Siege of Mecca, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria: US and Gulf Destabilization Policies

Siege of Mecca, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria: US and Gulf Destabilization Policies

In the 1980s the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and some other nations began to fund Sunni Islamic terrorism in Afghanistan. This meddling came hot on the heels of the Siege of Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 1979. Therefore, funding radical Sunni Islamism in Afghanistan came at a very opportunistic time for the rulers based in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan became the central base in training international jihadists and spreading Islamism in Afghanistan. Irrespective of the motives in Afghanistan and the rights and wrongs, it is clear that the convulsions from intervening in this nation are still being felt in many nations today. The United States and Pakistan unleashed the CIA and ISI respectively, in order to create an Islamist fighting force which could take on the Soviet Union. British special intelligence played its part in this covert war but turning the clock to 2014 and it is clear that a stream of failed states and terrorism "filled this vacuum" created by outside meddling.

In the case of Pakistan then the ISI and central government have created their own Sunni Islamist Takfiri nightmare because this nation can no longer contain the forces it unleashed. This means that the Islamist agenda now deems the government of Pakistan to be anti-Islamic and the knock-on-effect is increasing hatred towards all minorities and threatening indigenous Sunni Islam. Therefore, all minorities irrespective if Muslim or non-Muslim are facing the wrath of Takfiri Islamism and this can be seen by attacks against Ahmadiyya Muslims, Shia Muslims, Hindus, Christians and against the followers of Sufi Islam.

When brave Sunni Muslim voices in Pakistan speak out like Salman Taseer, the former Governor of Punjab, then death follows. At the same time Christians have been burnt alive and an alleged Muslim blasphemer was also burnt alive recently. The most worrying aspect is that these crimes against humanity are not happening only in areas of chaos because of the power of several Islamist organizations - but it is happening within mainstream society.

This means that all the past funding of militant Sunni Islamism by nations who supported the war in Afghanistan, have collectively created a nightmare that was filled by the dreams of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf powers. It is clear that while the United States and United Kingdom were focusing on the sole issue of Afghanistan. At no point did either nation appear to understand the dynamics of militant Sunni Islamism that began to alter the religious and political landscape - this also applies to internal militancy within Western nations based on Gulf petrodollars. Decades earlier in Afghanistan prior to outside meddling it was clear that women had much greater freedom and likewise indigenous Islam varied from region to region. However, the oppressive nature of chaos and hatred was alien and major cities like Kabul were places whereby individuals had ample choices compared with the reality of modern day Afghanistan.

Yet dangerous past political leaders in Pakistan like General Zia ul-Haq, along with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, would alter the dynamics within the Muslim world in this part of Asia. The repercussions continue today with various militant Sunni Islamist movements causing mayhem in Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively. At the same time the roles of women have suffered greatly in areas where Islamists have strong power-bases. Likewise, sectarianism, terrorism and weakened central states in Afghanistan and Pakistan have followed the vacuum that was unleashed - likewise, modern day Libya is in crisis based on the same meddling powers.

Therefore, sectarian Takfiri attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan are natural realities in this part of the world. On top of this, the US led invasion of Iraq which led to the exodus of vast numbers of Christians and other minorities, was also filled by Takfiri Islamism and rampant sectarianism. Iraq despite the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein was staunchly secular and internal terrorism was not a threat to the government based in Baghdad. However, once the US entered the equation then the vacuum once more was filled by various Takfiri Islamist organizations including al-Qaeda. Also, just like September 11 was done by mainly Saudi nationals, this nation also provided the single largest number of foreign Islamists who went to Iraq in order to kill US soldiers and other allied forces - alongside killing Shia Muslims.

The angle from Saudi Arabia was that the control mechanisms of the new Iraq had installed a Shia led government against the wishes of Riyadh. After all, for Takfiri Islamists who follow the Wahhabi faith in Saudi Arabia this was tantamount to treachery. Once more, just like American citizens had been killed on September 11 because of mainly Saudi nationals, this time it was American soldiers who would die in the thousands because of Saudi Islamists and the funding that came from this nation irrespective if from organizations or because of wealthy individuals. The irony now, and a sad irony for American soldiers, was that the majority of American deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq were because of the policies of their so-called friends in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia respectively. Once more, however, the United States and elites within Washington appeared to allow this confused policy to stand by ignoring the ratlines that were killing their own soldiers.

Today Iraq falls into the "failed state domino system" that often follows outside meddling by other nations. Therefore, terrorism is a daily reality in Iraq, vast numbers of minorities have fled, women have suffered in parts of the country, the north is de-facto under Kurdish rule and sectarianism blights the nation state. However, political leaders once more in Washington have now unleashed another brutal vacuum in Syria despite the ongoing problems in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.

At no point during the leadership of Bashar al-Assad did religious minorities have to worry about their future prior to outside meddling. Likewise, women in Syria had freedoms that could only be dreamt about in Afghanistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other nations within the US orbit in the Middle East. Indeed, unlike in France that infringes on the way Muslim females must dress, or in Switzerland which puts restrictions on Muslim places of worship - in Syria women decide how they want to dress and all religious faiths have places to worship.

However, the so-called "Arab Spring" was usurped by powerful forces and for Saudi Arabia and Qatar it was a time to fill the vacuum with Sunni Takfiri Islamism. The Libya crisis once more is unleashing forces that are still ongoing and this applies to chaos and no central control. Alongside this is the destabilization of northern Mali because of forces unleashed by the demise of Libya. It is still too early to say which way the future will go in Libya but clearly Islamic terrorist groups and Islamist religious organizations are intent on filling the vacuum. In northern Mali they have already altered the landscape and clearly this area will be a base for further chaos throughout the region.

Syria therefore remained the most powerful and independent Arabic speaking nation which was staunchly secular and free from outside control. Neither America nor Saudi Arabia could pull the strings of this nation but once demonstrations began in Syria then outside forces soon entered. The emergence of "a ghost Free Syrian Army (FSA)" soon emerged rapidly just like the rise of the Kosovo Liberation Army and rebels in Libya. Clearly, all these forces rose far too quickly for them to be spontaneous therefore long-term policy objectives had been waiting in the wings to fill any vacuum that may emerge - or, to create a vacuum by unleashing powerful forces quickly.

From very early on in the Syrian crisis many soldiers were killed and clearly they were not killed by peaceful demonstrators. Bashar al-Assad admitted himself that mistakes were made in the early period but if it wasn't for outside forces then the situation would have been contained. The crisis in Bahrain remains because the Shia feel neglected and forces within the Sunni population also have many misgivings. Despite the brutal crackdown in Bahrain it is clear that the death rate is much lower than Syria because no outside nation gave military arms to the demonstrators. On the contrary, Saudi Arabia was allowed to get involved in order to crush the uprising which was spontaneous.

In the case of Syria the nations of Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding international terrorists and mercenaries. Also, Turkey is another aggressor to Syria because this nation is allowing the FSA and various Islamist organizations to have bases near the border with Syria. The CIA and Islamist agenda, unlike in Iraq and Afghanistan after September 11 (before this both were allies), have once more converged in order to destabilize Syria. Just like in Afghanistan it is clear that America's only interest is to reduce the power of the Russian Federation and Iran respectively, with regards to geopolitics. However, just like in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan; the Saudi Arabia objective is Sunni Islamism and spreading the Wahhabi/Salafist version of Islam.

The upshot of all this is that Syria is being destabilized by many forces which are supporting sedition, sectarianism and terrorism. Once more, this policy is impacting on the region and Lebanon remains very delicate and terrorist attacks have also started to increase in Iraq. Now in modern day Syria both the FSA and Islamists are beheading people, killing minorities, killing Iraqi refugees who fled to Syria, killing individuals who support Bashar al-Assad, killing journalists and TV reporters. Recent videos taken by the FSA show dead people being thrown from rooftops and captured individuals being photographed before being murdered.

Collectively, the deaths that people are currently reading about in the news or seeing on television in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and now Syria; all relate to the policies based in Washington and whereby other allies like Saudi Arabia have funded the carnage. Pakistan also continues to be blighted by Islamism because of dangerous policies which were enacted by past leaders. Other nations like Mali and Lebanon are feeling these shockwaves while closer to home Islamists are also spreading radicalism in major cities throughout Europe. Therefore, the powerful tremors of the Siege of Mecca in 1979 when Juhayman al-Otaibi and his followers stormed Mecca continues to reverberate around the Islamic world within the religious arena.

This single event galvanized America and Saudi Arabia to further bankroll Sunni Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan and bordering regions of Pakistan from 1979 onwards and up until the demise of the Soviet Union. After all, the elites in Saudi Arabia needed a distraction and America was worried about the repercussions of this extremely important event. It could well be that internal convulsions in Saudi Arabia are also behind events in Syria just like what happened after the Siege of Mecca with Afghanistan. After all, it is clear that the Shia community and elements within the Sunni population are unhappy with the current leaders of Saudi Arabia. Likewise, Saudi Arabia is supporting sectarianism in Bahrain and Yemen respectively and this helps to fill the "restive Islamist void in Saudi Arabia."

Irrespective of all the factors of why America, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France, Turkey and the United Kingdom are destabilizing Syria; it is clear that the forces being unleashed will not be able to be contained if central forces in Syria collapse. America is worried about this because of what happened in Iraq. Despite this, elites in Washington have allowed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Turkey to destabilize Syria based on the deeds of the CIA, MI6, MIT, DGSE and other international covert operatives in NATO Turkey. The upshot of this is that ISIS and other terrorist forces are a major threat to Iraq and Syria.

One thing is for sure, the current carnage and daily terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria are all linked with the policies of Washington and the money emanating from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. All the above nations were once mainly free from international terrorism (some happened from time to time) but once the United States and Gulf petrodollars entered the equation then this all changed. The destabilization of Syria is following an all too familiar pattern and the same applies to the spread of terrorism and sectarianism once political elites in Washington and Riyadh get involved. However, just like what happened in Afghanistan in the 1980s and early 1990s, it is clear that the forces being unleashed against Syria can't be contained and this reality is also threatening Iraq once more in 2014.

It's always interesting to see how other nations look at things, especially things the US is actively involved in. I think there's a bit of "hindsight is 20/20" in part of this piece but the authors make a good case for their view of the current sitution whether you totally agree with their view or not.

If governments of the Gulf kingdoms were funding the Iraqi opposition, wouldn't they have access to modern anti-tank weaponry instead of having to rely of RPG's and flaky (i.e. prone to work accidents) IED's rigged up with artillery shells? In truth, religiously-speaking, the Gulf monarchs are giving their people a tiny fraction of what the masses want. The royals are opinion followers rather than leaders, hoping that over time, moderation (i.e. decadence) will take over the Muslim masses they rule over.

The real problem for the rulers of Muslim countries is universal literacy. Imams on the government payroll used to be able to fob off their illiterate followers with the usual pablum: "don't hit your wife (too hard or often), obey your parents, don't get into trouble, et al". These days, the devout can read Muhammad's decrees for themselves. And those decrees involve chastising the Friday-only worshipers and slaughtering the infidel. In a way, what is happening within Islam is similar to what happened when literacy spread in Europe and brought about the Reformation, which triggered over a century of bloody religious warfare.

Kind of agree with you. I don’t really think the US is capable of intelligent analysis of the stuff that goes on in the ME because we really have such paltry intelligence in that part of the world. “We” (there is no “we”, in truth) have in the past had semi-certain economic interests, certain stability interests, and the like. But there’s nothing like that now. We could have a president who is in his heart genuinely more nationalistic towards the KSA than the US. There is literally nothing deterministic nor transparent about US policies and goals.

To me, the only absolute truth about the ME is simply that there no clean end of the turd to pick up.

The illiterates aren't the ones doing the be-headings and slaughters all over Iraq and Syria, far from it. The weapons available to such sponsored groups will always be the bare minimum required to capture other weapons they may need, something they've done quite well. They have more than enough advanced weapons from Iraqi stocks straight from the US.

The real problem is Iz Lame, not the universal literacy.

Before the Shah of Iran was deposed he did an interview with Time or Newsweek magazine. The only part that stuck in my mind all these years was his explanation of the trouble sweeping Iran at the time.

His explanation, as best as I can recall, was as the leader of the Iranian people he felt duty bound to drag them into the 20th Century by providing any and all the best education from anywhere in the world paid in full with Iran’s oil wealth.

He pointed out those returning from their education in the West were one or two generations removed from the 6th (or 8th or 12th Century. I forgot the specifics) and he attributed the rioting as the resulting backlash of the Stone Age entering the Modern World maybe a little too quickly.

From what I recall, the Shah wasn’t sorry about dragging Iran into the modern era but he was acutely aware of the impact education had on the Iranian people.

The real problem for the rulers of Muslim countries is universal literacy.

Universal literacy wasn't necessary for the Reformation. Literacy wasn't universal even stateside until the 20th century. Most Muslim countries don't have universal literacy. All that is required is for significant chunks of the laity to be literate. And that is what is leading the Islamic laity towards a literal interpretation of the Koran, free of the constraints imposed by Muslim rulers trying to have a quiet life (i.e. one that doesn't involve wars of martyrdom against the infidel and other would-be caliphs until the end of time). Islamic rulers are also extremely leery of vox populi.

Sunni Islam (90+% of all Muslims) is based on the radical ideas that (1) the most capable Muslim war leader is also the legitimate caliph and (2) even a direct descendant of Muslim is not a legitimate caliph if he loses. This is another way of saying that there is no such thing as political legitimacy (e.g. the divine right of kings). If a Muslim kills the Saudi royals, he is the legitimate leader of the lands they currently rule. That is the basis of Islamic radicalism - all have been given divine (or at least Muhammad's) license to topple their Muslim rulers or die trying and go direct to paradise. Once the Muslim faithful are united under a single banner (after much bloodshed), they will go after the infidel.

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