Well, Tom, Boortz and Liddy are actually partly right — the Iranian president’s letter is actually a call to Bush to become Muslim. And you don’t even need to read between the lines to see that.
Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present problems of the world – that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty and the teachings of prophets – and improve our performance?
Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and justice? Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten principles are universally respected? Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets?
… [After a lengthy critique of the failures of capitalism and liberal democracy]
Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems.
We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point – that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: “Do you not want to join them?”
I don’t see any chopping of heads, however, no matter how hard I read between the lines.
This is dawa, the Islamic equivalent of evangelism. It is also an effort by the Iranian president to reach out and communicate to the Muslim world. It may also be akin to the letters leaders of Muslim states sent to non-Muslim leaders on the eve of war, and that may be the source of Boortz’s and Liddy’s “concern.” However, it’s clear to me that Iran’s leaders are not going to toss the first punch.
Ahmadinejad also mentions Jesus a number of time in his letter, particularly in reference to the Shia belief that Jesus and the long-occultated 12th Imam will come at the end of time to defeat antichrist and establish justice. (For Sunnis, it’s Jesus and the Mahdi together defeating evil.)
If there is a subtext, it’s one Pat Buchanan got — Iran’s leadership is not afraid of Bush, the US or American power. In fact, they may even want an attack (possibly because war will mean that Jesus and the Mahdi will come sooner — don’t get me started on just how awful it is that we have people obsessed with various eschatologies in positions of power and influence in Tehran and Washington), knowing there can be significant political benefit the day after an American attack.
7:34 pm on May 12, 2006Ahmadinejad is behaving like a man provoking us to hit him, but not too hard, so he can play the “victim” of U.S. “aggression” without winding up in the hospital or the morgue.
