In Reply to: question about Mohammed posted by got ur flea bag? on August 16, 2006 at 04:24:10:
I'm guessing that TF is so close to Islamic doctrine that they probably were already well versed in this aspect of Islamists seeking heaven via sparking an apocalypse. I don't remember where I put the link to this, but there was an article by Bernard Lewis, I believe in the Wall Street Journal, where he discusses this date. Mr. Lewis, a renowned expert in Orientalism and a historian, examines this worldview expressed by Iran's present rulers through their speeches, articles and even schoolbooks. If you want to talk about heaven and hell, you should examine Islamic belief systems carefully. It's a lot more frightening then the Bible's depictions.
Mr. Lewis states: "The phrase 'Allah will know his own' is usually used to explain such apparently callous unconcern (referring to the situation of Muslims blowing up Muslims in their jihadist quests); it means that while infidel, i.e., non-Muslim, victims will go to a well-deserved punishment in hell, Muslims will be sent straight to heaven. According to this view, the bombers are in fact doing their Muslim victims a favor by giving them a quick pass to heaven and its delights-the rewards without the struggles of martyrdom. School textbooks tell young Iranians to be ready for a final global struggle against an evil enemy, named the U.S., and to prepare themselves for the privileges of martyrdom." (want to talk separation of church and state here-ha!)
Mr. Lewis goes on to explain this Islamic vision:
"In Islam, as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time-God and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil, however these may be defined. Mr. Ahmadinejad and his followers clearly believe that this time is now, and that the terminal struggle has already begun and is indeed well advanced. It may even have a date, indicated by several references by the Iranian president to giving his final answer to the U.S. about nuclear development by Aug. 22.....This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identitifed with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be iwse to bear the possibility in mind."
Mr. Lewis goes on to quote Ayatollah Khomeini from a passage in an 11th-grade Iranian schoolbook: "I am decisively announcing to the whole world that if the world-devourers (i.e., the infidel powers) whish to stand against our religion, we will stand against their whole world and will not cease until the annihilation of all of them. Either we shake one another's hands in joy at the victory of Islam in the world, or all of us will turn to eternal life and martyrdom. In both cases, victory and success are ours."
So, yes, it is in the Koran, apparently, where Mohammed flew to heaven and back on a winged horse.
In any event, if you listen closely to these crazed Imams and their fanatical statements, you can definitely see the weave and the thread.
Who knows, maybe TF is getting it right and Mr. Ahmadinejad is the false prophet ushering in the anti-christ (or their hidden Imam). Interesting indeed.