by Abu Dharr (Opinion, Crescent International Vol. 43, No. 7, Dhu al-Qa'dah, 1435)
A gigantic struggle is underway between Islamic self-determination (led by Islamic Iran) and ruthless exploitation (represented by US imperialism and Zionism). Where do the Muslim regimes stand?
It does not take a genius to figure out that the world is being geopolitically rearranged. There are multiple forces and numerous alliances pushing in different economic and political directions. The governing political authority in Washington is acting like an empire trying to stand athwart of history, plunging itself into real and manufactured crises on all continents — sporting more than 800 military bases and installations in over 120 countries around the globe. Most of its military operations are concentrated in the Islamic domain. And as has happened to ancient empires, the US Empire will also come crashing down simply because it is a victim of its own hubris. The US ruling class no longer represents American citizens — even though there are periodic elections — the Washingtonian ruling class represents trans-national behemoth corporations even though many of them are not American.
Competing with this “elected” oligarchy in America are other enterprising ventures from the Chinese to the Russians and the European Union (EU). They all have serious and potentially war-igniting flashpoints: areas in the southern Pacific and Africa (US vs. China), in the Ukraine (US vs. Russia), in Africa (US vs. EU and China)… Then there is the currency war of wits that only a few talk about in public, but behind the scenes it is considered by some the most sensitive and classified point of contention: the dollar, Euro, and the yet-to-emerge basket of currency regulations being hammered in by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). This is supposed to parallel or outmaneuver the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
All of these and other considerations are at work to eventually change the geopolitical landscape of the world. But what is truly polarizing the world in a much more paradigmatic and strategic sense is the life and death difference between “Jewish” self-destruction as represented by Zionist Israel and Islamic self-determination as set in motion by Islamic Iran. World public opinion is not consciously aware of it yet, but the political and religious establishments of the world are moving, in a sure but subtle way, to either champion self-determination of those who have been denied it (first and foremost the Palestinians) or champion holier-than-thou self-styled parliamentary democracies riding roughshod over the “others” (first and foremost the Israelis). Slowly but surely all the events that are taking shape in the Muslim East and beyond will coalesce around these polar opposites.
One expression of this vigorous polarity is the gravitation of two countries in opposite directions: pro-Ikhwan Turkey when it champions the Palestinian cause — whether it knows it or not — is gravitating toward Islamic Iran; and Wahhabi Arabia when it does not support the Palestinian cause — whether it knows it or not — is gravitating toward Zionist Israel. When Russia supports the Syrian government it is supporting Islamic Iran — whether it knows it or not. When the Syrian “opposition” is fighting the Syrian “government” it is supporting the “Israeli” government — whether it knows it or not. There are two, and only two polar opposites in the Muslim East: Zionist Israel and Islamic Iran. Sorry, everyone else, but these are the hard and grounded facts. The Arabian regimes have no singular or combined prominent status. They are a political dead horse and an economic dead weight and a religious deadlock. Nothing good comes out of them, thus nothing good can be expected of them. When the US supports the Egyptian regime it is supporting Israel — whether the average person knows it or not.
…Turkey, ruled by those who should know better, is more than a little late in understanding that its support for the Palestinians is aligning it with Islamic Iran and its support for the Syrian “opposition” is aligning it with Israel. How long can this go on before the Turkish high ranking officials get it?
In this emerging polarity drama, Turkey, ruled by those who should know better, is more than a little late in understanding that its support for the Palestinians is aligning it with Islamic Iran and its support for the Syrian “opposition” is aligning it with Israel. How long can this go on before the Turkish high ranking officials get it? Their contradictory policies are going to reach the breaking point if they do not make amends. Perhaps we should help out with a few words.
It is becoming quite clear that Saudi Wahhabi Arabia is a Zionist asset. Among all people, the Muslims in Turkey don’t need contemporary history to prove it. They need only refer to their own Ottoman history. The Ottomans sensed, and rightly so, that the Wahhabi creed posed a danger to the Hanafi madhhab of the Ottoman state (as it is to all contemporary Muslims who do not agree with them). The Ottomans, centuries ago, ordered their governor in Egypt to take military action against Wahhabi Arabia. The Ottomans were successful in quashing Wahhabi breakaway divisiveness. At that time Egypt and Turkey united against (Anglo) Wahhabism. Today, two centuries later, Egypt is virtually united with (Anglo-American) Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia to oppose the “neo-Ottomans” in Turkey!
The Anglo-American coached Saudis were ringing the alarm bells some years ago when they sensed that the (Ottoman) Turks were accommodating the Ikhwan. With Saudi prompting and financing general el-Sisi severed the warm political relations between Egypt and Turkey. With their Arabian survivalist instincts the ruling Saud family perceived a growing danger when the Ikhwan felt at home in Turkey. One would think that an Egyptian-Saudi alignment would result in a Turkish-Iranian alignment, but that hasn’t happened yet — not because of lack of will on the part of the Islamic Republic but becaue of an absence of resolve on the part of Turkish officials. We understand that deep down inside the political conscience of the enlightened Turkish “Islamists” there may be an antipathy toward both Wahhabis and Safavis as both these fanatical trends went to war with the Ottomans at a time when the latter were at war with virtually all of Europe. But the Turkish officials have to be consistent. What we mean by this is that Turkey feels comfortable with Qatar (who are also Wahhabis, albeit more accommodating than their Saudi counterparts) to a degree that people are speaking about a Turkish-Qatari alliance vs. an Egyptian-Saudi alliance. No one yet is speaking about a Turkish-Iranian alliance or a Turkish-Iranian-Qatari alliance.
The Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) began with a zero-hostility foreign policy; that sounded fine and was welcomed. But then, failing to read the Islamic-Zionist polarization it began to make enemies out of certain countries needlessly. Its relations turned sour with Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt in particular.
Now Turkey is trying to make a comeback via Gaza, and through Hamas to be precise. The Israeli war on Gaza has revealed a serious fissure between Turkey on one side and Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the other. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davudoglu were vociferous in support of Gaza while Egypt and Saudi Arabia were working hard to have Hamas battered and clobbered into capitulation.
Turkey has been all words but no deeds about Gaza. News items here and there say the Turks are preparing to send another ship of much needed aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. Let us wait and see whether we are going to have another Mavi Marmara incident! Turkey has not severed diplomatic relations with Israel but has been generous with its pro-Palestinian propaganda. Saudi Arabia does not have official diplomatic relations with Israel but has been forthcoming with its anti-Palestinian silence and complicity.
Rhetorically, Turkish officials of the ruling AKP are fed up with the Saudi king. Their newspaper Yeni Shefek went as far as disclosing that Egypt and Saudi Arabia offered valuable intelligence information to the Israelis to carry out their war against Gaza; that Saudi Arabia financed the coup that deposed Mursi and brought el-Sisi to power; that Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are in league with Egypt and Saudi Arabia against the Palestinians; that King Abdullah remained silent for the first 25 days of the Israeli military pulverization of Gaza; and that Saudi Arabia has financed the Egyptian military, which has killed more than 4,000 Egyptian civilians since it came to power. All of that and much more is true…
But can the neo-Ottomans come out of their historical hyper-sensitivities toward the “Shi‘is” and realize that the political moment requires them and Islamic Iran to build a consolidation of forces against the Zionist monster? Will the “neo-Ottomans” become the catalyst that can bring about the good in every committed Muslim? Will they have what it takes to seize the Islamic moment and close Islamic ranks in support of the oppressed Palestinians? Time is pregnant with brave souls and history is full of stillborns.
And how could you refuse to struggle for the cause of Allah and of the utterly helpless men and women and children who are crying, “O our Sustainer! Lead us forth [to freedom] out of this land whose people are oppressors, and raise for us, out of Your grace, a protector, and raise for us, out of Your grace, one who will bring us support (4:75).