America finds itself, once again, negotiating nuclear policy with a terrorist state. President Obama tells us that we can all take a deep breath, he was able to work a concession out of the Iranians…they’ve issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons. Whew!…thank goodness…that was a close one. We’ve been brought back from the brink of nuclear oblivion due to the Presidents keen ability to negotiate. Notwithstanding the obvious (and wholly inappropriate) grandstanding by the POTUS, there are a few other issues that need to be addressed in relation to this fictional fatwa.
First, for those of you who are unfamiliar, a fatwa is simply a ruling regarding Sharia law (Islamic law), issued by an Islamic scholar. An Islamic scholar (Imam) issuing a Sharia law fatwa is similar to the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) when it interprets and hands down rulings regarding U.S. law. This is yet another example of how Islam, due in part to its adherence to Sharia Law, has very little to do with ‘religion’ and a whole lot to do with politics and governance. That being said, a fatwa can determine many different things, from the mundane, all the way to topics of, well, let’s say…extreme consequence. For instance, a fatwa can dictate how financial dealings are transacted between Muslims, or go all the way to labeling ex-Muslims as apostates and ordering their death…as has been issued against me.
So, knowing that a fatwa is simply an interpretation of Sharia law, what business does the United States of America have in accepting this type of irrelevant nothingness when considering not only our own foreign policy, but the issue of global nuclear non-proliferation? More specifically, why do we accept this from the Islamic sect that invented taqiyya, the notion that lying, as long as it’s for the furtherance of Jihad, is acceptable. Outside of Islam, fatwas have no legitimacy, so why do we insist on legitimizing the fatwa concept for an ideology that clearly uses them as a tool of convenience?
Well, that brings me to another point, not about fatwas in general, but about this fatwa in particular. Here’s the bottom line, there was no fatwa issued (this year). President Obama said that we should trust the Iranians because they’d issued a fatwa condemning the use of nuclear weapons, and he is correct, they did issue a fatwa. He just forgot to mention one minute detail…the fatwa was issued in 1979. The ONE and ONLY fatwa issued by an Iranian regarding nuclear weapons occurred over 30 years ago. Are we to believe that the Iranians, since 1979, haven’t been pursuing nuclear weapons? This assumption would simply redefine the term naïve. It’s been shown definitively, time and time again, that Iran has sought, and is seeking, nuclear weapons, in clear departure from their own fatwa.
Most Americans aren’t aware that the foundation of Iran’s nuclear program was laid on March 5th, 1957 by the United States, under an Eisenhower program called “Atoms for Peace.” Iran established the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) in 1967, which was a 5 megawatt nuclear research reactor, fueled by enriched uranium. In 1968, Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and ratified it in 1970, making Iran’s nuclear program subject to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verification and accountability.
Following the 1979 Revolution, a majority of the international nuclear cooperation with Iran was cut off. With little hope of continuing the program on their own, they thought it best to save face and attempt to ‘shame’ America and its nuclear technology by condemning nuclear weapons. It was for this reason and this reason alone that the fatwa was issued. It had nothing to do with any humanitarian interests held deeply in the hearts of Iranian leaders; they are certainly more than amenable to any method that allows them to eliminate their enemies more efficiently.
This nuclear fatwa, used as a “tool of convenience”, becomes all the more clear when we look forward five years, to 1984. While still under the reign of the same Ayatollah that issued the ‘nuclear fatwa’ a brief five years previous, we see the destruction of a seemingly ‘non-existent’ Iranian nuclear program by Iraqi forces. Clearly, the Iranians had continued their nuclear program, though the fatwa was in place, knowing it would be a very handy tool to use against their neighbors.
The next time we see any reference to the 1979 “nuclear fatwa” was in 2003. The IAEA issued a report in 2003, condemning the Iranian nuclear program, accusing it of, once again, trying to weaponize the technology. Still, Iran didn’t budge. It wasn’t until the U.S. threatened to get involved militarily (the full might and power of the U.S. military was on display right next door in Iraq) that the Iranians finally caved in and conceded. What did this concession look like? Well, as you might have guessed, they simply ‘reaffirmed’ the old stand-by fatwa from 1979, condemning nuclear weapons and ‘promising’ to play nice. So, for the record, we have clear evidence (TWICE) that the Iranians have no intention of adhering to their own fatwa that ostensibly stops them from seeking nuclear weapons. So, we have to wonder, is Iran trying to drag the 79’ fatwa out again in 2013, hoping we’ll bite on it one more time? As for me, I prefer peace, but peace based on lies is no peace at all.
A few questions that remain…
- Why is President Obama listening to the same drivel from the Iranians about their ‘peaceful intent’ with nuclear technology, given their clear penchant for lying? Does he really believe that “the third time’s a charm?”
- Why did he clearly lead the American public to believe that he’d sought and received a fatwa against nuclear weapons from Iran, when he knew full well there’d been no fatwa issued on the subject for over 30 years?
- Knowing that fatwas apply to and are recognized only by Muslims, why does President Obama feel the need to ‘recognize’ a fatwa as a legitimate concept for diplomacy and thus validate the notion for the entire Islamic world.
- When will we stop bowing to the whim of petty Middle Eastern potentates? When will we stop enhancing their status by giving them and their Sharia mandates any credence in this country?
– Dr. Mark Christian