A War against All of Us

Tuesday, July 18, 2006
By: Tashbih Sayyed

There are currently two wars pulling the world apart. The first is the global jihad in which radical Islamists are confronting the rest of the world. The second is the intra-religious struggle between Shiite Islam, led by Iran, and Sunni Islam, represented by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, in a fight for regional domination. It is this conflict that has pushed the Middle East into the latest crisis.
Iran, which is an integral part of the global jihad, is determined to establish itself as the regional superpower but its Shiite government in a Sunni region is a major obstacle. But there is one major factor working in Iran's favor: whereas the masses of the region are anti-west, anti-Semitic, and totally committed to the destruction of the Jewish state, their Sunni governments have not shown the same zeal and commitment. In all the wars that the Arab governments launched against Israel, the Jewish state defeated them decisively.

As a result that Muslim masses long for leaders who have the courage to stand up to the Judeo-Christian powers. They are waiting for another Saladin, who defeated the crusaders in Jerusalem in 1187 C.E. Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to be that leader. He knows his Muslim history and its numerous examples where otherwise incompetent leaders like Gemal Abdul Nasser of Egypt won the love and loyalty of the masses just by defying the West and challenging the US

The leaders of the global jihad understand the willingness of a Muslim world that suffers from an acute sense of failure and a lasting inferiority complex to applaud anyone who takes on the Judeo-Christian powers. Many Muslims need to be assured that their leaders will not sell themselves for Western approval and are capable of fighting and humiliating the "infidels" in the name of Islam.

Iran's record in fighting invaders, resisting foreign influences, and expelling those who would exploit its resources is long and makes it a legitimate candidate for the leadership of global jihad. Since its Revolution, Iran has not betrayed its past and has been defying the Western powers, the United States in particular, since the very first day. The Muslim world recognizes this and Iran now wants to use this to win the Arabs' support. Iran's leaders are certain that if they can convince the Arab people that they are serious in their pledge to destroy the Jewish state and humiliate the United States, the Arabs will support them in their bid for regional leadership.

To win this intra-religious war, Iran is wooing each and every anti-West voice in the world. From Saudi-backed Hamas in the Palestinian Authority territories to Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia have all in one way or the other been benefited from Iran's ambitions. But the most trusted and capable group in Iran's army is Hezbollah in Lebanon. The weakness of Lebanon's central government has helped Hezbollah entrench itself as a state within a state. And Iran, with the help of Hezbollah, has positioned itself in the Middle East to sustain a long and arduous struggle.

Global jihad is waged both by states that support it openly and the non-state elements that appear to be operating on their own. Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Lashkar Taiba, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jamaat e Islami and the Muslim Brotherhood are all non-state participants in jihad, while Iran represents the state component. It participates both directly and indirectly in global jihad. By contrast, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states only use their proxies.

Iran uses its proxies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Britain, Latin America, the U.S., Palestine, Syria and Lebanon to further its ends. And both these components of global jihad use terror to reassure their followers that the good old days of jihad, when Islam could vanquish all adversaries, are back.

Aware of the fact that it is surrounded by countries dominated by Wahhabism, the Saudi version of Islam that considers Shiites as heretics and therefore unfit to lead the Muslims, Shiite Iran under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is determined to outmaneuver the Sunni world by establishing itself as the true leader in the global jihad and the only true champion of the Palestinian cause to destroy Israel.

The actions and diatribes of Iran's President Ahmadinejad are aimed at satisfying just such a sentiment. He had the attention of the Muslim world when he called for Israel to be wiped off the map and claimed that the Holocaust never happened. A growing proportion of the Muslim world now looks to him to restore honor and dignity to Islam.

Coalition failure to impose some kind of stability in Iraq, the emergence of Hamas as an elected power in Palestinian Authority territories, and a weak central government in Lebanon provided global jihad with a chance to test the will and the resolve of the U.S. and learn how far it is willing to going in thwarting the ambitions of jihadists.

Jihad in Iraq has proved to its constituents that it can successfully wage a war of attrition on the United States of America and keep it bogged down for some time. Taking advantage of the situation in Iraq, Hamas launched its offensive against the state of Israel and then Iran, in a show of its solidarity with Hamas, encouraged Hezbollah to open a second front from southern Lebanon.

All this illustrates a number of things. First, the present war in the Middle East is in reality a war against the United States of America. Second, failed states and those with weak central governments will be used by global jihad against the U.S. which is why the world must help the central government in Lebanon to become truly sovereign. And third, Israel is in its 59th year of defending its life. It must not be asked to use restrain in this war to expel the enemies either from Gaza or its northern borders.