Ahmadinejad: America is the Biggest Obstacle Preventing the Appearance of the Awaited Mahdi

Ahmadinejad: America is the biggest obstacle preventing the appearance of the awaited Mahdi…

“…due to the possibility of a recurrence of the incident of Karbala threatening his life.”*

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in front of a crowd in Birjand, in the Khorasan province of northeastern Iran, that the United States of America poses the “biggest obstacle” to the appearance of “the awaited Mahdi.”

Ahmadinejad’s words, which the Iranian media reported Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010, stipulated the necessary conditions for the appearance of the awaited Mahdi. He attributed the reasons for the absence of Mahdi to the possibility of a recurrence of the incident of Karbala, which would expose Mahdi’s life to the same threat other prophets have encountered.

He stressed that the world is quickly getting ready to greet Imam Mahdi, as the Iranian Revolution was part of a larger, worldwide revolution that will pave the way for the appearance of the long-awaited imam.

The American Obstacle

The Iranian president cited “America and worldwide arrogance” as the biggest obstacles on the road to Mahdi’s appearance, as these two factors are actively working to hinder the formation of “the global government Mahdi will establish,” adding that “by far the greatest entity preventing the appearance is America.”

On this premise, Ahmadinejad launched a critical campaign against the United States of America, describing it as an arrogant, treacherous and criminal nation, citing its support of Israel. He also accused it of plundering the wealth of peoples throughout the world by sending military forces to many different nations.

He went on to say that it was the Americans that masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks, in accordance with a plot it came up with beforehand. Then, through a campaign of global propaganda, it earned the sympathy of the world’s denizens and had the justification it needed to invade Afghanistan under the pretense of fighting terrorism.

It has been mentioned that, on several different occasions, the Iranian president has discussed the signs of the appearance of the awaited Mahdi as well as his correspondences with Mahdi. This has provoked sharp criticism against him in political and religious circles, as well as among top Shiite authorities in Iran.

A few months ago in Esfahan, Ahmadinejad attributed the motive of the presence of American forces in Iraq to Washington’s knowledge of the exact hour of the appearance of the awaited Mahdi in Iraq, claiming that he has documents proving his assertion. He has also accused Washington of striving to prevent the appearance of the awaited Mahdi in Iraq. At the same time, he said the Iranian people will pave the way for the Mahdi and will establish an army in his name.

In a meeting with the renowned religious authority, Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli, Ahmadinejad discussed the “halo” that surrounded him while he was giving a speech in front of world leaders in the UN General Assembly. Iranian websites have published a video showing the Iranian president explaining to the religious authority that the awaited Mahdi supported him during his speech to the international organization.

Israel’s Threat

Amidst discussion of the assassination of al-Mabhouh in Dubai,** Ahmadinejad called for European nations to make known their stance on the issue, announcing that, by contacting leaders of the nations bordering Israel, he requested that these governments prepare for military conflict, and all responded by declaring their readiness to face Israel.

He went on to say that “if the Zionist establishment repeats an attack against Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine or any other nation in the region, then all the peoples of the region will destroy the hated Israeli regime.”

He confirmed that his country has no desire to manufacture a nuclear weapon, accusing the West of employing a double standard when discussing Iran’s attempt to make a nuclear bomb, while, at the same time, threatening the world with its own nuclear weapons.

*Note: Mahdi is a figure in Shia Islam whose coming will be a sign of the forthcoming Judgment Day. The incident of Karbala is a reference to the death of Hussein bin Ali, an important figure in Shia Islam, who was killed in Karbala in 680 A.D.

**Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was a high-ranking leader in Hamas, who was killed in Dubai on January 19, 2010. There have been allegations that the Israeli Mossad agency assassinated him.