(Christian Science Monitor) Mamoun Fandy - Should the West trust Iranian promises? The short answer is "no." Taqiyya is the Shiite religious rationale for concealment or dissimulation in political or worldly affairs. At one level it means that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can tell himself that he is obliged by his faith not to tell the truth. In Iran, the teachings of Shiite Islam govern all aspects of society, and taqiyya is one of the key elements of the Shiite faith. While many outsiders are surprised by Iran's concealment of its nuclear installations, those who study the Shiite faith and recognize the signs of taqiyya are not. Taqiyya requires the faithful to be deceitful at times of weakness. The teachings of Jafar al-Sadiq, the sixth Shiite imam, emphasize taqiyya as a political tool. "Befriend people on the surface, and keep your grudges and intentions hidden," he advised. The writer is director of the Middle East program at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London.
2009-11-23 07:30:58Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive