Click here (wnd.com) to read about some of the President of Iran's implicit and explicit apocalyptic comments...
Do you think that such exploits are merely political/populist calculations, or is he serious? What are the potential geopolitical stakes of such beliefs, especially amid an Iran that is pursuing nuclear weapons technology? Should the international community take apocalyptic visionaries more seriously? Why/why not?
4 comments:
I do believe that he should be taken seriously but not in the sense that everyone should believe in the apocalypse. If he has access to nuclear weapons and missiles then he obviously is someone that could be a threat. I do not believe that he should feared for this, but watched just to be careul
Tazheem Rubio
In my opinion, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s comments about the Mahdi are more political posturing rather than serious beliefs. Iran is a theocratic state where the Supreme Leader, Ali Hosseini Khamenei, is also the highest Islamic authority in country, and Ahmadinejad must make sure that he stays in good standing with both him and the people of the country, who elect the president. The Supreme Leader wants religion to stay prominent in Iran and the people Iran want their country to have a clear role and purpose in the world. Iranian President Ahmadinejad can deliver both by speaking about the Mahdi and other apocalyptic Islamic ideas.
Obviously Iran’s nuclear program should be taken seriously. Iran is clearly making progress towards obtaining nuclear weapons and world geopolitical dynamics will significantly change once it does so. However, I would be hesitant to claim that religious apocalyptic notions are the main factor in determining Iran’s nuclear policy. In fact, I would argue that the eighth to last paragraph of the article says it all. Iran sees the U.S. and other ‘western’ nations as interfering in regional affairs of the Middle East and stifling its sovereignty. Iran’s religious/apocalyptic beliefs are simply a peripheral means of understanding and justifying its actions, designed for its own consumption and that of its regional neighbors. Of all the issues the international community should consider when evaluating Iran’s nuclear situation, possible religious apocalyptic notions should not be near the top of the list.
As a final note, after looking up the website that published the article, WND, it is hard to judge how much, if any, of the article’s opinion/content to take seriously. WND, it seems, is well known for its far right political partiality, alarmist perspectives, and promotion of conspiracy theories. Based on the reputation of the paper, I take a skeptical view of the perspective of events presented in the article.
Max Hesser-Knoll
He is a dangerous person, serious or not. If he tries to use religion for his agenda then that's what he uses. What he does makes him dangerous, that's what people need to be careful of.
- Scott who's wondering if the teacher is still even reading these.
Yes indeed... good stuff, folks!
pdk
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