Iran’s First “Embassy” in Territories

May 8, 2006

“We want the Palestinian people to be exposed to the Iranian heritage and Shia principles. [Our goal is] to reinforce the relations between the Islamic republic of Iran and the Palestinian people. We are part of the Iranian Islamic project in the Middle East,” Muhamad Gawanmeh, director of Iran’s new Shia Council in Palestine, said in an interview.

Gawanmeh is a member of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad terror group and has spent several years in Israeli prisons.

Gawanmeh said Iran’s Shia Council will not be involved in “military operations.” He said the council seeks to espouse Shia Muslim ideology in the Sunni-dominated Palestinian territories, including the belief in the return of the Twelfth Imam to lead an apocalyptic world battle against “evil.”

The largest sect of the Shias, called The Twelvers, believe there were 12 imams (Muslim clerics) after Muhammad and that the last one, Imam Mahdi, still lives, but he cannot be seen until Allah determines it is time to prepare the faithful for Judgment Day. They believe Imam Mahdi will return to lead the forces of righteousness against the forces of evil in a final, apocalyptic world battle.

Some Mid-east analysts fear Ahmadinejad may be pursuing nuclear weapons, in part to precipitate the final, Mahdi-led battle. In a speech in Tehran, Ahmadinejad said his main mission is to “pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi. May Allah hasten his reappearance.” Excerpts from article by Aaron Klein, World Net Daily

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