The problem is not really linked to Israel or any western nation directly, on the contraary, in a speech on November 16th, Iranian President Ahmadinejad spoke of his belief in the return of the Twelfth Imam.
One of the differences between the Sunni and Shi’ite Islam sects is that the latter, who dominate Iran and form the majority in Iraq, believe that Allah shielded or hid Muhammad al-Mahdi as the Twelfth Imam until the end of time.
Shi’ites expect the Twelfth Imam, which Jews and Christians would recognize as a messianic figure, to return to save the world when it had descended into chaos. Shi’ite orthodoxy has it that humans are powerless to encourage the Twelfth Imam to return.
However, in Iran a group called the Hojjatieh believe that humans can stir up chaos to encourage him to return. It seems that the esteemed President of Iran is a firm believer in the Hojjatieh. The Ayatollah Khomeini banned the group in the early 1980s because they rejected one of the primary commitments of the Iranian revolution: the concept of Vilayat-i Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist). In other words, they opposed the notion of an Islamic republic because it would hinder the Twelfth Imam’s return on account of it being too just and peaceful.
Today, in addition to Ahmadinejad himself being a member, the group has connections to the holy city of Qom's ultraconservative cleric Mesbah Yazdi whom Iranians frequently refer to as the "crazed one" and the "crocodile." Four of the twenty-one new cabinet ministers are purportedly Hojjatieh members. Some reports state that cabinet ministers must sign a formal pledge of support for the Twelfth Imam.
THIS, more than anything else is the root cause of the current hijinx in Iran. As I stated before, it will get a lot more interesting as the Iranians push for worldwide chaos to invoke the return of the 12th Imam. Don't write this off as looney-tunes. Remember, no-one ever thought that they would be crazy enough to crash a plane into a building either!
Semper Intell
Thank you for the excellent comment on why AhMADinejad must be taken seriously. I can easily see how someone like him could "feel" like he's being "used" to bring on that 12th Imam. And the more chaos he can cause, the sooner that 12th Imam arrives. And what excitement it must give him to picture the 12th Imam "thanking him" for helping to bring his return to fruition.
I think Ahmadinejad believes the the Twelfth Iman is here now. His delusion, if that's what it is, has taken on a "real" feel. He's acting as if he knows it happening. Why would that be unless he has met the person he believes to be the one. Is that possible?
Damn!
Thanks for the post!