The Islamic doctrine of “taqiyya,” dissimulation, permitting Muslims to deceive non-Muslims to advance the cause of Islam, is back in the news. In a speech delivered on May 20, 2023, Iran’s Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a report,
“set out to explain and clarify the principles and standards of ‘a successful foreign policy’ focusing on three keywords: Honor, wisdom, and expediency.
“Khamenei… used the Islamic concept of ‘Taqiyya’ to describe the regime’s decision to accept the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal with the West. Taqiyya means the permissibility to deny or conceal one’s real beliefs to secure a worthy goal….”
Khamenei’s emphasis on “expediency” as the third principle in foreign policy was particularly notable, as he urged flexibility “in necessary instances” and circumventing “tough barriers” to continue a set course.
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His mention of “flexibility” was a reference to his famous phrase of “heroic flexibility” in 2013, when he signaled his permission for nuclear talks to begin.
If it was not clear what “heroic flexibility” meant then, it probably should be clear by now. Reports consistently document that Iran has been cheating since day one (here, here and here) and allege that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has let itself to be hoodwinked and has “capitulat[ed] to Iranian pressure.”
Read more: Gatestone Institute
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