Hojjatieh
is a group of ultra-orthodox Muslims, who believe that humans can stir
up chaos to encourage the return of the Twelfth Imam, a 6 year-old boy who "was hidden by God " around 874 AD.
In the West, the members of Hojjatieh (and their related groups in other
countries, who subscribe to the same apocalyptic sentiments) are
referred to as "Twelvers" or "12th'ers." They believe that they must
cause apocalyptic death and destruction to hasten his return. The Ayatollah
Khomeini banned the group because they rejected one of the
fundamental precepts of the Iranian Revolution: Vilayat-i Faqih
(Guardianship of the Jurist). In other words, the 12th'ers, in the view
of
Khomeini, were opposed to the very idea of an Islamic republic "because
it would hinder the Twelfth Imam's return on account of it being too
just and
peaceful."
Who
are some of the members in Hojjatieh? Ahmadinejad spoke about his
belief in Twelferism in a speech on 16 November 2005. He is believed to
be a member. His spiritual
advisor, Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, who is an ULTRA-conservative
hardliner, whom Iranians refer to as the "crocodile" and the "crazed
one," is considered the leader. According to reports, at least 4 of
Ahmadinejad's 21 cabinet
members are members of Hojjatieh. Ayatollah Messbah Yazdi has sought to
place his proteges in the Assembly
of Experts - the only body in Iran that can constitutionally replace
the supreme leader.
Hojjatieh
is an underground,
Messianic cult. Before some of you jump in and start screaming that,
"It is just like Christianity, especially fundamentalist Christianity!"
No, it is not. While Christianity does have a Messiah and the Book of
Revelations certainly predicts an apocalypse, there is no place in the
Bible where the followers of Christ are ordered or even encouraged to
engage in activities designed to rain down death and destruction on a
mass scale in order to hasten the return of the Messiah. In fact, quite
the opposite is the case. Simply put, the Bible says that only god or
Christ knows the hour of his return and there is nothing that humans can
do to change the timetable. (As an atheist, I encourage any Christians
to correct me in the comments section if I am incorrect, but please
cite the scripture so that we can all read it). It is nearly the
equivalent of Heaven's Gate. You
might be fine with nutters like the Hojjatieh, but I would prefer that their
fingers be far, far, faraway from a nuke button. Does this mean that I
want to invade and occupy Iran? No.