'The Iranian Time Bomb'

Chapter One: The Torture Masters - "At the very least, you could have given me a glass of water. Animals are slaughtered more humanely than this." --Atefeh Rajabi, sixteen years of age, about to be hanged for "adultery," August 15, 2004

"Absolutely, we do have political prisoners. There are those who are in prison for their beliefs." --"Reformist" president Mohammed Khatami, April 28, 2004

In the months following his successful revolution against the shah, the Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated his domestic power through the use of four basic techniques:

–The first, common to all modern fascist movements, was the constant mobilization of the masses. The mobilization exploited the symbols and doctrines of Islamic fundamentalism, and the techniques of twentieth-century mass movements, from monster rallies, constant incitement to hatred of the revolution's "satanic" enemies (of which the United States and Israel were the prime examplars), and, once Saddam attacked and the bloody Iran-Iraq war began, constant reference to martyrdom. A fountain in downtown Tehran was stocked with red liquid, to represent the blood of the martyrs;

–Second, the regime devoted constant attention to the needs of the most impoverished sectors of the society. In a sort of Shi'ite version of Robin Hood, money, food, and housing were seized from the old elites and redistributed to the very poor. Khomeini even exempted the poor from paying taxes, and they were provided with free transportation. The regime's largesse was extended to workers as well, especially those in the oil fields, whose salaries were quickly and dramatically increased. This ensured the loyalty of the lower classes, and kept the well-to-do constantly concerned about their own well being;

–Third, total, uncompromising war against anything having to do with the West. As the Taliban would

Hojjatieh Society

The Hojjatieh Society is a sect of Shi'ite Islam that is so radical that Ayatollah Khomeini banned it in 1983. The current President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as several of Ahmadinejad's cabinet ministers, are adherents to the Hojjatieh faith. The Hojjatieh sect adds messianic and apocalyptic elements to an already volatile, radical, theology of Iranians. They believe that chaos and bloodshed must precede the return of the 12th Imam, called the Mahdi. But unlike the biblical apocalypse, where the return of Jesus is preceded by waves of divinely decreed natural disasters, the summoning of the Mahdi through chaos and violence is within the ability of human action. The Hojjatieh faith disturbingly puts inordinate stress on human ability to direct divine events. A belief that by expediting the prophesied apocalyptic chaos, the Hojjatiehs can hasten the Mahdi's reappearance, the institution of Islamic government worldwide, and the destruction of all competing faiths.

The Hojjatieh Society although, anti-Sunni is thought to have been closely aligned from the beginning to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and may have a strategic conciliatory position with Sunni Arabs.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recently said: "Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi" Ahmadinejad gives a clear indication of the apocalyptic nature in which he views Iran's nuclear and political ambitions.

Ahmadinejad's September 2006 address to the U.N. General Assembly contained long passages on the Mahdi which confused Western diplomats and irked those from Sunni Muslim countries who believe in a different line of succession from Mohammed. It gets worse. After his U.N. speech in September, Ahmadinejad was caught on videotape telling a cleric that during the speech an aura, a halo, appeared around his head right on the podium of the General Assembly. "I felt the atmosphere suddenly change. And for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink. . . . It seemed as if a hand was holding them there, and it opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic Republic."

Ayatollah Khomeini said in a 12 July 1983 speech about the Hojjatieh Society: “Those who believe we should allow sins to increase until the Twelfth Imam reappears should modify and reconsider their position. If you believe in your country then get rid of this factionalism and join the wave that is carrying the nation forward, otherwise it will break you.” In summary, Ayatollah Khomeini, a radical himself considered the Hojjatieh Society radical and influential members of this sect may soon have nuclear weapons to expedite their apocalyptic prophecy.

Daryl L. Hunter

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