by Eze Eluchie,
Of what
concern is the issue of who are the genuine successors to Prophet Mohammed (Peace
Be Upon Him) to the potato farmer in the rural areas of Custer, Idaho? How does
the veneration of some clerics as saints by some Muslims impact on a
Stock Broker in Wall Street? Of what relevance is the observance of Ashura, if
any, to an auto-worker in Michigan? Considering
the openly partial slant being portrayed by the current United States
administration of Donald Trump, as exhibited in Mr. Trump’s first official
state visit in favour of one of the two main sects of Islam, the questions
raised above will soon become of high interest to Americans whose activities
have a bearing on international affairs.
The root of
the schisms between the two largest sects of the Islamic faith, the Sunni’s and
Shiites (Shi’a) sects, dates back to the political succession to the mantle of
leadership of the Islamic faith after the demise of the founder of the faith,
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). This religious conflict has grown over the years and has
been capitalized upon by extremist elements on both sects to found the present
day gory spectre of extremist Islamist fundamentalists and terror which the
world is now beset with. Presently, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) ruled by the
Al-Saud dynasty with its extreme adherence to Wahhabi-Sunni school of thought serves
as arrow-head for the propagation of Sunni Islam philosophies whilst the
Republic of Iran with its veneration of its Supreme Rulers (the Ayatolah)
serves as bastion of the Shiite school of Islam. Without much gainsaying, Saudi
Arabia and Iran are forever, in keeping with the centuries old rift between these
principal sects of Islam, forever at daggers-drawn.
Over the
centuries, the two sects have been involved in extremely bloody battles of
supremacy to outwit one another with the hatred between the two sects deepening
with passage of time, spreading beyond the Middle East to places as far flung
away as Nigeria and Malaysia. Some of the bloodiest wars between the two sects
in recent history have included the Iraq (Sunni) – Iran (Shiite) wars, and the ongoing
civil wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Historically
lured on by the fragrance of cheap crude oil, US leaders have, despite its extreme
non-adherence to and absolute disregard of international human right norms, tended
to align with oil-rich Saudi Arabia, and by extension, Sunni Islam, in US
activities in the Middle East to the detriment of members of the Shiite sect. This
has directly led to continuing US suspicion of and tension with Iran. The suspicion
and tension between the US and Iran is further exacerbated by the recent
history of US support for draconian rule by Iran’s last Shah (Muhammad Pahlavi)
and the subsequent Iranian seizure of US diplomats in Iran (from November 1979 - January1981). Iran's insistence on developing what the Islamic Republic's leaders terms 'nuclear powers for peaceful uses' further serves as reason to breed discord with the US and Sunni Muslim states.
The recent
sale by the US to KSA of military hardware in excess of US$100 Billion (in an environment where
KSA’a main adversary is Iran); choice of KSA as the very first destination in President
Trump’s very symbolic first foreign travel, and direct US military attacks at Iran-supported
militia engaged in the conflicts in Iraq, Yemen and Syria under the pretext of
a war against terror (despite the fact that the main Islamist terror organizations
that have attacked US interests are Sunni, such as: al Qaeda, ISIS and Al
Nusra) , unequivocally signals to Iran, and by extension, Shiites all over the
world that under President Trump, an undeniable and explicit preference has
been made in the centuries old conflict between the two major sects of Islam.
Labouring
under the illusion that some targeted missile strikes and sale of sophisticated
weapons will tilt centuries-old war dating back to 15th century one
way or the other is at best myopic and at worst may lead to unsavoury
consequences in locations far removed from the Middle East. The Iran-bashing past time which President Trump raised to US policy during his address to a cross-section of Muslim leaders assembled for him by KSA during the course of his first foreign visit merely deepens mistrust and suspicion. This is perhaps
why, soon enough, many Americans may have to understudy and learn about the
differences between the Sunni and Shiite sects and why the partial inclinations
being exhibited by the Trump administration between the two sects is very much ill-advised.
Picture: President
Trump joins in the Sword-dance with his Saudi hosts during his recent visit to Saudi
Arabia.
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