Mulling over LEE LOFASO to STEVE ASHER 02 Mar 2006

G'day Lee,

>SA>Muslim Preacher on Temple Mount: Restore Worldwide Islamic Rule
>SA>11:59 Feb 26, '06 / 28 Shevat 5766
>SA>By Hillel Fendel

>SA>Sheikh Ismail Nawahda, preaching to Moslem masses on the Temple Mount
>SA>in Jerusalem on Friday, has brought it out into the open: the call to
>SA>restore the Moslem Khalifate, or, "Genuine Islamic Rule."

>SA>A plan for the "Return of the Khalifate" was published
secretly in
>SA>2002 by a group called "The Guiding Helper Foundation." The group
>SA>explained that it wished to "give direction to the educated Muslim
>SA>populace in its increasing interest in the establishment of Islam
>SA>as a practical system of rule."

>LL>Sunni Muslims yearn for a Caliphate, that would rule the world.
>LL>Shiite Muslims yearn for the Mahdi, who would rule the world.

>LL>Of course, the Mahdi must first make his appearance, and battle the
>LL>Dajjal, in order to be worshipped.

SA>This leads to the questions of how Muslims might identify the Mahdi,
SA>the Dajjal, and further, the "Jesus" they believe will join
the Mahdi.

 LL> Muslims have their ways.  ;)

Well, the Dajjal is apparently one-eyed, and not very good looking.
I qualify on the second count, but still have both eyes. :)

>LL>The president of Iran said this event will occur within the next
>LL>two years.  Other Muslim leaders have also hinted that some world
>LL>changing event will occur within the next two years.

SA>One doesn't need to be a Muslim leader to sense that some world
SA>changing event will occur [soonish]. Whatever it is, it will make
SA>"9/11" pale into insignificance as an event to change the world.

 LL> It could be any of a number of things, either a natural disaster or
 LL> a man-made disaster.  But whatever it is, it will be BIG.

Hmmm... how about what CBSNews reporting "U.S. officials" &
intelligence
reports that al Qaeda in Iraq is planning the "Big Bang" ... a spectacular
terrorist attack in Iraq against a single target, or multiple targets.
At least it qualifies as "rumours of war".

>LL>IOW, both Sunni and Shi'a are in agreement, that some
>LL>world-changing event will occur sometime within the next two 
>LL>years, that would somehow unite all of the Muslim world as one.

SA>We can speculate on what it might be - eg the Rapture; the Ezekiel 38
SA>invasion of Israel; the collapse of Western capitalism; the Indo-Pak
SA>war, which some Muslims believe must precede the appearance of the
SA>Mahdi; (this will almost certainly be nuclear, if it takes place) etc.

 LL> The US invasion of Iraq forced Iran to pursue a nuclear program to
 LL> build nuclear missiles.  A deal between Iran and Russia has
 LL> supposedly been struck that would satisfy the US and Europe, thus
 LL> avoiding war.  But what happens if the US refuses to leave Iraq?
 LL> Obviously, Iran will not sit still just waiting for the US to
 LL> invade Iran.  And with Iraq in a constant state of civil war, it
 LL> may not be possible for the US to leave Iraq.

That civil war in Iraq isn't really a civil war - it is just a part
of achieving victory, Mission Accomplished, long hard slog, light at
the end... stay the course, no cut and run, catapulting the propaganda
etc etc. I still suspect that the only thing the US could do apart
from entering Iraq is to leave. Something would fill the power vacuum,
and it is likely to be masterminded from Teheran, which wants nookoolar
weapons to destroy Israel, etc etc.

SA>The West and Iran/Islam seem to be on a mutual collision-course, so
SA>Ezekiel 38 seems to be the likely event, possibly later this month,
SA>if wars & rumours of wars are anything to go by. Whatever happens,
SA>March 2006 looks like an interesting month - hmmm... when are the
SA>Ides? :)

 LL> May we live in interesting times.  ;)

;)

Cheers, Steve..

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