Iran poised to strike?
Observers report Ahmadinejad sending secret signals of intent

By Stan Goodenough
May 14, 2006

Indicators observed by independent Iran watchers during the past 
week are raising the question that nuclear-seeking Iran is not merely
playing a serious game of brinkmanship, but is actually preparing to
strike at Israel, European and US interests.

Headlined "Iran declares war," a May 11 editorial in the New York Sun
expressed the belief that a recent letter written by Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which had been widely interpreted as a peaceful
gesture, "is in fact a declaration of war."

According to the Sun, a coded message is contained in the closing
section of the eight-page letter. While the rest of the message had
been translated into English, the salutation in had not. It reads
"Vasalam Ala Man Ataba'al hoda" and means "Peace only unto those who
follow the true path."

Says the paper:

    "It is a phrase with historical significance in Islam, for,
according to Islamic tradition, in year six of the Hejira - the late
620s - the prophet Mohammad sent letters to the Byzantine emperor and
the Sassanid emperor telling them to convert to the true faith of
Islam or be conquered. The letters included the same phrase that
President Ahmadinejad used to conclude his letter to Mr. Bush."

Concluded the Sun:

    "For Mohammad, the letters were a prelude to a Muslim offensive, a
war launched for the purpose of imposing Islamic rule over infidels."

Two days earlier, the CBN network's "700 Club" ran a special feature
based on information just brought back from Iran by investigative
reporter George Thomas.

Footage that surprisingly made it out of the Islamic Republic showed
Ahmadinejad exhorting his countrymen, and specifically his troops, to
prepare for martyrdom and their entry into paradise.

[...]

Full article at "Jerusalem Newswire" - http://www.jnewswire.com/article/902


Cheers, Steve..

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