Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria: US and Islamist policies creating daily instability

Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria: US and Islamist policies creating daily instability

Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

In the 1980s the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and some other nations began to fund Sunni Islamic terrorism in Afghanistan. This meddling came hot on the heels of the Siege of Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 1979. Therefore, funding Sunni Islamism in Afghanistan came at a very opportunistic time for the rulers based in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan became the central base in training international jihadists and spreading Islamism in Afghanistan. Irrespective of the motives in Afghanistan and the rights and wrongs, it is clear that the convulsions from intervening in this nation are still being felt in many nations today. The United States and Pakistan unleashed the CIA and ISI respectively, in order to create an Islamist fighting force which could take on the Soviet Union. British special intelligence played its part in this covert war but turning the clock to 2012 and it is clear that a stream of failed states and terrorism “filled this vacuum” created by outside meddling.

In the case of Pakistan then the ISI and central government have created their own Sunni Islamist nightmare because this nation can no longer contain the forces it unleashed. This means that the Islamist agenda now deems the government of Pakistan to be anti-Islamic and the knock-on-effect is increasing hatred towards all minorities and moderates within Sunni Islam. Therefore, all minorities irrespective if Muslim or non-Muslim are facing the wrath of Sunni Islamism and this can be seen by attacks against Ahmadiyya Muslims, Shia Muslims, Hindus, Christians and against Sufi Islam.

When brave Sunni Muslim voices in Pakistan speak out like Salman Taseer, the former Governor of Punjab, then death follows. At the same time Christians have been burnt alive and an alleged Muslim blasphemer was also burnt alive recently. The most worrying aspect is that these crimes against humanity are not happening only in areas of chaos because of the power of several Islamist organizations – but it is happening within mainstream society.

This means that all the past funding of Sunni Islamism by nations who supported the war in Afghanistan, have collectively created a nightmare which was filled by the dreams of Saudi Arabia. It is clear that while the United States and United Kingdom were focusing on the sole issue of Afghanistan.  At no point did either nation appear to understand the dynamics of Sunni Islamism which were altering the religious and political landscape. Decades earlier in Afghanistan prior to outside meddling it was clear that women had much greater freedom and likewise indigenous Islam varied from region to region. However, the oppressive nature of chaos and hatred was alien and major cities like Kabul were places whereby individuals had ample choices.

Yet dangerous past political leaders in Pakistan like General Zia ul-Haq along with Saudi Arabia and its petro-dollars, would alter the dynamics within the Muslim world in this part of Asia. The repercussions continue today with various Sunni Islamist movements causing mayhem in Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively. At the same time the roles of women have suffered greatly in areas where Islamists have strong powerbases. Likewise, sectarianism, terrorism and weakened central states in Afghanistan and Pakistan, have followed the vacuum which was unleashed by powers which supported the international Sunni Islamist agenda in Afghanistan during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Therefore, in the last few days you have seen more Islamist attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. On top of this, the US led invasion of Iraq which led to the exodus of vast numbers of Christians and other minorities, was also filled by Sunni Islamism. Iraq despite the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein was staunchly secular and internal terrorism was not a threat to the government based in Baghdad. However, once the US entered the equation then the vacuum once more was filled by various Islamist organizations including al-Qaeda. Also, just like September 11 was done by mainly Saudi Arabian nationals, this nation also witnessed the majority of foreign Islamists who went to Iraq in order to kill US soldiers and other allied forces, alongside killing the Shia.

The angle from Saudi Arabia was that the control mechanisms of the new Iraq had installed a Shia led government. For Sunni Islamists who follow the Wahhabi faith in Saudi Arabia this was tantamount to treachery. Once more, just like American citizens had been killed on September 11 because of mainly Saudi nationals, this time it was American soldiers who would die in the thousands because of Saudi Islamists and the funding that came from this nation irrespective if from organizations or because of wealthy individuals. The irony now, and a sad irony for American soldiers, was that the majority of American deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq were because of the policies of their so-called friends in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia respectively. Once more, however, the United States and elites within Washington appeared to allow this confused policy to stand by ignoring the ratlines that were killing their own soldiers.

Today Iraq falls into the “failed state domino system” that often follows outside meddling by other nations. Therefore, terrorism is a daily reality in Iraq, vast numbers of minorities have fled, women have suffered in parts of the country, the north is de-facto under Kurdish rule and sectarianism blights the nation state. However, political leaders once more in Washington have now unleashed another brutal vacuum in Syria despite the ongoing problems in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.

At no point during the leadership of Bashar al-Assad did religious minorities have to worry about their future prior to outside meddling. Likewise, women had freedoms that could only be dreamt about in Afghanistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other nations within the US orbit in the Middle East.  Indeed, unlike in France which infringes on the way Muslim females must dress or in Switzerland which puts restrictions on Muslim places of worship – in Syria women decide how they want to dress and all religious faiths have places to worship.

However, the so-called “Arab Spring” was usurped by powerful forces and for Saudi Arabia and Qatar it was a time to fill the vacuum with Sunni Islamism. The Libya crisis once more is unleashing forces which are still ongoing and this applies to chaos and no central control. Alongside this is the destabilization of northern Mali because of forces unleashed by Libya. It is still too early to say which way the future will go in Libya but clearly Islamic terrorist groups and Islamist religious organizations are intent on filling the vacuum. In northern Mali they have already altered the landscape and clearly this area will be a base for further chaos throughout the region.

Syria therefore remained the most powerful and independent Arabic speaking nation which was staunchly secular and free from outside control. Neither America nor Saudi Arabia could pull the strings of this nation but once demonstrations began in Syria then outside forces soon entered. The emergence of “a ghost Free Syrian Army (FSA)” soon emerged rapidly just like the rise of the Kosovo Liberation Army and rebels in Libya. Clearly, all these forces rose far too quickly for them to be spontaneous therefore long-term policy objectives had been waiting in the wings to fill any vacuum that may emerge – or, to create a vacuum by unleashing powerful forces quickly.

From very early on in the Syrian crisis many soldiers were killed and clearly they were not killed by peaceful demonstrators. Bashar al-Assad admitted himself that mistakes were made in the early period but if it wasn’t for outside forces then the situation would have been contained. The crisis in Bahrain remains because the Shia feel neglected and forces within the Sunni population also have many misgivings. Despite the brutal crackdown in Bahrain it is clear that the death rate is much lower than Syria because no outside nation gave military arms to the demonstrators. On the contrary, Saudi Arabia was allowed to get involved in order to crush the uprising which was spontaneous.

In the case of Syria the nations of Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding international terrorists and mercenaries. Also, Turkey is another aggressor to Syria because this nation is allowing the FSA and various Islamist organizations to have bases near the border with Syria. The CIA and Islamist agenda, unlike in Iraq and Afghanistan after September 11 (before this both were allies), have once more converged in order to destabilize Syria. Just like in Afghanistan it is clear that America’s only interest is to reduce the power of the Russian Federation and Iran respectively, with regards to geopolitics. However, just like in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan; the Saudi Arabia objective is Sunni Islamism and spreading the Wahhabi/Salafist version of Islam.

The upshot of all this is that Syria is being destabilized by many forces which are supporting sedition, sectarianism and terrorism. Once more, this policy is impacting on the region and Lebanon remains very delicate and terrorist attacks have also started to increase in Iraq. Now in modern day Syria both the FSA and Islamists are beheading people, killing minorities, killing Iraqi refugees who fled to Syria, killing individuals who support Bashar al-Assad, killing journalists and TV reporters. Recent videos taken by the FSA show dead people being thrown from rooftops and captured individuals being photographed before being murdered.

Collectively, the deaths that people are currently reading about in the news or seeing on television in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and now Syria; all relate to the policies based in Washington and whereby other allies like Saudi Arabia have funded the carnage. Pakistan also continues to be blighted by Islamism because of dangerous policies which were enacted by past leaders. Other nations like Mali and Lebanon are feeling these shockwaves while closer to home Islamists are also spreading radicalism in major cities throughout Europe. Therefore, the powerful tremors of the Siege of Mecca in 1979 when Juhayman al-Otaibi and his followers stormed Mecca continues to reverberate around the Islamic world within the religious arena.

This single event galvanized America and Saudi Arabia to further bankroll Sunni Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan and bordering regions of Pakistan from 1979 onwards and up until the demise of the Soviet Union. After all, the elites in Saudi Arabia needed a distraction and America was worried about the repercussions of this extremely important event. It could well be that internal convulsions in Saudi Arabia are also behind events in Syria just like what happened after the Siege of Mecca with Afghanistan. After all, it is clear that the Shia community and elements within the Sunni population are unhappy with the current leaders of Saudi Arabia. Likewise, Saudi Arabia is supporting sectarianism in Bahrain and Yemen respectively and this helps to fill the “restive Islamist void in Saudi Arabia.”

Irrespective of all the factors of why America, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France, Turkey and the United Kingdom are destabilizing Syria; it is clear that the forces that they unleash and the vacuums that they create will not be able to be contained if central forces in Syria collapse. America is worried about this because of what happened in Iraq but clearly this nation allowed Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to destabilize Syria. After all, these nations by themselves would have worried about the repercussions of supporting such a policy of destabilization. Yet clearly just like in Iraq it is Saudi Arabia and the spread of the dangerous Islamist ideology which will have the long-term influence if Syria succumbs to powerful forces being unleashed against this secular state.

One thing is for sure, the current carnage and daily terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria are all linked with the policies of Washington and the money emanating from Saudi Arabia. All the above nations were once mainly free from international terrorism (some happened from time to time) but once the United States and Saudi Arabia entered the equation then this all changed. The destabilization of Syria is following an all too familiar pattern and the same applies to the spread of terrorism and sectarianism once political elites in Washington and Riyadh get involved.

http://www.rt.com/news/syria-aleppo-post-video-476/ 

http://www.rt.com/news/syria-rebel-massacre-aleppo-627/

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

 

Iraq and Syria blighted by terrorism: United States failed state domino system

Iraq and Syria blighted by terrorism: United States “failed state domino system”

Murad Makhmudov, Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The United States led invasion of Iraq and the dismantling of the main political party created many enormous vacuums. Over one hundred thousand citizens have been killed since this period and like usual the United States enters a conflict and then after creating “forces it can’t control,” it then leaves by putting enormous spin on reality. However, the United States learns little because today individuals like Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice are on the frontline in spreading disinformation about Syria in order to unleash fresh carnage on this secular nation.

In Washington and within many so-called “think-tanks” which do little apart from “think,” they can’t get past the “Iran bogeyman” which is largely invented by hysterical individuals. Alongside this are Saudi Arabia and Salafists which are spreading their negative influence throughout the Middle East. Indeed, given the fact that major players like the Russian Federation, China, Iraq, Iran, and many others, are all against the belligerent parties in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, which are spreading terrorism to Syria. It just highlights the enormous “blinkers” on powerful individuals and “think-tanks” which are blighted by decades of self-made delusions

The military armed forces of Syria are dying in order to protect the independence of their “beloved country.” However, the armed forces of America have been betrayed by their own government and media outlets which don’t question reality. Military personnel in America and Syria joined the armed forces to protect their respective nations from outside nations which threaten their respective sovereignty.

Yet in Iraq the biggest international Sunni Islamic jihadist networks came from Saudi Arabia. These Islamists entered Iraq in order to kill American soldiers, kill Shia Muslims, persecute Christian minorities, and to spread a draconian version of Sunni Islam which deems other thought patterns to be un-Islamic. Similarly, American forces were “lambs to the slaughter” in Afghanistan because Sunni Islamic terrorist networks had countless bases in north-West Pakistan. Therefore, just like September 11 was mainly done by Saudi nationals, American civilians and military personnel were mainly being killed because of their so-called allies in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

However, despite everything, nothing is learnt because Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding terrorists, mercenaries, and covert operatives, against secular Syria. Strangely, if the Sunni Islamic nations of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar get their way, then the winner will be radical Sunni Islamic networks which will impose new draconian laws on the people of Syria. Therefore, the Sunni Islamic networks which fought against the military of the United States in Iraq are now being supported by a strange alliance of America, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.

The losers in Syria will be all Syrians who support independence, religious freedom, modernization, and a strong powerful nation state. Alawites, Christians, and other minorities, have much to fear and the same applies to women who will suffer greatly. In Free Syrian Army (FSA) held areas minority communities have fled their brutality in order to be protected by the armed forces of Syria. Indeed, the FSA which is a terrorist/mercenary fighting force is even using Christian churches for being military stockpiles. This will not concern Saudi Arabia which supports killing all apostates from Islam to Christianity but it should raise serious issues outside this most draconian nation in the world – however, just like September 11 and the reality of Iraq, everything will probably be swept under the carpet.

In Iraq this nation is still blighted by various Sunni Islamic terrorist networks which just like in Syria are a threat to mainstream Sunni Islam and all progressive forces. Islamists are opposed to all forms of moderation, critical thinking, and thought patterns outside their fundamentalist mind-set. Therefore, mainstream Sunni Muslim religious leaders are also attacked and killed by Islamists. This can be seen by Islamists who have killed moderate Sunni Muslim individuals in northern Nigeria, southern Russia, Iraq, Pakistan, and in other nations like in Somalia.

The upshot of meddling in Afghanistan and supporting radical Sunni Islamists in the 1980s and 1990s can be seen by September 11 and the creation of the Taliban. If this was the “right side of history” then something is wrong. After all, supporting and training pathological killers in Afghanistan in the 1980s only furthered the cause of the most dangerous and reactionary ideology on this planet. However, in this period of history the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other unsavory movements, were supported by policy makers in America, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other nations.

September 11 was about an organization which wanted to bite the hand that had trained it and fed it in the past. Nobody can doubt that the CIA and other operatives from nations like the United Kingdom and Pakistan had trained radical Sunni Islamic networks in Afghanistan. Yet after September 11 “the two convenient forces” now clashed in Afghanistan and Iraq despite America being open to political dialogue with the Taliban.

However, under the “Obama doctrine” the United States is once more on the side of terrorist networks. Therefore, former Libyan jihadists who went to Iraq to kill American forces were now supported against Gaddafi because of a “marriage of convenience.” Not surprisingly, many Gaddafi loyalists and black Africans have been massacred in this nation and today Libya is nothing more than a patchwork of various militias whereby the central state is extremely weak.

Despite this, the same Sunni Islamic networks and Western political leaders in America, France, and the United Kingdom, are once more working in tandem against secular Syria. Of course, these Western nations know that Christians, Shabaks, Yazidis, and Mandeaens have suffered greatly along with the entire population in Iraq. Similarly, outside meddling in Afghanistan in the 1980s is still the main factor behind the crisis in this county today and the same applies to the destabilization of north-west Pakistan. Therefore, it is essential that Syria is supported in order to stop the “failed state domino system” from weakening another nation.

In the last few days in Iraq many Shia Muslim pilgrims have been slaughtered because of several terrorist attacks. These people were just innocent Shia Muslim pilgrims who wanted to visit important mosques and pray to God. Sunni Islamists didn’t care if they killed innocent Shia Muslims or Sunni Muslims during these terrorist attacks despite the sectarian nature. In their world, all Muslims and non-Muslims are deemed to be infidels if they don’t follow their rigid path based on indoctrination, persecution, enslavement of women, and denying all forms of liberty. However, these very same Islamists are now being used against secular Syria because of “a new marriage of convenience” but just like in Afghanistan in the past, you can’t just “switch off” this “marriage of convenience.”

Political leaders in Iraq fully understand this deadly reality because the threat of terrorism is a daily reality. Not surprisingly, the leadership of Iraq is against outside meddling in Syria. After all, in the last five days over one hundred Shia Muslim pilgrims have been killed by the “Islamic State of Iraq” which is a patchwork of various terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda.

In the Shula district of Iraq innocent Shia Muslim pilgrims were killed by the brutal forces of Sunni Islamic terrorism. Ahmed Maati, a police officer who saw the carnage, commented that “We rushed to the scene, there were dismembered bodies, shoes, plastic bags, women’s robes left all around, and people were screaming everywhere.”

This same evil is now being supported by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, against secular Syria. Statements in Washington, London, and Paris, are instigating this mayhem along with major media organizations. Therefore, another “marriage of convenience” threatens to overwhelm Syria and its rich mosaic of various Muslim, Christian, and Druze communities.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in past meddling in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. Now the same nations and patchwork of “axis of evil” are intent on dismantling Syria. In each case the scenario is more terrorism, sectarianism, persecution of various ethnic/religious groups, deterioration of the rights of women, and failed states which no longer have complete sovereignty over the whole of the nation state. Despite this, the same nations that belong to this “axis of evil,” along with the same media outlets and institutions involved in covert areas, are all clambering to destroy the rich mosaic of Syria.

Iraq fully understands the pain and suffering caused by terrorist networks and for this reason the political leaders of this country are against outside meddling in Syria. It is time to end the “failed state domino” and to protect diversity rather than supporting the forces which seek to enslave diversity.

 

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

 

Saudi Arabia and US proxies in Syria: Does Sept 11 and the cleansing of Christians in Iraq mean nothing?

Saudi Arabia and US proxies in Syria: Does Sept 11 and the cleansing of Christians in Iraq mean nothing?

Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

September 11 should have been a wake-up call to the people of America about the reality of their so-called friends in Saudi Arabia. This applies to the overwhelming majority of Sunni Islamic terrorists who did September 11 being nationals of Saudi Arabia. Of course, the Saudi Arabian feudal monarchy could claim innocence but with so many ratlines in the past emanating from this nation, then this would be stretching the imagination to beyond what is feasible.

James Philips, the Heritage Foundation, commented that “The Saudis were in denial for a long time that they even had a terrorism problem…As long as Osama bin Laden was killing Americans instead of Saudis they weren’t that concerned.” This was stated in 2005 but surely Iraq proves that America cares little about defending the armed forces of America from the Saudi Arabian threat.

After all, it is factual that the majority of international terrorists who went to Iraq came from Saudi Arabia. Yet despite many American soldiers dying with “Saudi Arabian blood on their hands” and killing untold numbers of Iraqi citizens, still America plays the compliant nation state. Therefore, why aren’t American nationals demanding the “heads” of their own policy makers who favor “special interests,” over the safety of American nationals and military personnel?

In the Tehran Times, they published WikiLeaks cables which comment on statements made by the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. He states according to WikiLeaks that “If they (the Persian Gulf Arab states) want to talk about violence, maybe we should have a conference about Saudi Arabia. Most terrorists here are Saudis… The Saudi people have a culture that supports terrorism. The Saudi government cannot control it, and they cannot get rid of the terrorist institutions that are creating and funding terrorism.”

Also, in the same article it is stated that “Statistics also seem to confirm that during the past eight years, majority of suicide bombers captured or killed in Iraq were either Saudi nationals or natives of countries that are closely allied with Saudi Arabia such as Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates.”  However, despite this, the United States was unwilling to clampdown on Saudi Arabia and so-called friendly governments. This implies that American soldiers “are expendable” just like American citizens were “expendable” after September 11.  However, for secular Iraq, this nation wasn’t expendable despite having nothing to do with September 11.

More alarming, the same “Saudi Sunni Islamic terrorism” which unleashed September 11 would replicate their killing of Americans, but this time they would target American military soldiers in Iraq. Of course the main target for Sunni Islamic jihadists was to kill and slaughter innocent Shia Muslims but given the nature of terrorism, they also killed vast numbers of Sunni Muslims who opposed their fanaticism. Yet why didn’t America take action?

Turning to modern day Syria then once more the United States is following the Saudi Arabian agenda of destabilizing the secular nation of Syria. Not just America, but also the usual culprits like the United Kingdom and France will play their hand. Turkey along with Qatar are also doing their best to make sure that secular Syria falls in the hope of a Sunni Islamic state being formed.

Therefore, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the bastion of “secularism,” France, are all supporting the Saudi Arabian foreign policy goal of destabilizing Syria. Of course, for America this isn’t such a bad thing because the “people of Syria are expendable.” The main American concern is reducing the influence of Iran. Therefore, while the United States is involved in “geopolitics” and “special interests,” the nation of Saudi Arabia is dreaming of a Salafi Islamic Sharia state.

Also, the Christian angle is lamentable and appears to have never even hit the radar. Ironically, it was Syria which opened the door to fleeing Christians, not Saudi Arabia, during the Iraq war. After all, apostates face death in Saudi Arabia and not one single Christian church is allowed in this land of “institutional hatred.” The treatment of Shia Muslims is also based on discrimination just like women in this nation who face being whipped for not dressing properly.

Aamer Madhani, USA Today, comments that “Before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 there were about 1.4 million Christians in Iraq, a Muslim-dominated nation of nearly 30 million. Since then, about 50% of Iraq’s Christians have fled the country, taking refuge in neighboring Jordan, Syria, Europe and the USA, according to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).”

“Here in northern Nineveh province, life for Iraq’s diminishing Christian community is particularly bleak. At least 5,000 Christians from the provincial capital of Mosul fled the city after targeted attacks in late 2009 and early this year left at least 12 Christians dead, according to a UNHRC report.”

It must be remembered that the leading Sunni Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia stated that Christian churches should be banned in Arabia. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah, commented that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches in the region. There are not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula.”

With 50% of Christians fleeing Iraq since the American led invasion and now with America siding with Saudi Arabia against secular and multi-religious Syria, it could well be that American elites are taking this message to heart. After all, if the central government of Syria collapses because of outside meddling and then an invasion of Syria, it is clear what the end result will be. This applies to the systematic persecution of Alawites, Christians, and the Druze – and in time the doctrine of Saudi Arabia will impose an inquisition against moderate Sunni Muslim leaders.

In modern day Syria it is abundantly clear that in areas under the control of the Syrian government, then all communities reside together. For example, a visit to Damascus will witness Alawite Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Christians, the Druze, and minority sects within the mainstream faiths, all living and sharing the same environment alongside atheists and secularists. However, in areas under the control of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), which really stands for mercenaries and terrorists, it is clear that minorities have fled their indoctrination and hatred because of their sectarian nature.

John Pontifex, Catholic Herald, states that “The Syrian Orthodox Church has told Fides that 90 per cent of Christians have been expelled amid what it fears is “an ongoing ethnic cleansing”.

“Until now, Homs has been home to one of Syria’s largest Christian populations, and Church sources have said the faithful have borne the brunt of the violence, escaping to villages in mountains 30 miles outside the city.”

“Islamists have reportedly gone from house to house in the Homs’ neighborhoods of Hamidiya and Bustan al-Diwan, forcing Christians to leave without giving them a chance to take their belongings.”

Therefore, if Christians and other minorities like the Shabaks, Yazidis, and Mandaeans, were expendable in Iraq after the American led invasion, then clearly minorities have much to fear if central forces in Syria are defeated. Not only this, the four above named communities couldn’t flee to Saudi Arabia because of institutional discrimination in this country. This applies to their respective places of worship being illegal in this land of religious bigotry.

The Christians still have Lebanon to flee to but for how long is debatable given the destabilization of Syria by Saudi Arabia and America. Alawites and the Druze also have much to fear and the same applies to Sunni Muslims. After all, Saudi Arabia is intent on destroying the diversity of Islam irrespective if Shia or moderate Sunni Islam. One only needs to look at Northern Nigeria, Somalia, Mali, and other nations, where traditional versions of Islam in these nations also face the wrath of Saudi Sunni Islamic fanaticism.

Syria is a war of “civilizations” alongside the self-interests of all the enemies of this nation. Either the central government will remain intact thereby protecting the rich mosaic of this nation. This applies to protecting the rights of women and all faith groups. Or alternatively, the “dark forces” of the FSA/terrorists/Muslim Brotherhood/Salafists will turn the clock back and turn Syria into a Sharia Islamic state.

If American elites don’t care about September 11 and the role of Saudi Arabian nationals in killing American soldiers in Iraq. Similarly, another ally, Pakistan, still gets military aid from America despite radical Sunni Islamists using northern Pakistan to launch attacks against American soldiers. Then clearly the fact that the FSA/terrorist ratlines are persecuting minorities isn’t going to cause alarm bells in Washington. The cleansing of Christians, Shabaks, Mandaeans, and Yazidis, in Iraq is testimony to this and the same applies to Saudi nationals killing American soldiers in Iraq along with butchering Iraqi nationals.

Foreign Policy in Focus in commented that “…according to official U.S. military figures reported in the Los Angeles Times on July 15 (2007), about 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia. Fighters from the kingdom are believed to have carried out the majority of suicide bombings in Iraq.”

Therefore, the rich mosaic of Syria is under great threat from the Saudi Arabian and American axis with the United Kingdom, France, Qatar, and Turkey, wagging their tails in compliance. The future of the last bastion of secularism in the Arabic speaking Middle East is being threatened by sinister forces which care little about human rights. If the worse comes to the worse then one of the richest civilizations on the earth faces the final nail in the coffin because Salafists, the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda will see to that. Of course, the money will be supplied by Saudi Arabia openly and by America covertly but the “strange alliance” will do its best to crush the most powerful independent nation in the Arabic speaking Middle East.

Given this, you have various forces targeting the independence and diversity of Syria. These forces include America, Saudi Arabia, Al Qaeda, and a host of other nations and terrorist movements which are spreading hatred towards the people of Syria. After all, the current crisis in Syria belongs to outside meddling which is supporting terrorism and sectarianism. This is a crime against humanity and violating all principles of international law. Therefore, it is essential that major powers which don’t support this remain firm in order to prevent yet another bloody intervention. It is also imperative to stop the funding of terrorism and to force the FSA/terrorists out of all parts of Syria in order for political dialogue to take place.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-08-01-us-saudi_x.htm

http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/2479-maliki-believes-saudis-are-main-sponsors-of-terrorism-in-iraq-wikileaks-

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2010-06-01-iraq-christians_N.htm

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/03/26/orthodox-church-says-90-per-cent-of-christians-have-been-expelled-from-homs/

 

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

 

Syria and secularism faces the American-Saudi Arabian forces of Islamic Sharia law

Syria and secularism faces the American-Saudi Arabian forces of Islamic Sharia law

Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Around 1 million people in the capital of Syria showing their support for Assad. Why don’t their voices count in the mass media?

The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, is hoping that “moderate forces” will try to find a solution whereby all sides sit down at the table and focus on recent political events in Syria. This is a far cry from statements coming out of Washington which are only focused on another Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, Libya, and so forth.

Equally important, if you turn the clock back to Afghanistan in 1979 before America, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and others, supported international terrorism and the “dark forces” of radical Sunni Islam; then a secular based Kabul and other major cities were trying to modernize and radically alter the dynamics of society. However, the American-Saudi Arabian axis of “Sunni Islamic militancy” had other draconian ideas and this led to the “Talibanization” of minds which now predominates throughout many parts of northwestern Pakistan and vast areas of Afghanistan. Therefore, the American-Saudi Arabian axis of “Sunni Islamic militancy” supported Islamic terrorism and ultra-conservative Islamic forces throughout the 1980s and 1990s. After all, when the Taliban rose to power and supported the killing of all converts to Christianity, killing homosexuals, enslaving women, and preventing any forms of democracy and secularism – this was fine with America in this period.

The American-Saudi Arabia ratlines meant that Sunni Islamic fanatics spread their hatred, including burning female schools down, and this happened under both Democratic and Republican governments. Yet September 11 witnessed “blowback” because former allies now turned against their former “masters” but of course American leaders still protected Saudi Arabia. After all, not one single Iraqi was involved in September 11 but ratlines reached far within Saudi Arabian circles and nearly everyone involved came from this nation.

Images of George Bush holding a sword in Saudi Arabia despite this nation supporting the beheadings of Muslim converts to Christianity, and then President Obama bowing to the leader of Saudi Arabia, was truly sickening given the reality that this nation is the most draconian in the world. After all, females in North Korea have more freedom than in Saudi Arabia whereby females can’t go shopping with males, are forbidden to drive cars, and will be whipped if not covered from head to toe.

Despite everything, and with the full knowledge that around 120,000 people have been killed in Iraq and that in Afghanistan you have a nation based on fear, Islamic Sharia law, inequality, and where all converts to Buddhism and Christianity face death – America isn’t content. Therefore, America, the United Kingdom, Qatar, and other nations, now want to turn Syria into “year zero” and destroy a multi-religious society because these nations can no longer claim ignorance. After all, the same methodology keeps on popping up. In the past “Sunni Islamic fanaticism” was aided and trained by ratlines involving the American-Saudi Arabian axis and this led to the role of women and minorities being crushed and even after the Cold War ended this policy is continuing. Given this reality, then this “global policy” should be condemned for unleashing the same brutal forces which have crushed women, religious minorities, secularism, moderate forces within Sunni Islam, and so forth.

Saudi Arabia must be laughing at the most powerful mainly Christian society in the world which is based on secularism because why is America supporting Islamization? In Iraq around 60% of all Christians have fled and the same applies to the vast majority of Mandaeans. Also, in Saudi Arabia not one single Christian church or Buddhist temple is allowed but this doesn’t stop President Obama from bowing down to the leaders of this nation.

The fall of the former leaders of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, and others, which were welcomed by political leaders in Washington, was replaced by nothing more than the rise of Islamic Sharia law and the de-humanization of non-Muslims and women. President Obama even welcomed the fall of Hosni Mubarak who was a staunch ally of America for decades and just like Hillary Clinton he continues with the spin. However, the ten million Coptic Christian minority in Egypt now faces greater Sharia Islamic law and persecution; the role of women will be put in “deeper shadows” when the power vacuum is handed over to Islamists; secular and liberal forces are becoming alienated from power mechanism; and even the Muslim Brotherhood was surprised by the showing of the Salafists who desire a Talibanization of society. Therefore, this highlights how out of touch the leaders of America are or that they are playing “an end-game” based on the wishes of Saudi Arabia – either way the end result is terrible because it isn’t based on democracy, secularism, or liberalism.

In Syria, the majority of members of the ruling party are moderate Sunni Muslims who share in a society whereby various Christian and Muslim sects have freedom. This religious freedom isn’t tolerated in the allies of Washington and this applies to Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Coptic Christians in Egypt are worried about their future because they know that forces of Sunni Islamic monoculture desire to turn the clock back and to Islamize all major institutions.

The Syria of Assad is a place where Alawites, the Druze, Christians, Sunni Muslims, secularists, socialists, and others, are part and parcel of society. Opposition forces desire to crush this multi-cultural and multi-religious society and obviously the role of women will suffer greatly. However, despite this the Western and Saudi Arabian propaganda machine is putting a spin on everything. Yet, if the Assad government collapses to the opposition then another Sunni Islamic monoculture will turn on the diversity within this nation because Alawites, Christians, the Druze, moderate Sunni Muslims, women, secularists, and so forth; will suffer at the hands of “conservative Sunni Islamic absolutism” and the richness of the Levant will be crushed like the richness of others nations which have fallen to Sharia Islamic law.

Afghanistan and Iraq were secular societies which were overthrown by America and its allies. Egypt is now entering a stage of growing Sharia Islamic law and anti-Christian persecution. Therefore, the “new Egypt” which was welcomed by President Obama, despite him not even knowing what the “new Egypt” was, is now showing its real color and it isn’t based on liberty. In 1983 the nation of Sudan introduced Islamic Sharia law and this was also welcomed and supported by America despite the fact that African Christians and Animists rejected this. The leader of Libya last year was overthrown and now you have the usual chaos and in time greater Islamization will take place whereby moderate secular forces and moderate Sunni Muslim forces will be crushed.

Given this reality, Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation commented in an article called “Russia and the Changing World” published in Moskovskie Novosti that “A year ago the world witnessed a new phenomenon – nearly simultaneous demonstrations against authoritarian regimes in many Arab countries. The Arab Spring was initially received with hope for positive change. People in Russia sympathized with those who were seeking democratic reform.”

“However, it soon became clear that events in many countries were not following a civilized scenario. Instead of asserting democracy and protecting the rights of the minority, attempts were being made to depose an enemy and to stage a coup, which only resulted in the replacement of one dominant force with another even more aggressive dominant force.”

“Foreign interference in support of one side of a domestic conflict and the use of power in this interference gave developments a negative aura. A number of countries did away with the Libyan regime by using air power in the name of humanitarian support. The revolting slaughter of Muammar Gaddafi – not just medieval but primeval – was the manifestation of these actions.”

“No one should be allowed to employ the Libyan scenario in Syria. The international community must work to achieve an internal Syrian reconciliation. It is important to achieve an early end to the violence no matter what the source, and to initiate a national dialogue – without preconditions or foreign interference and with due respect for the country’s sovereignty. This would create the conditions necessary to introduce the measures for democratization announced by the Syrian leadership. The key objective is to prevent an all-out civil war. Russian diplomacy has worked and will continue to work toward this end.”

The recent vote on the Constitution of Syria highlights the future direction of this nation but only a united Syria can provide a genuine future for all the people of this country irrespective of religion, sexuality, or no faith. Therefore, it is essential that the government and opposition forces seek compromise because the military solution and the encouragement of a civil war by the American-Saudi Arabian axis, will lead to the demise of a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation.

Saudi Arabia which is despotic and doesn’t tolerate one single Buddhist temple or Christian church and which crushes female emancipation, is happy about creating “mirror images” like Afghanistan which also supports killing apostates from Islam and trampling down on freedom. However, why is the secular nation of America which is overwhelmingly Christian following the same logic of “year zero?”

During the Cold War the United States tried to force “Agent Orange” democracy on the people of Vietnam and America also supported the massacre of millions of left-wing forces in Indonesia. In recent times the “moralistic” nation which went to war against Iraq “over a lie” is still whipping up hatred towards secular forces in order to maintain the American-Saudi Arabian axis. After all, the United States isn’t forcing the hand of Bahrain to accept a changing power balance and nor is America concerned about religious freedom and equal rights for women in Saudi Arabia.

The marriage of convenience now desires to destroy the last bastion of secularism in the Arabic speaking world. However, this shouldn’t be tolerated because the reality of what happened in Afghanistan could easily become the future of a “changing Syria,” which unleashes untold hatred towards religious minorities and reduces the role of women.

It is time for the nation of secularism to support the values that were founded by the American Constitution rather than supporting the dictates and blind hatred of Saudi Arabia which crushes all different thought patterns. After all, the “universal values of Saudi Arabia” supports killing apostates, killing homosexuals, shackling women, crushing the Shia, and clamping down on liberal Sunni Islam. The ruling elites in this nation oppose democracy, secularism, religious freedom, female equality, and other important areas to the hilt. Therefore, why is America “in bed” with Saudi Arabia and why does the United States desire to crush the last secular nation in the Arabic speaking Middle East?

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20120227/171547818.html

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com