Ahmadinejad's Remarks on American Universities 'Fabricating Cases' for Imam Mahdi

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, claims that American universities have contacted many individuals whom they believe could have connections with Imam Mahdi and have interviewed them to extract information. According to a report published on Sunday, June 21, on the 'Dolat Bahar' website, affiliated with Ahmadinejad, he added that 'more than we are seeking Imam Mahdi, they are seeking Imam Mahdi.' He further stated, 'They have researched Imam Mahdi in American humanities universities so much that if I say they have done thousands of times more work than the seminaries in Qom, Najaf, and Mashhad combined, I am not exaggerating, rather I am understating it for you to believe.' The former president remarked, 'As a friend said, they have completed the file on Imam Mahdi and have prepared it for his arrest; they only lack his photo. They know that Imam Mahdi is the only fundamental and essential threat to their centuries-old empire.' Ahmadinejad's remarks, along with those of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, his chief of staff, regarding the Twelfth Imam of Shia Islam, have frequently made headlines in recent years. In August 2013, Ahmadinejad claimed he had met with a representative of the Twelfth Imam in 2007 and quoted him as saying that 'Westerners are intensely pursuing Imam Mahdi.' Ahmadinejad also expressed hope in September of that year that the Twelfth Imam would appear within four years. In November 2013, he prayed that the prayer related to the Twelfth Imam would be installed in the White House within four years. On Sunday, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, accused Ahmadinejad's government of merely making slogans, adding, 'For example, they said it was the era of the appearance and coming of Imam Mahdi and its public announcement. They still say these things.' 'Some people in Iran laugh at these statements.' Ahmadinejad characterized the U.S. government as one that, according to him, 'Satan has established to prevent reaching God and Imam Mahdi.' He added, 'This Satanic government knows that if Imam Mahdi comes, its work is finished. Some people in Iran laugh at these statements.' Referring to the group known as 'Islamic State' (ISIS), he said, 'One of our friends, who is a knowledgeable person, suggested that perhaps the Satanic government has decided to initiate the Sufyani movement itself to control it.' The former president continued, 'Of course, he also added that God has a plan, and everyone is in God's plan, and perhaps God has written that scenario to be executed by them.' According to Shia beliefs, during a period known as 'the end times,' a person named 'Sufyani' will conquer five regions of the Levant and will ultimately be killed in battle with the Twelfth Imam. Ahmadinejad concluded his remarks by stating, 'They want to prevent that event, meaning the complete appearance, from happening. As serious as Imam Mahdi is for Satan, he is not serious for you and me. Who should we tell this pain to?'