How amusing!
Firstly I am sure Bush et al wouldn't know what a mahdi was, and secondly
I was under the impressing that these guys were trying to hijack western civilization.

I think their brains work in a completely different way to ours and they certainly learned a lot from the nazi's - say it often enough and it will be believed.

I wish some genie would come and remove them all to the land of the 72 virgins!That would be a win-win situation.

As someone said on another thread (sorry I don't remember your user name) - just leave us alone and go back where you came from, is that too much to ask? Big problem solved!

Posted by: Gramfan at October 2, 2006 10:09 PM

It is important for Shi'a to understand that those purported Muslims known as Sunnis, who do not recognize the Hidden Imam or his return, are far more of an obstacle to the appearance of the Mahdi than any beyond-the-pale non-Muslim could possibly be. Those who deliberately lead Muslims astray, as Sunnis so obviously do, need to be dealt with severely, so as to ensure the return of the Mahdi. In Iraq, a good start can be made. Heute Irak, morgen die ganze islamische Welt.

And it is even more important for the Sunni Muslims, in and out of Iraq, to realize that that is the place to stop the Shi'a from their onward march -- to Bahrain, to the oilfields of Eastern Saudi Arabia, up from southern Lebanon to the north, and over to Syria, thence to join forces with the Islamic Republic of Iran. It will not end unless the Sunnis make their stand in Iraq, and teach the Shi'a their place.

Posted by: Hugh at October 2, 2006 10:19 PM

If they can convince the uninitiated and unwashed masses of muslims that Bush acknowledges Mahdis existence, then Mahdi has become real. If Bush wants to stop Mahdi, he must now invade Iran...and Syria...before Mahdi gets nore real..

Posted by: duh_swami at October 2, 2006 10:24 PM

But duh_swami, most posters here think my President is foolishly fighting in Iraq. How can you suggest he take this fight further.

Posted by: AMartinez at October 2, 2006 10:29 PM

Wait. Isn't the Mahdi supposed to come in a time of chaos? Wouldn't invading Iraq have sped that up?

Posted by: non-redneck at October 2, 2006 10:29 PM

Hugh, you're a massive stirrer!

Taking "fight amongst yourselves" to a new level eh?

Regards

Posted by: payingattention at October 2, 2006 10:29 PM

Since Saddam Hussein is still alive how about restoring him to power? I'm sure he could accomodate the wishes of this moron by sending him right to the Mahdi without the annoying wait.

People like Al-Sadr are something else. First they cry they're oppressed by Saddam and then when he's removed they whine about how they're being denied their Mahdi gras by those awful people who got rid of their oppressor. What exactly will it take to please dunces like these?

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at October 2, 2006 10:38 PM

"Heute Irak, morgen die ganze islamische Welt."

Thanks Hugh I have not forgotten all my German that I learned soooo many years ago -

Today, Iraq, tomorrow the entire Islamic world.

Close or not?

In Iraq, the Sunnis are rather outnumbered, and the Shia would be motivated by all those years of brutal Sunni control to avenge. If we (US and Britain) could just let them have at each other.

The announcer says - In this corner ...

Posted by: Pelayo at October 2, 2006 10:45 PM

I thought the mahdi was supposed to surface in times of extreme chaos ; and that was why mahmoud was trying to stir up trouble.

Posted by: arjun.sevak at October 2, 2006 10:55 PM

Wikipedia:

Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before the Day of Judgment, God (Arabic:Allah) will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person out of my Ahl al-Bayt who will be called by my name. He will then fill the Earth with peace and justice as it will have been filled with injustice and tyranny before then.

― Sahih Tirmidhi, V2, P86, V9, P74–75.

"The Mahdi, according to majority Sunni and Shi'ite tradition, will arise at some point before the day of judgement, institute a kingdom of justice, and will in the last days fight alongside the returned Islamic prophet Jesus against the Dajjal (Antichrist or false Messiah)."

Oh, yes, we will stop the Mahdi. Each and every Mahdi will face an embarrassing and very public fall from his perch, until Muslim eschatology becomes a public laughing stock, a constant source of ridicule until Muslims no longer speak of him.

Posted by: Concerned Citizen at October 2, 2006 10:57 PM

Fasting or not, they are still maintaining the daily average in iraq.

"AT least 50 corpses were discovered scattered around Baghdad overnight, police said today."

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20512407-401,00.html

Posted by: arjun.sevak at October 2, 2006 11:03 PM

I had a good laugh at this. What made it so funny was thinking of how many grown men and women believe this guy, and will follow him to death. The absurdity is unbelievable: the length they go to incite hatred against non-Muslims. Who knew the Mahdi needed the permission of the Americans?

Posted by: ofcourse at October 2, 2006 11:06 PM

Regarding Mr. Mahdi...

That particular well that he is at the bottom of...it must be really, really, really, really, really deep.

And he is going to have to dig himself out...through all of their BS that they have thrown down the well...just to make room for their new and improved BS...

This is going to take awhile...

Posted by: SCV at October 2, 2006 11:27 PM

think their brains work in a completely different way to ours and they certainly learned a lot from the nazi's - say it often enough and it will be believed.
posted by Gramfan

Their brains do work in a completely different way than ours. Their brains are programmed from birth until death to focus on the all-consuming rigors of islam. Islam is all they see, hear, smell, think, dream. All things unrelated to islam are the enemy, and a huge portion of the world falls into that category.

Most people tend to follow the religion of their parents, although in the West, especially Europe, many have abandoned religion altogether. America remains one of the most religious nations in the world; about 80% of Americans are Christians. Despite Nariz's tiresome fulminations, there is no Christian movement to establish a theocracy in America, and Americans overwhelmingly advocate a separation of religion and government. With a few exceptions, Americans consider religion to be a private matter and are tolerant of all religious beliefs, or of no religious beliefs. It took a while to get where we are, and now islam has come along and muddied the waters.

Muslims are proving to be the best teachers of islam. Their maniacal rampages to protest insults against islam have been particularly instructive, inspiring many fence sitters to jump off and get some answers about this "religion" that claims to be peaceful, but explodes daily in senseless, wanton violence and death. Fewer and fewer Americans believe the contradictory assurances that islam is peaceful while they watch muslims blow up other muslims in Iraq, and go berserk around the world over basically nothing. This has been a year of revelations about islam for Americans, and the tide is turning. All of the left-wing apologists in the world will soon be helpless to obfuscate the truth about islam because it speaks for itself.

The tricky part is yet to come. When the last apologists, deniers, and defenders of islam finally succumb to the sane consensus or fade into oblivion, what of the three or four or five million muslims in America? What of the Wahabbi hate schools and mosques, CAIR, the islamic fifth column that wishes to impose Sharia on America? Our Constitution allows religious freedom but this freedom was never intended for a "religion" that would abolish all freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, and that is an issue that must be addressed. I am confident that it will be addressed in due time.

Posted by: Susanp at October 2, 2006 11:35 PM

Well that begs a question, if we did invade to prevent the return of the Mahdi, and our invasion SUCCESSFULLY forestalled his return, would that be sufficient reason for Hugh Fitzgerald to sign off on the invasion, and subsequent "occupation."

Posted by: Dan at October 2, 2006 11:37 PM

.....BwawHawHawHaw!!! This centuries old fraud is so much fun. Watching these nutjobs chase their tails for Zeus...er..ah..I mean Allah, just wouldn't be the same without a "Mahdi".

I'd love to take bets on whether this obscene B.S. actually happens (hint: never) but I think it's a safe bet who the loosers are.

As time runs out these 12'ers will begin to understand that this "savior" is never coming, never existed and never will. It's only a matter of time until al-Sadr and his gang of idiots are swept into the dust bin of stupid ideas. It will be interesting to see how many will still hold Islam in the sacred esteem it enjoys today once the mysticism wears off.

I'm not holding my breath of course...because I'm laughing my ass off.

Posted by: Quantum Infidel at October 3, 2006 12:21 AM

AMartinez said

most posters here think my President is foolishly fighting in Iraq. How can you suggest he take this fight further

If your President were to take the fight to Iran and Syria, that would be getting closer. If he were to take the fight to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, he'd be getting very close. If he were to bring the troops home, end all aid to Muslims, protect the borders, and focus on educating us about the "real" Islam and protecting us from all forms of jihad here at home, he'd have a bullseye. Iraq was not even on the dartboard; we've lost that dart and forfeited a turn.

Posted by: special_guest at October 3, 2006 2:48 AM

ISLAMSFORLOSERS said

What exactly will it take to please dunces like these?

Total world domination, with complete regulation of every facet of life down to how we bathe and go to the bathroom. That's all. Is that really asking for too much?

Posted by: special_guest at October 3, 2006 2:54 AM

I've just realized that I'm probably shia too, because I too believe that the mahdi will bring justice to the muslims.
The unrest and violence precedes the return of the mahdi, millions of muslims will die and 10th or 100th millions will suffer. Quite evidently, there is a lot of justice in that. In the end, the mahdi will see that justice was done and take a rain check.

Posted by: Marvin at October 3, 2006 3:02 AM

"The Mahdi, according to majority Sunni and Shi'ite tradition, will arise at some point before the day of judgement, institute a kingdom of justice, and will in the last days fight alongside the returned Islamic prophet Jesus against the Dajjal (Antichrist or false Messiah)."

To say He has not yet come implies, and can only be true, IF we are in any of the previous 'days', ie., Muhammad's day, Jesus' day, Moses' day...

Look for yourself: is the world of humankind 98% illiterate? Do the two elites, Priests and the Kingly Caste ruling the mass of humankind as they did for the preceding 7,000 years of recorded history?

Are all the people of the world still mainly agrarian-based and living in a spoken-history world?

Can we say honestly "There were lasers and the internet in Muhammad's day and Jesus' day,"?

IF NOT, then we are living in the Day of Judgment, regardless of al-Sadr's feigned ignorance of the Coming of the Lord of Hosts, Baha'u'llah.

The institutions and outpouring of Spirit engendered by His coming provides contrast to and practical examples OTHER THAN Islamist theories of exclusive racial/religious supremacism.

That today's Sunnis and Shias have been kept ignorant of His coming (from May 23, 1844 to November 1892) is proof of the unyielding enmity of the Muslim governments now holding sway in Moslem lands...

But they CANNOT hide from the Glory of God much longer!

Posted by: Karridine at October 3, 2006 3:14 AM

If USA truly was considering destroying Islam it would already have been destroyed.

Posted by: Hell Awaits at October 3, 2006 3:49 AM

What are they scared of?

If this Mahdi is so powerful then they should welcome the chance to demo that power against any forces.

How can the USA prevent the Mahdi from appearing?

If someone pokes their head up and says they are the Mahdi the Muslims will probably kill him for Blasphemy anyway.

If Iran presents a born bred and groomed man as the Mahdi then he will obviously be as fragile as any human to bullets and bombs. This they do not want to show to the world.

Posted by: Churchill1939 at October 3, 2006 6:38 AM

If only we could drop a few smart bombs down that well in Iran. See if the old Mahdi can crawl his scraggly ass out of that.

Posted by: JanuaryMan at October 3, 2006 7:03 AM

I am an American and I am trying to destroy Islam. I guess they aren't totally wrong.

Posted by: Foehammer at October 3, 2006 8:20 AM

why is this guy still walking around free or walking at all?

Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at October 3, 2006 8:46 AM

Moqtada al-Sadr is claiming that the Americans are collecting a
dossier on the "Mahdi" to prevent his return, and this was a motive
for the US-led invasion of Iraq. al-Sadr's "Mahdi" is apparently quite
"puny", compared to Jesus Christ, if the Americans can "hijack the
Mahdi's return".

If I was in the Pentagon, I would first inform al-Sadr that his
"Mahdi" is simply one of the false christs and false prophets (like
Mohammad) who deceive many. If he persists, I would play a mind game
with him,and state that the USA and its allies are indeed compiling a
dossier on the "Mahdi", and will indeed "hijack his return", and there
is nothing he and the other 1.x billion Muslims can do about it.

Posted by: Xaragma at October 3, 2006 9:10 AM

Hojatoleslam al-Sadr has a pathetic messiah-like figure, the Mahdi, or 12th imam if such a beast can be stopped by mere temporal forces an mortals.

I suggest finding an alternative messiah without such pathetic limitations.

Posted by: witness at October 3, 2006 9:37 AM

Although Sunnis and Shiites do not agree on the identity of al-Mahdi (Shiites believe him to be the 12th Imam), it should be noted that their characteristics has really no difference in what he will do within the two sects.

Muslims basically believe that there will be a war over Constantinople (Istanbul today). The Romans (which Muslims equate with Christians or more generally, the West) will beat the crap out of the Muslims. Muslims at this time will be eagerly searching for the Mahdi. An army from Khorasan (NE Iran, Afghanistan region) bearing black flags is to arise and move towards Jerusalem (from the direction of Iraq), and will slaughter many infidels along the way. Al-Mahdi will then be recognized in Mecca and the Muslims will now join him. His reign of "justice and equity" begins as he wage jihad against the rest of the world.

Read about him :

Islam's Much Awaited World Leader -- Al-Mahdi.

It is clear that Al-Mahdi bears a lot of resemblance with the Antichrist described in the Bible.

Posted by: yaqub at October 3, 2006 11:36 AM

l think that the " Al-Mahdi" was last seen at the Burger King in Kalamazoo.. another sighthing coming to a Burger kinng soon.

Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at October 3, 2006 5:56 PM

In a dream, I see a well. A figure crawls up, both hands on the rim. Slowly, the head lifts, and asks to the thousands of followers bowing and praying to him, in a texan drawl" Where is Dick Chenee"?

Horror screams, shouts of terror, and running sounds swiftly fades, as I wake up laughing.

Posted by: Islofob IS-1 at October 3, 2006 8:16 PM

"ZenaWarriorPrincess" said: l think that the " Al-Mahdi" was last seen at the Burger King in Kalamazoo..

It seems that his supporters thought they saw his image being abused in Sadr City & reacted in the "normal" way...

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/Navariednews.asp?dismode=article&artid=282578144
Sadr City outraged over 'Buddy Jesus'

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Shiite residents of Baghdad's Sadr City expressed anger yesterday over a picture of a grinning Jesus they mistook for a Shiite holy figure that appeared in the area after a joint US-Iraqi operation. Residents found a picture of "Buddy Jesus" from the 1999 film "Dogma" posted in the streets, accompanied by a badly photocopied pamphlet bearing a crude approximation of a US military crest and outlining a US "plan" to subjugate the neighbourhood. "That picture abuses our Imam Mahdi and his holy character, and mocks our sacred figures," said resident Abu Riyam, apparently mistaking the satirical movie still of Jesus for one of Shiite Islam's historical imams, whose images adopt a Jesus-like iconography.
[...]

Posted by: Xaragma at October 3, 2006 9:35 PM

Moqtada al Sadr is not a muslim cleric, much less a respected Hojat e Islam.

He is a farce and pretender. HIs claim to fame is his claim to be a descendant of Mo's (thus his black turban which signifies a descendant of Mo)..descendants are called Sayyed (Said, etc) and there are so many "descendants" that the title has become nothing more than an honorific form of address equivalent to Mister, like the Spanish Hija de la Goda (Hidalgo) or son of the Goth.

Whoever wrote the Times article is promoting Mogtada.

By the way, when Iranian TV mentions Mogtada al Sadr (alternatively Mogtadr as Sadr) they refer to him as Mister and do not accord him any religious authority.

His other claim to fame is that his Grandfather was a famous mullah and a cofounder of an anti British secret society, his father and his uncle were both famous mullahs (Muhammad Baqr al Sadr and Muhammad Sadg al Sadr), both of whom were assassinated by agents of Saddam.

Above is for background intel only.

Posted by: Nariz at October 4, 2006 10:17 PM