"Christmas Message From Iran's Ahmadinejad?"

2 months ago: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, shakes hands with former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. A top adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that Iran would hold talks with the U.S. only if its forces leave the Middle East and Washington ends its support for Israel

 

The full translation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Christmas message that will be broadcast on Channel 4 tonight:

"In the Name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful.

"Upon the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, Son of Mary, the Word of God, the Messenger of mercy, I would like to congratulate the followers of Abrahamic faiths, especially the followers of Jesus Christ, and the people of Britain.

"The Almighty created the universe for human beings and human beings for Himself.

"He created every human being with the ability to reach the heights of perfection. He called on man to make every effort to live a good life in this world and to work to achieve his everlasting life.

"On this difficult and challenging journey of man from dust to the divine, He did not leave humanity to its own devices. He chose from those He created the most excellent as His Prophets to guide humanity.

"All Prophets called for the worship of God, for love and brotherhood, for the establishment of justice and for love in human society. Jesus, the Son of Mary, is the standard-bearer of justice, of love for our fellow human beings, of the fight against tyranny, discrimination and injustice.

"All the problems that have bedevilled humanity throughout the ages came about because humanity followed an evil path and disregarded the message of the Prophets.

"Now as human society faces a myriad of problems and a succession of complex crises, the root causes can be found in humanity's rejection of that message, in particular the indifference of some governments and powers towards the teachings of the divine Prophets, especially those of Jesus Christ.

"The crises in society, the family, morality, politics, security and the economy which have made life hard for humanity and continue to put great pressure on all nations have come about because the Prophets have been forgotten, the Almighty has been forgotten and some leaders are estranged from God.

"If Christ were on earth today, undoubtedly He would stand with the people in opposition to bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers.

"If Christ were on earth today, undoubtedly He would hoist the banner of justice and love for humanity to oppose warmongers, occupiers, terrorists and bullies the world over.

"If Christ were on earth today, undoubtedly He would fight against the tyrannical policies of prevailing global economic and political systems, as He did in His lifetime.

"The solution to today's problems is a return to the call of the divine Prophets. The solution to these crises is to follow the Prophets - they were sent by the Almighty for the good of humanity.

"Today, the general will of nations is calling for fundamental change. This is now taking place. Demands for change, demands for transformation, demands for a return to human values are fast becoming the foremost demands of the nations of the world.

"The response to these demands must be real and true. The prerequisite to this change is a change in goals, intentions and directions. If tyrannical goals are repackaged in an attractive and deceptive package and imposed on nations again, the people, awakened, will stand up against them.

"Fortunately, today, as crises and despair multiply, a wave of hope is gathering momentum. Hope for a brighter future and hope for the establishment of justice, hope for real peace, hope for finding virtuous and pious rulers who love the people and want to serve them – and this is what the Almighty has promised.

"We believe Jesus Christ will return, together with one of the children of the revered Messenger of Islam and will lead the world to love, brotherhood and justice.

"The responsibility of all followers of Christ and Abrahamic faiths is to prepare the way for the fulfilment of this divine promise and the arrival of that joyful, shining and wonderful age.

"I hope that the collective will of nations will unite in the not too distant future and with the grace of the Almighty Lord, that shining age will come to rule the earth.

"Once again, I congratulate one and all on the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. I pray for the New Year to be a year of happiness, prosperity, peace and brotherhood for humanity. I wish you every success and happiness."

At the time of the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, there were approximately 140,000–150,000 Jews living in Iran, the historical center of Persian Jewry. Over 85% have since migrated to either Israel or the United States. At the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, 80,000 still remained in Iran. From then on, Jewish emigration from Iran dramatically increased, as about 20,000 Jews left within several months after the Islamic Revolution. In mid- and late 1980s, the Jewish population of Iran was estimated at 20,000–30,000. The reports put the figure at around 35,000 in mid-1990s and at less than 40,000 nowadays, with around 25,000 residing in Tehran. However, Iran's Jewish community still remains the largest among the Muslim countries.

Ayatollah Khomeini met with the Jewish community upon his return from exile in Paris and issued a fatwa decreeing that the Jews were to be protected. In the Islamic republic Jews have become more religious. Families that had been secular in the 1970s started keeping kosher and strictly observing rules against driving on Shabbat. They stopped going to restaurants, cafes and cinemas and the synagogue perforce became the focal point of their social lives. As Haroun Yashyaei, a film producer and former chairman of the Central Jewish Community in Iran has quoted:

"Khomeini didn't mix up our community with Israel and Zionism - he saw us as Iranians,"

The Islamic republic government has made a clear effort to distinguish between Zionism as a secular political party that enjoys Jewish symbols and ideals and Judaism as the religion of Moses.

Ahmadinejad DID NOT threaten to "wipe Israel off the map."

   As I see it, Iran is no threat to Israel. Iran is home to the largest concentration of Jews in the Middle East outside of Israel. Common sense tells me that Iran would never "nuke" Israel because millions of Palestinian Muslims in Gaza and the West Bank would also be killed along with Israeli Jews and Arabs. Warmongering Western propaganda has falsely given the impression that Iran wants to "wipe Israel off the map" (please view the above You Tube video). In my opinion, the greatest threat to Middle East peace is not Iran but Israel and it's  US neoconservative allies. Iran is no threat to Israel but rather Israel is a threat to Iran. Israel, which has hundreds of nuclear warheads, refuses to allow the UN to examine it's nuclear arsenal. Iran has allowed it's nuclear program to be examined by the UN, so which nation is the nuclear "rogue nation"? Iran has never pre-emptively attacked or occupied any nation. The same can't be said for Israel. I believe the sentiments expressed by Iranian President Ahmadinejad in his Christmas message are sincere. I pray God protect Iran.

tags: iran  israel  christmas  middle east peace  war  warpeace  war on terror  mahmoud ahmadinejad  persian jews  zionists  

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