Rick Santorum, BFF with Dan Savage, continues to reveal his ignorance of the world around him. According to a report from the campaign trail by Adele Stan, he recently said that he would bomb Iran if they did not dismantle their nuclear reactor in Qom. Of course, he fails to realize that one of the prime reasons given for military research into nuclear capabilities is to avoid being bombed by the U.S. There is also the pesky little fact the IAEA, the CIA, and the State Dept. have all said that there is no evidence of Iran developing military nuclear capabilities in Qom.
But his argument is actually nuanced. He says that the Shi’ah Muslims that dominate in Iran are waiting for the return of the Mahdi, a “Jesus-like” figure who will usher in the end times. This is a theme he has rasied before, starting in at least 2007, when he claimed that Shi’ah Muslims were hastening the end times and that Islam was bad because some Muslims stone homosexuals. It seems that Santorum is really living in an echo chamber.
While there is evidence that Ahmadinejad is a member of a group, the Hujjatieh, that believes the end times are near—much like George W. Bush did—there is no indication that any member of the religious council believes that to be true. The good news? Iran’s president does not have his finger on The Button, the religious council does. So, Ahmadinejad’s vision is similar to Bush’s, but without the access to nuclear weapons.
Also, has Santorum heard of the “Left Behind” series? The belief that the end times are near and that people should be wreaking havoc is not unique to Ahmadinejad. But Santorum’s vision makes sense to him, so it appears to be OK. And Santorum has apparently missed reality show, All-American Muslim, which is all about Shi’ah Muslims who seem to be interested only in having babies, watching football, and getting tattoos—at least two of which he’d probably be on board with.
If Santorum is seriously opposed to Islam because some Muslims treat homosexuality as a sin, does that mean that Santorum is going to defend gays? I get the sense that if he were president, he’d be happy to see all homosexuals sent to Saudi Arabia. Santorum wants the end times and the return of Jesus, so others must as well. If there’s something that he can latch on to, like the idea of the Mahdi, then he will. He’ll tell you killing gays is bad when other people do it, but he doesn’t denounce it directly or disavow it himself.
And really, Santorum is supposed to be Catholic, but he seems not to understand basic things like Just War, opposition to torture, to capital punishment, or promotion of matrimony. These are all things that are called for in a Culture of Life. If he doesn’t get his own theology, how can we believe him when it comes to someone else’s?
