Did Iran declare war on us and we misinterpreted it? Some people seem to think so:
President Ahmadinejad’s letter to President Bush, widely interpreted as a peaceful overture, is in fact a declaration of war. The key sentence in the letter is the closing salutation. In an eight-page text of the letter being circulated by the Council on Foreign Relations, it is left untranslated and rendered as “Vasalam Ala Man Ataba’al hoda.” What this means is “Peace only unto those who follow the true path.”It is a phrase with historical significance in Islam, for, according to Islamic tradition, in year six of the Hejira – the late 620s – the prophet Mohammad sent letters to the Byzantine emperor and the Sassanid emperor telling them to convert to the true faith of Islam or be conquered. The letters included the same phrase that President Ahmadinejad used to conclude his letter to Mr. Bush. For Mohammad, the letters were a prelude to a Muslim offensive, a war launched for the purpose of imposing Islamic rule over infidels.
Check it here.
I don’t know about you all, but I am ready to accommodate Ahmadinejad. If it’s a war he wants, then it’s a war he’ll get!
(H/T Little Green Footballs)
Marcus
Well, if they want to play in the big leagues, they’re certainly allowed to. But, like AQ, I think we’re giving them MUCH to much slack.
“You want a war, eh? OK, we accept your declaration. Suck it up.”