Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati enthuses about the Thug-In-Chief's exercise in da'wa. From Iran Focus, with thanks to Mackie:
Tehran, Iran, May 13 – A senior Iranian cleric described a letter sent by hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to United States’ President George W. Bush as a “divine inspiration”.“This letter was extraordinary and in my opinion a divine inspiration”, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of the powerful Guardians Council, told Friday prayers worshippers in Tehran.
“I suggest that all children read this letter and that it be read in schools and universities and that state television and radio repeatedly broadcast it”, he said, adding that the text of the letter should be incorporated in school textbooks and added to the national curriculum.
“Whether [the U.S.] answers it or not, it will be to their loss. If they answer, what will they want to say? If they don’t it will show their weakness and resignation”, he added.
He's right about this. A Churchill or a Thomas Jefferson would have answered, and would have shown up the condescensions and contradictions of Ahmadinejad's pious talk wrapped around an ideology that denies freedom of conscience and equality of rights for women and religious minorities.
But we have no Churchills or Jeffersons.
We lack political leaders of character because in today's politically correct world a person can no longer say what is right without offending at least one segment of the population. Usually a large voting block that contributes to the persons electability status. Politicians are now societal eunuchs afraid to speak true, right, and with conscience. All that results in the break down of character.
He's right about this. A Churchill or a Thomas Jefferson would have answered....Robert,that comment makes me sad.I am sure i am not alone in loving America,oh how i wish for a real leader.my wife and i thought president bush was that man,we were wrong.too sad.
You are Churchill & Jefferson reincarnated, Mr. Spencer. Now go for it and take us out of this mess!
robert,i have been reading this site for years and saying nothing.until last week,you are an america hero.that not just an ego booster,but truth.thank you for giving us a voice.
Micheal Vlahos was on John Batchelor's show last night and said he thought this letter was the Iranian president reaching out to the U.S. He cited that Jesus was mentioned and overall the tone was conciliatory and thoughtful. He also said that the notion that this was a declaration of war was inaccurate. That that "policy" or tradition just doesn't exist in Islam. You had to hear the condescending snickers from both guest and host to understand that this is an article of faith, only for those who don't have a deep intellectual knowledge of Islam and it's history.
His academic credentials are impressive. But I disagree with his position. I wrote him a note asking if he'd live in Israel for the next few years until Iran's nuclear ambitions are confirmed....
Any thoughts by the readers of this blog.
just this....for god will make the wisdom of this world...look foolish.
"His academic credentials are impressive."
-- from a postiing above
Forget about "academic credentials." Given what academic life mostly is in this country, no such "credentials" should be regarded as "impressive." Not outside hard sciences, and even then, limited only to the particular field for which the degree was awarded.
Robert says, "A Churchill or a Thomas Jefferson would have answered." But a Churchill or a Jefferson would also be prepared to back up those words with strong actions. The U.S., tied down in Iraq, with our so-called allies unwilling to stand up to Iran, with Bush's own credibility and popularity at all-time lows here in America, with his political opponents in the Democratic Party running against his foreign policy, can't say anything credible. Who would support Bush if he did call out Ahmadinejad at this point?
A policy of "Speak loudly and carry a small stick" is worse than not speaking at all. Teddy Roosevelt did it the other way around.
like i said....if we are not whole we are nothing.soon to be 50 city states like the bronze age.....or the stone age...wake up d.c.
We don't need a Churchill or a Jefferson to answer the letter.
All we need are Steyn's or a James Lileks. And them we do have.
Turn the problem over to Steyn and Lileks to solve.
We'll have an answer soon enough.
Do you think the Chief Dhimmi would take the time to read 18 pages, let alone comprehend any of it anyway?
I have to agree with many others; keep him on his ranch and pray he doesn't get any more bright ideas.
The letter to Bush from the Iranian egomaniacal-President is consistant with Quranic verses admonishing jihadists to give their enemies one chance to accept Islam and Allah. Then if no such sweeping change is made by the Infidels, then war is on. Ahmadinejad reaffirmed that goal in his recent letter to President Bush. In it, Ahmadinejad invited George Bush to embrace Islam as a way of reconciling the United States to the Islamic world.
Ahmadinejad is playing a very strategic move, designed to incite Muslims 'round the world to Jihad. The following is from Hal Lindsey, as quoted in "FreeRepublic.com", today:
The French wire service AFP quoted Iran's hard-line Siasat-e Rooz Daily as saying of the letter, "We expect the government to make the enemy understand that it should change its hostile positions, as the future belongs to Islam."
"It has been the Prophet's way to invite the infidel leaders to the right way," it said. Actually the Quran indicates that this invitation is the prelude to military subjection if refused.
Most secular analysts interpreted the letter as merely a stalling tactic designed to send the U.N. Security Council back to the debating table to give Iran more time to process uranium and develop its nuclear program. In reality, this is a letter from a devout believer in the Quran that is following the Quranic pattern to the letter. He believes that if the "gracious invitation" to submit to Allah and the Muslim religion is refused, then he is fully justified by the Quran to use all military means possible to subject the "pre-warned, obstinate infidels to either convert, subject or be killed."
Does it really take a Churchill or Jefferson to ask a simple question, namely, "With all due respect Mr. Ahmadinejad - Was that or was that not an invitation to accept Islam as a prelude to a declaration of war? Because we Americans are on the whole rather plain speaking people and your meaning, I am sorry to say, wasn't entirely clear to us."
Ask the question and then put the ball back in Ahmadinejad's court. How hard is that? Is that hardball, or merely softball?
why are you so angry? the LORD asked him.why do you look so dejected? you will be accepted if you respond in the right way.but if you refuse to respond correctly,then watch out! sin is waiting to attack and destroy you,and you must subdue it...sin,nana-sin,marduk,bel,baal,amm,al lah...its all satan.....the LORD told cain to subdue sin,not SUBMIT..ISLAM THE LIE THAT KEEPS GIVING
lets look at how mohammad could have gained power,lets look in another book....luke4:6-7..and the devil said unto him,all this power will i give thee,and the glory of them;for that is delivered unto me.and to whomsoever i will give it...if thou therefore wilt worship me,all shall be thine...(as we all know JESUS said no).......i think old mohammad said yes give it over bro).....then the warning to us......for there shall arise false christs,and false prophets,and shall show great signs and wonders;insomuch that,if it WERE POSSIABLE;they shall deceive the very elect...MATTHEW 24:24
I agree with Caroline - is every poster here on JihadWatch either a Jefferson or a Churchill?
One more question, which has gone unnoticed - was there a halo around him this time while he was dictating or writing this letter?
I too agree with Caroline. It doesn't take beautiful flowery rhetoric or cowboy bravado, just ask him that simple to-the-point question. Asking it would wake up quite a few Americans.
About whether Ahmadinejad's letter was "divine inspiration": does it rhyme in Arabic? If so, then it definitely was, because we have heard about the holy miracle of how the Qur'an rhymes, which is obviously proof that Allah (pbuhahd) wrote it.
[Note: the "pbuhahd" is Praise Be Upon Him And His Descendents". I have learned that the Shi'ites believe that Mohammad's descendents are blessed, while Sunni's disagree. Therefore Shi'ites say "pbuhahd" and Sunnis say "pbuh". And it grates on Sunnis nerves like fingers on a chalkboard when they hear "pbuhahd". In the interest of maintaining the atmosphere between Sunnis and Shi'ites, I will use "pbuhahd" from now on whenever possible.]
Do we need to keep the intricacies of pbuh and the other of these barbarians who have killed around 3-4 Billion innocents till date (ask Foehammer for the accurate no.) ? And I agree with Caroline, if our president can not ask a simple question, he is of no use in this war. And, sadly, like one poster said, what with all pulling the legs of the other, I am depressed. Why can we not speak with one language, instead of Democrats pulling the legs of the President and not letting him do his duty. The President is supposed to do his duty right? Not a degree or a citation to enjoy for the rest of one's life. Just ranting.
We don't say what is right because we don't want to offend someone?
The sooner we realize that if we aren't Muslim we offend Muslims by our very existence, so we might as well speak up.
Too many people who should know better are taking Islam apologists at face value.
If scholars think Ahmadinejad's letter should be in textbooks, the a complete text of "The Muslim Brotherhood Project" should be printed along side of it so we can see what he really means.
There are entirely too many truth-benders around, both in and out of church. Rather that examining events and rhetoric analytically, they are quick to mold events to their own agenda, facts and the truth be damned.
Caroline's suggested approach will fail. Ahmadinejad has already said that his nuclear program presents no threat to the West. So if Bush asked the type of question Caroline wants, he will just smile, say "What an absurd idea!", drag out the tu quoque and victimization arguments, and look smugly superior in front of the world press. Then Bush will be forced to denounce Ahmadinejad's reply as unacceptable--and the escalation will be underway.
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt once tried Caroline's exact same ploy on Hitler, publicly demanding from Hitler clarification as to whether Hitler was going to open hostilities against Western nations. And Roosevelt even listed all the nations, one by one. So Hitler gave a brilliant speech to the Reichstag in response, dodging the main issue and even making Roosevelt look like a total fool for even raising such "stupid" questions. Hitler even used tu quoque type arguments, reminding Roosevelt of the awful things Americans had done to the Sioux Indian tribes!
Roosevelt's ploy failed because there was no threat of force behind his "request for clarification." I'm positive we'll get a similar response from Ahmadinejad. Why? Because that's exactly what I would do in his shoes. Hitler already showed how any wannabe aggressor can dispose of Caroline's question easily. If Bush isn't prepared to escalate, he's not prepared to try to pin Ahmadinejad on this or any other issue.
Steven L. - good thing I'm not actually in charge of the Free World then.:-)
Caroline-
Hitler's "making a fool of FDR" (as Steven L. mentions) didn't work out too well for him in the end, so maybe you're more right than you know about the uses of plain-speaking.
Bush, unfortunately, doesn't appear to have any inner resources (literary, historical, philosophical, religious, etc.) to draw upon for answering such a "challenge" by Mahmoud. Or even some withering wit to mock the eschatological pretensions of the mullah's main boy. ("Next time I need a religion lesson, I'll call Dial-A-Prayer... at least they aren't trying to acquire nuclear weapons...last I heard...")
As noted in an earlier link on this topic, all GWB needed to reply was:
"Threat understood. But rejected."
And maybe send a complimentary Bible back in reply.
profitsbeard: "And maybe send a complimentary Bible back in reply."
Excellent. Too bad you don't run the Free World.:-)