[lit-ideas] Re: Ahmadi-Nejad's Letter to Bush
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 12:21:17 -0400
Lost in all of this is that these people are facing nuclear bombs being
dropped on their country if not their heads. Somebody remind me what a
peace loving religion Christianity is?
> [Original Message]
> From: Phil Enns <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 5/11/2006 11:13:53 AM
> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Ahmadi-Nejad's Letter to Bush
>
> Mike Geary wrote:
>
> "You know this culture far more intimately than I, but I've never been
> convinced that they seek our destruction or conversion, only our
> desistance in converting them to our model of modernity."
>
> When I was in Iran, our group had an audience with Ayatollah Mezbah
> Yazdi, the spiritual advisor for Ahmadi-Nejad. He told us that he
> recognized in the youth of the West a great dissatisfaction with the
> lack of spirituality and frustration with the toleration of immorality
> and injustice. His message was that the People of the Book, i.e.
> Christians, Muslims and Jews, needed to work towards a different kind of
> society. The message was clear: the West is corrupt and immoral, and
> requires a spiritual revolution that only the People of the Book can
> establish. There was absolutely no sense that his concern was one of
> having the West leave Iran alone or that it was a matter of two
> competing but equal 'models'. He was quite clear that there is only one
> 'model' and that the West represents a corruption of it. Again, for
> Mezbah, the issue is not a political one, but spiritual, so that the
> abomination that Western society and political institutions represent
> cannot be tolerated and allowed to continue. I appreciate that for
> those of us raised in liberal democratic societies, this way of talking
> is quite alien, but understanding the difference is crucial to
> appreciating why the conflict between Iran and the US seems so
> intractable. The Iranian authorities are not looking for a political
> solution while the US administration, for all its talk of God, can only
> think in terms of the political.
>
>
> Mike continues:
>
> "I am not well versed in Iranian history, but I haven't seen any
> indications that would suggest they have imperial ambitions, either
> politically or religiously -- not since the days of Persia, at least."
>
> Virtually all the Arab states are terrified of the growing
> aggressiveness of the Iranians. The Saudis in particular are desperate
> for a strong Iraq that can act as a buffer between them and Iran. Only
> Saddam was strong enough to hold in check the Iranians but he is gone
> and without a strong replacement. The Saudis are no match for Iran and
> so they are quite happy to have US troops on two borders of Iran.
>
> As for Iranian ambitions, I mentioned Mezbah's comments above and the
> same theme comes through in Ahmadi-Nejad's letter:
>
>
> "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?
>
> Mr. President, History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do
> not survive. God has entrusted the fate of men to them. The Almighty
> has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices. Many things
> have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments. These
> tell us that there is a higher power at work and all events are
> determined by Him. Can one deny the signs of change in the world today?
> Is the situation of the world today comparable to that of ten years ago?
> Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace. The people of the world
> are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises
> and comments made by a number of influential world leaders. Many people
> around the world feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity
> and war and do not approve of and accept dubious policies.
>
> The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the
> have-nots and the rich and poor countries. The people are disgusted
> with increasing corruption. The people of many countries are angry
> about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration
> of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and
> compassion. The people of the world have no faith in international
> organizations, because their rights are not advocated by these
> organizations. 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?"
>
> Mr. President, Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating
> towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will
> prevail over all things."
>
>
> The message of the letter is not a political solution to poverty,
> injustice, and insecurity. The call is for establishing religious
> institutions in the place of Liberalism and Western-style democracy.
> The Iranians are not fools and they understand that the Bush
> administration will reject this but the message will echo for virtually
> all Muslims. The audience of this letter is not the Bush administration
> nor the UN, but Muslims. In standing up to the US, showing it to be
> corrupt and immoral, providing an Islamic solution to the problem, Iran
> establishes itself as leading the Ummah, the body of all Muslims. The
> ambitions of Iran lie far beyond having nuclear weapons, security within
> its borders, or influence in Iraq, but rather gathering together all
> Muslims against the structures and institutions of the West. As
> Ahmadi-Nejad writes, he understands his actions as part of faith in the
> Almighty and instituting the justice and will of God over all things.
> What is at stake is justice in the World, not Iran being able to do what
> it likes within its borders.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Phil Enns
> Toronto, ON
>
> p.s. Welcome back, Mike.
>
>
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