The Geo-Politics around “Unrest” in Iran

Salman Rafi Sheikh

Western officials and political pundits as well as their allies in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and Israel, have never hesitated to express their desire to see the Iranian regime falling on its feet and giving way to a pro-West ‘democracy’ to emerge, one that would provide the linchpin for Saudi hegemony in the region and remove Israel’s chief competitor from the scene. The recent protests in Iran provided the ‘regime-change’ gang that very opportunity even if the protests had ‘indigenous roots’ and were, as many in the West and Saudi Arabia claimed, a reflection of Iran’s growing economic problems due to the Trump administration’s “toughest” ever sanctions. Although the Iranian officials claimed that the “unrest” had been engineered by the West, particularly the US and Israel, the Iranian regime has once again shown its resilience and the deep roots it has in that society, not readily available to be undercut.

The US, however, saw the protestors as “harbingers of change” and a success of their policy of sanctions. It made its moves accordingly. Clearly, in the moves that the US made, an anticipation of protests spreading across the country was evident and so was a US possible resolve to ‘strike’ just when the Iron was hot enough. Of course, this plan could not materialise, but the way things proceeded show yet again the US and Israeli obsession with ‘regime-change’ in Iran.

A Brookings institute report thus described the ‘importance’ of these protests. “Tehran today is facing an epic, interconnected set of crises: the crisis of unmet expectations, which feeds a crisis of legitimacy” for the regime, which is “waning”, and “eventually, as happened 40 years ago in Iran, even the most well-fortified regime will shatter.”

This was and still is the classic assumption that, despite proving wrong on numerous occasions, continues to guide the US and Israeli policies. This was true in the present scenario as well.

As such, just when the crisis were brewing and the unrest was at its peak, the US decided to show-off its naval power and ability to manoeuvre in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most significant flashpoints in the world. A US aircraft carrier strike group sailed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. This carrier sailed through on November 20, 2019. Unsurprisingly, it was on the same day that Israel attacked Iranian forces in Syria, doing what it officially called two “wide scale strikes.”

Whereas the fact that Iran still continues to challenge US and Israeli designs in Syria despite hundreds of such ‘wide-scale’ strikes speaks volumes about Iranian resilience and resistance, the fact the latest strike coincided with the then ongoing unrest and the far from innocent passage of US naval carrier group through the Strait shows that the US and Israel were trying to provoke Iran into making a mistake, which would allow them to do identical strikes inside Iran, igniting a war to help, in their own calculation, the protestors overthrow the regime.

Also, at about the same time, the US president, who has never concealed his extreme dislike of the Iranian regime, had duly ‘informed’ the US Congress in a letter written just a day before the Israeli strike and the passage of US carrier through the Strait about the US decision to deploy additional US troops in Saudi Arabia.

The November 19, 2019 letter says the additional deployment aims to protect US interests “in the region against hostile action by Iran and its proxy forces.  Iran has continued to threaten the security of the region, including by attacking oil and natural gas facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 14, 2019.  To assure our partners, deter further Iranian provocative behavior, and bolster regional defensive capabilities, additional United States Armed Forces have been ordered to deploy to the Middle East.”

The letter continues, “With these additional forces, the total number of United States Armed Forces personnel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be approximately 3,000.  These personnel will remain deployed as long as their presence is required to fulfill the missions described above.”

While the long-term mission may be deterrence against Iran, the immediate context of this deployment undoubtedly was the events that were, as the US knew, the passage of US carrier through the Strait and Israeli strikes. Iran, as could be expected, did not strike back, or retaliated through any other way, nor did it attack US naval carrier, directly foiling US-Israeli sabotage attempts and thus prevented a Syria like scenario wherein local protestors had found in external countries certain hands who would then weaponise them to overthrow the regime.

But none of this could materialise not just because of Iranian prudence but also because of a complete mis-reading of Iranian politics and society by the US-Israeli political pundits. While protestors might have been genuine, the assumption that the society at large was ‘erupting’ into a mass anti-regime movement due to the ‘toughest ever’ US sanctions did not take into account the fact Iran, unlike Saudi Arabia, is not a solely oil-driven economy. Therefore, the impact of oil-sanctions, while it may be harsh, could never be expected to erode the domestic base of the Iranian economy. Even the IMF and World Bank reports have suggested that Iranian GDP, of which petroleum is no more than one fifth, will grow after ‘contracting sharply’ in 2019-2020.

Therefore, while Iranian economy may not be in the best shape today, its domestic base remains intact and it continues to receive foreign investment. And, while Tehran may not yet have healthy economic figures to show, it still has an economy that is resilient and can ward off shocks and prevent external powers from making inroads through engineered and/or otherwise caused mass protests.

Salman Rafi Sheikh, research-analyst of International Relations and Pakistan’s foreign and domestic affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

Why Should Iran Be Cherished And Defended

by Andre Vltchek

As I pen this short essay, Iran is standing against the mightiest nation on earth. It is facing tremendous danger; of annihilation even, if the world does not wake up fast, and rush to its rescue.

Stunning Iranian cities are in danger, but above all, its people: proud and beautiful, creative, formed by one of the oldest and deepest cultures on earth.

This is a reminder to the world: Iran may be bombed, devastated and injured terribly, for absolutely no reason. I repeat: there is zero rational reason for attacking Iran.

Iran has never attacked anyone. It has done nothing bad to the United States, to the United Kingdom, or even to those countries that want to destroy it immediately: Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Its only ‘crime’ is that it helped devastated Syria. And that it seriously stands by Palestine. And that it came to the rescue of many far away nations, like Cuba and Venezuela, when they were in awful need.

I am trying to choose the simplest words. No need for pirouettes and intellectual exercises.

Thousands, millions of Iranians may soon die, simply because a psychopath who is currently occupying the White House wants to humiliate his predecessor, who signed the nuclear deal. This information was leaked by his own staff. This is not about who is a bigger gangster. It is about the horrible fact that antagonizing Iran has absolutely nothing to do with Iran itself.

*

Which brings the question to my mind: in what world are we really living? Could this be tolerable? Can the world just stand by, idly, and watch how one of the greatest countries on earth gets violated by aggressive, brutal forces, without any justification?

I love Iran! I love its cinema, poetry, food. I love Teheran. And I love the Iranian people with their polite, educated flair. I love their thinkers. I don’t want anything bad to happen to them.

You know, you were of course never told by the Western media, but Iran is a socialist country. It professes a system that could be defined as “socialism with Iranian characteristics”. Like China, Iran is one of the most ancient nations on earth, and it is perfectly capable of creating and developing its own economic and social system.

Iran is an extremely successful nation. Despite the embargos and terrible intimidation from the West, it still sits at the threshold of the “Very high human development”, defined by UNDP; well above such darlings of the West as Ukraine, Colombia or Thailand.

It clearly has an internationalist spirit: it shows great solidarity with the countries that are being battered by Western imperialism, including those in Latin America.

*

I have no religion. In Iran, most of the people do. They are Shi’a Muslims. So what? I do not insist that everyone thinks like me. And my Iranian friends, comrades, brothers and sisters have never insisted that I feel or think the same way as they do. They are not fanatics, and they do not make people who are not like them, feel excluded. We are different and yet so similar. We fight for a better world. We are internationalists. We respect each other. We respect others.

Iran does not want to conquer anyone. But when its friends are attacked, it offers a helping hand. Like to Syria.

In the past, it was colonized by the West, and its democratic government was overthrown, in 1953, simply because it wanted to use its natural resources for improving the lives of its people. The morbid dictatorship of Shah Pahlavi was installed from abroad. And then, later, again, a terrible war unleashed against Iran by Iraq, with the full and candid support of the West.

I promised to make this essay short. There is no time for long litanies. And in fact, this is not really an essay at all: it is an appeal.

As this goes to print, many people in Iran are anxious. They do not understand what they have done to deserve this; the sanctions, the US aircraft carriers sailing near their shores, and deadly B-52s deployed only dozens of miles away.

Iranians are brave, proud people. If confronted, if attacked, they will fight. And they will die with dignity, if there is no other alternative.

But why? Why should they fight and why should they die?

Those of you, my readers, living in the West: Study; study quickly. Then ask this question to your government: “What is the reason for this terrible scenario?”

Rent Iranian films; they are everywhere, winning all festivals. Read Iranian poets. Go eat Iranian food. Search for images of both historic and modern Iranian cities. Look at the faces of the people. Do not allow this to happen. Do not permit psychopathic reasoning to ruin millions of lives.

There was no real reason for the wars against Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. The West perpetrated the most terrible imperialist interventions, ruining entire nations.

But Iran – it all goes one step further. It’s a total lack of logic and accountability on the part of the West.

Here, I declare my full support to the people of Iran, and to the country that has been giving countless cultural treasures to the world, for millennia.

It is because I have doubts that if Iran is destroyed, the human race could survive.

*Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Four of his latest books are China and Ecological Civilizationwith John B. Cobb, Jr., Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism, a revolutionary novel “Aurora” and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: “Exposing Lies Of The Empire”. View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky “On Western Terrorism”. Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter. 

Canadian Analyst Says Sudan Coup An Outside Job

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A prominent Canadian expert described the recent military coup in Sudan “a clandestine regime change” attempt orchestrated from outside the North African country supposedly by the US and its regional allies, including Saudi Arabia and Israel.

“I see the events which ultimately transpired less as a domestic coup d’état on the heels of a homegrown protest movement than a classic intervention by the USA and its allies or, more to the point, a clandestine “regime change” which closely mimicked the play book used to install el-Sisi in Egypt as the culmination of its part in the somewhat protracted Arab Fall,” Barry Grossman, who is based on the Indonesian island of Bali, told Tasnim in an interview.

Barry Grossman a political analyst specializing in Public International Law, who has resided in Indonesia for more than 20 years, frequently commenting on current affairs and geopolitics. He graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1984 and from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1987, after which he worked as a commercial litigator with a large Toronto law firm before moving to Australia to take up an academic position with the University of Melbourne Law School and, after that a lectureship at Monash University Law school. In addition he worked for a number of years as a senior litigation consultant to a large, national law firm in Australia and is widely published by refereed Academic journals and as a writer of reference works for the legal profession.

Following is the full text of the interview.

Tasnim: Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir was recently removed by a military coup after months of anti-government protests against his three-decade rule. A military council led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is now in power and says it will oversee a transitional period that will last a maximum of two years. What do you think about the latest developments in the African country? How do you predict the future of the developments? Would the military council hand over the power to a democratic government?

Grossman: It would be easy, of course, to let one’s analysis of these events be colored by the fact that al-Bashir came to power himself by a coup d’etat and, perhaps more significantly, by his previous willingness to do Saudi Arabia’s bidding, especially in Yemen. But to be frank, I do not feel that is an appropriate approach, unless people are committed to brushing Atlantic World interference under the carpet while refusing to learn anything about what this portends for others in the region.

Let us not forget that, in recent years, Sudan was itself split in two, with its oil rich southern region become the new, independent state of South Sudan with full Atlantic World backing. Indeed, I do not think it would be overstating the matter to see the emergence of South Sudan as an independent nation in 2011 as being nothing less than the culmination of another massive US heist designed to separate nations which do not fully submit to US hegemony from their natural resources.

We should also not forget that despite longstanding US sanctions and other measures which discriminated against Sudan, including designating Sudan as a state sponsor of terror, al-Bashir’s government nevertheless long cooperated with US counter-terrorism efforts and, at one point, the Bashir government is reputed to have even offered to extradite Osama Bin Laden in return for a US commitment to lift its sanction against Sudan. The offer was of course declined and we all know what happened in the ensuing years.

The main problem I have with recent events stems from reports that only weeks before the recent coup that removed him, President Bashir was pressured by the KSA to put aside his differences with Salah Gosh, OBL’s former handler in Sudan who went on to become Sudan’s point man working with the USA on counter-terrorism, even though Gosh was sidelined and almost imprisoned some years back for making comments which suggested that he was willing to back a coup d’état against al-Bashir.

The first thing Gosh did after President Bashir naively agreed to the Saudi request and appointed Gosh as the head of Sudan’s intelligence apparatus, is travel to Germany where he was reported as having met with MI6 and the head of Mossad, ostensibly to plan a political transition for Sudan after Bashir’s imminent removal.

Of course, it is not entirely surprising that the KSA had apparently elected to betray their once loyal ally, since recent developments involving Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia warming relations with Israel, the still secret Trump “Final Solution” for “resolving” the Palestinian “problem”,  and last but not least,  Bashir’s own apparent moves to normalize relations with Syria’s President Assad, all seem to have left Saudi Arabia’s King-in-waiting and de facto ruler, MBS, decidedly unimpressed with al-Bashir.  

As a result, I see the events which ultimately transpired less as a domestic coup d’état on the heels of a homegrown protest movement than a classic intervention by the USA and its allies or, more to the point, a clandestine “regime change” which closely mimicked the play book used to install el-Sisi in Egypt as the culmination of its part in the somewhat protracted Arab “Fall”.     

Tasnim: According to media reports, there have been some meddlesome measures by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Sudan. However, Sudanese protesters have declared their strong opposition to the two countries. What do you think about the future of relations between Sudan and the two Arab countries and do you think that the next Sudanese government would be an ally of the two?

Grossman: Well, I am not convinced that even the protest movement was what it has been portrayed to be, any more than I was convinced by similar claims relating to protests in Libya, Egypt, Syria and elsewhere during the carefully engineered Arab Fall which, despite the havoc, destruction, and bloodshed, was so celebrated by the Atlantic World, bearing in mind that it is never very difficult for foreign agents to stir up a critical mass of civic unrest in nations suffering under the burden of long term Atlantic World manipulation, intervention, sanctions, and more generally, unfairness in all matters related to trade.

In any case, what exactly drove protesters to take a stand if not domestic economic problems which inexorably followed years of US sanctions and the theft of 75% of Sudan’s oil revenues by forcing the Independence of South Sudan on the majority? 

Tasnim: As you know, Sudan is part of Saudi Arabia's disastrous military campaign against Yemen. Given that a huge number of the Saudi-led coalition forces fighting in Yemen are Sundanese, what do you think about the effect of developments in Sudan on the protracted war on Yemen?

Grossman: Well I suppose we will know the answer to this question soon enough. But I certainly will not be surprised to see Sudan once again taking a far more active military effort in support of the belligerent and criminal Saudi-US-UK and UN backed war on the people of Yemen.

Syrian Conflict Shifting to East: US Analyst

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - An American political commentator warned of emergence of a new ‘triple entente’ among the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, noting that such tripartite coalition is focusing on confrontation with Iran and taking the lengthy civil war to Syria’s desolate eastern regions.

In an interview with the Tasnim News Agency, Brian M Downing said the fresh US-Saudi-Israeli attempts to shift the war in Syria onto the eastern areas of Deir ez-Zor and al Tanf are chiefly meant to weaken Iran and its Shiite allies.

Mr. Downing is a national security analyst who has written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs.

“In recent weeks a new Triple Entente has emerged, one that solidifies ties among the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. The Entente's stated purpose is to oppose terrorist organizations and Iranian influence. Clearly, however, the chief purpose is to weaken Iran and its Shiite allies. Saudi and Israeli hostility toward Iran was held in check by the Obama administration, but the Trump administration has now joined them – wholeheartedly if uncritically,” Downing explained.

“Recent events suggest that Syria will be the main area of contention between the Entente and Iran. Focus will not be in western Syria where almost all the fighting in the lengthy civil war has been. It will be in the relatively desolate east,” he added.

“In recent weeks, government and rebel forces, both with foreign backing, have been increasingly active in relatively barren, unpopulated eastern Syria, near the borders with Iraq and Jordan. The obscure towns of Deir ez-Zor and al Tanf will become well known in coming months,” the analyst noted.

The obscure towns of Deir ez-Zor and al Tanf will become well known in coming months.

“Iranian-trained troops and Syrian troops have reinforced isolated garrisons in Deir ez-Zor. Iran fired missiles into ISIL positions near the same town. It was done in retaliation for a recent ISIL attack in Tehran but also to signal interest in the town, the largest in eastern Syria.”

Explaining the situation in eastern parts of Syria, Downing said, “The US has been active near al Tanf, a small town on the Syrian-Iraqi border which lies 300 kms southwest of Deir ez-Zor. American and British special forces troops have been there for several months training western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella organization of Kurdish and Arab militias. The US has shot down a Syrian fighter aircraft near Raqqa and downed an Iranian drone near al Tanf.”

The analyst then listed three reasons for a rise in moves in such desolate part of the Middle East.

“First, there are oil deposits there. Though not vast, especially by Middle Eastern standards, they are important assets to the Damascus government and they would be important to any militia commander controlling the region,” he explained.

“Second, the region is a potential redoubt for ISIL. Its days of controlling Mosul and Raqqa are dwindling and it may seek to establish itself in eastern Syria rather than revert to being just another underground terrorist network. Over the last year ISIL has tried to take Deir ez-Zor from the beleaguered Syrian garrison there, but with no success,” he added.

“Third, and most importantly, the region’s roads connect Iran to Syria and Lebanon. Without this “Shiite Corridor”, Iran can only supply allies in the Levant by air. This is of course quite expensive and in any event flights can be interdicted by determined foes,” Downing noted.

“The Entente has a few options in interrupting the Shiite Corridor. Airpower could routinely strike convoys and crater roadways. Guerrilla forces could intermittently attack convoys and damage infrastructure. Perhaps the most effective option is creation of Sunni and Kurdish statelets in the expanses between Tehran and Damascus – a “Sunnistan”. The Entente will try to coalesce various militias into political entities to oppose Shiite forces and control roadways. SDF forces are already under US guidance near Raqqa and al Tanf, and allied militias may be recruited from Sunni tribes of western Iraq,” Downing described.

“Coming weeks will see Iran, Syria, and Russia allocate more resources into the region, especially Deir ez-Zor and al Tanf. Russia demonstrated its airlift capacity and interest last January when it flew Syrian ground troops into Deir ez-Zor. Meanwhile, the US is strengthening SDF forces around the ISIL capital Raqqa and assembling another SDF force at al Tanf. Jordanian, Egyptian, and Saudi troops may be brought into the campaign,” he predicted.

Coming weeks will see Iran, Syria, and Russia allocate more resources into the region, especially Deir ez-Zor and al Tanf.

“The US will provide logistical help and air support from bases in the region, perhaps including restored facilities in Saudi Arabia. The US is committing to the creation of a Sunnistan. From a realpolitik perspective this is an injudicious shift of resources from ISIL to Iran and one that risks deepening conflict with Russia, both in and out of Syria.”

“The US will not gain needed military bases; it has numerous ones throughout the region already. Nor are eastern Syria’s oil reserves sufficient to attract the interest of American corporations. The effort stems not from careful assessment of national interests but from Saudi and Israeli pressures and from the renewed influence of neoconservatism in the Trump administration,” Downing said.

“New statelets in eastern Syria and western Iraq, should they come about, will be financial liabilities for foreign backers. They may be engaged in continuous fighting with Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian forces for many years, and owing to the fractious nature of the Arab-Kurdish militias of the SDF, they may fight each other as well,” he explained.

Pointing to a shift in the US foreign policy, Downing said, “The previous administration wanted to reduce the country’s use of force in the Middle East and elsewhere. The present one, though, is marching into a new open-ended commitment in the wastelands straddling the Iraq-Syria border.”

From Palestine to Rohingya – talking points at Islamic unity conference

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN _ During the three-day International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran this week, many brainstorming discussions were held as part of various commissions on some of the most pressing and significant issues facing the Muslim world today.

Many distinguished scholars, authors, cultural experts, diplomats, and politicians took part in these discussions and threw light on various issues.

In one of the commissions, former Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki spoke about the plight of Rohingya refugees and their impoverished conditions in Bangladesh’s refugee camps. He said the commission, which comprises foreign ministers of Jordon, Syria, Iraq, and Mauritania, will work to aid Rohingya refugees and highlight their issues in the media.

It has been one year since Rohingya Muslims were forced to leave Myanmar following a brutal crackdown by Myanmar military with support from the government. As per conservative estimates, there are around 905,000 Rohingya refugees presently in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar.

The savagery in Rakhine was described by the United Nations as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. The atrocities were widely documented by human rights bodies, including gang rapes, cold-blooded killings, torture and destruction of properties belonging to Rohingya Muslims.

In another commission, Palestinian resistance movement Hamas leader Ismail Radwan expressed anguish over growing proximity between some Arab states and the Zionist regime of Israel. He said the Palestinians with their unflinching resistance and continued struggle for the liberation of occupied territories would never allow any such “deal” from taking place.

Noted Islamic luminary Ayatollah Taskhiri, speaking in one of the commissions, also denounced Zionist regime’s war crimes in Palestine and called for the boycott of regime.

The unrelenting injustices perpetrated against the Palestinian people have stirred the conscience of people worldwide, transcending the religious divide. On the other hand, some Arab regimes, having ties with Israel and U.S., have been siding with the oppressors because of business interests.

U.S. President Donald Trump created a flutter last week when he remarked that Israel would be in “big trouble” without Saudi Arabia. “The fact is that Saudi Arabia is tremendously helpful in the Middle East, if we didn’t have Saudi Arabia we wouldn’t have a big base, we wouldn’t have any reason probably,” Trump told reporters, while defending Saudi crown prince over Jamal Khashoggi murder.

Mesbahi Moghadam, a senior Iranian politician and former lawmaker, speaking at the conference said one of the methods of forging unity and foiling the enemy plots was to reduce our dependence on dollar. If Muslim countries eliminate the use of dollar, he affirmed, the dollar will be lost and that would deal a body blow to the enemy.

Faisal Mostafa, a scholar from Algeria, in his talk accused Saudi Arabia of providing a launch pad to ISIS terrorists, who have wreaked havoc in many Muslim countries in recent years. He said a trial should be conducted for those Muslim rulers who betray fellow Muslims.
A delegation of students from Philippines said the role of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in forging unity in the Muslim world should serve as a source of inspiration. They said the Leader has kept all sections of society in Iran, Shia and Sunni, in tandem and prevented major troubles.  

Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, the General Secretary of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, which organizes the conference, in his keynote address said Muslims should excel in cultural, economic, scientific, political and military fields. He said the Muslim world owns 70 percent of the world’s energy, water, and has significant population that utilizes these capacities to blend Islamic countries with the Islamic world.

Ayatollah Araki reiterated that supporting the oppressed people of Yemen was a “religious obligation” for all conscientious Muslims. The victory of the people of Yemen, he said, will expose the ‘enemies of Islam’.

Adnan Kafla, the representative of Ansarullah Yemen, highlighted the horrors of Saudi-led war and blockade in Yemen, quoting UNHCR figures, he said 24 million people needed immediate medical aid and 10 million people needed drinking water.

Pertinently, a much-anticipated UN Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of Saudi-led war in Yemen and for the humanitarian aid to be allowed to reach millions of starving people was “stalled” last week after British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who had moved the resolution, met with Saudi crown prince in Riyadh.

On the sidelines of the conference, the participants visited the shrine of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic revolution, on Sunday where they interacted with his grandson Syed Hassan Khomeini.

In his brief talk, Khomeini said the idea of ‘unity’ was not about abrogating one’s own beliefs, but respecting each other’s beliefs. He said the disintegration of Muslims gives the enemy an upper-hand. However, he added that Shias and Sunnis have opened channels of communication and dialogue to make their relationship better and stronger.

It is pertinent to note that Holy Qur’an considers all Muslims ‘brothers’ as stipulated in Surah Hujurat: “The faithful are indeed brothers. Therefore make peace between your brothers and be wary of Allah, so that you may receive His mercy.” This verse calls Muslims brothers in faith and makes unity and brotherhood between them a precondition for receiving God’s mercy.

The element of ‘mercy’ is extremely important in the Islamic discourse and in this conference, speakers put a lot of emphasis on ‘mercy’ and how the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was sent as a ‘mercy’ to mankind.

Let’s Talk Palestine! (Part 3)

By Afreen Rizvi

The first part of this series discussed the Balfour Declaration signed by Arthur Balfour a century ago, and how the rights of the Palestinians were usurped because of this very document. The second part of this series explored the roots of Zionism and how the destructive Israeli policies directly correlate to colonialism; and the final part of this series will analyse the impact of Israeli terrorism and the importance of embracing our Islamic responsibilities when witnessing the struggle of our Palestinian brethren.

To begin, the mainstream media are very clever when it comes to displaying any news regarding the current state of Palestine – especially the BBC. We always hear of Palestinians “stabbing” and “attacking” IDF soldiers, but we never hear of what transpired before this. We seldom hear stories of how IDF soldiers terrorise children that travel to school on a daily basis – why? Because logic will dictate that this will make Israel look bad in the eyes of the world – and of course, we can’t have that now… (!) But it is time we reclaim the narrative and expose the brutality perpetrated by Israeli soldiers, ministers, politicians and their sympathisers, most importantly it’s time we recognise and understand the culture and power of resistance. When evil and enmity is causing moral corruption on the earth we live on, we mustunderstand our duties. Appeasing the oppressors, or comprising our beliefs is something we cannot do – at any cost. This is why I struggle to fathom how interfaith initiatives involving Zionists fulfil any purpose; because in reality if we take away the fancy words and terminology, interfaith initiatives basically comprise of people sitting together and having a cup of tea (and a biscuit) discussing certain things that sound important; with no end goal. If anything, this gives Zionists the ‘go-ahead’ to continue with their evil ideology and perpetuation of terrorism. We cannot collude with those that harbour such a demonic ideology, rather we should work amongst ourselves and help each other group from strength to strength to tackle such ideologies. Let us not forget that this is eloquently mentioned by Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (as)

“To participate in the activities of the oppressors and to endeavour to achieve their evil objectives and to help them is equal to infidelity and to knowingly lean towards them is a Greater Sin and deserves Hell.” [1]

When it comes to identifying the root cause behind the injustices perpetrated towards those in Palestine, our association with Zionists essentially legitimises the oppression and torture inflicted upon the Palestinians, for it is the Zionists that stole the land from the Palestinians, and continue to murder and torment Palestinian families. Likewise, it is upon us to be cautious in which personalities and companies we endorse and support, there are various corporations that fund Israel, thus by boycotting certain companies would be a form of resistance – can you imagine if we all boycotted every single company that funds Israel, and purchased our products from other sources –  the result would be magnificent! You can check out this site, and see which companies are on the list.

In order to understand our roles and responsibilities, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the outcome we’re hoping for. For example, when working towards a deadline to submit, you set out a plan for yourself, and you give yourself time to understand the task at hand, and time to work towards the end goal you wish to attain, similarly, as activists if we remind ourselves of the goals and of our final outcome – we can collectively be victorious.

Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, our goal is to help reclaim the stolen land. 

The Holy Quran emphasises our duties and responsibilities repeatedly, but how many of us actually exhaust our efforts in this regard? You see, the problem is, we often become far too invested in ourselves that we neglect the world around us, but it’s never too late – and there’s so much we can do collectively and individually. Given that the vast majority of us are social media users, let’s use it to support the Palestinian cause. As an activist, sometimes we forget the importance of educating and propagating the message – arguably the most important element of activism. We organise protests and demonstrations, yet we fail to educate those that are unfortunately unaware of the crisis. So, I would implore everyone to dedicate some of their time to enlightening others on the social media platform in regards to the Palestinian conflict. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are used by millions (if not, billions) of users every day, and given the deliberate misinformation (aka fake news) that is spread consecutively – we need to do our utmost best in this day and age to spread the truth, across various platforms.

This week, over 60 UK parliamentarians urged the British government to take action against Gaza’s worsening humanitarian emergency; and whilst this is a great step, we need to continue to lobby our MP’s and other government representatives, to ensure our demands are met and the people of Palestine are given their dignity and freedom.

As constituents, we have the right to communicate with our MP’s and local elected representatives, and we need to continue to mount pressure on our government when it comes to the issue of Palestine. Politicians such as Jeremy Corbyn will always support such causes, but we need to work towards ensuring other MPs follow in the same footsteps. When writing to your MP, demand a written response, if you’re unhappy with the response they provide – write back to them again, but never give in or allow them to silence you. Our pressure and resistance are mandatory.

Why is the Muslim world silent?

You would think that a group of people who share your faith that are being oppressed would be assisted by their brethren – but not in the case of Palestine, sadly – purely because oil, dollars and power holds more priority for some Muslim leaders and nations. However, when it comes to The Islamic Republic of Iran this is not the case, for the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei has always called on Muslims to stand by the Palestinians, and has always stated that Zionists pose a bigger threat to the region than we can imagine. Therefore our foresight when it comes to socio-politcial and economical issues is vital.

“Today the issue of Palestine is the most fundamental issue of the world Islam and it is intertwined with the destiny of non-Palestinians throughout the world of Islam. Government officials of Islamic countries should not think that if they leave the people of Palestine in the brutal clutches of their enemies, Israel would leave Muslim governments alone after it swallows up Palestine – of course, such a thing will never happen.” – Sayed Ali Khamenei [2]

Ayatollah Khamenei has also mentioned:

Our position on the issue of Palestine is a clear position. We support the Palestinian nation. We support the liberation of Palestine. We support the idea of putting an end to the transgression of the aggressors to the Palestinian lands. We say that the people of Palestine do not have security in their own homes. Islam is against such conditions and so are we, even if other countries sit at the negotiation table and sell Palestine to the enemies. But they should know that Muslim people and the Palestinian nation will never sell Palestine to the enemy. [3]

Both statements emphasise the importance of our Islamic responsibilities when it comes to Palestine. Whilst Saudi Arabia and Israel maintain their ties and ideology, let us look to Iran for inspiration in supporting the cause effectively. To conclude, we often feel pressured into ignoring political issues and feel that we may be silenced, but having full reliance in the Almighty is paramount, especially when a plethora of evil entities are working to destroy our beliefs and our fundamental principles. When it comes to the issue of Palestine, stand up and speak out fearlessly.

Author: Afreen Rizvi

How Trump became laughing stock at UN

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN - U.S. President Donald Trump took the podium of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and delivered a bombastic speech that drew mocking laugher from the world leaders. In his characteristic foolhardy manner, Trump rejected the ideology of globalism and denounced multilateralism, forgetting that he was speaking from the stage of the global body that endorses both globalism and multilateralism. But, we can expect that from the man with foot-in-mouth syndrome.

Trump began his speech with unabashed self-praise, talking about the “extraordinary progress” his administration has made in less than two years, “more than almost any administration in the history of our country”. With these words, the jam-packed assembly broke out in spontaneous derisive laughter. “Didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s okay,” he reacted, drawing more laughter. The world’s greatest summit briefly appeared like a comedy show.  

Lot of the participants could be seen suppressing their laughter while Trump was quite pompously hailing his government’s ‘accomplishments’, citing fictitious data like $10 trillion wealth added in his tenure, jobless claims at 50-year low, 4 million new jobs, half a million manufacturing jobs. Perhaps he thought he was speaking at a kindergarten to a bunch of nursery students, who would accept his figments of imagination as gospel truth.

He went on to say that his administration was “standing up for America” and “standing up for the world”, adding that America would always choose “independence and cooperation over global governance, control, and domination”. He needs to be reminded of what his country’s founding father Abraham Lincoln famously said. “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

The history of U.S. imperialism is replete with stories of violent invasions, unilateral military strikes, gory massacres and socio-cultural aggression. Trump is only following on the footsteps of his predecessors by trying to impose the writ of U.S. on other countries, aiding and abetting global terrorism, imposing draconian economic sanctions, announcing trade and tariff wars, and issuing vile threats to countries that refuse to pledge allegiance to the ‘Big Satan’.

He further talked about his “highly productive conversations” with Chairman Kim of North Korea to pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and said the nuclear testing has stopped and military facilities are being dismantled there. It is very naïve of Trump and his speech-writers to even think that North Korea would pursue denuclearization under the U.S. pressure. But, it certainly goes to show how desperately the Trump administration wants the world to be its colony.

Then he referred to the Middle East, and his visit to Saudi Arabia last year, where he famously did that sword dance with King Salman. He said the Gulf countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar) are working with the U.S. to “fight terrorism and extremism in their own region”, and are “pursuing multiple avenues” to end Yemen war. What he really meant was that these Gulf countries are collaborating with the U.S. government to fuel global terrorism and carry out more massacres in Yemen.

Then he came to his favorite topic: Iran. While he thinks Iran has “fueled and financed” the crisis in Syria, he quite brazenly maintains that Saudi Arabia is pursuing avenues to end the Yemen war. His love affair with the King and Crowne Prince has truly turned him blind.

He accused Iranian leaders of “sowing chaos, death, and destruction” and said they do not respect their neighbors or borders, or the sovereign rights of nations. Either he needs to change his advisors and speech writers or he should revisit history to know that Iran has never attacked any foreign country while the U.S. has a history of unprovoked attacks and invasions, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said the U.S. government has launched a “campaign of economic pressure” to deny Iran the funds it needs to advance its agenda. Clearly he is taken aback by the unflinching and indomitable resistance put up by Iran against the American policy of global hegemony. For Bush, it was ‘with us or against us’. For Trump, it seems to be ‘my way or the highway’.

By imposing the crippling economic sanctions, he thinks Iran is North Korea that will be forced to bend and work out a compromise formula. He is wrong. As Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said recently, Iranians have been around for millennia and seen fall of empires, including their own, which lasted more than the life of some countries. The bluster clearly doesn’t work here.

Labeling Iran as the “world’s leading sponsor of terrorism” is not only hilarious but preposterous. It is educative to recollect what George Orwell said in his classic 1946 essay ‘Politics and the English Language’. “Words of this kind are often used in a consciously dishonest way. That is, the person who uses them has his own private definition, but allows his hearer to think he means something quite different.”

To cut the long story short, the “agenda of aggression and expansion” belongs to Washington, not Tehran, and it’s illustrated by the way America’s allies are slowly turning away from it, including some European countries.  The unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal was a gamble that backfired and exposed the duplicity and hypocrisy of Trump and his cohorts.

One of the main goals of pulling out from the deal was to please the powerful, influence-peddling, pro-Israel lobby in Washington. Interestingly, in his UN speech, Trump mentioned three countries before signing off: India, Saudi Arabia and Israel. He said India was “a free society with over a billion people”, in Saudi King Salman and MBS were “pursuing bold new reforms” and Israel was “proudly celebrating its 70th anniversary as a thriving democracy”.
India is a free story? Saudi will have bold reforms? Israel is a thriving country? This speech deserves award for the best fiction of the year.

Kushner was behind clandestine Saudi-Israeli alliance: Bob Woodward’s book

Jared Kushner is seen at the Royal Court after US President Donald Trump
received the Order of Abdulaziz al-Saud medal in Riyadh on May 20, 2017. 

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was behind the clandestine alliance between Israel and Saudi Arabia, American investigative journalist Bob Woodward has claimed in his new book, “Fear.”

According to Woodward, Kushner pushed this plan despite the opposition of some senior White House officials, namely Defense Secretary James Mattis, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and then-National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.

Kushner started working on a Tel Aviv–Riyadh alliance shortly after President Trump captured the White House in early 2017, suggesting that the president’s first foreign trip would include visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel, the journalist wrote.

Woodward stated that Kushner had stronger ties to the most senior officials in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet.

PressTV-‘Kushner takes secret trip to Saudi’

Jared Kushner, the Jewish senior adviser and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, has reportedly taken a secret trip to Saudi Arabia, marking his third visit to the monarchy this year.

He added that Kushner faced constant challenges from senior US officials over who should be the top Saudi official to work with.

Woodward wrote that senior US intelligence officials wanted former intelligence chief and crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef to work for the US but Kushner preferred Mohammed bin Salman.

Kushner “had important and reliable intelligence that the key to Saudi Arabia was the deputy crown prince, the charismatic 31-year-old Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS,” Woodward reported.

“The message from them was that Kushner better be careful,” Woodward wrote about Kushner’s rivals in the White House. “The real solid guy was the current crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, who was known as MBN. He was the king’s nephew credited with dismantling Al-Qaida in the Kingdom as head of the Interior Ministry. Showing favoritism to the younger MBS would cause friction in the royal family,” Woodward noted. 

PressTV-Bin Salman, Netanyahu met secretly in Amman: Report

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have held secret meetings in Jordan, Israel's Maariv newspaper reports.

Woodward wrote that Tillerson believed that “engagement with MBS should be taken with a grain of salt. The US could work hard on a summit, and in the end have nothing.”

In June 2017, bin Salman replaced his cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as the first in line to the Saudi throne. Nayef is reportedly under house arrest. 

The young prince then launched a self-promotion campaign meant to consolidate his grip to power, as part of which hundreds of royals and high-profile business man were arrested and tortured over “corruption” charges. Most of them were later released under hefty cash settlements with Riyadh.

Bin Slaman has also tried to portray himself as a “reformist” and advocate of women’s rights by introducing a string of economic and social changes.

Under bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, the kingdom has stepped up its overtures towards Israel.

I’m Arab and Many of Us Are Glad That Trump Won

By Omar Kamel

It’s not that we see Trump any differently. Trump is an egotistical racist misogynist who, in a rational world, shouldn’t be in any position of power. Then again, neither should Hillary Clinton. We watched from afar (as ‘afar’ as the internet allows anyhow) as the 2016 presidential campaign rolled on, and, at first, we wanted Bernie Sanders to win, and were very glad to see just how much support he managed to get, but then, Bernie did two Very Bad Things; he said he was okay with Obama’s Blacklist and his usage of drone strikes, and he said that he’d support Clinton if he didn’t get the nomination. Some people held on to Bernie, but for many of us, for me, that was it. Bernie might still have claimed to be ‘better’, but he certainly couldn’t claim to be ‘good’. We also watched the political establishment ignore Bernie and shove Clinton ahead of the self described ‘socialist’. We watched as even people like John Oliver and the entire cast of Saturday Night Live attacked Trump viciously and tried to pave the way to a Clinton victory. Oliver even took it upon himself to attack and ridicule minor candidates like Stein & Johnson, but not Clinton. We watched as so-called liberals and so-called democrats made Clinton out to be a hero. We watched as all those people bent over backwards and pretended that Clinton was one of the good guys because they felt compelled to pick between the ‘lesser of two evils’. It was pathetic. There’s a bit of fatalism involved here, to be sure, and a deep level of cynicism. Many of us feel that if America could not choose the best option, then it deserved the worst. Also, there’s a harsh desire for rough truth, rather than hypocritical garnish. In a sense, many Americans are Trump, but most of them like to think of themselves as closer in character to who Clinton (falsely) claims to be; liberal, democratic, leftist, humane, charitable, kind. There are some who faced the facts honestly, and admitted that, for all intents and purposes, Clinton was a criminal and a manipulator who plays ball with the worst human rights offenders on the planet (Saudi Arabia and Israel, for example) and relies on their financial and political support. They understood that when promising to continue Obama’s legacy, Clinton is in fact promising to kill another 4,000 innocent Pakistanis by drone strikes in an illegal attempt to murder untried ‘terrorists’. They understand that this is a woman for whom Madeline Albright is a role model, and Kissinger is an icon, a woman who started out Republican before swapping sides and acting as though she were a Democrat, most likely because she realized that, as a woman, she could go farther as a Democrat. This is a liar who claims to have been dodging sniper fire in a foreign land when she was being greeted with flowers. Throughout the campaign, Clinton supporters have turned a blind eye to her failings. Somehow they were more horrified by what Trump may do than what Clinton already has done. So yeah, we weren’t very excited about a Clinton victory. Nothing would change. America would continue to think itself a progressive democracy that voted in first a black man, and then a woman. The demon would continue to wear a passable face, remain…presentable. We do not think Trump is any better, but we think a Trump victory would force the USA to admit to what it has become, and would allow other countries around the world to react appropriately now that the cover has been blown. JFK put on a good mask but behind the mask he was a lying adulterer who lifted the weapons embargo on Israel, allowing the US to supply it with the weapons used against Palestinians. The so-called ‘Special Relationship’ between the USA and Israel began with JFK. His smile and charm, however, make people, even in the Arab world, look back on him with fondness. Bill Clinton was the same, all charm and smiles while he signed off on the use of military force against Americans on American soil (in Waco), and pushed the Palestinians through Oslo, and then later, in his impeachment hearings, pretended the word ‘is’ was ambiguous. The Bill Clinton I remember was an arrogant liar and a murderer, not a charming man at all. The latest in this series of supposed good guys is Obama, proudly black, but closer to what Malcolm X referred to as a ‘house nigger’. Obama did not stop the war machine, and did not close down Guantanamo. Drone usage during Obama’s time has gone up exponentially, but…he performs beautifully; he cries when school shootings take place, he laughs at himself with an anger translating sketch, he dances and raps to your pleasure, he seems cool and laid back, a great dad, a fun guy. To tens of thousands of Pakistanis though, Obama is nothing but a cold blooded murderer. To Egyptians he is just another in a long line of US presidents who support a military dictatorship, supplying it with money and weapons. To people in Yemen (the poorest Arab country), he is the man who has helped supply Saudi Arabia (ostensibly the most fascist country on Earth) with more than $100 billion in weapons with which they have destroyed Yemen. To millions of people around the world he is a bomb that happens to have a smile painted on it. And now, finally, rather than suffer the pretense of progress under a female president, America has voted for Trump. Good. Lay bare the racism, lay bare the arrogance, lay bare the lies and the brutalities. Face yourselves, see yourselves, and then maybe, maybe, things will change…