Is a rabbi praying for the hanging of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

Associated Press:

A mystic rabbi has called on thousands of Jewish children to say prayers to prevent Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from harming Israel.

Rabbi David Batzri, a famous Jewish mystic, launched his nationwide campaign Sunday by leading hundreds of students at an elementary school in Jerusalem in prayer. He said he intends to eventually get 10,000 children to participate.

Israel fears that Iran's nuclear program is intended to produce weapons that could be used against Israel. Iran says its program is for civilian purposes only.

Batzri's idea came from the biblical story of Purim, whose protagonist Mordechai organized mass prayers to stop Haman, a royal counselor, from killing all the Jews in the ancient Persian kingdom. In the end, the king hanged Haman instead. Purim starts the evening of March 3.

When asked what the purpose of the current prayers was, Rabbi Menachem Bassi, head of the school, said: "You know what happened to Haman."

We're Dreamin' of a Persian Purim