OF SYRIAN, IRAQ AND OTHER CRISES

OF SYRIAN, IRAQ AND OTHER CRISES

We are in a political turmoil surrounded by chaos and confusion. News related to such fiasco spread through the social media like wildfire, enabling anyone to pick it up almost instantly. However, many seem to be taking the advice provided in the Quran lightly when it comes to seeking the truth via the tabayyun process.

Aleppo is burning. But the perpetrator is crying wolf to cover up for his crime amidst the ruins of the once great city, thus allowing him to escape in the cover of darkness.

A few years ago when the first spark of the conflict in Syria ignited, Middle Eastern-based media including al-Jazeera reported that there was involvement of Middle Eastern intelligence agencies (among those mentioned were Prince Bandar bin Sultan, former Saudi Ambassador to the US and former Director of Saudi Arabia's Intelligence Agency) in sending extremists to Syria to invoke chaos and instability in the country.

Syria was one of the Arab League countries which rejected the Madrid and Oslo Accords, aimed at initiating peace with Israel, while at the same time disregarding the plight of Palestine whose land has been plundered and its people made victims.

Following the Islamic Revolution, Iran, albeit its Shiite label, was one of those Muslim countries that opposed this treaty, after revoking its recognition of Israel and immediately suspended all relations that had been agreed to during the Shah era.

Iran benefitted from Syria when the latter was under the rule of Baath Party which was then at odds with the Baath Party of Iraq led by the late Saddam Hussein. Iraq received military assistance from the Western bloc to attack Iran with the support of the Gulf countries.

The late Necmettin Erbakan, former Prime Minister of Turkey supported Iran in its defence of the plight of the Palestinians and even advised the Islamic groups within Syria to relent in its opposition against the government, the Palestinian cause being the topmost priority. He also advised Iran to develop its technology, following which many of its scientists were targetted and killed. Even those performing their pilgrimage in Mecca were kidnapped. As a result, Iran is now considered at par with other influential global players with regards to its technological achievements.

Eventually, Syria provided a strategic base for the Palestinian cause against the Zionists in Israel.
Hamas and Tanzim Jihad were among those who benefitted the most from the facilities provided in Syria. Iran was the biggest contributor to Hamas, Tanzim Jihad and Hizbullah, a Shiite military faction in Lebanon. This played a major role in the failure of Israel's military plans in Gaza and Southern Lebanon. Practically all the Arab countries which supported the peace plan with Israel, either in open or otherwise, did not uphold the struggle in Gaza and Southern Lebanon.

There have been many instances of media, both in the East and the West, exposing how the crisis in Syria worsened due to the supply of weapons from the West through Nato in Turkey in the North, and Israel in the South. These claims were later confirmed by statements made by Bush, followed by Obama and those in their administration. The supposed rift between Sunni and Shiite was exaggerated to divert Muslims from the real issue, following which several scholars issued statements which escalated the situation.

The extremist group in Syria eventually managed to capture the oil-rich area in Iraq and Syria and the black market route in the North and South of the region. The Western Alliance groups, which have positioned themselves in most of the Gulf states are dilly dallying in their actions to maintain the status quo and their interests in the current state of affairs as well as safeguard Israel as the focal point of the Zionist movement by influencing the region's politics, economy and media.

Allah will not allow the current situation to pose a threat to Islam, even if it occurs covertly. Occasionally, change will come by other means, for example via a confrontation between non muslims and the oppressors, when Muslims are weak and unable to bring about changes. We have observed such milestones in history whereby the Persians professing the Majusi faith, annihilated the Jews in Palestine who have been cruelly killing the prophets and pious scholars.

Now, the tables are turned with the Orthodox Christians being bullied by the Jewish Communists. Karl Marx alligned himself with Jewish Zionists who defended Israel against the Catholic and Protestant Christians in the US.

The Ukraine crisis is also another example of clashes between two ideologies which has resulted in the infamous MAS air crash calamity in the Ukranian airspace. There was another turn of events as Russia managed to position itself in Tarsus Syria, and earned itself a military base from which it can launch its military operations into the open seas. Such a situation has tilted the political and military balance in the region and weakened the West which have been protecting ISIS and its factions. The question is, amidst all this, where are the Arab countries who hide behind the West and Zionists?

The pressure initiated through attacks in Yemen en route to the Red Sea has been declared unsuccessful by Washington and the UN.

The visit by the Chairman of the Middle East Centre for Strategic and Legal Studies in Saudi Arabia, Anwar Asyqi, to Israel, shows how jittery the Arab countries are. Even worse, the newly elected UK Prime Minister, Theresa May participated in the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Bahrain barely two weeks ago, whereby a resolution was passed on how Iran has become an imminent threat to the region, to the extent that Israel is no longer considered one.

All this should shed light on the calamity befalling the burning city of Aleppo.

We should always look at the history of the Islamic empire in Andalusia and how its collapse was deferred by several centuries by the wise decision of a Muslim king. Contrary to the other kings who refused to invite King Ibnu Abbad from Morocco, fearing he would wrest their thrones from them, this pious King declared, ''I would rather be the shepherd of sheeps and camels for Ibnu Abbad rather than become a swine breeder by a conquering Christian King.''

As far as I know, Iran has not made any statements proclaiming its intention to spread its Shiite Islamic Revolution to other countries. Iran merely appeal its Arab neighbours to unite and join forces against Israel and to free themselves from external influence.

The Shiite sect has coexisted together with the Sunni community for at least a thousand years and has never been a hindrance to the progress of Islam in the world. Unfortunately, sparks of animosity are being kindled and people who share the same qibla are incited to fight one another and shed blood. Once, it was only a difference of opinion in academia without being divided as one 'ummah', but now Shiite is being perceived as a different religion altogether.

PAS is a Malay Muslim group which do not forget easily. When the first Gulf War erupted in 1980 and Saddam Hussein attacked Iran supported by the West and other Arab countries, PAS backed Iran and was accused of being Shiite. Suddenly, Saddam Hussein betrayed the alliance and attacked Kuwait. The Arab countries retaliated by inviting US and its allies to attack Iraq. PAS condemned this unholy alliance and together with other Islamic parties, protested against foreign interference. This is not to say that PAS has joined the Baath Party led by Saddam by doing so.

Because in PAS, we appraise and decipher politics in the international arena, and not merely restrict ourselves to reading scholarly books or engage in social media in a cramped and narrow room.

'This is Our Solution!'
ABDUL HADI AWANG
Presiden of PAS

20 Rabiul Awwal 1438 | 20 December 2016