Letter from the Iranian President to President Bush
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zgrams at zgrams.zundelsite.org
Fri May 12 06:44:45 EDT 2006
Middle East May 11, 2006
Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush
The following is a translation of the letter sent in Farsi by
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to US President George W. Bush.
This version was released by United Nations diplomats. The letter
was handed by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to the
Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which then handed it to the Americans.
=====
Mr George Bush, President of the United States of America
For some time now I have been thinking, how one can justify the
undeniable contradictions that exist in the international arena -
which are being constantly debated, specially in political forums
and among university students. Many questions remain unanswered.
These have prompted me to discuss some of the contradictions and
questions, in the hopes that it might bring about an opportunity to
redress them.
Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH) [praise be upon his
name], the great Messenger of God, feel obliged to respect human
rights, present liberalism as a civilization model, announce one's
opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs [weapons
of mass destruction], make war and terror his slogan, and finally,
work towards the establishment of a unified international community
- a community which Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one
day govern, but at the same time have countries attacked; the lives,
reputations and possessions of people destroyed and on the slight
chance of the ... of a ... criminals in a village or city, or
convoy, or for example the entire village, city or convoy, set
ablaze.
Or because of the possibility of the existence of WMDs in one
country, it is occupied, around 100,000 people killed, its water
sources, agriculture and industry destroyed, close to 180,000
foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of
citizens broken, and the country pushed back perhaps 50 years. At
what price? Hundreds of billions of dollars spent from the treasury
of one country and certain other countries and tens of thousands of
young men and women - as occupation troops - put in harm's way,
taken away from family and loved ones, their hands stained with the
blood of others, subjected to so much psychological pressure that
every day some commit suicide and those returning home suffer
depression, become sickly and grapple with all sorts of ailments;
while some are killed and their bodies handed to their families.
On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came
to engulf both the peoples of the occupied and the occupying
country. Later it was revealed that no WMDs existed to begin with.
Of course Saddam [Hussein] was a murderous dictator. But the war
was not waged to topple him, the announced goal of the war was to
find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. He was toppled along
the way towards another goal, nevertheless the people of the region
are happy about it. I point out that throughout the many years of
the ... war on Iran [in the 1980s], Saddam was supported by the West.
Mr President,
You might know that I am a teacher. My students ask me how can
these actions be reconciled with the values outlined at the
beginning of this letter and duty to the tradition of Jesus Christ
(PBUH), the Messenger of peace and forgiveness.
There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried,
have no legal representation, their families cannot see them and are
obviously kept in a strange land outside their own country. There is
no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one
knows whether they are prisoners, POWs [prisoners of war], accused
or criminals.
European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret
prisons in Europe too. I could not correlate the abduction of a
person, and him or her being kept in secret prisons, with the
provisions of any judicial system. For that matter, I fail to
understand how such actions correspond to the values outlined in the
beginning of this letter, ie the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH),
human rights and liberal values.
Young people, university students and ordinary people have many
questions about the phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar
with some of them. Throughout history many countries have been
occupied, but I think the establishment of a new country with a new
people, is a new phenomenon that is exclusive to our times.
Students are saying that 60 years ago such a country did not
exist. The show old documents and globes and say try as we have, we
have not been able to find a country named Israel.
I tell them to study the history of World War I and II. One of my
students told me that during WWII, which more than tens of millions
of people perished in, news about the war was quickly disseminated
by the warring parties. Each touted their victories and the most
recent battlefront defeat of the other party. After the war, they
claimed that 6 million Jews had been killed. Six million people that
were surely related to at least 2 million families.
Again let us assume that these events are true. Does that
logically translate into the establishment of the state of Israel in
the Middle East or support for such a state? How can this phenomenon
be rationalized or explained?
Mr President,
I am sure you know how - and at what cost - Israel was established:
Many thousands were killed in the process.
Millions of indigenous people were made refugees.
Hundred of thousands of hectares of farmland, olive plantations,
towns and villages were destroyed.
This tragedy is not exclusive to the time of establishment;
unfortunately it has been ongoing for 60 years now.
A regime has been established which does not show mercy even to
kids, destroys houses while the occupants are still in them,
announces beforehand its list and plans to assassinate Palestinian
figures and keeps thousands of Palestinians in prison. Such a
phenomenon is unique - or at the very least extremely rare - in
recent memory.
Another big question asked by people is why is this regime being
supported? Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of
Jesus Christ (PBUH) or Moses (PBUH) or liberal values? Or are we to
understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands -
inside and outside Palestine - whether they are Christian, Muslim or
Jew, to determine their fate, runs contrary to principles of
democracy, human rights and the teachings of prophets? If not, why
is there so much opposition to a referendum?
The newly elected Palestinian administration recently took office.
All independent observers have confirmed that this government
represents the electorate. Unbelievingly, they have put the elected
government under pressure and have advised it to recognize the
Israeli regime, abandon the struggle and follow the programs of the
previous government.
If the current Palestinian government had run on the above
platform, would the Palestinian people have voted for it? Again, can
such position taken in opposition to the Palestinian government be
reconciled with the values outlined earlier? The people are also
saying why are all UNSC [United Nations Security Council]
resolutions in condemnation of Israel vetoed?
Mr President,
As you are well aware, I live among the people and am in constant
contact with them - many people from around the Middle East manage
to contact me as well. They do not have faith in these dubious
policies either. There is evidence that the people of the region are
becoming increasingly angry with such policies.
It is not my intention to pose too many questions, but I need to
refer to other points as well.
Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement
reached in the Middle East regions is translated into and portrayed
as a threat to the Zionist regime? Is not scientific R&D [research
and development] one of the basic rights of nations?
You are familiar with history. Aside from the Middle Ages, in what
other point in history has scientific and technical progress been a
crime? Can the possibility of scientific achievements being utilized
for military purposes be reason enough to oppose science and
technology altogether? If such a supposition is true, then all
scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, mathematics,
medicine, engineering, etc. must be opposed.
Lies were told in the Iraqi matter. What was the result? I have no
doubt that telling lies is reprehensible in any culture, and you do
not like to be lied to.
Mr President,
Don't Latin Americans have the right to ask, why their elected
governments are being opposed and coup leaders supported? Or, why
must they constantly be threatened and live in fear?
The people of Africa are hardworking, creative and talented. They
can play an important and valuable role in providing for the needs
of humanity and contribute to its material and spiritual progress.
Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are preventing this
from happening. Don't they have the right to ask why their enormous
wealth - including minerals - is being looted, despite the fact that
they need it more than others?
Again, do such actions correspond to the teachings of Christ and
the tenets of human rights?
The brave and faithful people of Iran too have many questions and
grievances, including: the coup d'etat of 1953 and the subsequent
toppling of the legal government of the day, opposition to the
Islamic revolution [of 1979], transformation of an embassy into a
headquarters supporting the activities of those opposing the Islamic
Republic (many thousands of pages of documents corroborates this
claim), support for Saddam in the war waged against Iran, the
shooting down of the Iranian passenger plane, freezing the assets of
the Iranian nation, increasing threats, anger and displeasure
vis-a-vis the scientific and nuclear progress of the Iranian nation
(just when all Iranians are jubilant and collaborating with their
country's progress), and many other grievances that I will not refer
to in this letter.
Mr President,
September 11 was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is
deplorable and appalling in any part of the world. Our government
immediately declared its disgust with the perpetrators and offered
its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies.
All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and
good standing of their citizens. Reportedly your government employs
extensive security, protection and intelligence systems - and even
hunts its opponents abroad. September 11 was not a simple operation.
Could it be planned and executed without coordination with
intelligence and security services - or their extensive
infiltration? Of course this is just an educated guess. Why have the
various aspects of the attacks been kept secret? Why are we not told
who botched their responsibilities? And, why aren't those
responsible and the guilty parties identified and put on trial?
All governments have a duty to provide security and peace of mind
for their citizens. For some years now, the people of your country
and neighbors of world trouble spots do not have peace of mind.
After 9-11, instead of healing and tending to the emotional wounds
of the survivors and the American people - who had been immensely
traumatized by the attacks - some Western media only intensified the
climates of fear and insecurity - some constantly talked about the
possibility of new terror attacks and kept the people in fear. Is
that service to the American people? Is it possible to calculate
the damages incurred from fear and panic?
American citizens lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that
could come at any moment and in any place. They felt insecure in the
streets, in their place of work and at home. Who would be happy with
this situation? Why was the media, instead of conveying a feeling of
security and providing peace of mind, giving rise to a feeling of
insecurity?
Some believe that the hype paved the way - and was the
justification - for an attack on Afghanistan. Again I need to refer
to the role of media. In media charters, correct dissemination of
information and honest reporting of a story are established tenets.
I express my deep regret about the disregard shown by certain
Western media for these principles. The main pretext for an attack
on Iraq was the existence of WMDs. This was repeated incessantly -
for the public to, finally, believe - and the ground set for an
attack on Iraq.
Will the truth not be lost in a contrive and deceptive climate?
Again, if the truth is allowed to be lost, how can that be
reconciled with the earlier mentioned values? Is the truth known to
the Almighty lost as well?
Mr President,
In countries around the world, citizens provide for the expenses of
governments so that their governments in turn are able to serve them.
The question here is what has the hundreds of billions of dollars,
spent every year to pay for the Iraqi campaign, produced for the
citizens?
As your excellency is aware, in some states of your country, people
are living in poverty. Many thousands are homeless and unemployment
is a huge problem. Of course these problems exist - to a larger or
lesser extent - in other countries as well. With these conditions in
mind, can the gargantuan expenses of the campaign - paid from the
public treasury - be explained and be consistent with the
aforementioned principles?
What has been said, are some of the grievances of the people around
the world, in our region and in your country. But my main contention
- which I am hoping you will agree to some of it - is: Those in
power have specific time in office, and do not rule indefinitely,
but their names will be recorded in history and will be constantly
judged in the immediate and distant futures. The people will
scrutinize our presidencies.
Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the
people or insecurity and unemployment? Did we intend to establish
justice, or just supported especial interest groups, and by forcing
many people to live in poverty and hardship, made a few people rich
and powerful - thus trading the approval of the people and the
Almighty with theirs'? Did we defend the rights of the
underprivileged or ignore them? Did we defend the rights of all
people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered
illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and
incarcerated some of them? Did we bring the world peace and security
or raised the specter of intimidation and threats? Did we tell the
truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an
inverted version of it? Were we on the side of people or the
occupiers and oppressors? Did our administration set out to promote
rational behavior, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations,
justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for
human dignity or the force of guns? Intimidation, insecurity,
disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of
other nations, and trample on people's rights? And finally, they
will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office - to
serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the
prophets- or not?
Mr President,
How much longer can the world tolerate this situation? Where will
this trend lead the world to? How long must the people of the world
pay for the incorrect decisions of some rulers? How much longer will
the specter of insecurity - raised from the stockpiles of weapons of
mass destruction - hunt the people of the world? How much longer
will the blood of the innocent men, women and children be spilled on
the streets, and people's houses destroyed over their heads? Are you
pleased with the current condition of the world? Do you think
present policies can continue?
If billions of dollars spent on security, military campaigns and
troop movement were instead spent on investment and assistance for
poor countries, promotion of health, combating different diseases,
education and improvement of mental and physical fitness, assistance
to the victims of natural disasters, creation of employment
opportunities and production, development projects and poverty
alleviation, establishment of peace, mediation between disputing
states and distinguishing the flames of racial, ethnic and other
conflicts where would the world be today? Would not your government,
and people be justifiably proud? Would not your administration's
political and economic standing have been stronger? And I am most
sorry to say, would there have been an ever increasing global hatred
of the American governments?
Mr President, it is not my intention to distress anyone. If
prophets Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph or Jesus Christ
(PBUH) were with us today, how would they have judged such behavior?
Will we be given a role to play in the promised world, where justice
will become universal and Jesus Christ (PBUH) will be present? Will
they even accept us?
My basic question is this: Is there no better way to interact with
the rest of the world? Today there are hundreds of millions of
Christians, hundreds of millions of Muslims and millions of people
who follow the teachings of Moses (PBUH). All divine religions share
and respect on word and that is monotheism or belief in a single God
and no other in the world.
The holy Koran stresses this common word and calls on all
followers of divine religions and says: (3.64) "O followers of the
Book! Come to an equitable proposition between us and you that we
shall not serve any but Allah and (that) we shall not associate
aught. With Him and (that) some of us shall not take others for
lords besides Allah, but if they turn back, then say: Bear witness
that we are Muslims. (The Family of Imran)."
Mr President,
According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship
one God and follow the teachings of divine prophets. To worship a
God which is above all powers in the world and can do all He
pleases. The Lord which knows that which is hidden and visible, the
past and the future, knows what goes on in the Hearts of His
servants and records their deeds. The Lord who is the possessor of
the heavens and the earth and all universe is His court planning for
the universe is done by His hands, and gives His servants the glad
tidings of mercy and forgiveness of sins. He is the companion of the
oppressed and the enemy of oppressors. He is the Compassionate, the
Merciful. He is the recourse of the faithful and guides them towards
the light from darkness. He is witness to the actions of His
servants, He calls on servants to be faithful and do good deeds, and
asks them to stay on the path of righteousness and remain steadfast
. Calls on servants to heed His prophets and He is a witness to
their deeds. A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen the
life of this world and disobey Him and oppress His servants. And a
good and eternal paradise belong to those servants who fear His
majesty and do not follow their lascivious selves.
We believe a return to the teachings of the divine prophets is the
only road leading to salvations. I have been told that Your
Excellency follows the teachings of Jesus (PBUH), and believes in
the divine promise of the rule of the righteous on Earth.
We also believe that Jesus Christ (PBUH) was one of the great
prophets of the Almighty. He has been repeatedly praised in the
Koran. Jesus (PBUH) has been quoted in Koran as well; (19,36) "And
surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serves Him; this is
the right path, Marium."
Service to and obedience of the Almighty is the credo of all divine
messengers.
The God of all people in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the
Pacific and the rest of the world is one. He is the Almighty who
wants to guide and give dignity to all His servants. He has given
greatness to Humans. We again read in the Holy Book: The Almighty
God sent His prophets with miracles and clear signs to guide the
people and show them divine signs and purity them from sins and
pollutions. And He sent the Book and the balance so that the people
display justice and avoid the rebellious.
All of the above verses can be seen, one way or the other, in the
Good Book as well.
Divine prophets have promised: the day will come when all humans
will congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that their
deeds are examined. The good will be directed towards Heaven and
evildoers will meet divine retribution. I trust both of us believe
in such a day, but it will not be easy to calculate the actions of
rulers, because we must be answerable to our nations and all others
whose lives have been directly or indirectly effected by our actions.
All prophets, speak of peace and tranquility for man - based on
monotheism, justice and respect for human dignity.
Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by
these principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice,
respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can
overcome the present problems of the world - that are the result of
disobedience to the Almighty and the teachings of prophets - and
improve our performance?
Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and
guarantees peace, friendship and justice?
Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten
principles are universally respected?
Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to
the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve
human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets?
Mr President, History tells us that repressive and cruel
governments do not survive. God has entrusted the fate of man to
them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their
own devices. Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and
plans of governments. These tell us that there is a higher power at
work and all events are determined by Him.
Can one deny the signs of change in the world today? Is this
situation of the world today comparable to that of ten years ago?
Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace.
The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay
little heed to the promises and comments made by a number of
influential world leaders. Many people around the world feel
insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not
approve of and accept dubious policies.
The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and
the have-nots and the rich and poor countries.
The people are disgusted with increasing corruption.
The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their
cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are
equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion. The people
of the world have no faith in international organizations, because
their rights are not advocated by these organizations.
Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help
realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have
failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the
shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal
democratic systems.
We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking
towards a main focal point - that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly
through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people
will conquer their problems. My question for you is: Do you not want
to join them?
Mr President,
Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith
in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over
all things.
Vasalam Ala Man Ataba'al hoda
Mahmood Ahmadi-Najad President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
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