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QOM, Iran - Whether it is his belief that Israel should be wiped off the map, denials of the Holocaust, obsession with going nuclear, or support for radical Islamic terrorist groups, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a man on a divine mission.
Behind the Jamkaran mosque, there is a well. And according to many Shiite Muslims, out of this well will one day emerge their version of an Islamic savior.
They call him the Mahdi, or the 12th Imam. Ron Cantrell has written a book about him.
"The Mahdi is a personage that is expected to come on the scene, by Islam, as a messiah figure. He is slotted to come at the end of time, according to their writings -- very much like how we think of the return of Jesus," said Cantrell.
Enter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since becoming the president of Iran in August 2005, Ahmadinejad has emerged as the Mahdi's most influential follower.
“He has stated that his mandate is to pave the way for the coming of this Islamic messiah," Cantrell explained.
In almost all his speeches, the president begs Allah to hasten the return of the Mahdi.
A few days later in Iran, Ahmadinejad told a group of religious leaders that, during his UN speech, he felt a bright light around him.
His reactions were captured on video and later posted on a conservative Iranian Web site.
"I felt it myself. I felt that the atmosphere suddenly changed, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, all the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn't move an eyelid, I'm not exaggerating. They were looking as if a hand was holding them there, and had just opened their eyes to the message of the Islamic Republic,” Ahmadinejad recalled.
Ahmadinejad is reportedly tied to a radical Islamic society in Iran that believes man can hasten the appearance of the Mahdi by creating chaos in the world.
Ahmadinejad has stated that this chaos must take place before the Mahdi can come on the scene.
Some wonder if Ahmadinejad believes these are the end times. And, whether his calls for the destruction of Israel and nuclear pursuits are ways to accelerate the divine timetable.
"With him, it is a win-win situation,” Cantrell said. “If we attack him, he wins because chaos happens. If we don't attack him, he gets to create the chaos, which he has said he is willing to do."
In Shiite Muslim belief, the Madhi's second coming will be marked by apocalyptic times. Wars, famines, and floods will ravage the Earth -- followed by Judgment Day and a battle between good and evil.
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Iran's supreme leader has insisted there was no vote-rigging in a presidential election and attacked "enemies" - naming the UK government as the "most treacherous".
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He blamed Great Britain and Iran's external enemies for the unrest, vigorously defending the ruling system.
"The enemies (of Iran) are targeting the Islamic establishment's legitimacy by questioning the election and its authenticity before and after (the vote)," the Ayatollah continued.
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Iran is at odds with the West over its nuclear programme.
As passions soared, the crowd reportedly chanted: "Death to the UK, Israel and the US."
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