Mahdi News 6th May

6^th may, from

http://www.mahdiwatch.org/

Tehran v. Jeddah

Two recent developments on the international stage would appear to be unrelated but, on closer analysis, are linked and important.

1) As "The Economist" reports in the April 26th issue, the new Human Rights Council at the U.N. is "[d]ominated by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement," such that "last month...the council's Islamic members, backed by Russia and China, pushed through a resolution saying free speech should be limited out of 'respect for religions and beliefs'" (meaning: no more Muhammad cartoons, or else).

In creating the HRC "what no one foresaw was the extent to which Islamic states would use this...to single out Israel" ("The U.N. and Human Rights. A Screaming Start"). Actually, a number of us in the States foresaw this; and our fairly objective journalistic friends over in London are understating the case to say that the OIC uses the HRC merely to go after Israel; that free speech-bashing resolution was aimed at the larger West.

2) In an event ignored by the Jurassic Media in the U.S., the head of Iran's Islamic Cultural Relations Organization--aptly named MAHDI Mostafavi--met with Pope Benedict XVI shortly after his return from the U.S., in order to foster relations and dialogue between Roman Catholics and Shi`i Muslims. He even presented the Pope with a copy of the Qur'an (http://english.irib.ir/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10728&Itemid=42).

Observations:

1) Geopolitically, these two developments illustrate, once again, the global struggle between Sunni Muslims--which the OIC largely is, being based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia--and the Shi`a, led by Tehran.

2) We in the West, and Americans in particular, are frankly wrong to label Shi`i Iran (and Iraq) as the font of all evil and fanaticism emanating from the Islamic world. This is a hangover, I think--at least among Americans--of the hostage crisis in Iran during 1979-80, when Ayatollah Khomeini became for many in this country the face of Muslim extremism.

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