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http://www.payvand.com/news/06/aug/1228.html
8/21/06
Call for United Action to Prevent a Catastrophic US-Israel War against
Iran
CASMII Statement - August 20, 2006
The US and UK supported war waged by Israel against Lebanon has been
the prelude to an imminent massive military attack against Iran [1][2].
Urgent mass action by Iranian people in and outside the country and
million strong protests by the antiwar movement around the world, in
particular in the US and UK, are absolutely imperative to stop a US
pre-emptive strike on Iran in the coming weeks and months.
In his 2002 State of Union Speech, George W Bush infamously accused
Iran of being part of Axis of Evil and launched a propaganda crusade
against the Islamic Republic, while Mohammad Khatami, the ex-President
of Iran, was consistently campaigning for =E2=80=9CDialogue Among
Civilizations=E2=80=9D in the international community.
Following the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon,
Iran is the next target in George W Bush=E2=80=99s War on Terror that he now
characterises as war on Islamic fascism [3]. In fact, one likely
response by Israel-US-UK to their political and strategic defeat in
Lebanon is to unleash a massive pre-emptive military strike against
Iran, which they claim is the main evil source of all ills in the
Middle East and international terrorism.
As long as Bush and Blair remain in office a pre-emptive catastrophic
war against Iran will remain imminent at all times. Twenty one former
US generals, diplomats and national security officials who wrote an
open letter to President Bush on August 17 urging him to open
negotiations with Iran are =E2=80=9Cparticularly concerned about
administration policies toward Iran, believing them to be a possible
prelude to a military attack on suspected nuclear sites in that country
[4].=E2=80=9D
US-Israel pre-emptive war pretexts against Iran
The case for a US-Israel military assault on Iran will be based on a
purportedly powerful combination of three charges.
1=2E Iran: =E2=80=9CWorld=E2=80=99s Primary Sponsor of Terrorism=E2=80=9D
George W. Bush has accused Iran of =E2=80=9Cbeing world's primary state
sponsor of terrorism=E2=80=9D [31]. He has also described the conflict in
Lebanon as a front on the global war on terror [32], and as a US-Iran
proxy war [5]. Condoleezza Rice has described the war atrocities and
war crimes committed by Israel in Lebanon as the birth pangs of a new
Middle East [6]. Meanwhile, Tony Blair has characterized the root cause
of the conflicts in the Middle East as an arc of extremists including
Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran, which according to him must be
confronted [7].
As revealed by Seymour Hersh, the prominent investigative journalist,
the aim of the US-UK-Israel in the war against Lebanon has been to
cripple the pro Iran Hezbollah ahead of any attack on Iran and to
obtain a pretext based on Iran=E2=80=99s support to Hezbollah to justify su=
ch
an attack [8][2].
The UN Security Council resolution on Lebanon is grossly biased as it
demands the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah to stop all its
attacks but gives Israel, which is occupying southern Lebanon, the
right to launch =E2=80=9Cnon-offensive=E2=80=9D military operations in Leba=
non [9].
Furthermore, the UN Security Council calls for Hezbollah to be disarmed
and imposes an arms embargo on the resistance movement which is
supported by Iran. The Israel-US-UK alliance will be constructing
=E2=80=9Cevidence=E2=80=9D that Iran and Syria have continued to provide ar=
ms to
Hezbollah in violation of the UN Security Council resolution [10].
Iran has also been accused by the US of provoking sectarian violence in
Iraq to divert attention from its nuclear programme. Zalmay Khalilzad,
the US Ambassador in Iraq has recently said about Iran=E2=80=99s role in
Iraq: =E2=80=9CIt is providing arms, training and money and other support to
groups involved in sectarian violence, including militias that have
death squads associated with them [11].=E2=80=9D
2=2E Iran: =E2=80=9Ca Nuclear Threat=E2=80=9D
The current UN Security Council resolution on Iran, based on chapter
seven of the UN Charter which relates to threats to international peace
and security, demands that Iran suspend all its enrichment related
activities, which are Iran=E2=80=99s inalienable rights, under the NPT by t=
he
end of August 2006.
This resolution, which pre-empted the response of Iran to the so-called
5+1 incentive package due on August 22, has no basis in international
law as Iran has not been in violation of its obligations under the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) [12].
In fact, three years of unprecedented snap visits by the inspectors of
the IAEA under the voluntary enforcement of the Additional Protocol by
the Islamic Regime, have failed to produce any evidence for diversion
of declared nuclear material to a weaponization programme, Dr
ElBaradei, the Director General of the IAEA has repeatedly asserted
that there is no evidence for a diversion of declared nuclear material
in Iran to a weaponization programme. There are forty five other
countries including 14 European countries and members of the UN
Security Council who are in a similar position as Iran in that the time
consuming verification of the IAEA safeguards is still incomplete and
thus the IAEA is not yet in a position to say that all their nuclear
activities are peaceful [13].
Iran has accepted the incentive package as a basis for negotiations
without the pre-condition of suspension of enrichment activities, an
offer the US and the UK have strongly rejected [14]. Iran has also
offered to run its enrichment plants as joint ventures with private and
public sector firms from other countries [33], which combined with
Iran=E2=80=99s willingness to implement the IAEA=E2=80=99s Additional Proto=
col
could ensure the complete transparency of its enrichment activities.
But the West has rejected this offer as well, another indication that
the US is not interested in negotiations to resolve the nuclear
dispute.
Iran has rejected the UN Security Council resolution as unwarranted and
is refusing to relinquish its inalienable rights under the NPT, which
includes enrichment of uranium for a civilian nuclear programme.
Thus, as from the beginning of September, Iran could well be in breach
of the UN Security Council resolution. Accusing it of developing a
nuclear bomb, the US is already escalating its hysteric propaganda
against Iran whose president has called for the destruction of -as he
put it- =E2=80=9Cthe Zionist occupying regime.=E2=80=9D
The US and Israel are already poised to conduct a bombing campaign
against the Iranian nuclear plants as soon as the US-UK sham
diplomacy, which has been deliberately designed to fail as revealed by
the leaked letter of the political director of UK=E2=80=99s Foreign
Office[33], reaches a stand-off at the UN Security Council[15][16].
This is expected to occur when China and Russia resist any resolution
for imposing sanctions or legitimizing a military intervention against
Iran in the coming weeks and months [17].
3=2E Terrorist threat to the west
Philip Giraldi, an ex-CIA officer, reported in the American
Conservative in August 2005: =E2=80=9CThe Pentagon, acting under instructio=
ns
from Vice President ***** Cheney=E2=80=99s office, has tasked the United
States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan
to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the
United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran
employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons. Within Iran
there are more than 450 major strategic targets, including numerous
suspected nuclear-weapons-program development sites [18].=E2=80=9D
In his crusade against =E2=80=9Cthe forces of evil,=E2=80=9D or what he no=
w calls
Islamic fascism, George W Bush has lumped all Islamic anti-western
currents including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Republic of Iran and
Al-Qaeda as terrorist organisations. He has also declared that the Iran
backed Hezbollah and the alleged UK air plot suspects share a
=E2=80=9Ctotalitarian ideology=E2=80=9D they are seeking to spread [19].
After probing the depth of ties between al Qaeda, Iran and Hezbollah, a
closely linked terrorist group, the 9/11 Commission found no evidence
of Iranian or Hezbollah awareness of al Qaeda's plan for Sept. 11, 2001
[35].
However, the commission accused Iran of providing safe passage to
Al-Qaeda members: =E2=80=9Cdiscussions in Sudan between al Qaeda and Iranian
operatives led to an informal agreement to cooperate in providing
support--even if only training--for actions carried out against Israel
and the United States. Not long afterward, senior al Qaeda operatives
and trainers travelled to Iran to receive training in explosives.=E2=80=9D
It has also charged that Iran provided safe passage to Al-Qaeda
operatives: =E2=80=9CIran facilitated the transit of al Qaeda members into
and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, and that some of these were future
9/11 hijackers [20].=E2=80=9D
As in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, the US led pre-emptive strike
against Iran is prepared in the propaganda war by linking that country
with the 9/11 atrocities, however unfounded such an allegation may be.
In this context, as confirmed in Seymour Hersh=E2=80=99s interviews with hi=
gh
ranking elements of the Bush Administration, any terrorist action,
foiled incident or threat against the US in the coming weeks and
months can be used as a pretext to launch an assault on Iran [2][21].
The US "National Security Strategy" (NSS) published by the White House
March 16, 2006, maintains preventive military action justified by the
"inherent right to self-defence" as one of the pillars of the United
States' protection. It goes on to stress: "No country poses a greater
challenge than Iran," before warning: "Diplomatic efforts must succeed,
if we want to avert a confrontation [22]."
Consequences of a US-Israel pre-emptive attack
The consequences of a pre-emptive military action on Iran, which may
very well include the use of tactical nuclear weapons to destroy
heavily fortified Iranian nuclear plants underground, has been
described by independent experts as simply catastrophic [23] [24]
[25][26]. Even Senator McCain, the Republican presidential hopeful, who
himself favours a military attack on Iran if =E2=80=9Cdiplomacy=E2=80=9D fa=
ils, has
described the result of any such attack as Armageddon [27].
In the US-UK support for barbaric war atrocities committed by Israel
against the civilian population of Lebanon, the international community
has already witnessed in horror probably a precursor of what is to come
in the US-Israel war against Iran.
To put the dimension of the impending catastrophe in proper
perspective, one has to ask this question: If Israel-US-UK are capable
and willing to commit such crimes against a Lebanon with a government
headed by a pro-western prime minister, what would they be willing to
do against an Iran with a regime which has been consistently demonised
by the western leaders and media in over twenty seven years? Would they
really have any qualms about using nuclear weapons against Iran if it
defends itself after being attacked?
The neo-conservatives in the US administration are intent on fomenting
ethnic conflict and unrest in the country with a view to support
separatism on the road to the disintegration and dismemberment of Iran
[28] [29]. They see the break-up of Iran along ethnic lines as the only
way to forcibly overthrow the Islamic Republic which the US considers
as its number one enemy [30].
Urgency of mass action against a pre-emptive US war on Iran
We call on all Iran focused anti-war organisations to unite and speak
with one voice to stop the impending catastrophic US war on Iran.
We call on all peace organisations, dialogue and exchange
organisations, NGO=E2=80=99s, political pressure groups and in particular
Iranian organisations to urgently plan mass actions in the US and UK
and all over the western world to oppose imposition of sanctions and
any military intervention on Iran, calling instead for immediate,
direct negotiations without any pre-conditions between the US and Iran.
We stress that opposing sanctions and military intervention in Iran by
no means implies any political support for the Islamic Republic. It is
simply to defend Iran=E2=80=99s sovereignty and the right of
self-determination of Iranian people without any foreign state
interference.
Here is an Action Plan to stop a catastrophe in Iran and the Middle
East:
1=2E Keep yourself informed and up-to-date on the latest developments in
the Iran-US standoff by regularly reading antiwar websites. In
particular: www.antiwar.com, www.campaigniran.org,
www.iraninformationassembly.org, www.iransolidarity.endofempire.org,
www.payvand.com/news.
2=2E Organise your contacts and join your local or national peace group
or antiwar organisation and raise the urgency of mass action on Iran.
Plan vigils, demonstrations and pickets.
3=2E Make your views known by calling your parliamentary representative
(for example your House Representative or Congressman in the US and
your MP in the UK) and make an appointment to see them. (In the US you
can call the Capitol switch board and ask for your Senators and
Representative: 1-800-426-8073; in the UK call House of Commons: 020
7219 3000.) Demand that they should immediately call for an emergency
meeting of the House, Congress, House of Commons and the Parliament in
all western countries to oppose any sanctions or military intervention
against Iran and call for immediate, direct negotiations of the US
without any pre-conditions with Iran.
4=2E Write to your local and national newspapers, criticize the biased
articles and editorials in the media and raise the above demands for
negotiations with Iran.
5=2E We call on mass anti-war organisations to jointly organise an
=E2=80=9CInternational No War on Iran Day of Action=E2=80=9D on September 2=
3rd to
coincide with the national mass demonstration .in front of the Labour
Party National Conference on that day in Manchster.
No Sanctions, No War on Iran!
Immediate, Direct US Negotiations with Iran without Pre-conditions!
[1] Wake Up Call to Iranian Communities Around the World
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=3D10684
[2] Watching Lebanon
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060821fa_fact
[3] Bush's 'Islamic fascists' remark sparks ire
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=3D16519
[4] Words Not War: Military Leaders Speak Out on Iran
http://irannuclearwatch.blogspot.com/
[5] Bush 'believes conflict is a US-Iran proxy war'
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14305782/
[6] Rice sees bombs as birth pangs
[7] Tony Blair speech
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5236896.stm
[8] Israel and US Looking for a Lebanon Pretext to Attack Iran
http://www.payvand.com/news/06/aug/1059.html
[9] This draft shows who is running America's policy... Israel
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1217413.ece
[10] Rice calls resolution "a good first step" to help Lebanon, Israel
[11] U.S. says Shiite extremists in Iraq receiving arms, training from
Iran
http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=3D152778
[12] CASMII Statement: IAEA finds no evidence of Iranian
nuclear-weapons plan
[13] Statement by the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic
of Iran before the Security Council
[14] Iran softens stance on nuclear talks
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/13fa43a8-2d47-11db-851d-0000779e2340.html
[15] Revealed: Israel plans strike on Iranian nuclear plant
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1522978,00.html
[16] The Iran Plans
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060417fa_fact
[17] China cautions West against creating tension over Iran nuclear
issue
http://www.indianmuslims.info/node/5747
[18] Deep Background
http://www.amconmag.com/2005_08_01/article3.html
[19] Bush links Hezbollah and 'plot'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4787207.stm
[20] Iran Amok
[21] Bush Planned Lebanon War Months Before
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D_5eBrfrWoTk
[22] Bush identifies Iran as enemy number one
[23] Iran: Consequence of a War
http://www.iranbodycount.org/
[24] Will the US Nuke Iran?
[25] America and Iran: At the Brink of the Abyss
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hirsch.php?articleid=3D8577
[26] Prominent U.S. Physicists Send Letter to President Bush
http://www.physorg.com/news64505715.html
[27] John McCain Warns of Iran 'Armageddon'
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/4/2/231135.shtml
[28] Pan-Turanianism Takes Aim At Azerbaijan: A Geopolitical Agenda
[29] US marines probe tensions among Iran=E2=80=99s minorities
[30] Scathing nuclear report as US brands Iran enemy No 1
[31] Bush accuses Tehran of being world's primary state sponsor of
terrorism
[32] Bush calls Lebanon a front in terror war
[33] Britain pushes for military option to restrain Tehran
[34] Iran and the invention of a nuclear crisis
[35] 'Operational Relationship' With Al Qaeda Discounted
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/21/iran_brings_it_on/
Nuclear Holocaust starts tomorrow: WSJ
Put your affairs in order
By Thomas C Greene in Washington
Published Monday 21st August 2006 15:52 GMT
Public Service Announcement
The Register regrets to report that the world is about to end. It seems
that Iran is going to attack Israel tomorrow, 22 August, with nuclear
weapons, and initiate World War III, as famous Islamic scholar Bernard
Lewis explains in his recent Wall Street Journal editorial.
"=2E..confrontation seems to be looming between a nuclear-armed Iran and
its favorite enemies, named by the late Ayatollah Khomeini as the Great
Satan and the Little Satan, i.e., the United States and Israel," the
professor says.
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"A direct attack on the US, though possible, is less likely in the
immediate future. Israel is a nearer and easier target, and [Iranian
President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad has given indication of thinking along
these lines."
Naturally, this would result in a catastrophic attack on Iran. As for
why the Iranians might wish to commit genosuicide, Lewis explains that
they're just funny that way: "The threat of direct retaliation on Iran
is...weakened by the suicide or martyrdom complex that plagues parts of
the Islamic world today, without parallel in other religions, or for
that matter in the Islamic past."
Besides, it's been ordained by scripture. "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. Mr Ahmadinejad and his followers clearly believe that this
time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is
indeed well advanced."
The professor has read between the lines, and discovered the optimum
date for the end of human civilization. "This year, August 22
corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, 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."
So, that's it then. We would like to thank our readers for their many
emailed comments, flames, and death threats. We've certainly enjoyed
our years of keeping you informed and entertained, but all good things
must come to an end.
On the bright side, there's no better time for saying goodbye to the
world than just as the mainstream press is gearing up to inundate us
with speculation regarding the death of JonBenet Ramsey, from broadcast
locations in Boulder, Colorado. That we will be spared Greta Van
Susteren's daily musings about what might or might not have happened,
surely, must prove the existence of a loving and merciful God.
And so we prepare to meet Him with joy and gratitude. =C2=AE
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/21/iran-apocalypse/
Neoconservatives Predict The Apocalypse Starts Tomorrow
For months, neoconservatives have been pushing for regime change in
Iran. In their latest effort to beat the war drums and undermine
diplomacy, they are attaching great significance to August 22 =E2=80=93 the
date Iran said it would respond to an incentives package from the five
permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
August 22 is a day =E2=80=9Csome Shiite sects believe=E2=80=A6could corresp=
ond to
the end of the world.=E2=80=9D That=E2=80=99s enough for neoconservatives to
conclude Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have =E2=80=9Cchosen to
launch the apocalypse=E2=80=9D tomorrow.
Here=E2=80=99s a look at the rhetoric being pushed by neocons to scare the
American people into supporting military action:
- =E2=80=9CWhat is the significance of Aug. 22? [=E2=80=A6] 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.=E2=80=9D [Bernard Lewis op-ed, Wall
Street Journal, 8/8/06]
- =E2=80=9CWe all hope and pray that August 22 is not the day Ahmadinejad h=
as
chosen to launch the apocalypse, but there is little doubt in the White
House and at the CIA that the Iranian leader is feverishly trying to
build, buy, or steal nuclear weapons, and that he will quite likely use
them once he has them.=E2=80=9D [Joel Rosenberg, National Review, 8/10/06]
- =E2=80=9CWill [Ahmadinejad] attempt to make good on these threats this ye=
ar
on the anniversary of the Miraj [August 22], illuminating the night sky
over Jerusalem? Will Western powers heed Farid Ghadry=E2=80=99s words and
move to stop Iran before it is too late?=E2=80=9D [Front Page Magazine,
7/27/06]
- =E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s an important symbolic day for jihadists. And I=E2=
=80=99m curious
to see what happens on Tuesday. [Ahmadinejad] may just say no or he may
do something a little more dramatic, launch a missile or something, to
show that - Iranian defiance of what looks like an impotent West.=E2=80=9D
[Bill Kristol, Fox News Sunday, 8/20/06]
- =E2=80=9C=E2=80=98The only thing we can know is that the date was not cho=
sen by
accident,=E2=80=99 said Robert Spencer, Director of Jihadwatch.org and an
adjunct fellow at the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think
tank. =E2=80=98It does seem very likely, very probable, that he has somethi=
ng
major in mind, whether only a major announcement or a major attack, we
will soon see.=E2=80=99=E2=80=9D [The Blotter, ABC News, 8/21/06]
It=E2=80=99s worth noting that a bipartisan group military experts believe
there are no good military options against Iran.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=3D/ForeignBureaus/archive/20=
0608/INT20060821a.html
Speculation Rages About Iran's Plans for August 22
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
August 21, 2006
(CNSNews.com) - August 22 could usher in an apocalyptic period in the
Middle East thanks to some belligerent action on the part of the
Iranian regime. Or maybe not.
As Tuesday approaches, the Internet is running hot with speculation
about what Tuesday may bring, ranging from a new refusal by Iran to
shut down its controversial uranium-enrichment activities to an attack
-- even a nuclear attack -- against Israel.
The frenzy was prompted by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's
announcement, more than a month ago, that his government would deliver
its response on August 22 to an international carrot-and-stick proposal
aimed at defusing the standoff over its nuclear activities.
The date was chosen by Tehran and had no obvious relevance in
international diplomacy. The only formal deadline the international
community is currently awaiting with regard to Iran is August 31 -- the
date set by the U.N. Security Council for Iran to suspend uranium
enrichment or face the possibility of sanctions.
Some commentators have downplayed the importance of August 22, arguing
that the decision was simply one of convenience, akin to saying "we'll
respond by the end of the month." August 22 marks the end of the
Persian solar month of Mordad.
But others are less sanguine, noting that the date is significant in
Islam, for several reasons.
It coincides with the Islamic calendar date Rajab 28, the day Jerusalem
fell to the Islamic warrior Saladin, in October 1187. Many Muslims
regard Saladin's victory as a high point in Islamic history, and just
weeks ago, Syrian fans of Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah were
likening him to the 12th century Kurdish hero.
On the night of August 21-22, Muslims believe Mohammed underwent his
"night journey," a trip on a magical steed from Mecca via the "farthest
mosque" -- later said to be al-Aqsa in Jerusalem -- and on to heaven
and back.
The two-stage journey is known in Islam as the "isla and miraj," and
tradition holds that a divine white light appeared over Jerusalem at
the time.
"The night of August 21 is a very, very important night in Shi'a
Islam," according to Farid Ghadry, a Sunni Muslim and president of the
exiled Reform Party of Syria, based in the U.S.
Ghadry claimed that Ahmadinejad would deliver his answer to the
international community in the form of a "light in the sky" over the
al-Aqsa mosque on the night of Aug. 21-22.
He urged the world to take the date seriously, adding that "nothing
happens without a reason in Iran."
Apocalyptic belief
Commenting on Ghadry's interpretation, Robert Spencer of Jihadwatch
argued that an Iranian attack on Israel, conventional or nuclear, would
"be consistent with Ahmadinejad's oft-repeated denials of Israel's
right to exist and recent predictions that its demise was at hand."
"Will he attempt to make good on these threats this year on the
anniversary of the miraj, illuminating the night sky over Jerusalem?"
Spencer wrote in Front Page magazine. "Will Western powers heed Farid
Ghadry's words and move to stop Iran before it is too late?"
An article published by the pan-Arabic media organization al-Bawaba
noted Ahmadinejad's adherence to the Shi'ite belief in the 12th imam -
also known as the "hidden" imam, Mahdi, who disappeared more than a
thousand years ago but has been miraculously kept alive, pending his
emergence at a time of global chaos and war.
"Some believe that Imam Mahdi will be returning some time this August,
also the time some military experts predict that Iran will be ready to
construct its first nuclear weapon," it said.
"Apparently, Ahmadinejad sees himself as an instrument to pave the way
for the arrival of Imam Mahdi as well as an important successor to
Saladin in terms of the liberation of Jerusalem."
Circulating widely online are the thoughts of the veteran Islamic
scholar Prof. Bernard Lewis, who also refers to the belief in the
return of the hidden imam.
"Mr. Ahmadinejad and his followers clearly believe that this time is
now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed
well advanced," he said in an article originally published Aug. 8 in
the Wall Street Journal.
Pointing to the date of Mohammed's journey, Lewis wrote: "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," he said. "But it would be wise to bear
the possibility in mind."
"In the world of radical Islam past events add weight to any
contemporary attack," political commentator Micah Halpern wrote in the
Israel Insider magazine.
"Attacks are programmed to resonate with history and reverberate with
meaning beyond the present. Attacks are a tool used to remind the
collective Muslim community to recall an historical episode."
Halpern argued that the Iranian president chose Aug. 22 because of its
significance in Islamic history.
"Ahmadinejad is invoking eschatology, the end of days and the time of
'the great light in the sky' as Muslims call it. Ahmadinejad is
informing the Muslim world that, this year also, an event of
significance will happen on that date. Ahmadinejad proclaims that the
event will change their destiny."
'Iran emboldened'
The Israel intelligence website Debkafile reports that there is much
speculation about what Iran may be planning for Tuesday.
"Tehran may announce success in producing enriched uranium of a higher
grade, meaning it is no more than six months away from a weapons-grade
capability. While providing justification for U.N. Security Council
sanctions, Tehran prefers to believe that this announcement will be its
passport for admission to the world's nuclear club and its attendant
privileges, including the right to enrich uranium independently."
Counterterrorism consultant Daveed Gartenstein-Ross mulled the
possibility that Iran's Aug. 22 date may be linked in some way to
recent unconfirmed reports suggesting that North Korea may be preparing
for an underground nuclear weapons test. Writing at the
Counterterrorism blog, he noted that the two rogue states have
cooperated in the past in the nuclear field.
In an article on the question of the Aug. 22 date, investment analyst
Larry Edelson said conditions looked ripe for a wider war in the Middle
East.
The Arab world was convinced Israel had come out of its month-long
conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon having "effectively lost its first
war," he said on the Money and Markets website.
"Hizballah is essentially an extension of Iran, supplied and financed
by the country's Revolutionary Guard. End result: Iran is more
emboldened than ever."
Edelson predicted an increase in volatility and financial risk by the
end of August.
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http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=3Dnation_world&id=3D4368740
Aug. 22 A Target Date For Terrorists?
Is Tuesday "Doomsday?"
Asa Eslocker
Aug. 21 - While no extra safeguards are in place, U.S. law enforcement
are not ignoring the possible significance of tomorrow's date, August
22, a date that marks an important historic event on the Islamic
calendar.
Internet websites have been full of speculation that it could be a
target date for terrorists in commemoration of the return of the 12th
imam, a supposed day of reckoning for Shiites.
August 22 was rumored by intelligence experts to be a possible date
that the London plotters would blow-up passenger planes headed towards
the United States, though it is not known if the suspects were Shiite
extremists.
This year, August 22 marks the holy day on the Islamic calendar that is
the day of reckoning for Shiites. Some Shiite sects believe that August
22 could correspond to the end of the world. And just today, after much
hype, Iran has announced that it will continue to develop its nuclear
program.
To followers of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, this is a well-timed
affront to Israel, the United States and the world. The United Nations
had given Iran until the end of the month to respond, but Ahmadinejad
had made it clear to all Iranians and the world that he intended to
respond on the eve of August 22.
Whether or not this announcement is the end of Ahmadinejad's plans for
August 22, one expert says we will have to wait and watch.
"The only thing we can know is that the date was not chosen by
accident," said Robert Spencer, Director of Jihadwatch.org and an
adjunct fellow at the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think
tank. "It does seem very likely, very probable, that he has something
major in mind, whether only a major announcement or a major attack, we
will soon see."
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http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Security/9216.htm
Ahead of August 22, Iran launches huge land, air, sea military
exercises
By israelinsider staff and partners August 19, 2006
Iran on Saturday launched a series of large-scale military exercises
aimed at introducing the country's new defensive doctrine, state-run
television reported.
The television report said the military exercise would occur in 14 of
the country's 30 provinces and could last as long as five weeks.
The first stage of the maneuvers began with air strikes in the
southeastern province of Sistan va Baluchistan, the report said.
The military exercises come as Iran faces heightened international
scrutiny because of its contentious nuclear program and for supporting
the guerrilla group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad singled out Tuesday, August 22 --
originally the date when Iran was expected to respond to UN demands for
accountability regarding its nuclear plans -- as the date when Iran
would respond, hinting that the response would not necessarily be
diplomatic.
Bernard Lewish speculated about the significance of the date in the
Wall Street Journal: "What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year,
Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, 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."
Iran has denied Israeli accusations it is arming and training Hezbollah
fighters but also has declared Hezbollah victorious in its battle
against the Jewish state, which ended Monday when a U.N. cease-fire
resolution went into effect.
The Islamic Republic, which views the United States as an arch foe,
also is concerned about the U.S. military presence in neighboring Iraq
and Afghanistan and Israel's threats to destroy its nuclear facilities.
The military exercise, involving 12 infantry regiments, is called "The
Blow of Zolfaghar," in reference to a special double-edge sword that
belonged to Imam Ali, one of the most revered figures of Islam for
Shiite Muslims. A majority of Iran's 70 million people are Shiite.
Iran has routinely held war games over the past two decades to improve
its combat readiness and test locally made equipment such as missiles,
tanks and armored personnel carriers.
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| User: "kmiller" |
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| Title: =?utf-8?q?Re:_IZ_TUESDAY,_AUGUST_22nd,_2006_A.D._DOOMSDAY_=3F!=3F!=3F_YOUR_UNCLE_WALLY_SEZ_NOPERS_IT_AIN'T_;-)_=E2=99=A5=E2=99=A5=E2=99=A5?= |
21 Aug 2006 10:58:21 PM |
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If you are that worried there Wally, can I have all you Stocks, Bonds
and Shares - I will give you 0.10 on the dollar [U.S. that is]. ( }:- |
)
[My shrewd jewish friends have taught me well !!! ]
Relax, the world (as we know it) is not suppose to end until atleast
November 2011.
You've got at least another 5 yrs and 4 mon. to be "worried" about !!!
;-)
.
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| User: "Barbarossa" |
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| Title: Re: IZ TUESDAY, AUGUST 22nd, 2006 A.D. DOOMSDAY ?!?!? YOUR UNCLE WALLY SEZ NOPERS IT AIN'T ;-) ??? |
22 Aug 2006 01:27:06 PM |
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"kmiller" <miller.k@sympatico.ca> schreef in bericht
news:1156219101.555989.291430@75g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
If you are that worried there Wally, can I have all you Stocks, Bonds
and Shares - I will give you 0.10 on the dollar [U.S. that is]. ( }:- |
)
[My shrewd jewish friends have taught me well !!! ]
Relax, the world (as we know it) is not suppose to end until atleast
November 2011.
You've got at least another 5 yrs and 4 mon. to be "worried" about !!!
;-)
OH No! 5 more years of WW3 is coming? ;-)
Regards,
Barbarossa
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| User: "" |
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| Title: =?utf-8?q?Re:_IZ_TUESDAY,_AUGUST_22nd,_2006_A.D._DOOMSDAY_=3F!=3F!=3F_YOUR_UNCLE_WALLY_SEZ_NOPERS_IT_AIN'T_;-)_=E2=99=A5=E2=99=A5=E2=99=A5?= |
21 Aug 2006 10:24:14 PM |
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This guy's sources are usually rather good,
http://www.yonitheblogger.com/
From his post a few hours ago:
August 22
This is an update on August 22 from a phone call.
Just a reminder that Iran has said that it will give its answer to the
world on its nuclear program on August 22.
Their is now intelligence that is beyond chatter an Iranian general has
told a top Iranian politician that the answer would come in a big flash
like lighting. There is also intelligence to suggest that the answer
will be delivered in Jerusalem.
According to my source the current intelligence puts Iran holding nukes
in 3-6 months.
Israel is taking steps to counter the threat.
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