Is today August 22nd?
Allen August 10th, 2006
In many instances in the past, President Ahmadinejad has stated that he will respond to requests that Iran give up on its attempts to obtain nuclear weapons. The date of the response, according to many accounts, will be August 22nd.
Bernard Lews in an OpinionJournal.com extra gives the reasons for the August 22nd date:
What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.
Some have speculated that the "final answer" would be some sort of co-ordinated attack on Israel — perhaps even involving nuclear arms. While this still might be the case, I can’t help but wonder if the recent discovery of an operational plot to blow up planes flying from England to the US was supposed to be part of this final answer. Quoting from the Washington Post article, we find:
The alleged plotters "were very, very far along," and their plan had progressed to the point "where it could have been carried out in the very near future," the official said. "I’m talking about days or a few weeks. This month."
…
The plotters had hoped to stage a dry run within two days, followed by an actual attack within days after that, the Associated Press reported, quoting U.S. intelligence officials. One official said the attackers planned to use a peroxide-based solution that could ignite when sparked by a camera flash or another electronic device.
Ellipses are mine.
In all likelyhood, the final answer from Iran is yet to come, but I can’t help but wonder if this might have been one small part of that response.
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