Forbes: Obama and Ahmadinejad [2008 article]

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Obama and Ahmadinejad

By Amir Taheri
Forbes
October 26, 2008

Is Barack Obama the �promised warrior� coming to help the
Hidden Imam of Shiite Muslims conquer the world?

The question has made the rounds in Iran since last
month, when a pro-government Web site published a Hadith
(or tradition) from a Shiite text of the 17th century.
The tradition comes from Bahar al-Anvar (meaning Oceans
of Light) by Mullah Majlisi, a magnum opus in 132 volumes
and the basis of modern Shiite Islam.

According to the tradition, Imam Ali Ibn Abi-Talib (the
prophet�s cousin and son-in-law) prophesied that at the
End of Times and just before the return of the Mahdi, the
Ultimate Saviour, a �tall black man will assume the reins
of government in the West.� Commanding �the strongest
army on earth,� the new ruler in the West will carry �a
clear sign� from the third imam, whose name was Hussein
Ibn Ali. The tradition concludes: �Shiites should have no
doubt that he is with us.�

In a curious coincidence Obama�s first and second
names�Barack Hussein�mean �the blessing of Hussein� in
Arabic and Persian. His family name, Obama, written in
the Persian alphabet, reads O Ba Ma, which means �he is
with us,� the magic formula in Majlisi�s tradition.

Mystical reasons aside, the Khomeinist establishment sees
Obama�s rise as another sign of the West�s decline and
the triumph of Islam. Obama�s promise to seek
unconditional talks with the Islamic Republic is cited as
a sign that the U.S. is ready to admit defeat. Obama�s
position could mean abandoning three resolutions passed
by the United Nations Security Council setting conditions
that Iran should meet to avoid sanctions. Seeking
unconditional talks with the Khomeinists also means an
admission of moral equivalence between the U.S. and the
Islamic Republic. It would imply an end to the
description by the U.S. of the regime as a �systematic
violator of human rights.�

Obama has abandoned claims by all U.S. administrations in
the past 30 years that Iran is �a state sponsor of
terrorism.� . . .

Continues at:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/26/obama-iran-ahmadinejad-oped-cx_at_1026taheri.html

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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