President Barack Obama’s efforts to sign a nuclear deal with Iran have sparked an outcry from other countries to a point where foes are now becoming friends. Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations are fearful of a nuclear Iran. They should be, because Iran’s leaders have openly declared the desire to conquer and the willingness to use nuclear weapons to combat enemies.
Given the history of Iran funding the terrorism of Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and others over the years, world leaders are left wondering what is going through Obama’s mind when it comes to pushing this deal. Iran has been vocal about its opposition to the existence of Israel, one of America’s strongest and most reliable allies. Any deal with Iran that allows it to have nuclear capabilities is tantamount to putting a gun in the hands of a killer. You just know it will be used.
But a new force has emerged in the fight to thwart this ill-fated nuclear deal: Indian Christian religious leader Dr. Kilari Anand Paul, president of the Global Peace Initiative, a humanitarian organization that forcefully defends victims of despots and dictators through public peace and prayer rallies. Paul—who was called “the most popular Evangelical minister” by The New Republic magazine after he counseled Liberian dictator Charles Taylor into stepping down and convinced Haitian rebel leader Guy Philippe to lay down his arms—is asking unlikely partners to join hands in support of Israel and against Iran. He has gathered a coalition of 28 world leaders and religious figures in an effort to stop the U.S. from signing a nuclear deal with Iran.
While the clock ticks down to the June 30 deadline for a final agreement between world powers and Iran, Paul—along with religious leaders representing Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and other faiths, as well as leaders from Sudan and the Arab-led Gulf Cooperation Council—have come together to stop the nuclear deal. Paul is billing this quest as a drive to save Israel and the Middle East, but remarkably, he seemingly has support even from those who would normally not be allies of the Jewish state. A deal will allow Iran to become a nuclear power and threatens Israel as well as Iran’s neighbors. To think it is just about energy, when Iran has enough oil to not worry about power for hundreds of years, is naïve.
Paul and the other leaders gathered in New Delhi, India, on Thursday to announce this coalition—dubbed the “Save Israel Save The Middle East” plan. Moving forward, he will organize rallies in front of U.S. embassies across the globe in an effort to drum up opposition to a nuclear deal in the streets of those countries.
Leaders such as Swami Parmatmanand Saraswati of Hindu Dharm Acharya Sabha; Pandit NK Sharma, president of the Universal Association for Spiritual Awareness; and Qari Mohammad Mian Mazhari, chairman of the Islamic Council of India, are joining Paul to make this global call and ask Obama stop any nuclear deal.
Paul recently traveled to Sudan to enlist support for his plan to save Israel from the Iranian nuclear threat. He addressed the parliament of Sudan and advised Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and now has Bashir’s support on the nuclear issue.
“Any deal that allows Iran to have nuclear capabilities will only cause wars and death,” said Paul, a native of India. The hope of this new global coalition is to ensure security in the Middle East. Israel will need to combat enemy states in order to secure its citizens, and in the case of a nuclear attack, chaos in the Middle East will ensue.
Obama might think this deal with Iran will help stabilize relations between the Islamic Republic and America, but at what cost to Israel? Will someone from Iran share the nuclear plans with terrorists? Paul is hoping that his message—“Save Israel Save The Middle East”—will get across to Obama. As time passes, the president must consider a picture larger than just the legacy he believes he is securing for himself.
Ronn Torossian is founder, president, and CEO of 5W Public Relations—one of the 25 largest independent PR firms in America—and author of the best-selling book “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations.”