The Caspian Kids

A radical religious cleric known as Iranian President Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor has declared that attacks on Israeli civilians permissible and suicide bombings are a Muslim duty. In addition, he has urged followers to continue suicide attacks against Israelis, including children.



Catholic Online - Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah, considered one of the Islamic Republic's most radical clerics, has issued a religious edict on his Web site whereby suicide attacks are not only legitimate but are a must for every Muslim.

The senior cleric was responding to a question from a follower regarding the difference between "martyr's death" and "suicide." The anonymous post noted that "some people say that martyrdom operations are considered suicide and that they are haram (forbidden) because they contradict Islam."

Mesbah expressed his regret in his response that his follower has fallen victim to "propaganda of the enemies of Islam." He added that the follower was wasting his time instead of focusing on "uprooting the Zionist regime.

"When protecting Islam, the Muslim people depend on martyrdom operations. It not only is allowed, but even is an obligation," Mesbah wrote.

The follower presented another question regarding Islam's position on harming Israelis, wondering whether Hamas and Jihad actions against Israeli civilians are forbidden. He also asked: "How about the Israeli children killed in such attacks?"

Ayatollah said he did not see fit to forbid the killing of children, only noting that Israelis can be harmed unless they openly express their objection to their government's position. He added that even in such cases, harming civilians is permissible if "they are used as human shield and fighting the aggressors depends on attacking those civilians."

Beyond these insights, the cleric did not offer further instructions and failed to censure the killing of children.