamic Anti-Christ
by Joel Richardson, page 18.

"Throughout the Islamic World today there is a call for the restoration of the islamic caliphate.
The caliph in islam may be viewed somewhat as the "Pope of the Muslims."
Muslims view the caliph as the vice regent for allah on earth.(khalifa)
When Muslims call for the restoration of the caliphate, it is the Mahdi that they call for.
The Mahdi is the awaited final caliph of islam.
Muslims everywhere will be obligated to follow the Mahdi:

If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if
you have to crawl over ice, because he is vice regent
[Kalifa] of allah, the Mahdi.
- Ibn Maja, Kitab al-Fitnan #4084 as quoted by Kabbani, Approach of Armageddon?, 231.

"He will pave the way for and establish the government of
the family [or community] of Muhammed...
EVERY BELIEVER WILL BE OBLIGATED TO SUPPORT HIM..."
Sunan Abu Dawud, narrated by Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin.

The Mahdi is believed to be a future Muslim world leader who will no only rule over the islamic World, but the non-Muslim world as well. The Mahdi is said to lead a world revolution that will establish a new islamic order throughout the entire earth."

From The Islamic Anti-Christ
by Joel Richardson, page 24.

COMMENT: Combine this with the fact that the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) is the only organization capable of representing and speaking for the Muslim World (the Ummah), it seem to me that the next Caliph (the Mahdi) would emerge from leadership of the OIC.

Fascinating - thank you.

So, if one were to suppose that the world will experience increasingly chaotic conditions, then it seems possible that an Islamic charismatic leader could rather easily initiate WWIII.

I wonder - could an individual fulfill the requirements to be both Al-Mahdi and the Twelfth Imam? And, what attributes would the mass of Muslims regard as both necessary and sufficient to fulfill that role?

Jest: I take it as a given that I couldn't show up in Iran, tell them I was the awaited one, and that I needed all their money. ;)

It didn’t work out so well for Muhammad bin abd Allah al-Qahtani :D
http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday...ecca/index.php

FWIW, Timothy Furnish – former US Army/ Arabic linguist – has a pretty good book concerning Islamic Mahdis & their Jihads:
http://hnn.us/articles/29389.html

His blog:
http://www.mahdiwatch.org/

Kind of Makes You wonder....
 

... If Allah has the power Muslims believe, why he can't find a way to thwart the US's plan to "thwart" the savior's arrival.

May not be the God you want to worship if mere man can put such a kink in his plans.:p

Stop using REASON!

I had the same thought. IF allah is all powerful, THEN why does he need a mere mortal to defend him against the empty words of non-believers???

"The good is not what REASON considers good,
nor the bad what REASON considers bad.
The measure of good and bad, according to this school of thought [shafi'i islamic jurisprudence], is the scared law, NOT REASON."
- Reliance of the Traveller, paragraph a1.4

Wanted to clarify the previous post by highlighting the differences between Biblical Eschatology and the Islamic Eschatology.

Specifically, the interesting twist on the three main characters...

Turn things on it's head? What's good is bad and what's bad is good...

A similar position (in that the passivity of the Jewish faith itself was blocking the return of God) was put forth by Herzl during the Jewish National Congress in Basel in 1897 - the acceptance of this idea, aided by the events of History, led to the Zionist movement and an overtly aggressive push for a return to the Jewish homelands and the creation of the modern state of Israel - they're still waiting for the return of God, too.

I wonder who the Mayans were waiting for? ;)

Richard's jaded $.02 :munchin

Al Gore.....