All is not rosy in Mullahland. From AP, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
TEHRAN, Iran - Pro-democracy reformers denounced Iran's hard-line president Sunday for calling for Israel's annihilation, saying it harmed the country's international standing.President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map," prompting international condemnation and an Israeli demand Iran be expelled from the United Nations.
On Sunday, Ahmadinejad said his comments represented Iran's long-standing policy toward the Jewish state enunciated by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic News Agency, or IRNA, said.
"These words are the same ones that the late Imam (Khomeini) said," Ahmadinejad said, explaining that he only added one sentence about "the powers of arrogance," seen as a reference to the United States. Iran does not recognize the existence of Israel and Khomeini had repeatedly called for its destruction.
But former reformist president Mohammad Khatami criticized Ahmadinejad, saying "those words have created hundreds of political and economic problems for us in the world," IRNA said.
It was the first time in a quarter century that there was a clear-cut rift over a major policy position drawn up by Khomeini.
"Ahmadinejad's remarks harmed Iran. It was irresponsible and illogical," said Rajabali Mazrouei, a prominent reformer and former deputy. "We can't be more extremist than Palestinians themselves."
Morad Veisi, a leading political analyst, said it was the first time that an Iranian head of state was openly calling for the destruction of Israel.
"Khomeini was a spiritual leader, not head of government. Ahmadinejad apparently is not even familiar with the world of politics," he said.
Extremists, however, were motivated by Ahmadinejad's remarks. About 300 men and women turned up Sunday at the offices of the Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement to volunteer for suicide bomb attacks against Israel.
A spokesman for the group said it had signed up more than 45,000 volunteers to undergo training for suicide attacks since it began recruiting in June 2004.
This might be of interest:
source: www.dailyalert.org/archive/2005-10/2005-10-31.htmlApparently the Vatican was not impressed by the threat:
source: www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5376704,00.html>...saying it harmed the country's international standing.
International Standing? Did I miss something important?
I am waiting for the American government to demand that Arab Muslim states denounce Ahmadinejad's statement that Israel should and will be "wiped off the map." I am waiting for the Israeli government to demand a statement from those countries with which it has signed peace treaties, including Egypt and Jordan, and to also demand of Mahmoud Abbas as the "leadership-role" leader of something called the "Palestinian" Authority, that will show where they all stand on the call for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
Both the Israeli government, and the American government, should announce that Israel cannot be expected to take seriously, or to negotiate further, or to honor any commitments it may have (foolishly) made, to any state or would-be state that cannot bring itself to condemn a call for Israel's complete annihilation.
What? Mubarak just "can't do it"? It would be "dangerous" for King Abdullah? Oh, and the Iraqi government, the one that cost the united States 2,000 dead and nearly 15,000 wounded, and $350 billion dollars, with all sorts of veiled promises (Chalabi to Wolfowitz, Chalabi to Feith) that the new Iraqi government would even recognize Israel, now just can't be bothered to denounce the call, by Big Brother Iran, to wipe Israel off the face of the map? Well, Shi'as in Iraq, one more reason to let you slug it out, and one hopes for decades, with the Sunnis after the American withdrawal, posthaste, without any equipment, armor, tanks, and all the rest of the goodies you know doubt have your eyes on.
This request is not trivial. It is indispensable.
One waits for the Bush Administration to say something.
The only thing that should be "splitting Iran" today is precision munitions.
All this talk is cheap where they are concerned.
Until we demonstrate that their official declaration of genocidal intent towards a fellow democracy has consequences they will continue to mock us for our naval gazing weakness.
ALL MUSLIMS say the same, from:
“SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA THE HON DATO SERI DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD AT THE OPENING OF THE TENTH SESSION OF THE ISLAMIC SUMMIT CONFERENCE AT PUTRAJAYA CONVENTION CENTRE, PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA ON THURSDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2003 AT 10.00 A.M.
“34. It cannot be that there is no other way. 1.3 billion Muslims cannot be defeated by a few million Jews. There must be a way. And we can only find a way if we stop to think, to assess our weaknesses and our strength, to plan, to strategise and then to counter attack.......
“51. The enemy will probably welcome these proposals and we will conclude that the promoters are working for the enemy. But think. We are up against a people who think. They survived 2000 years of pogroms not by hitting back, but by thinking. They invented and successfully promoted Socialism, Communism, human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so they may enjoy equal rights with others. With these they have now gained control of the most powerful countries and they, this tiny community, have become a world power. We cannot fight them through brawn alone. We must use our brains also.”
http://www.abelard.org/news/fundi2.htm#fundi_191003
The whole bag of rot.