09 March 2012

‘The Ayatollah is right’

Daniel Nichols over at Caelum et Terra has the following thought:

The thoughts of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, were summarized recently:

“We do not see any glory, pride or power in the nuclear weapons—quite the opposite. The production, possession, use or threat of use of nuclear weapons are illegitimate, futile, harmful, dangerous and prohibited as a great sin.”

Read about it here.

I am unaware of any American Christian cleric speaking so clearly. Of course propagandists for intervention say this is all subterfuge, but if it is wouldn’t he be left with absolutely no credibility if Iran was indeed producing a nuclear weapon?

Of course, as I have said before, I am not a great fan of the Islamic Republic or its leadership. But I also find it telling that there are very few, if any, American clerics of any public prominence who decry with such vigour the very creation and presence of nuclear weapons. I think it may be a testament to the depth of Iranian culture’s long-standing, pre-Islamic (though certainly monotheistic) commitment to the principles of religious humanism and the pursuit of transcendental truth and justice. What else could drive a religiously extreme man such as Mr Ali Khamenei (the Grand Ayatollah and Supreme Leader of Iran) to make such a sweeping statement which, in the unlikely event that Iran were eventually to possess a nuclear weapon, would be highly embarrassing to say the least?

The original article on truthdig is well worth a read, as well. Thank you, Mr Nichols, for the link!

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