Eloquent Incoherence

The BBC’s West Bank correspondent Paul Adams offers some excellent insight into the recent conflict in Gaza and the deep divisions within the Palestinian leadership. Adams discusses Hamas’ takeover of Gaza and Fatah’s subsequent consolidation of its authority in the West Bank within the context of the 1993 Oslo Accords, which allowed Fatah leaders to return from exile and assume internationally-recognized, albeit limited, civil authority over the West Bank and Gaza. According to Adams, the new arrivals from Fatah arrogantly brushed aside Palestinian leaders that had held the fort in their absence and openly flaunted their misappropriation of the foreign aid they received as part of the Accords, construcing extravagant villas for themselves in the heart of impoverished neighborhoods. This corruption and ineptitude caused widespread disillusionment and spurred the rise of Hamas, which culminated with its surprising victory in the January 2006 elections and predicated the current crisis. The shocking manner in which Hamas fighters executed their Fatah adversaries and looted the property of Fatah leaders in Gaza was thus as much an act of revenge and reprisal as it was a show of force.

In any case, the degeneration of the Palestinian struggle into a gangland-style war between factions is much simpler than the “Fatah good, Hamas bad” dichotomy often portrayed in the media. But that’s not good news; judging by their actions since taking power, Hamas likely won’t fare any better than their rivals did. Hamas brought little relief to the Palestinians during its tenure as part of the short-lived unity government. Though it persisted in refusing to recognize Israel despite the crippling economic sanctions its position brought on, Hamas presented no practical alternative path to resolving the crisis.   And, as explained by BBC correspondent Jeremy Bowen, there’s little indication that Hamas’ leadership can control the masked gunmen that now patrol the streets of Gaza. Despite the apparent reality that neither side has a coherent vision for the future, nobody seems willing to back down. And so the tragedy of Palestine continues to unfold.

According to this article, the ongoing escalation of Shi’a-Sunni tensions is the result of American efforts to foster and encourage sectarian infighting in the Muslim World. The article claims that the campaign is part of the United States’ anti-Iran policy and is supported by the Arab regimes, who perceive Iran as their biggest threat and rival in the Middle East.

Although I agree with such claims insofar as they are presented as a political analysis, Muslims often exhibit a troubling tendency to attribute sectarian violence exclusively to external forces while ignoring the Muslim role in perpetuating it. There comes a point where we Muslims need to take responsibility for our own shortcomings. Our enemies do indeed have an interest in fostering hatred and distrust between Shi’a and Sunnis, but we’re the ones who are giving them ample opportunities to do so. It’s not Americans who are attacking Shi’a Ashura processions. It’s not Americans who are gunning down worshipers in Shi’a masajid. It’s not Americans who are issuing fatawa pronouncing takfir (excommunication) on the Shi’a, calling them “al-Rawafidh” (the deviants), and deeming them worse than the Jews and Christians. And it’s not Americans who are inspired by these fatawa to perpetrate such horrible crimes. Even here in the United States, many Shi’a can share stories about how they’ve been kicked out of Sunni masajid and discriminated against by their Sunni “brothers”. At some Sunni masajid in the West (usually those with strong Salafi contingents), anti-Shi’a propaganda (usually published by Saudi-backed “da’wah” centers) can be found among the newsletters, fliers, and other materials left for distribution after Friday prayer. Although the majority of Muslims do not harbor hatred toward the Shi’a, this alarming prevalence of anti-Shi’a violence and rhetoric indicates that there are serious problems in our Ummah. Even if external forces are behind such nonsense, whom must we ultimately blame if Muslims are doing the dirty work?

Does the United States manipulate and exacerbate divisions in the Muslim World to serve its own ends? Of course it does. But this is nothing new; these are the same tactics European colonialists used to bring most of the Muslim World under Western domination a century ago. At some point, we need to look inward and acknowledge some painful realities about our own issues. Blaming every problem on America is a counter-productive form of denial and self-delusion.

As if the situation in Iraq couldn’t get any worse, Iraqi and American forces say they foiled an assassination plot targeting Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and other Shi’a religious leaders. 250 fighters were killed in the operation. The plot was apparently part of a broader attempt by a militia to gain control of the city of Najaf, home of the Imam Ali Shrine. The plot was timed to coincide with Ashura, a holy day on which the Shi’a stage public processions to mark the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) grandson Hussain.

When I first heard this news, I figured it was just another instance of Sunni extremists attacking the Shi’a on their holy day. But the plot was apparently the work of a group called the Jund as-Samaa (”Soldiers of Heaven”), some kind of messianic cult. This was the first instance I’ve heard of an Iraqi insurgent group (or resistance movement, depending on your perspective) being referred to by the media as a cult. According to CNN, the group contained both Shi’a and Sunni elements, and its leader (who was killed in the fighting) claimed to be the Mahdi, a messiah whom Muslims believe will emerge near the end of time to restore peace and justice in the world (although both the Shi’a and the Sunnis believe in the concept of the Mahdi, the idea figures much more prominently in Shi’a thought). I can’t seem to find much more information about this particular group or why they wanted to kill Sistani; all the media reports I’ve read are vague on the matter. It’s certainly a bizarre and alarming turn of events. The fact that this movement was able to attract hundreds of followers is an indication of how desperate the situation in Iraq has become; apparently, some Iraqis have taken the ongoing violence as a sign of the apocalypse.

In any event, I’m glad the plot was foiled. Sistani is the highest-ranking Shi’a religious leader in the world. Unlike the Sunnis, the Shi’a have a tightly-structured, hierarchical system of religious authority similar to Catholicism. Sistani’s assassination might have plunged the entire region into all-out war, and would have exacerbated Shi’a-Sunni tensions across the Muslim World. Sistani is also one of the few voices of reason in the ongoing struggle for Iraq’s future, and his assassination would have dealt a tremendous blow to the prospects for peace in Iraq any time soon.

People in Luckanow, a village in the Indian province of Bihar, are renaming their children Saddam Hussein in honor of the “martyred” Iraqi dictator.

Condoleeza Rice met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday. Abdullah used his audience with Condi to call for more US interference in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (because US interference has so far obviously yielded great results for the Palestinians), and also begged Rice to consider thinking about possibly contemplating involving the Sunnis more in Iraq. According to Abdullah, “[a]ny political process that doesn’t ensure the participation of all segments of Iraqi society will fail and will lead to more violence.” Of course, that doesn’t apply to Abdullah’s own country, where critics of the King are are often subject to arbitrary detention and torture (they might get a trial if they’re lucky).

It boggles my mind how the Hashemites are still in power in Jordan. This man (along with his father and grandfather) is quite possibly the biggest joke of a ruler ever in the history of the Muslim World (and proof positive that being a descendant of the Prophet SAW doesn’t necessarily make someone a good person). Of the Arab regimes directly installed by Britain or France following the post-World War I breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Jordan’s is the only one that still remains. Perhaps it’s unsurprising then, that the Hashemite Kingdom’s legacy has been one of treason, betrayal, deceit, and treachery.

Romania and Bulgaria officially become members of the European Union at midnight tonight. Both are former communist states and members of the Warsaw Pact. Both are relatively poor nations whose GDP per capita is about 33 percent of the EU average. Both have governments that are chronically plagued by corruption and mismanagement. And yet, none of these concerns were deemed serious enough to block Bulgaria and Romania’s entry into the EU.

Contrast this with Turkey. Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952. Its economy is comparable to those of Bulgaria and Romania, and has grown at a faster rate. It has maintained the same system of government since 1923. Its cultural influence on Southeastern Europe (including Bulgaria and Romania) dates back several centuries. And it has sought entry into the European Union since 1987, when Bulgaria and Romania were still under communist governments.

There are many concerns cited by European officials who oppose Turkish membership in the EU. Some of these are legitimate, such as Turkey’s treatment of its ethnic Kurds and its refusal to recognize the government of Cyprus. However, others, such as its relatively weak economy and assertions that it isn’t sufficiently ‘Western’, are questionable in light of the accession of two poor, former communist nations. Other objections to Turkey’s entry are flagrantly hypocritical, such as concerns over its commitment to free speech. While Turkish laws criminalizing the expression of certain political views are indeed outrageous, are they any more so than Holocaust denial laws, which exist in prominent EU nations France, Germany, and Spain? Similarly, if Turkey’s acknowledgment of a genocide committed by a previous regime should be a condition to its entry, then why was France never pressured to acknowledge its collaboration with the Nazis as a condition to its entry?

As a Muslim, I have mixed feelings about Turkey’s EU dreams. On the one hand, the accession of a prominent Muslim nation to the EU could be a positive step in improving relations between the West and the Muslim World. On the other hand, Turkey’s desperate courting of the EU is yet another chapter in the sad story of its dramatic transformation from a vanguard of Islamic civilization to a fanatically secular state hostile to all things Islamic. I hope the success of the AKP is an indication that Turkey may embrace a moderate form of secularism and that its accession to the EU would have positive consequences for Islam and Muslims.

(Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein during a visit to Baghdad in 1982)

Now that Saddam is gone, we should reflect on where his power came from and what responsibility those who supported him bear for his atrocities. These thoughts should influence how much we trust our leaders when they wage wars and make enemies and friends in the name of “freedom” and “democracy”.

(courtesy of Abu Sinan)

Rabbis in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak have signed a statement declaring it forbidden for Jews to sell or rent property to Arabs. The statement echoes sentiments expressed in racist fliers distributed in the city last month. The Hebrew-language fliers read:

Our homes have become non-Jewish. In Pardes Katz, there are hostile Arabs, not of our people, who have brought to our streets intermarriage, destruction and fear… We must not agree to an atmosphere so dangerous to our souls and bodies! We cannot allow them to destroy the education of the youth in our neighborhood!

But I guess it doesn’t matter, since 68 percent of Israelis already refuse to live in the same apartment building as an Arab.

This latest bit of racist bile comes on the heels of Israel’s bombing of Lebanon this past summer, during which the Yesha Rabbinical Council declared, “according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as ‘innocents’ of the enemy.” Perhaps Yesha’s ‘fatwa’ is simply a reflection of the prevailing attitude toward non-Jewish life within the Israeli Defense Forces, as evidenced by the alarming practice of IDF soldiers posing for pictures with dead Palestinians (Of course, CNN somehow missed all of these incidents, though they did report on this in great detail)

How is it that racism and religious extremism are so pervasive in the “only democracy in the Middle East”? I wonder if MEMRI will translate and distribute these statements…

(courtesy of KabobFest)

According to news reports, Saddam Hussein was executed at 6:00 AM this morning. State-run Iraqiyya TV is reporting the execution with the byline, “Saddam’s execution marks the end of a dark period of Iraq’s history.” With that sentiment, I agree. Saddam was a brutal tyrant who will surely not be missed (especially by the Shi’a and the Kurds). Unfortunately, the darker period that has followed it–that of the American occupation–has no end yet in sight.

Reflecting on the war, Saddam’s fall, and the current situation, I’m reminded of the maxim that pervades much of classical Sunni political thought: “sixty years of tyranny are better than one night of civil strife.”

Israel killed three times as many Palestinians (660 to be exact) in 2006 as it did in 2005, according to annual statistics published by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. Meanwhile, the number of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants dropped from 50 in 2005 to 23 in 2006. In addition, 9,075 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli jails, of which 345 are minors and 738 have not been informed of the charges against them, if any.