Ahmadinejad’s ultimatum
Posted by Richard on December 5, 2006
Kenneth Timmerman took a look at the Iranian president’s recent letter to the American people, and he didn’t like what he saw:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has followed up his 18-page letter to President Bush earlier this year with a five-page missive to the American people.
In the earlier letter, which left the Bush White House shaking their heads with wonderment, the Iranian invited Mr. Bush to embrace Islam. That is a well-established Islamic tradition when dealing with an enemy just prior to war. If they refuse, then the Muslims are "justified" in destroying them.
Timmerman noted that Ahmadinejad’s letter to the American people referred to America’s "injustice" a dozen times, and the concept of justice has a rather different meaning for Ahmadinejad than it does for those of us in the West. To him, it’s all about submitting to Allah — the "Islamization of the entire world." He demanded that we stop supporting Israel, leave Iraq, and quit embracing "moral corruption." Timmerman pointed out that "corruption" is a rather serious crime in Iran:
Students of recent Iranian history will recall that the "crime" most often used to justify a death sentence by Islamic Republic revolutionary courts during the early years of the revolution was "corruption on Earth." This was how the regime simply eliminated its opponents or those who rejected absolute clerical rule.
Timmerman thinks most commentors have missed the point of the letter, which came at the end:
Citing from the Koran at the close of his letter, he says that if Americans "repent" of their "injustice," they will be blessed with many gifts. "We should all heed the divine Word of the Holy Koran," he says.
The context of this particular verse (28:67-28, Sura "Al-Qasas," or The Narration), is very clear. It follows a graphic description of destruction and devastation that will befall those who fail to repent of their injustice, i.e., support for Israel and refusal to adopt Islam.
It also sets out the terms of the traditional Muslim warning to the enemies of Allah. "And never will your Lord destroy the towns until He sends to their mother town a Messenger reciting to them Our Verses." This is precisely what Mr. Ahmadinejad does in his letter.
Dump George W. Bush, allow the Muslims to destroy Israel, and adopt Islam — or else you will be destroyed. This is Mr. Ahmadinejad’s message.
Meanwhile, the gas centrifuges are humming in the underground bunkers at Natanz (the ones off-limits to inspectors), construction continues at the secret Neyshabour facility (deeper underground and less vulnerable to air strikes), and the supply of weapons-grade uranium slowly but surely grows.
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