« Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out | Main | The lame duck makes one last quack »

November 29, 2006

Ahmadinejad's Silver Tongue

I don't know whether most Americans care that the President of Iran has just written them a letter, but I was anxious to read it from the moment I heard it was coming. The last letter he wrote, to President Bush, was quite good and I wondered what he would have to say to us. CNN has published the full text of the letter so you can read it all. You can tell right away the man is brilliant – he addresses us as "Noble Americans." Ah, the flattery! The siren song! His beautiful words call out to the heart of every peace-loving citizen.

In explaining the "urgency" of his letter to us, he points to the effects of U.S. policy on the people of the Middle East, the fact that Americans are "God-fearing, truth-loving, and justice-seeking," the way the Bush Administration has lied to us, and the shared responsibility of Iranians and Americans "to promote and protect freedom and human dignity and integrity." He shows how the people of Iran and the people of the U.S. share much in common, in terms of goodness, decency and honesty. It is really very touching.

Ahmadinejad voices what we all want to believe about who we are, and in the process he humanizes the Iranian people – and the Palestinian people. "Palestinian mothers, just like Iranian and American mothers, love their children, and are painfully bereaved by the imprisonment, wounding and murder of their children. What mother wouldn't?" It is true, and we all know it.

But this is where I begin to run into trouble with the letter – the point where he takes on the "Zionist regime" in Israel. I've read enough about modern Israel and Palestine to understand that we aren't talking about a bunch of boy scouts over there, but with my intense Christian upbringing, my personal love for the Jewish community in Portland, and my recognition that having a friend and ally in the Middle East is probably a good thing, this entire subject is one that I simply cannot address. It would not matter what I said, I would not feel good about it. But I would very much like to hear your thoughts.

Next, he turns to Iraq, and I am alarmed to find myself once again falling under his spell. The man knows how to pull on the heartstrings. For instance, speaking of our soldiers serving over there, he writes of the pain of their mothers. By the time he makes this statement – "I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military misadventure" – you'll just about nod yes to anything.

And from there, it's on to the detention centers and the horrible things that have gone on in our name, shaming our country. Next he points out that we "Noble Americans" have also suffered from the administration's "immoral behavior" through the loss of our own civil liberties. Again, I find myself nodding vigorously when he writes, "I have no doubt that the American people do not approve of this behavior and indeed deplore it."

After pointing out that it is not military might that makes a country great, but rather "sound logic, quest for justice and compassion and empathy for all humanity," he returns to the discussion of Zionists and our relationship with Israel. And he asks a very blunt question: "What have the Zionists done for the American people that the US administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors? Is it not because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?" It's the sort of thing one might expect Mel Gibson to say. Is it true? I have no idea, but as I said before, I personally may be biased and blinded on this entire issue because of my background.

Ahmadinejad asks for two things: First, that America respect the Palestinian homeland, and second, that we get out of Iraq and let the country rule itself. Neither of these two requests is a surprise. What is really interesting is his warning to the incoming Democratic members of Congress.

The United States has had many administrations; some who have left a positive legacy, and others that are neither remembered fondly by the American people nor by other nations.

Now that you control an important branch of the US Government, you will also be held to account by the people and by history."

If the US Government meets the current domestic and external challenges with an approach based on truth and Justice, it can remedy some of the past afflictions and alleviate some of the global resentment and hatred of America. But if the approach remains the same, it would not be unexpected that the American people would similarly reject the new electoral winners, although the recent elections, rather than reflecting a victory, in reality point to the failure of the current administration's policies.

In concluding, Ahmadinejad places responsibility for the future of this country squarely on the shoulders of you and me, shattering any illusion that he will be nice to us because he knows we are nice people. We have a choice, he says, between a future of "injustice and transgression" resulting in "decline and demise" or a "return to faith and spirituality" and a future in which all nations live together in perpetual peace and harmony forever, amen. Okay, those are my own words at the end, but I think they fairly represent the lovely words of Iran's president.

Most Americans probably will never read this letter. Of those who do, some will swallow it hook, line and sinker. Some will recognize the beauty of the ideals, but have little faith it will come to anything. And some will outright reject his message because they see him as an enemy of the likes of Saddam Hussein.

As for me, I look at his desire for the destruction of Israel and for worldwide following of Islam, a religion that I don't see as being particularly good for women, among other things, and I find my enthusiasm for his lovely words is tempered significantly. On the other hand, a read through his bio at Wikipedia ought to engender respect for both his intelligence and his concern for the poor. I fear in the end that he is as determined to have his way as our President is to have his way, and in the process, ordinary Iranian citizens and ordinary American citizens, who actually do want the same things, will end up being forced to kill one another and ultimately pay a bitter price.

Here are some reactions of others to the letter:

Jihad Watch notes the clear call to Islam, based on the words of Muhammed.

Atlas Shrugs points out that Ahmadinejad is writing about truth and justice while at the same time murdering his own people (hanging dissidents) and supporting terrorist organizations.

Freedom Eden thinks Ahmadinejad is kissing up to the Democrats.

Joel's Trumpet finds the letter "an absolute gag fest." Joel, by the way, has written a book entitled, "Understanding Dishonesty and Deceit in Islam." I was hoping for something insightful, but all I got there was snark.

Posted by Becky at November 29, 2006 03:51 PM