Unleashing the Beast

T HE M AHDI , I SLAM ' S M ESSIAH / 101

world for this Mahdi to soon appear, defeat the Jews and Christians, and convert the world. Most Muslims recognize that the defeat of the West and global control can be accomplished only through war and the use of weapons of mass destruction. It is possible that bin Laden has been injured or killed. It not, he will certainly be killed or caught in the future. His is the most noted face in the world. Yet, he is a miniature preview of the coming Antichrist who will fulfill Biblical prophecies as well as the expectations of Muslims who have their own prophetic traditions. A POCALYPT [ C M USLIMS Why would Islamic radicals select this present time to target the United States? Part of the explanation may be the prophetic timing of certain Islamic traditions. According to Sheik Nazim, he met the 39 th sheik in the Golden Chain that began with the Prophet Mohammed 50 years ago in Damascus, Syria. Presently, this chain is in the 40 th generation, and the Muslims believe that the Mahdi is the descendant of the Holy Prophet ( Sal ) from the 40 th generation. This prophetic expectation is causing excitement among many Muslims. It is breeding anticipation that the great hour of Islam lies just over the horizon. Ayatollah Janati, a leading Islamic cleric in the Iranian government, has stated several times: "The 21 st century will be the century of Islam." In Israel, an Arab friend whose family is Muslim told