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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 22-Aug-06
Iran and Ahmadinejad are waiting for the Mahdi

Web Log - August, 2006

Iran and Ahmadinejad are waiting for the Mahdi

Most people know about the belief by Christian fundamentalists about the Second Coming of Christ, and the fact that some Christians believe that the second coming is near.

However, what few Americans know is that Shi'ite Islam has a similar belief -- the Mahdaviat -- the belief that the Mahdi is coming to save mankind.

Iranian ideologues believe that the Islamist overthrow of Iran's secular government in 1979 was the sign that the Mahdi is coming soon.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is one of those ideologues, and he said as much in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 17, 2005:

"From the beginning of time, humanity has longed for the day when justice, peace, equality and compassion envelop the world. All of us can contribute to the establishment of such a world. When that day comes, the ultimate promise of all Divine religions will be fulfilled with the emergence of a perfect human being who is heir to all prophets and pious men. He will lead the world to justice and absolute peace.

O mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace."

This is evidently a strongly held belief by Ahmadinejad, and it partially explains his single-minded devotion to the destruction of Israel.

Ironically, not all Iranians agree with Ahmadinejad's direction.

Now that the Lebanon war is over, at least for the time being, Iran is moving quickly to solidify Hizbollah's position in Lebanon.

Iran is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into Hizbollah's coffers to be given away to Lebanese citizens whose homes were bombed during the war. In addition, Iran is huge quantities of weapons to Hizbollah, to replace those that were used or destroyed during the war.

But many Iranians are angered by the huge amounts of money being spent in Lebanon. The anger is especially severe in regions destroyed by the Iran/Iraq war of the 1980s, and by the huge earthquake hit Iran in 2003. Iranians are furious that money is being spent to rebuild Lebanon, but nothing is being spent to help these Iran regions rebuild.

From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, none of this is surprising. Like America in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was one generation past the end of World War II, Iran today is entering a "generational awakening" era, one generation past the Iran/Iraq war of the 1960s.

During the 1960s, America went through massive riots and demonstrations over racial issues, the Vietnam war, and other "individual rights." Every country goes through generational awakening eras at regular intervals, and when that happens the country moves in the direction of supporting individual rights, and away from national unity.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran<font size=-2>(Source: Mardomyar.ir )</font>

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran(Source: Mardomyar.ir )

That's happening more and more in Iran today, as Iran becomes "a country at war with itself," according to one description. During such a period, there's always a "generation gap," where many young people reject the harsh compromises and restrictions imposed by the older generation to prevent the previous crisis war (in this case, the Iran/Iraq war) from ever happening again.

We already saw this last year, shortly after the election of Ahmadinejad, when college-age women started rioting in the streets for feminist rights. Women often lead the way during generational awakening periods, just as men tend to lead the way during generational crisis periods.

Although Hizbollah's evident public relations victory in Lebanon is widely praised in Iran and throughout the Muslim world, it has a cost, and we can expect to see increasing political turmoil over Ahmadinejad's policies, as he tests his belief that the Mahdi will be coming soon to save mankind. (22-Aug-06) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 22-Aug-06 Iran and Ahmadinejad are waiting for the Mahdi

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 22-Aug-06
Iran and Ahmadinejad are waiting for the Mahdi