Will Iraq Stoke Flames of Islamic Messianism?
The Mahdi Army may just be a taste of what's to come, as conditions are ripe for Iraq to spawn a wave of messiah movements across the Islamic world.
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Opponents of the Iraq war used to argue that it was creating more problems than it was solving via rejuvenating, rather than enervating, jihadist Islam. With the success of the “surge” motivating many Iraqi Sunnis to turn against al-Qaeda, that line now rings hollow. But Bush’s critics may turn out to be right for the wrong reasons, since there is an even greater Islamic danger than jihadism incubating in American-occupied Iraq: Muslim messianism, or Mahdism. And there are worrisome signs that this movement may be on the verge of metastasizing worldwide.
Mahdism is the ancient Islamic belief in the eschatological figure called al-Mahdi, the “rightly-guided one,” who will before the end of time bring global peace and justice via a planetary caliphate. Both Sunnis and Shiites share this tradition, with some differences. For Sunni Muslims, the Mahdi has never before come but he will, perhaps soon, emerge onto the historical stage, taking the helm of the Middle East and, eventually, the whole Earth. For Shiites, the Mahdi is the last in the line of imams descended from the prophet Muhammad through the bloodline of his cousin and son-in-law Ali. Shiite sects differ in enumerating which descendant of Ali was the Mahdi, but the largest group — the majority in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon — are the “Twelvers,” who maintain that the Twelfth imam was the once and future Mahdi; furthermore, unlike the Sunnis, they believe that he never died but went into a state of mystical hiddenness whence he shall return.
In recent years the mainstream media has finally taken notice of this Islamic belief system but continues to get important points wrong. For example, Mahdism is often described as solely a Shiite phenomenon, whereas — as per my book Holiest Wars — most movements, many violent, throughout Islamic history centered around a leader claiming to be the Mahdi have been Sunni ones. Also, both journalists and analysts often claim that Mahdist movements are “doomsday” or “apocalyptic,” and regularly deride them as mere “cults.” But in fact the goal of Mahdism, whether Sunni or Shiite, is not to spark a conflagration but to conquer the world intact; furthermore, Mahdists’ beliefs are mainstream in Islam, not simply the province of extremists.
Mahdism, historically, has tended to occur in times and places where Muslims perceive — rightly or wrongly — that their faith is under attack and their rulers are impotent to stop, or even complicit with, this assault. Such is the case now in Iraq, where there are at least three major Mahdist movements extant. The infamous Jaysh al-Mahdi (Army of the Mahdi), headed by Muqtada al-Sadr, is well-known and often treated as a mere militia with political aspirations, but it is in fact a group claiming to be the armed vanguard of the coming Mahdi. However, two other, more shadowy Iraqi Mahdist groups have surfaced within the last year: Ansar al-Mahdi (Followers of the Mahdi), led by Ahmad al-Hassan, who goes by the name Sayyid al-Yamani and claims to be the “agent” and “messenger” of the Mahdi; and Jund al-Sama’ (Soldiers of Heaven), whose leader was killed fighting American and Iraqi government forces earlier this year. The Baghdad government conflates these movements as “violent extremists” all, but members of Ansar al-Mahdi have informed me that they are distinct from other groups, nonviolent, and ecumenical — welcoming Jews and Christians, as well as Muslims — although they reject the legitimacy of the Iraqi government since it does not derive from “the governorship of God and the Imam Mahdi.” However, perusing the Arabic portion of Ansar al-Mahdi’s website, one gets a different impression viewing articles from the group’s newspaper al-Sirat al-Mustaqim (The Straight Path), such as “America Will Be Struck by the Hand of the Mahdi” and, from Christmas Eve 2007, “Sayyid Ahmad al-Hassan Addresses Christians in America and the West: Accept Obedience to Allah and Reject Obedience to Satan.”
Besides Mahdists, another broad-based Islamic movement has come out against the Baghdad government: the Sufis, or Islamic mystics, as reported by Fadhil Ali. He identifies at least three such Iraqi groups and correctly notes that while usually quietist and peaceful, “at various times and places — such as 19th century Africa or the 19th and 20th century North Caucasus — Sufi orders have formed the core resistance to colonial and imperial occupation efforts.” What Ali seems unaware of, however, is that many Mahdist movements throughout history sprang from Sufi contexts and were led by charismatic Sufi shaykhs, such as the 19th century’s Muhammad Ahmad in Ottoman Sudan, Muhammad Ahmad in French Algeria, and Ahmad Barelwi in British India. If the Sufis — who can be either Shiite or Sunni and, in Iraq, seem to predominate among the latter — are taking up arms, it is probably just a matter of time before tactical, and eventually ideological, cooperation develops between them and the Mahdists.
There are two major reasons we should be paying close attention to these developments. First, while Mahdism is not a “doomsday cult,” it is to jihadism what nuclear weapons are to conventional ones. Self-proclaimed Mahdis throughout Islamic history were not bound by Islamic law or even the Koran and traditions; in fact, several were brutal in ways that would put a Saddam to shame — Ibn Tumart, the Mahdi of the medieval Maghrib, for example, had hundreds of thousands of his own followers put to death for insufficient fervor in acclaiming his Mahdiyah. If a full-blown Mahdi claimant were to emerge in Iraq, and garner support from the 3 million or so Sufis there, we could kiss the surge and its success goodbye.
Second, and more ominous, is the possibility that Mahdism might emerge from Iraq — as strains of influenza do from southern China — and infect the larger Sufi world, which numbers perhaps some 40 million adherents worldwide. If that were to happen, we would have the ideological equivalent of avian flu, spread primarily by the Internet and rapidly infecting a sizable portion of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims. Since most Sufis are Sunnis, that would provide a vector for transmission of active Mahdism far beyond its original patient zero — whomever that might turn out to be — in southern Iraq.
The larger Muslim world is already primed for the coming of the Mahdi: in the last year alone, outside of Iraq, there have been claims of Mahdism in the Palestinian territories (a man in a Gaza mosque claimed he was the Mahdi; a shaykh claimed the Mahdi has been born there), Indonesia (an active Mahdist claim), Bangladesh (the Mahdi’s “military chief” arrested), and India (another Mahdist claim). Websites have been saying for several years that Osama bin Laden is the Mahdi. The Islamic Republic of Iran has a constitution which states that the government in Tehran only exists until the Mahdi returns. And Iran’s Lebanese client Hezbollah steeps its youth in Mahdist fervor via the “Mahdi Scouts.”
The violent tragedy of Mahdism has been visited upon the Islamic world many times in history. Let us pray that the American attempt to re-create Iraq does not unleash Mahdism upon the world again, this time as even bloodier farce.
Timothy R. Furnish, Ph.D. (Islamic History), is a former U.S. Army Arabic interrogator and college professor, currently working as an editor for Praeger Security International. He has a website that tracks Islamic messianic movements: www.mahdiwatch.org.
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38 Comments
dougf:“The violent tragedy of Mahdism has been visited upon the Islamic world many times in history. Let us pray that the American attempt to re-create Iraq does not unleash Mahdism upon the world again, this time as even bloodier farce.”
The instance of Mahdism that I recall is from the Sudan back in the day. That was indeed a tragedy but as I recall it eventually ended very badly for the clowns who danced madly to that particular tune. As I recall most of them ended up as cordwood courtesy of a British Army.
Mahdism is merely a symptom of the structural illness infecting those societies that provide a feeding ground for its lunacies. As Roseanne Rosanada once said —- ‘It’s ALWAYS something’.
If it wasn’t the Iraq thingy it would be some other ‘reason’(excuse). Things like Sadr are a product of their cultures. Would that he was merely an aberration, and hanging him from a nearby lampost would solve the social problem he represents.
Would even that WE could be blamed for him and his like. Then WE could prevent them.
But WE can’t and WE can’t.
Only a fundamental restructuring of the breeding grounds will ever put an end to Mahdism. That is why we must all really hope that eventually Iraq does indeed serve as a NEW direction in the region. Until that day, there remains the Sudan example to fall back on.
You really can’t cure a worrying common cold, but you can usually deal with pneumonia if you really have to. And want to.
Bloody Mahdism might be and might become again. Suceessful —– Not So Much.
Apr 7, 2008 - 7:06 am Tim:Doug,
Apr 7, 2008 - 7:36 am Tim:Actually, a number of Mahidst movements throughout history have been VERY successful (not to shill, but I detail them in my book): Ibn Tumart and his al-Muwahhidun (Almohads) took over the Maghrib and ruled it for over a century; the Fatimids took over Egypt and ruled it for over two centuries; and even the Sudanese Mahdists stayed in power for well over a decade (1885-1898) before being dispatched, as you point out, to meet Allah. But you’re simply wrong in blitely dismissing Mahdism as unsuccessful.
Next time I post I’ll try to have more coffee so I can spell correctly–sorry!
Apr 7, 2008 - 7:36 am seyedali.p:there is important things here: Imam Mahdi (twelve imam) will appear in mecca in Islamic tradition and no one expect him from Iraq.
Apr 7, 2008 - 8:10 am Tim:also if anyone say i have direct connection to Imam Mahdi, Muslims say that he lies.
so none of muslim group are the agent of Mahdi.
Seyedali.p,
Apr 7, 2008 - 9:34 am Anthony (Los Angeles):Good point. But note that al-Hassan does not claim to be the Mahdi, only his “son” or precursor–leaving open the locale where the Mahdi will appear.
And that does tend to be primarily a Sunni belief–I’m not sure that all Shi`i hadiths would maintain that the Mahdi must appear in Mecca.
Tim
Fascinating article. While I’m familiar with Sunni Mahdism in its Sudanese incarnation from reading History in general and Churchill’s “The River War” in particular, I never knew it appeared as often as you point out. In fact, I had thought Sunni Mahdism was an aberration, Mahdism being one of the things considered so offensive in Shiism. Doesn’t Mahdism fly directly in the face of belief that Muhammad is the final, greatest Messenger (something Muhammad himself claimed)?
In any case, I’ve placed a hold on “Holiest Wars” through my university library, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Apr 7, 2008 - 10:55 am Richard:Anyone familiar with the “ghost dance” movement of Native Americans may find some similarities to mahdism. The belief that their “true” way of life will be restored through certain beliefs and rituals (ghost dancing) is also known as a “nativistic movement”.
Apr 7, 2008 - 11:26 am Tim:Mahdism has a longer history, but when Muslims are continuously experiencing failure its nice to have a source of “hope” that things will be better. “If only…”.
Anthony,
Apr 7, 2008 - 11:33 am Anthony (Los Angeles):See, a very good Charlton Heston movie can lead folks astray (”Khartoum”), alas.
No, Mahdism does not necessarily contradict mainstream Islam because the Mahdi is NOT a new prophet, but simply recapitulates Muhammad and renews the ummah–the umman becoming, in his case, the entire world, eventualy.
Richard,
Good point. Although I know little about ghost dance, there do seem to be parallels. Of course the closer parallels are Jewish, Christian and Zoroastrian messianism.
Tim;
I’d forgotten about Khartoum! Must add that to the rental queue.
Apr 7, 2008 - 11:52 am Tim:It tries hard to be “Lawrence of Arabia,” but fails. And while Heston is very good, Olivier is ridiculously..well, not bad, but miscast.
Apr 7, 2008 - 12:08 pm william:There are, after all, some beneficial effects to losing a war. The way of the Bushido was deeply engrained in the Japanese spirit and has since gone the way of elaborate tea services. Junkers thought that dueling scars made the man, and this too has gone the way of spats. White southerners thought that their right to own slaves was sanctioned not just by states’ rights but by the Bible itself. There were militants in all these societies who felt that change would come only over their dead bodies, and so it came to pass. Perhaps the squalor and defeat that their value system has caused will cause the more thoughtful Islamists to rethink their beliefs and the more militant to perish.
Apr 7, 2008 - 12:09 pm Amphipolis:This is kind of like earthquake predictions. The conditions are ripe, have been, and will be. Yada yada.
Apr 7, 2008 - 3:19 pm Tim:More like tornado(e?)s….but you raise a good point–which would be a better one if Mahdism had not already erupted in Iraq and elsewhere. So it’s no longer a matter of prognostication, but of gauging the spread thereof.
Apr 7, 2008 - 5:18 pm Cinnamon:Gotta ddd the film, “The Four Feathers” to the rental queue. I liked the recent remake, especially its unabashed celebration of British colonialism. Brutal scene of the Mahdi Army kicking the Brits’ butts, but, as we now know, the tide soon turned.
Apr 7, 2008 - 8:38 pm seyedali.p:Tim:
Apr 7, 2008 - 11:14 pm Morton Doodslag:i said no connection is accepted!
so the agent of imam or his son or who prepare his way is not true,
as i am a shia’ and work in International conference on Mahdism doctrine as member of scientific committee, i can say with my studies; in shia tradition imam mahdi will apear in mecca in a special place.
and after his appearance, he will go to other places. this is shia’ beliefs about this!
“Let us pray that the American attempt to re-create Iraq does not unleash Mahdism upon the world again, this time as even bloodier farce.”
Let us pray to cease blaming America and American actions for the horridness of Islam and all that it engenders. This is a fascinating article and and informative article, but let’s face the facts: Muslims seem congenitally designed to exploit any pretext offered, or invent pretexts at the drop of a hat, to begin growing one of their cancerous tumors or Jihad “movements”. Al Qaida, Mahdism, Muslim Brotherhood, Armies of God, C.A.I.R., and literally countless others are all branches which sprout from the same poisonous tree of Islam.
Or, if you prefer, Islam is the petrie dish in which all of these vile pathogens are born, flourish, and thrive.
Apr 7, 2008 - 11:25 pm Mike in NY:Why would Sadr “demand” a end to a battle he was losing if he is so in touch with the “Hidden Iman”? Would he and his fellow Shia not fight to the death to bring his Iman from the water well or maybe Basra does not have the right one? Maybe Mr Sadr is wondering when the Sufti will show up. Last time I saw the them they where smoked out and dancing in circles.
Apr 8, 2008 - 12:53 am Tim:Seyedalip,
Apr 8, 2008 - 4:24 am LingRaj:I know of that conference.
But what about the belief in Twelver Shi`ism that the Twelfth Imam will appear from Jamkaran?
Morton,
Trust me, I was NOT blaming America for Mahdism; but it is undeniable that since we occupied Afghanistan and Iraq Mahdism had increased, out of at least the perception in the Muslim world that Islam itself is under attack.
Mike,
As far as I know al-Sadr has never claimed to be actually in communication with the Hidden Imam, unlike the leader of Ansar al-Mahdi, who HAS made that claim.
Every religion has its “final coming”. The Kalki avatar of the Hindus, Messiah of the Jews and Christians is the equivalent of the Mehdi of the muslims.
The final coming is a hope that every religion lives by to offer its adherents reason to belive it will be all alright in the end. Whatever pains and injustices of life you are suffering now, will be avenged and wiped out in time by divine intervention.
Ofcourse, people misuse this to their political / military end. As your article says, it has been used in the past, and will be used in the future. Lets just be aware of it, so we can deal with it when it arises !
Apr 8, 2008 - 6:15 am Rusk Masih:The article written by the successful historian Tim in Islamic culture, has shown the depth of knowledge in Mahdism and its historic development. It appears that he understands the Mahdi movement better than those who claim they have connection with Mahdi. However, it is totally incorrect to think that Muqtada Al Sadr is going to bring to life Al Mahdi classic movement. Al Sadr is a nationalist Iraqi leader, who opposes the American occupation of Iraq. He is using the name of Jaish Al Mahdi because it is a rallying battle cry for the Shiite followers, who believe in it. Jaish Al Mahdi or other splinters are people who are using the modern technology, rather than the prayers, to beat the American occupiers in their own technological game. Otherwise how do you interpret the latest phenomena of hitting the Green Zone so accurately and killing American soldiers in their own fortress. Isn’t that an indication that they are using global positioning equipment in a very effective way to inform their fellows who are shooting the rockets to aim them to the right spots? Al Qaeda or the Sunni resistance was never able to use this technology effectively. Furthermore, the old Mahdi movement was a crude religious movement. Now Al Sadr is using it to further his own political agenda, like Hizb Allah used the technology to beat Israel recently in southern Lebanon. He realizes that what motivates the people now a days is their economic interest and well being and using religious theme is just a battle cry. He and his advisors are intelligent politically. When Al Maliki said that the militia should be disbanded and give up their weapons, Sadr response was “if Sistani said disband them I will disband them.” He knows quite well that Sistani will not say that, so he will gain ground and gain a good credit between the masses of the shiia that Al Maliki is out of order with religion in his demand because the highest religious authority did not agree to it. However, if Sistani say disband then he could say fine disband but keep your weapons for defense. In any way he would be a winner and the others would be the losers.
Thus the history is a good tool in our analysis, but let us use it in conjunction with other factors. Religions, like any other things, they change in time and are influenced by economic and social factors.
Apr 8, 2008 - 11:59 am TERENCE HOARE:Rusk
IF IT IS TO BE A CASE OF MASS ACCEPTABILITY OF ISLAM,IN ANY OF ITS FORMS, ISLAM WILL HAVE TO GAIN FUNDAMENTAL CREDIT , ESPECIALLY IN COUNTRIES IT HAS ATTACKED. THERE IS A LONG ROAD AHEAD BUT IS THERE TIME TO PROVIDE CONVINCING CONDITIONS FOR ACCEPTANCE? DOES ISLAM HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO COCNVIMCE THE WORLD THAT THEIR NOTION OF THE MESSIANIC CAN CONVERT THE WORLD TO ISLAM?
Apr 8, 2008 - 6:42 pm Mike in NY:Dear Rusk,
Point on when you write about Al-Sadr asking Sistani to disband his gangs. In a diffent way through. The Iman won’t do it but to let the gangs go to their judgement.
The Iman wants Al-Sadr off the face of the earth. Al-Sadr’s people have killed some of the most closest clerics to Sistani. Sistani will have them in the ground by way of Iraq or American force or of there own doing.
Apr 8, 2008 - 10:51 pm Brian H:Well, every Mahdi wannabe discredits every other one. The more the merrier! Let a thousand phonies bloom! Even Muslims have some limited capacity to recognize farce when they see it.
Apr 8, 2008 - 11:18 pm M.E.:“Wrong reasons” can’t lead to “right” conclusions, at least, according to Aristotle’s logic. So if Bush’s critics are wrong in their arguments, they must be necessarily erroneous in their deductions. But let’s put aside these poor and ignorant demagogues. For a scholar of mythologies, as I am, “Mahdi messianism” is the “messianic myth” that reappears in all great religions (the elements of messianism can be found even among Australian aboriginals and American Indians). Mahdi messianism has clearly Judaic and Christian elements. Political background of messianism in all versions is also obvious.
Apr 9, 2008 - 3:26 am Tim:The article about “The Doctrine of Mahdism” (Iran Press Service) says: “It was only with Ahmadinejad’s presidency that this religious doctrine has become a political philosophy and taken a central place in politics. During the era of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of Iran’s Islamic regime, Mahdism remained outside the political realm. However, Khomeini’s era was nonetheless characterized by messianic fervour. The Iranians attributed messianic qualities to him, and conferred upon him the title of “Imam,” which until then had been reserved for the Twelve Imams”. Here we have a classical passage from living Messiah to dead Messiah or to messianic doctrine that must keep alive a decadent political regime.
No messianic doctrine or movement can have a lasting success without political support, i.e. to have influence it must be an official doctrine of State. Ibn Tumurt’s Mahdi messianism has been “very successful” not because of the interior force of his messianic doctrine, but because it has set up a terror’s system eliminating all dissidents. In the same sense you can speak of the “success” of communist or fascist totalitarian regimes. Mahdism in its present-day version is a simple political ideology, like “messianic” Marxism o “millenniarist” National Socialism. Its function is to provide an “ideological base” to spread the Iranian political hegemony. In this sense Iranian islamofascists are true heirs of Soviet communists that used Marxism-Leninism as ideological instrument of its Imperial politics presenting themselves as liberators of mankind.
To have an exact idea of Moqtadah al-Sadr’s “messianic” Mahdi army I would like to quote Michael Ledeen’s article: “The Iranians had fired him (al-Sadr), and they restructured the Mahdi Army into smaller, more autonomous groups. The recent violence came from the new units, headed by Iranian officers, agents, and recruits who, Tehran hoped, are not well known to Coalition and Iraqi military intelligence.” So messianic Mahdi movement is guided by Iranian secret agents and its followers are composed by professional thugs and common criminals. It is enough to have no illusion about the nature of this or other Muslim messianism.
I don’t speak here about immanent weakness of any messianism, political or religious. The messianic solution is a radical solution that wants a “new Heaven and a new Earth”, but heaven and earth remain always the same, and the solution gets as far as a star in another galaxy. So your “apocalyptical” vision of the explosive expansion of Mahdi messianism around the Islamic World seems doubtful. In any way in this concrete case we have messianism “made in Iran” by the Islamintern (new version of the Comintern (Communist International)).
M.E.,
Apr 10, 2008 - 5:44 am Amphipolis:I’m a devotee of Plato, not Aristotle, but I take your point. Allow me rhetorical license?
Your analysis contains a number of assumptions that are not necessarily accurate:
1) You conflate al-Sadr’s movement with the others. HE may be under Tehran’s tutelage, but we have no indication that the other groups are.
2) With all due respect, you am equating Christian and Muslim messianism. In Islamic eschatology the Mahdi’s job is NOT to create a “New Jerusalem” where “every tear is wiped away,” as Christ does in Revelation. The Mahdi’s job is basically to conquer Islam’s enemies and them the entire world and create a temporal ummah BEFORE the end of time comes. That is a big difference.
3) Islamic messianism is NOT “made in Iran.” As I pointed out, MOST Mahdist movements in hitory have been SUNNI! This is a pan-Islamic belief that, while pushed by Iran, is not solely a Shi`i phenomenon–which is why it is potentially so dangerous.
A successful Mahdi must be victorious. I don’t see that happening unless we cut and run. Osama tried and failed. The cycle has already played out, there won’t be another.
But this is all idle speculation.
Apr 10, 2008 - 1:19 pm Tim:I’m not sure how idle it is when Mahdism is being proclaimed in many parts of the Muslim world.
Apr 10, 2008 - 2:11 pm M.E.:And yes, a “successful” Mahdi must needs take power–but even unsuccessful ones can spark mass bloodshed. And have.
Thank you, Tim, for your comment of my comment. I also prefer Plato to Aristotle, but a logical structure of Plato’s dialogues is weak. I am not a fanatic of logic, but a scholar (differently to a politician) must be logical. I don’t confuse Christian and Muslim messianism. Certainly Islamic messianism is not “made in Iran” like Marxist messianism wasn’t “made in Russia”, but only in Russian version as a State ideology it became a political force. I spoke not only of Christian messianism. This concept is very vague. There are various millenniarist versions, but the dogmatic doctrine changed also from one epoch to another. Judaic messianism doesn’t seek a “New Jerusalem” but the restoration of the Kingdom of David. I agree with you: Mahdism like Marxism or any other messianic ideology can be very dangerous but under condition it becomes the State’s operative ideology. In any case your article rises a real problem that is worth to be learned. It’s not the first time that a vulgar criminal like al-Sadr declares himself a “messiah”. But it’s true: there is no political movement that is purely political as well as there is no religious movement that is purely religious. I don’t hide my extremely negative approach to Islam as well as to all totalitarian ideologies. I lived personally the fall of communist regimes and now I have the sensation of living the horrible agony of the Islamic world. You know there is a beautiful myth of fight between the god-hero Indra and the monster Vrtra. Indra killed Vrtra but, even dead, the monster remains dangerous: he emits a tremendous heat that immobilises the hero. Only after cutting the monster’s three heads the heat stops and Indra can leave his refuge.
Apr 10, 2008 - 2:27 pm John Samford:Eventually, the west will play ‘Cowboys and Muslims’ with them and that will be that. In a few more centuries Muslims will be exhibited on their reservations so virtual tourists can see them on their virtual holidays and school children can do virtual tours there. All very entertaining and educational.
Apr 10, 2008 - 2:28 pm Amphipolis:Right now there are over 40,000 warbots in Iraq. In another decade there will be 5 times that at least. Public outcry will stop when the War becomes a matter of remote controlled warbots tracking down Muslims at the direction of any 12 year old with a Nintendo. I can hear it now; “Johnny, stop killing Muslims and do your homework”.
when Mahdism is being proclaimed in many parts of the Muslim world
This is not new. Another tremor. Ho hum.
I am more concerned about the crying wolf effect. Don’t issue the warning until you have something concrete.
Apr 11, 2008 - 5:51 am Tim:Hmmm………fighting in southern Iraq that’s killed thousands in the past year doesn’t qualify? That was exactly the point of my article, Amphipolis.
Apr 11, 2008 - 7:08 am Tim:And actually it IS new in the world since 1979, when al-Utaybi failed in his bid to take over Saudi Arabia.
Apr 11, 2008 - 8:06 am Amphipolis:Mahdism has been proclaimed for centuries as you have pointed out. That is not new. It’s personal for me - Charles Gordon is one of my heroes.
You have nothing concrete. The Mahdis of the past have been gloriously victorious, for a time. I don’t see that happening in Iraq unless we cut and run. There has been fighting in Iraq for a long time, I don’t see how the fighting over the last few weeks is different. They lost.
Apr 11, 2008 - 8:51 am Tim:And I hope they continue to lose. But localized Mahdism is a very different thing from pan-Islamic Mahdism, which I do think it is worthwhile to consider as a possibility.
Apr 11, 2008 - 9:28 am SanFranciscoJim:Bush sure is a swell President. I am glad that he does such a great job of protecting America and making us well loved and strong around the world. He has done an especially good job at strengthening the American economy and protecting the standard of living of all true Patriots.
Let’s make sure and elect another Great Leader just like him for another eight years of peace and prosperity.
Apr 11, 2008 - 7:26 pm Tim:San Francisco Jim,
Apr 12, 2008 - 5:20 am Anna:Nice generic cheap shots at the President. Want to specify a bit?
The most frightening issue at stake here though is that Ahmajinedad of Iran has actually stated that he believes certain catastrophic world events will lead to the coming of the Mahdi.
Apr 13, 2008 - 3:51 amDoes he therefore as some fear, believe as a self-proclaimed type of prophet-like figure he has to create such events in order for this mahdi to arise? If so, then that could spell disaster of the nuclear kind eventually some fear. he certainly scores high enough on the insanity scale to do anything anywhere and at any time in order to achieve his part in “prophecy.”