Vital Perspective

Su-Shi Watch: Sudan Sunnis accuse Iran of promoting Shiism

Taking a breather from their campaign of rape, pillage, and genocide* against the  Christian, animist, and Sufi Sudanese blacks, the Arab Islamists of Sudan are accusing Iran of spreading Shia Islam in the east African country:

The Sudanese chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation in a meeting with authorities in Khartoum on Monday said it had presented evidence of Teheran's attempts to convert locals to Shiitism. "It's a large scale plan conceived by Shiite groups and local organisations with the objective of spreading Shiitism in Sudan," a spokesman for the group told the Arab daily al-Hayat.

Sunni groups have denounced what they say is a "Shiite peril" and the opening of several Shiite mosques in Khartoum.

They have asked authorities to close down the Iranian embassy's cultural centre and to prevent it from holding conferences which they say are being used for propaganda purposes.

"Shiite penetration in Sudan has become possible because of a lack of control on the part of the authoritie," the Muslim Brotherhood's Sudan country representative, Sadiq Abdullah Abdel Majid, said.

The article notes that 11 teachers were arrested in Algeria last week on the charge of spreading Shiite propaganda among their pupils.

*We've seen these Save Darfur posters on buses in Washington DC lately.  Hm. Seems to us that "Save Darfur" is becoming akin to "Free Tibet" - one of those causes that makes the expounder of sentiment feel morally superior while requiring zero action on his or her part (excuse us, but after the shame of Rwanda etc, anyone who calls UN Peacekeepers "action" is either deluded or a liar).  Whoever claims he wants to Save Darfur and is opposed to the things one would actually need to do in order to Save Darfur - say, sending in the 101st or 82nd Airborne, or at least dropping off some genocide prevention kits - is a hypocrite.

The sanctions are already working

An analysis published in Proceedings, a journal of the National Academy of Sciences, confirms what many sanctions advocates have been claiming: Iran's economy is already crumbling due to the 10-year old sanctions regime. "Iran is suffering a staggering decline in revenue from its oil exports, and if the trend continues income could virtually disappear by 2015" the reports says.

The sanctions regime that has been in place since 1996 has brought to a severe decline in investment in Iran's oil and gas sector. As a result Iran produces only 3.7 million barrels of oil a day, about 300,000 barrels below the quota set for Iran by OPEC. The shortfall represents a loss of about $5.5billion a year.

The report's author, Roger Stern at Johns Hopkins University said: "If the United States can hold its breath for a few years it may find Iran a much more conciliatory country. [...] What they are doing to themselves is much worse than anything we could do."

UPDATE:

Mario Loyola at The Corner notes an FT report about how Iran's pariah status is affecting its ability to attract investment.

David Zucker Takes On Iraq Study Group and Implications of Engaging Iran

We're taking a break for Christmas, but we've left something good for you to occupy the next two minutes. Check out the latest from David Zucker - it's a commentary on the ISG recommendations and the implications of engaging Iran.

Here's one more. It's a special message from al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on the true meaning of Christmas.

Ahmadinejad: Britain, Israel and U.S. to Vanish Like the Egyptian Pharaohs

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has predicted that Britain, Israel and the U.S. would eventually disappear from the world like the Egyptian pharaonic kings.

"The oppressive powers will disappear while the Iranian people will stay. Any power that is close to God will survive while the powers who are far from God will disappear like the pharaohs," he said Wednesday. "Today, it is the United States, Britain and the Zionist regime which are doomed to disappear as they have moved far away from the teachings of God," he said. "It is a divine promise."

Ahmadinejad's comments were the latest salvo against the West and Israel. He has repeatedly predicted that Israel is doomed to disappear. The remarks come amid mounting efforts by the P-5 to agree a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Tehran Municipal Election Results a Major Political Setback for Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's opponents were poised to secure a majority on Tehran's City Council, in his first political setback since he won the office in June 2005. Backers of Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf, a rival of Ahmadinejad, are set to win eight of fifteen seats in the municipal election. Candidates from a coalition of modernizing "reformists," including three of former president Mohammad Khatami's ministers, looked likely to pick up four more seats.

The results show that Ahmadinejad's populist rhetoric hasn't impressed Iranians as much as he may have expected. After a year-and-a-half in office, Ahmadinejad's lack of delivery on promises to raise living standards and improve economic conditions seems to have registered with voters. He was elected president after a campaign in which he said he would use oil revenue for the improvement of ordinary Iranians' lives.

IDF Reports Hamas Terrorists Receiving Advanced Military Training in Iran

Israeli military officials say that dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Hamas terrorists recently left Gaza to receive advanced military training in Iran. The training is similar to that received by thousands of Hezbollah terrorists over the past few years, and Israel fears it will greatly improve Hamas' military capability in any future battle with IDF troops.

The mass training of Hamas fighters in Iran is a new development reflecting the growing alliance between Shiite Iran and the Sunni Hamas movement. Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh returned last week from Iran, which has already funded the cash-strapped Palestinian government with $120 million and pledged millions more.

Abu Obayda, a spokesman for Hamas, declined to confirm whether they were training in Iran. "But I confirm that we have the right to train inside or outside the country," he said.

Cox & Forkum: Genocidal Logic

New UN S-G Ban: Iranian Statements on Holocaust, Israel are 'Unacceptable'

Could a great change be coming at the UN? Incoming UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Iran today that it was unacceptable to deny the Holocaust or call for Israel to be wiped off the map. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just ended a two-day international conference on the Holocaust that was dominated by speakers who questioned the extermination of 6 million Jews by the Nazis.

"Denying historical facts especially on such an important subject as the Holocaust is just not acceptable," Ban said. "Nor is it acceptable to call for the elimination of states or people. I would like to see this fundamental principle respected in both rhetoric and practice by all the members of the international community." A former South Korean foreign minister, Ban assumes his post on January 1.

Report: Saudi Arabia to Back Iraqi Sunnis if U.S. Troops Withdraw from Iraq

MediaLine reports that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has let President Bush know that if a war between Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites erupts as the result of an American withdrawal from Iraq, the Saudis will back the Sunnis. The message was received by Vice President Cheney when he visited Iraq two weeks ago.

Abdullah let it be known that he is unhappy with talk of American efforts to engage Iran. The Saudis and Iraqi Sunnis fear growing Iranian influence in Iraq which, when seen in the context of the Iranian nuclear program, is potentially disastrous in their eyes. A similar fear that the Iraqi army would be used against the Sunni population if Shiites gain control was recently expressed by Jordan's King Abdallah II.

Washington Post Cartoon Weighs in on Ahmadinejad's Holocaust Conference