Iran’s Pres: Islam to dominate world in "near future"

Note: It's a little scary when a nation bent on nuclear weapons is claiming the world will be under the domination of Islam in "the near future," and that they are waiting on the imminent return of the Mahdi, the Islamic messiah. Well, I've got news. There is one who is returning, but He is not the Mahdi. He is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and He will be the dominant power worldwide when He sits down on His father David's throne in Jerusalem and reigns in true peace.

Thursday, 2nd March 2006
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on Thursday in Malaysia that Islam will be the dominant power in the "near future", the official state news agency reported.

"The near future will be in the hands of Islam", Ahmadinejad said after a meeting in Kuala Lumpur with the King of Malaysia. He cited the victory of the Islamist group Hamas in the recent Palestinian elections as a sign of the rise of Islamism in the world.

"History has shown that when Muslims become powerful, they do not use their power to the detriment of others, but use it in the service of peace and tranquillity", Ahmadinejad said. [Yeah, maybe as long as you do what they say, as long as you submit to the sword and become a Muslim.]

The Iranian president’s vision of a world dominated by Islam in the "near future" is bound to exacerbate concern in the West and among moderate Muslims, who are alarmed by his strong views on the "imminent return" of the Shiite messiah, the Mahdi.

"Ahmadinejad is on record as saying that he sees his main mission as being that of preparing the stage for the return of the Mahdi", said Ali Basrawi, an Iraqi Shiite political analyst living in London.

"He belongs to a school of thought that believes the Mahdi would return only when the world is in deep crisis. That political philosophy, particularly if devoutly believed in, could lead to very erratic and unpredictable decisions by the president of a country on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons".

Ahmadinejad told the Malaysian monarch that Muslims around the world bear a very heavy responsibility to introduce Islam to others.

He accused "nuclear powers" of "bullying and threatening" smaller nations. [Back home we say that's the pot calling the kettle black.]