The 2,500 year old scroll of Esther is alive and well, and still being written. It has been reported that "A group of Islamists staged a rally at the tomb of Biblical Queen Esther, one of the most revered sites for Jews in Iran, and threatened to destroy it if Israel damages the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. " (World Jewish Congress)
Iranian political commentator Banafsheh Zand Bonazzi reports:
"On Sunday, December 12th, the Iranian firebrand basij militia demonstrated in the city of Hamadan, and threatened to destroy the tomb of Queen Esther which is located in the city of Hamadan or Ekbatana, if Israel damages the al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem. The western world sat by as the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamian, after murdering hundreds of thousands, if not millions in Afghanistan. Now these backward savages are threatening to do the very same."
"The students, who rallied at Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamadan, said in a statement, 'We, the student basijis [a hardline Islamist militia]… warn Zionist regime leaders if they assault the Al-Aqsa mosque in any way we will destroy the tomb of these lowly murderers.'" (ynetnews.com)
The Al-Aqsa mosque occupies the southern section of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where the Holy Temple once stood. The government of Israel does not perform or authorize the performance of any construction atop the Temple Mount. Archaeological excavation is likewise forbidden. On the other hand the Moslem Wakf regularly oversees construction and enlargement of the mosque on the Mount as well as wholesale destruction of existing remains of the Holy Temple. It is the Wakf's explicit intention to destroy all archaeological evidence of the Holy Temple, while at the same time publicly stating that the Holy Temple never existed.
When Israel does engage in archaeological excavation, construction or renovation along the base of the Temple Mount, Moslems , local and abroad use this as a pretext for incitement to violence against Israel, claiming that Israel is attempting to harm the Al-Aqsa mosque. Although no Israel construction or excavation is currently taking place near the Temple Mount, the radical Islamic student organization is nevertheless threatening retaliatory violence.
Hamadan is the site of the tombs of Esther and Mordechai, renowned for their roles in rescuing the exiled Jews of Persia from the evil Haman's planned genocide. The subtext of the well known history, which is recorded in the scroll of Esther, (one of the twenty four books of the Hebrew canon which is read aloud every Purim), is the struggle of the returning Jews of that generation to rebuild the Holy Temple that was destroyed by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.
The statement by the student basijis suggests that they are very aware of the role Esther played not only in foiling the attempt to annihilate the Jews of Persia, but in successfully bringing about the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.
Esther has also been active in another front in the contemporary battle to foil Iran's overt and bellicose commitment to physically destroy the state of Israel, and murder its six million Jews. A malicious computer worm of unknown origin, dubbed Stuxnet, has infiltrated and crippled the computer systems responsible for Iran’s nuclear weapons programs. Appearing within the worm itself is the word "myrtus." This is the Latin name of the aromatic Myrtle plant, known in Hebrew as Haddas. Hadassah was also a second name attributed to Esther in the scriptural scroll. Some suggest that this "signature" points to Israel's involvement behind the Stuxnet worm.
Once again, over two millennia later, Esther stands in the center of the historical struggle being played out between Jerusalem and Persia, (Iran), over the Holy Temple and the fate of humanity. The students of Bu-Ali Sina University will surely live to regret their empty threats aimed at Esther, a great savior of Israel.
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