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Sectarian differences, even clashes, are nothing new within the Muslim
world. Before the fall of Ottoman Empire, some 100 years ago, this rift was
confined within the scholarly circles and academics of the Muslim World. It
never presented an existential threat to the stability of any Muslim land. But
right after the fall of Ottoman Empire, the seeds of present crisis were spread
when Muslim lands were divided based on Arab nationalism. With this
artificial division, these sectarian differences turned into a complex
transnational phenomenon, threatening the stability of the entire region.
Historically, this is unprecedented. In modern geopolitics, this phenomenon
has become a centrifugal force tearing apart multiple Muslim societies and
the states.
Geopolitical challenges in Middle East are much compounded than what
meets the eye. Beneath this ostensibly single-faceted sectarian strife, hidden
dynamics ranging political history of the region to the geopolitical
ambitions of global power players are covertly shaping this entire conflict.
Presenting this geopolitical contest as a mere sectarian conflict is part of a
much larger scheme of things.
This paper is a quest in putting the sectarian dimension of ensuing
pandemonium in the entire Middle East into a larger perspective of global
politics through retrospective analysis of various historic and contemporary
political developments. This essay also examines the phenomenon of takfir
within various sects of Shia and Sunni and suggests some steps which can
provide the basis for a more inclusive social-political regional strategy to put
this venomous sidewinder back in the hibernation which has been wreaking
havoc in multiple Muslim states!
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Before analyzing the atrocious ideology of Takfir and its physical manifestation
i.e. sectarian violence as a tool of complex modern geopolitics, it is critical to
understand one fundamental principle. The issue of Takfir and sectarianism
cannot be seen in isolation as it is directly linked with an even bigger, older and
more perplexing phenomenon of khawarijism. These Khawarij were the first
sect in Islamic history, appeared during the rule of Prophet Muhemmed (sm) in
Madina. Before their emergence, there were no sects in Islam and only a singular
interpretation, given by Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet (sm), was considered the
final verdict about all the matters, religious or otherwise. And this is the group
who made the companions of Prophet of Islam (sm) to fight each other through
their sheer propaganda and deception prowess. These were the people, who
practically introduced the phenomenon of Takfir by declaring other Muslims
infidels including Sahabah like Umer (R.A), Usman (R.A) and Ali (R.A). They were
the people who assassinated the last three caliphs of Islam and proved to be a
strategic tool against Islam. Finally, these Khawarij were responsible for the
creation of Shia-Sunni divide among Muslim societies just to fulfill their own
political agenda which had nothing to do with Islam whatsoever!
Understanding this history of first sect in Islam along with its violent ideology
remains a critical imperative as modern day sectarian strife, in the greater
Middle East region, drives its ideological inspirations, narratives and rationale
from that early age of Islam. This also dispels another general misconception,
which has been prevalent among Muslims since centuries now, that Karbala was
the starting point of present day sectarianism. Indeed, this was not the case!
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Saudia Arabia and UAE are the biggest financial suppliers of these
sectarian militant factions. Still, the KSA and UAE are strategic partner of
Israel and the US against Palestinian.
OIC Says it cannot stop a state as small as Israel vi but the entire Arab world
has no concern fighting against much larger Syria.
The sectarian wars of the ME have reached Pakistan also. Sectarian killings
and violence has increased during the recent years.vii If you praise Iran,
you are branded as a Shia agent, else a Saudi Wahabi terrorist.
This is the insanity & complexity of the Middle East crisis. One can only be
a NATO Sunni & a Russian Shia in Syria, a NATO Arab Shia in Iraq against
Iranian Non-Arab Shia.
The Syria crisis has divided the Muslim resistance movements as well.
Hizbullah supports Bashar but Hamas is against Bashar.
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tried to oppress these forces through state power. This was the manifestation of
Cold War era geopolitics. The US and USSR both were supporting their respective
client states in Middle East. CIAs operation Cyclone in Afghanistan, along with
other similar schemes elsewhere in the world, enabled Langley to penetrate in
both Shia and Sunni militant groups using Arab agents. This has been pithily put
in words by Brig. (R) Samson Simon Sharaf
CIA also got control of Takfiris to employ against the USSR. The scenario was
often played in CENTCOM War Games warranting US intervention. Lawrence of
Arabia lived a thousand lives in these scripts.viii
Iranian Revolution was not Islamic but presented as one for political gains. Iran
continued to receive Israeli weapons to fight against Iraq who were supplied weapons by
the US in ten years long Iran-Iraq war.
Till 1990's, there were three Socialist, pro-Soviet Baathist regimes in the Middle
East. Iraq was ruled by Saddam, Syria by Hafiz ul Asad, father of Bashar and Libya
was being ruled by Qaddafi. All 3 were secular governments, which hanged,
killed, exiled hundreds of thousands of Muslims for demanding Islamic laws in
their countries. Not only this, but they tortured and killed all those Mujahideen
who returned home after Soviet Union was defeated in the gorges of Afghanistan.
After 9/11, both Iran and Syria cooperated with the CIA in its torturous rendition
programsix and now both are on top of American hit list.
Only occasion when the entire Muslim World displayed some kind of unity was
during early 1970s and 1980s when Pakistan persuaded the Arabs to use the oil
exports to the West as a strategic weapon. Ironically, almost every noticeable
leader who participated in 1974 OICs Lahore Summit met with a horrible end.
Former President of Pakistan, General Zia ul Haq, undoubtedly, was the last
leader in the entire Muslim world who tried to bring Muslim Ummah in a united
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Reaching out to both the Sunni and Shia regimes in Middle East - President Zias
diplomatic overtures for the united Islamic block
At that time, Saddam was a friend of CIA, fighting against Iran in the entire 1980's
but then became an enemy of CIA when Iraq invaded Kuwait and the first Gulf
war started. CIA used Saddam to destroy Iran and then used him again to attack
Middle East in first and second gulf wars and finally hanged him after 2004.
Through this systematic intervention in the Middle East, the US got herself in a
position to reshape the entire political map of the Middle East based on the
Sectarian lines. This is why Arabs and Egypt suffered so heavily in 1973 war
against Israel. The borders of Israel expanded while Afro-Arab states like Egypt,
Jordon and Syria shrunk.
Today, when the US intelligence apparatus in the Middle East has become too
strong to be shaken, the entire Middle East political landscape has been divided
based on what Council for Foreign Relation has called Branches of Islam,
making it almost a childs play for powerful international state and non-state
organizations or groups to manipulate whoever they want in the region!
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Branches of Islam A strategic tool in war of ideas and belief. Often employed to divide
and rule Muslims. (Source: Council on Foreign Relations)x
Various sectarian centrifugal forces tearing oil rich Muslim nation apart!
further into strategic swirl. Turkey has already announced to become part of this
war. This decision is going to have long term strategic implications for the future
ties between Ankara and Damascus.
Zionists are the real masterminds behind sectarian wars in Islamic World Even their own
confess!
Turkey has been fighting against the PKK insurgency for years now. A peace deal
was reached between Ankara and PKK. To make it a reality, special law was
approved by the Turkish government.xiii Now when ISIS is advancing towards the
Kurdish town of Kubane near the Turkish border in Syria, PKK is
asking Erdogan to fight IS if Ankara wants to save that peace treaty.xiv ISIS
creation has nothing to do with Turkey but due to this threat Turkey has been
forced to change its policy of "Zero Problems with neighbors". Turkish Prime
Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu devised this policy when he was Turkish Foreign
Minister. Turkey started to forge the regional alliances with the Middle Eastern
states and tried to end the international isolation of states like Syria and Iran. xv
But now Turkey has decided to intervene in Syria and due to this decision the
entire strategic equation has become even more delicate.
Today, Turkey stands at the same crossroad where Pakistan was after 9/11 when
General Musharraf, as President, had to decide about its Afghan policy. The
decision Turkey has taken is also similar to what Pakistan did back then and like
Pakistan, Turkey also has her own reasons. The outcome of this decision remains
an enigma for now which shall be unfolded in the coming weeks and months. The
war in Syria is going to be protracted one. Israelis would do everything to push
the ISIS brigades into Turkey turning 900 KM long Turkish-Syrian border in
another geopolitical hotspot like Pakistan-Afghan border has become!
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Pakistans first priority should be the ending of all the financial support to
military wings of sectarian outfits from the Middle Eastern states adopting
strict anti-money laundering laws and oversight practices.
Pakistans foreign policy vision must be completely non-sectarian. There
must be complete balance in Pakistans diplomatic engagements with
Riyadh and Tehran. Pakistan has already done that during in 1970s and
1980s.
Pakistan's interest lies in building the strongest regional block with
Tehran, Riyadh and Ankara. The mutual distrust of Arabs, Iranians & Turks
can only be pacified by Pakistan which historically has maintained cordial
relations with all 3 nations.
The proposed regional block must be built upon the suggestions of a
multilateral policy institution comprising on Foreign Ministers, defense
ministers, security experts and most importantly experts of Islamic Sharia
Laws and history. Inclusion of experts of Islamic Sharia and history would
be a critical imperative to develop a broad based religious counternarrative against Takfir and Khawarijism to comprehensively destroy the
militant and violent ideological edifice which both Takfiris and Kharjis
present and preach as Islamic. Once developed, this counter-narrative
must be infused in academics, education and media by each country.
Absence of such collective Islamic counter-narrative has only helped the
hostile entities to further their agenda of dividing the Muslim world on
violent sectarian lines instigating bloodshed.
Pakistan, Iran and Turkey need to revive the RCD in accordance with the
dynamically changing strategic milieu in the region. Pakistan has relied
upon the Arabs for too long now. Events transpiring around Pakistan
demand that Pakistan, Iran and Turkey to join hands to cope with these
security and political challenges if not for the security of hapless Muslims
in the Middle East, at least for their own.
Though Israeli enmity towards Arabs and non-Arab is similar but Pakistan,
being only ideological and nuclear Islamic state is prime target of Israeli
covert operations and in the world. Israel-India strategic partnership is a
vivid manifestation of Israels long term strategic planning against
Pakistan. After emergence of this dangerous nexus between Hindutva and
Zionism it is critical for Pakistan to carry out a fresh appraisal of national
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The entire sectarian chaos within the Muslim world actually is the manifestation
of collision of political interests of various governments in the region.
Unfortunately, most of these governments are working on the behest of Israel
and the West. The final strategic aim of these artificially created sectarian wars is
to protect the Israeli borders and whenever possible to expand these.
As new power centers are emerging on the grand chessboard of global politics,
new opportunities of strategic outreach for the Muslim nations are also
emerging. But to take advantage of these emerging opportunities, Muslim world
would need to get rid of Cold War era strategic thought process. For Pakistan too,
this is perhaps the only way forward to crawl out of this strategic pothole where
the state is struggling for survival on daily basis.
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Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had resisted Iranian efforts to form a united Shia bloc. He led his
own State of Law Coalition (SLC), a predominately Shia Islamist bloc with substantial secular
elements. It competed against both the Iranian-aligned Iraqi National Alliance (INA) and the
Iraqi National Movement, or Iraqiya coalition, a mixture of Sunnis and secular Shia nominally
headed by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
ii
Kirk H. Sowell, Iraqs Second Sunni Insurgency Analysis, Hudson Institute, 9th Aug 2014,
http://www.hudson.org/research/10505-iraq-s-second-sunni-insurgency
Kevin Barrett, ISIS: a Frankenstein monster created by the US and Israel, 25th Aug 2014,
http://www.darkmoon.me/2014/isis-frankenstein-monster-created-us-israel/
iii
iv
BBC, Islamic State crisis: Abadi opposes Arab strikes in Iraq, 1st Oct 2014,
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29447201
ABC News, ABC News Exclusive: The Secret War Against Iran, 3rd April 2007,
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2007/04/abc_news_exclus
v
Ikram Junaidi, Arab states cannot stop Israel: OIC secretary-general, Daily Dawn, 5th
Aug, 2014, http://www.dawn.com/news/1123391
vi
Sectarian violence increased in 2013, says report, Daily Dawn, 6th Jan, 2014,
http://www.dawn.com/news/1078664
vii
Brigadier (Retired) Samson Simon Sharaf, Takfiri: The Arab sidewinder, Daily Nation, 9th
August 2014, http://www.nation.com.pk/columns/09-Aug-2014/takfiri-the-arab-sidewinder
viii
ix Ian
Cobain, CIA rendition: more than a quarter of countries 'offered covert support', The
Guardian, 5th Feb 2013, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/05/cia-renditioncountries-covert-support
Ahmed S. Hashim, Defeating IS: Will The Obama Strategy Succeed? Analysis, Eurasian
Review, 17th Sep 2014, http://www.eurasiareview.com/17092014-defeating-will-obamastrategy-succeed-analysis
xi
xii British
Jihadists Fighting In Syria 'Regret Their Decision To Leave UK And Want To Come
Home', The Huffington Post UK, 5th Sep 2014,
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/05/british-jihadists-islamic-statesyria_n_5770400.html
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Turkey approves law allowing talks with PKK, Aljazeera News, 15th Jul 2014,
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/07/turkey-approves-law-allowing-talks-withpkk-2014715182324519257.html
xiii
Massacre in Kobane would end PKK's peace talks with Turkey: calan, Hurriyat Daily
News, 2nd Oct 2014, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/massacre-in-kobane-would-endpkks-peace-talks-with-turkey-ocalan.aspx
xiv
Under zero problems with neighbors, the AKP government established economic and
political alliances in the Middle East, forged strategic relationships with regional actors, took
part in regional initiatives, and sought to play an active role in the resolution of regional
conflicts. Turkeys mediating role in regional conflicts won it favorable notice in the Arab
world. For instance, Ankaras efforts to break the isolation imposed on Syria and Iran by the
United States were well received, contributing to Turkeys image as an independent actor
willing to defy Western powers if necessary.
xv
Dr. Gnl Tol, Turkeys Search For Zero Problem Policy, Middle East Institute ,25th Nov.
2013, http://www.mei.edu/content/turkeys-search-zero-problem-policy
Israeli army chief: Hezbollah poses greater threat than Hamas, Al Arabiya English
Website, 4th Oct 2014, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2014/10/04/Israeli-military-chiefsays-Hezbollah-poses-greater-threat-than-Hamas.html
xvi
Mariam Saleh , Muslim clerics speak against Takfiri ideology, Press TV, 4th Jul 2014,
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/04/312146/muslim-clerics-speak-against-takfiri-ideology
xvii
xviii
Ibid
Calev Ben-David, Israel Slams Soldiers Who Say They Won't Be 'Tools to Persecute'
Palestinians, Bloomberg News, 14th Sep 2014, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0914/israeli-officials-condemn-protest-by-intelligence-unit-soldiers.html
xix
xx
Ibid
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