Beware Iran & Aug. 22nd?

[Dr Mordrid]

Bernard Lewis is Princeton University's Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Emeritus

Scholar Warns Iran's Ahmadinejad May Have 'Cataclysmic Events' In Mind For

http://www.princeton.edu/~nes/faculty_lewis.html

August 22
Tue Aug 08 2006 10:22:35 ET

In a WALL STREET JOURNAL op-ed Tuesday, Princeton's Bernard Lewis writes: "There is a radical difference between the Islamic Republic of Iran and other governments with nuclear weapons. This difference is expressed in what can only be described as the apocalyptic worldview of Iran's present rulers."

"In Islam as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time -- Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil, however these may be defined."

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the US about nuclear development by Aug. 22," which this year corresponds "to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque,' usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1).

"This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind."

[ND66]

Hope he's wrong.

A.

[ZokesPro]

So august 22nd falls on a tuesday... hmmm.

Ah ha! I got it!

Step 1: Call in sick from work.
Step 2: Search for hottie (if there's still time) or any girl (if the end is really close).
Step 3: We all know what step 3 is.

Edit: I hope he's wrong also.

[Jon P. Inghram]

August has too many nuclear anniversaries as it is, it really doesn't need another.

[Elie]

Do you think the US or the world for that matter will just sit there and watch the events as it unfolds?

Hope he is wrong, for Irans sake!

[ND66]

Check this out:

Facing Down Iran

.

[Dr Mordrid]

Professor Lewis made a fascinating appearance at the Pew Foundation's "Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life" in D.C. last April.

http://pewforum.org/events/index.php?EventID=107&gclid=CIfi3sjn0IYCFQEMSQodEHZH4w

If you're interested in the Middle East crisis this transcript is essential reading. In it he explains much history including the connection of the Ba'ath Party (Saddam, Syria etc.) to the Nazi's, Wahabism and much, much more. Questions by the likes of Charles Krauthammer (Wash. Post; Pulitzer Prize) and other foreign policy analysts.

Wish I could have taken his classes

BTW: his take is that the West is not being tough enough on the Iraqi insurgents, on Iran and radical Islam in general.

He makes pretty much the same point Spock did re: the Romulans in the Classic Trek episode "Balance of Terror", an appropriately named episode for our times if ever there was one

[ND66]

....MR. LEWIS: Let me go back to the point of developing democracy in those countries. I didn't say that we could develop it. What I said was that we could remove obstacles and give them the opportunity to develop it. The only way it can work is if they develop it themselves, and I see genuine possibilities for that.

I was asked the other day at a lecture I gave what my view was on the development of democracy in the Arab world and elsewhere in the Islamic world, and I said I would describe my position as one of cautious optimism. My optimism derives from there, my caution from here. (Laughter.)

Regarding the Muslim populations of the Western world, I spoke a few moments ago about the Wahhabi menace. This is particularly strong among the Muslim communities in Europe and America. And just think, for example, for a Muslim living in Hamburg, Birmingham, Los Angeles, or whatever it may be, it is very natural that he should want to give his children some sort of grounding in his religion and culture. So he looks around for evening classes, weekend schools, holiday camps and the like. These are now almost entirely controlled, financed, funded by the Wahhabis, so that you get, among the Muslims in the Diaspora more than among the Muslims in Muslim countries, an intense indoctrination from the most radical, the most violent, the most extreme and fanatical version of Islam.

I'll give you a specific example. In the German constitution there is strict separation of church and state, but Germany, unlike the United States, allows time in the school curriculum for religious instruction. The way they do it is this: Time is provided in the curriculum of the German schools for religious instruction. Attendance at these classes is entirely optional, and the state provides neither teachers nor textbooks. The religious communities said, if they want this, provide the teachers and the textbooks.

The Muslim community in Germany is largely Turkish, and when they reached sufficient numbers they went to the German authorities and asked if they could have religious instruction in Islam in the German school curriculum. The Germans said, yes, you're entitled to that, according to the law, but you will have to provide the textbooks. And the Turks said, no problem, we have excellent textbooks, which are used in Turkish schools and we can use those. And the German authorities said, no, that you cannot do. These are government-controlled textbooks. We cannot have government textbooks on religion. You have to produce them from your own community, with the result that Islam, as taught in Turkish schools, is a sort of modernized, semi-secularized version of Islam, and Islam as taught in German schools is the full Wahhabi blast. The last time I looked, 12 Turks had been arrested as members of al Qaeda. All 12 of them were born and educated in Germany, not in Turkey. Does that answer your question? ...

That was a good read, thanks Doc.

.

[KRSESQ]

Excellent read, but I missed the part where he answered this question:

ADRIAN WOOLDRIDGE, THE ECONOMIST: I wanted to ask about the failure of assimilation of Islamic communities in Europe. You seem to be very optimistic.

MR. LUGO: All right, a very important question. Let me put that in line here, okay, Adrian?

MR. WOOLDRIDGE: Okay.

MR. LUGO: We'll get right back to you.

But I don't think they did.

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

That question was answered in the quote ND66 posted; Lewis is not that optimistic about assimilation.

[ND66]

From today's news:

Nasrallah urges Arabs to leave Haifa

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday warned all Israeli Arabs to leave the port city of Haifa so the militant group could step up attacks without fear of shedding the blood of fellow Muslims.

Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, has been the frequent target of Hezbollah's rocket attacks.

"I have a special message to the Arabs of Haifa, to your martyrs and to your wounded. I call on you to leave this city. I hope you do this. ... Please leave so we don't shed your blood, which is our blood," Nasrallah said.
The Shiite cleric also gave a deeply negative assessment of the proposal to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon in his first comments on a draft U.N. cease-fire resolution.

"The least we can describe this (draft resolution) is as unfair and unjust. It has given Israel more than it wanted and more than it was looking for," he said in a televised speech.

However, Nasrallah said Hezbollah was solidly behind a Lebanese government plan to deploy 15,000 soldiers in south Lebanon once a cease-fire is reached and Israel withdraws its forces.

"In the past we used to oppose or not agree on deployment of the army at the borders," the Hezbollah leader said. Now, he said, "we agree on deployment of the army."