Ayatollah Ahamd Janati: "It's the duty of every muslim to threaten American and British Interests"!

This Ayatollah has been a permanent member of Guardian Council (Shoraye Neghban) since 1979. A very dangerous ideologue, indeed. Here are some excerpts: (Read the full text, it's well worth it)

Roozonline:

After the 1979 revolution ayatollah Janati became the chief judge for Tehran, Isfahan and later Ahvaz. In 1981 he became a member of the management council of the Shahid Motahari propaganda school where he introduced the idea of the Sazmane Tablighate Eslami (Islamic Propagation Organization), along with messers Aabani, Shari and Emami Kashani. In 1982 he found his way into the Majlis-e Khobregan Rahbari (Expert Assembly for Leadership) as a representative from Khuzestan oil rich province. His other official positions have been the following: membership in the council of ayatollah Montazeri representatives at the universities (1987 – 1990), membership in the council of ayatollah Khamenei representatives 1990 till now, membership in the State Expediency Council (Majmae Tashkhis Maslahat Nezam), the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, and, membership in the Guardians Council (Shoraye Negahban) since 1979.

Some former Hezbollahi members such as Amir Farshad Ibrahimi consider him a leader of such pressure groups as Ansare Hezbollah, while others see him as the person responsible for the fatwas (religious decrees) for the execution of intellectuals and dissidents. Janati has almost always been the initiator of the calls to attack opponents of the Islamic regime. What is not disputed is that he is the leader of the Hezbollah structure in Iran. During the Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami’s presidency, he formally took the position of criticizing their policies and began his staunch support of Ahmadinejad when the latter became president.[...]

Clearly the most noticeable element in the ayatollah’s life has been that he has been a permanent member of the Guardians Council (that is charged to protect the Constitution of the Islamic regime). And while he has not always been the most influential voice in national politics, the Council and therefore the cleric has always remained a key institution in the political structure of the state, affecting it and its numerous administrations. He first became a member of the Guardians Council when ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic order, appointed him to the body in 1980. With a 27 year presence in the body, he has twice been its leader.[...]

Janati has been publicly and openly vocal in his views. Here are some of his most famous quotes. “It is the duty of every Muslim to threaten American and British interests;” “One of the blessings of the Americans coming to the Persian Gulf region is that they are now within range of our shots;” “We are anti-American and we are America’s enemy;” “The Islamic regime becomes stronger despite America’s animosity;” “America’s phony power will collapse;” “Today is the day of our advance and the retreat of the enemy;” “Today imperialism and the West is facing a billion and a half Moslems” which he said in regard to the Danish cartoon crisis; and, “Non-Muslims are animals roaming the planet” which he said in connection with the religious clashes around the world. On the letter that president Ahmadinejad wrote to George Bush, he said that the letter was a divine present from God.

On Iran’s nuclear issue, ayatollah Janati has called reformist president Khatami’s policies wrong by saying that “The enrichment suspension [that Iran implemented] was wrong from the outset.” In 2005 after the Governing Board of the IAEA issued a statement against Iran, he claimed that “By returning to the Jihadi mentality we have forced the Governing Board to retreat.” He has also repeatedly said that the Iranian nation would not retreat from its positions on the nuclear issue. And finally he has supported the president’s nuclear ambitions by calling 20 Farvardin (April 10th) “Technology Day.”