Not Ignorance, But Feigned Ignorance:
Iran And Its Exploitation Of The Shiite Card
14 Jan 2012By Mshari al-Zaydi
Amidst the clamour of the so-called "Arab Spring", it
would be incredibly naïve to deny the existence of a
significant overlap between the internal and the
external, the international and the regional, the
sectarian and the nationalist, the secular and the
religious, and the imaginary and the real.
Iran, with the "resistance" camp alongside it, has its
own calculations and interpretations on these events.
Iran wants to direct matters along its desired path.
Thus, it considers what is happening in Syria to be an
American – Zionist – Gulf conspiracy against the
"hero" Bashar al-Assad and his regime. Meanwhile, it
regarded what occurred in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and
Libya as pure and virtuous revolutions inspired by
Imam Khomeini.
Iran, together with the supporters of politicized
Shiite religious parties across the world, deemed what
happened in Bahrain to be a legitimate revolution
seeking to topple the regime and establish an Islamic
republic, under the guise of the Arab Spring which has
become a new pretext for any old agenda. We saw the
national flag of Bahrain being hoisted in the Iraqi
cities of Najaf and Karbala during the recent
religious festival of Ashoura, attended by millions of
Shiite followers.
To rule out this external dimension, represented
primarily by Iran and its exploitation of the Shiite
card in the Gulf region, is not out of ignorance, but
rather feigned ignorance.
As the pressure on the Syrian regime intensified, we
saw a member of the regime's militia (the Shabiha)
appearing on Addounia TV, the mouthpiece of al-Assad's
supporters, calling upon Iran to mobilize the Shiites
in Saudi Arabia against the state.
After the recent events in al-Qatif, Iranian cleric
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, during a Friday sermon in his
capacity as temporary Imam at Tehran University,
addressed the royal Saudi family saying: "You have to
relinquish power, leave it to the people and let them
decide on a popular government," according to Iranian
state radio.
Iranian instigation has not exclusively targeted the
Saudi arena, but it has also extended to Bahrain and
Kuwait, and to anywhere a Shiite presence exists.
However, even when a Shiite presence is not in place,
Iran has tried to invent it, as was the case with
Egypt.
Iran wants to play the Shiite card for its own benefit
in its regional battle. It does not hesitate to
exploit the country-specific demands of the Shiite
citizens, regardless of how legitimate or lawful they
might be. Iran has even gone as far as drafting Shiite
citizens into terrorist operations, in order to serve
the interests of the Iranian regime. The most recent
such operations included the killing of the Saudi
consul in Karachi, the failed attempt to blow up the
Saudi embassy and the Bahrain Bridge, as uncovered by
Qatar, and the targeting of the Saudi ambassador in
Washington. In previous years, we can cite the blasts
at the Khobar Towers in 1996, the hijacking of Kuwaiti
planes in the 1980s, the bombing of the Sadaf Company
in 1988, and the events during the 1987 Hajj,
alongside many other incidents. Thus we can only be
amazed at the total ignorance displayed in a recently
issued statement, signed by some Saudi citizens. The
statement relates to the Qatif incidents, and denies
the existence of external interference there. It also
condemns the act of blaming foreign influences and
connections, and questioning people's allegiance to
the country under regional or international banners.
To be frank, Iranian foreign intervention is crystal
clear, and such rhetoric does nothing to hide this.
The following question remains: Is there a need to
establish and consolidate the principle of true
citizenship, and abolish sectarian discrimination?
The answer is a decisive "yes". In this context, I
hope that Gulf Shura Councils and parliaments,
especially the Saudi Shura Council, issue a draft law
punishing the incitement of hatred, whether sectarian
or non-sectarian.
No sane and loyal person would argue against the
importance of such a step. However, turning a blind
eye to the Iranian threat and the outrageous
exploitation of the national demands of the Gulf's
Shiite communities leaves us facing one of two
interpretations: Either we have become immersed in
Iranian propaganda under the pretext that everything
is permissible in the Arab Spring, or we have returned
to the theories of resistance and opposition that have
poisoned the media atmosphere over the past decade,
thanks to Mohammed Hassanein Heikal and his disciples
across the region.
A Saudi journalist and expert on Islamic
movements and Islamic fundamentalism as well as Saudi
affairs. Mshari is Asharq Al-Awsat's opinion page
Editor, where he also contributes a weekly column. Has
worked for the local Saudi press occupying several
posts at Al -Madina newspaper amongst others. He has
been a guest on numerous news and current affairs
programs as an expert on Islamic extremism
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EsinIslam.Com
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