<div dir="ltr"><span><a href="http://www.crisismagazine.com/author/william-kilpatrick" target="_blank">William Kilpatrick</a><br><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14f1747fa8af2256" target="_blank">https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14f1747fa8af2256</a><br><br></span><p>".................<br></p><p>For a long time, Catholic leaders have contented themselves with the
notion that Islam and Catholicism have much in common. Well, yes, on a
superficial level they do. Like Catholics, Muslims believe in prayer,
fasting, charity, and pilgrimage. In addition, they revere Jesus and
await his second coming. If you don’t go any deeper than that then it’s
plausible to think that Iran’s religious leaders are no more likely to
use nukes than the pope.</p>
<p>The trouble is, if you go deeper into the supposed similarities, you
run into disturbing dissimilarities. For example, both Catholics and
Shiites exalt martyrdom and both believe in a coming apocalypse. On the
other hand, attaining martyrdom by killing Catholics is perfectly
acceptable from the Shiite standpoint. Moreover, their idea of the
apocalypse is a final battle in which all the enemies of Allah
(including Christians) will be defeated. Indeed much of the brand of
Shia Islam that now dominates in Iran revolves around the coming
apocalypse and ways to hasten its arrival.</p>
<p>For evidence, look at Article 5 of Chapter One of the <a href="http://www.iranchamber.com/government/laws/constitution_ch01.php" target="_blank">Iranian Constitution:</a></p>
<p style="padding-left:30px">During the Occultation of the Wali al-Asr
(may God hasten his reappearance), the wilayah and leadership of the
Umma devolve upon the just (adil) and pious (muttaqi) faqih, who is
fully aware of the circumstances of his age; courageous, resourceful,
and possessed of administrative ability, will assume the
responsibilities of this office in accordance with Article 107.</p>
<p>The Occultation of the who? What’s that all about? And what is it
doing in a political constitution? Here is another similarity to
Christianity that contains a major difference. It seems that, like
Christians, Shiites also believe in the coming of a savior. The Wali
al-Asr (“may God hasten his reappearance”) is one of the titles given to
the Mahdi—the “Hidden Imam” who disappeared from sight in the year 872
AD and who is expected to return to establish a peaceful kingdom on
earth. Or, more accurately, peace preceded by war. According to <a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5359/iran-nuclear-theology" target="_blank">MacEoin</a>,
“In this belief, the war that will bring on the “End of Days” or the
Apocalypse, will bring to earth the Mahdi, the Hidden Imam, a descendant
of Muhammad.”</p>
<p>So as long as Wali al-Asr remains in occultation (hidden), pious
leaders can rule, but once he returns he will take over the reins of
power—not just of Iran, but of the whole world. The thing to keep in
mind is that the Mahdi’s return can only be precipitated by war and
calamities. Another thing to keep in mind is that Iranian leaders are
quite anxious for his return (“may God hasten his reappearance”).</p>
<p>The Iranian government seems to operate on a whole different set of
calculations than the governments of, say, Britain, France, and the U.S.
And since its calculations center around the apocalypse, is it really
wise to assume that the use of nuclear weapons doesn’t fit in to the
“end of days” calculations?</p>
<p>Even if secular diplomats have a hard time wrapping their heads
around theological considerations, there are some prudential reasons to
think that Iran’s atomic ambitions are not peaceful. Last year the price
of a gallon of gas in Iran was fifty cents. In short, Iran has abundant
supplies of oil (and natural gas). Yet it has spent tens of billions on
the development of nuclear power. Since Iran’s energy needs are already
being met by conventional sources of energy, inquiring minds have been
wondering what the purpose of their massive nuclear development program
might be.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, inquiring minds are in short supply in the upper
echelons of government service in the West. Many in the Catholic
leadership also suffer from a shortage of inquisitiveness. While we
can’t expect them to be acquainted with the price of gasoline in Iran,
we might expect them to reflect seriously on the Shiite obsession with
apocalypse and martyrdom, and on the implications of such beliefs. The
idea of sacrificing all for the sake of God shouldn’t be difficult for
Catholics to understand. Nor should it be difficult to comprehend that
such ideas can be easily warped.</p>
<p>During the 1980-1988 war between Iran and Iraq, in which some 750,000
Iranians died, a cult of martyrdom was encouraged by the Iranian
leaders. Anyone who died in the war was considered to be a martyr for
Islam. One of the ways that many young Iranians “return[ed] to God in
the Hereafter” was through “human wave” attacks. Poorly trained and
poorly armed men would attack the Iraqi front lines <i>en masse</i> in
what were essentially suicide missions. Child soldiers, some as young
as twelve, were also employed in battle and were sometimes used to clear
mine fields without benefit of mine detectors. To encourage them in
their mission, they were given silver-colored plastic “keys to paradise”
to wear around their necks. By some estimates the number of child
martyrs was a high as 100,000. According to MacEoin, “the idea was that
by fighting the Iraqi army in a war between truth and falsehood,
Iranians would hasten the return of the Hidden Imam.”</p>
<p>The cult of martyrdom is still very much alive in Iran, as is belief
in the imminent arrival of the apocalypse. “Militant messianism,” writes
<a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5359/iran-nuclear-theology" target="_blank">MacEoin</a>, “is as dangerous as ever today”:</p>
<p style="padding-left:30px">Expectation of the Hidden Imam and the
activist struggle to bring about his advent are not only matters of
pious belief … apocalyptic ideas have a strong following within the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the <i>Basij</i> militia.</p>
<p>He adds that such beliefs are also prevalent within the IRCG group that has responsibility over the nuclear program.</p>
<p>Over the years, major Iranian politicians have made numerous
genocidal threats against Israel and America. In the light of Shiite
theology and recent Iranian history, those threats have to be taken
quite seriously. A good deal of evidence suggests that if Iranian
leaders acquire nuclear weapons they will use them. If Catholic leaders
had more than a surface knowledge of Shia Islam, they might be less
sanguine about a deal that gives Iran’s leaders everything they need to
hasten the “End of Days.” "<br></p>
<p><i>(Photo credit: Patrick Semansky / AP)</i></p>
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<img alt="William Kilpatrick" src="http://3m7ajlsrzj92lfd1hu16hu7vc.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/William-Kilpatrick_avatar_1388375486-75x75.jpg" height="75" width="75"><h4>By <a href="http://www.crisismagazine.com/author/william-kilpatrick" title="Posts by William Kilpatrick" rel="author" target="_blank">William Kilpatrick</a></h4>
<p>William Kilpatrick taught for many years at Boston College. He is the
author of several books about cultural and religious issues, including <i>Psychological Seduction; Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong;</i> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christianity-Islam-Atheism-Struggle-Soul/dp/158617696X" target="_blank">Christianity, Islam and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West</a>. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including <i>Catholic World Report, National Catholic Register, Aleteia, Saint Austin Review, Investor’s Business Daily,</i> and <i>First Things</i>. His work is supported in part by the Shillman Foundation. For more on his work and writings, visit his website, <a href="http://turningpointproject.com/" target="_blank">turningpointproject.com</a></p>
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