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Iranian President MahmoudAhmadinejad has followed up his 18-page letter to President Bushearlier this year with a five-page missive to the Americanpeople.
In the earlier letter,which left the Bush White House shaking their heads with wonderment,the Iranian invited Mr. Bush to embrace Islam. That is awell-established Islamic tradition when dealing with an enemy justprior to war. If they refuse, then the Muslims are "justified" indestroying them.
The letter released Wednesday by Iran's mission to the United Nationsin New York followed a similar pattern. In it, Mr. Ahmadinejad laysout his case for America's "injustice," using the term no fewer than12 times in five pages.
The concept of justice lies at the very center of the Islamic faith.Justice is considered the backbone of all creation, handed down bythe Almighty. The faithful should strive to achieve justice, to"secure justice," as Mr. Ahmadinejad puts it. Those who pursueinjustice, on the contrary, are spitting in the face of Allah. Mr.Ahmadinejad claims that America, under Mr. Bush, is pursuinginjustice.
But justice, in Mr. Ahmadinejad's eyes, has little to do with theconcept as we know it in America, or indeed, the Western world.Instead, it's all about Islamization of the entire world. In makinghis case, Mr. Ahmadinejad does not position himself as president ofIran, but attempts to set himself up as a spokesman for allMuslims.
Iran itself barely figures in the letter. Instead, Mr. Ahmadinejadfocuses on U.S. support for Israel, the U.S. occupation of Iraq, andthe Bush administration's "moral corruption," or as he puts it, theadministration pursuit of "darkness, deceit, lies anddistortion."
Students of recent Iranian history will recall that the "crime" mostoften used to justify a death sentence by Islamic Republicrevolutionary courts during the early years of the revolution was"corruption on Earth." This was how the regime simply eliminated itsopponents or those who rejected absolute clerical rule.
Media commentators in the U.S. have picked up on the "publicrelations" side of the letter. Mr. Ahmadinejad calls on the U.S. tobring the troops home from Iraq, to cut off support for Israel, andto stop "kidnapping presumed opponents from across the globe" andholding them in secret prisons. He even has some advice for the newDemocrat majority in Congress: bend to the Muslim agenda, or you willbe tossed out of power.
Mr. Ahmadinejad repeatedly tries to appeal to Americans as people offaith, who share Islamic values. "We, like you, are aggrieved by theever-worsening pain and misery of the Palestinian people," he drones."Persistent aggressions by the Zionists are making life more and moredifficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine."
Certainly, Americans are aggrieved by the unnecessary killing ofinnocent civilians, which is why most of us have little sympathy forPalestinian imams and political leaders who teach their children tostrap explosives to their bodies and blow up Jews.
Mr. Ahmadinejad can't help but trot out his old anti-Semitic saw,claiming "the Zionists" control America "because they have imposedthemselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial,cultural and media sectors."
But to focus on these parts of his letter, however silly andobjectionable, would be to miss the main point. Mahmoud Ahmadinejadis not the Hugo Chavez of the Persian Gulf. He knows he soon willhave his finger on the nuclear trigger.
Citing from the Koran at the close of his letter, he says that ifAmericans "repent" of their "injustice," they will be blessed withmany gifts. "We should all heed the divine Word of the Holy Koran,"he says.
The context of this particular verse (28:67-28, Sura "Al-Qasas," orThe Narration), is very clear. It follows a graphic description ofdestruction and devastation that will befall those who fail to repentof their injustice, i.e., support for Israel and refusal to adoptIslam.
It also sets out the terms of the traditional Muslim warning to theenemies of Allah. "And never will your Lord destroy the towns untilHe sends to their mother town a Messenger reciting to them OurVerses." This is precisely what Mr. Ahmadinejad does in hisletter.
Dump George W. Bush, allow the Muslims to destroy Israel, and adoptIslam -- or else you will be destroyed. This is Mr. Ahmadinejad'smessage.
Copyright © 2006 News WorldCommunications, Inc. All rightsreserved.
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