The Truth About Iran’s Support of Arab Terrorists
On April 15, 2011, a prominent news story described Iran’s support for Syria’s draconian crackdown on protestors. The story focused on Iran’s widespread meddling in the region, but it missed the key point: Shia Iran’s closest ally in the Middle East is Sunni Syria. Iran deals freely with Sunni Muslims and Sunni countries when it’s in its interest to do so.
Many folks can only see in black and white. As a result, contrary to a mountain of evidence, many policymakers, counterterror specialists, and citizens continue to believe that there is no cooperation between Sunni and Shia because of religious hatred.
While it is true that, on the local level, Sunnis and Shias routinely attack and kill each other in places like Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen, it is equally true that, on the strategic level, Shia Iran’s closest ally in the Middle East is indeed Sunni Syria; that Iran supports all the major Sunni terrorist organizations; and that Iran is planning to re-establish formal diplomatic relations with Sunni Egypt after more than 30 years.
None of this is surprising given that ninety percent of all Muslims in the world are Sunni. Iran has long realized that if it is to be the dominant power in the predominantly Sunni Middle East, it is simply in its interest to actively cooperate with Sunnis when such cooperation serves its purposes.
And so, for years, one of the key aspects of Iran’s foreign policy has been to undermine the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East by supporting Sunni terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
This support is not just a matter of self-interest. Iran does share an ideological affinity with Sunni Islamists. Ayatollah Khomeini and his close confidant Syed Ali Khamene’i, who later succeeded him as supreme leader, were profoundly influenced by the Salafi-jihadi ideology of Sunni theorist Sayyid Qutb. Khamene’i personally translated Qutb’s works into Persian, and Iran placed Qutb’s portrait on a postage stamp to commemorate his contribution to the revolution.
Recently, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer asked former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton if he thought that Egypt and Iran would really reestablish diplomatic relations — given that Egypt is Sunni and Iran is Shia. This kind of ignorance is surprising. Evidence of Sunni-Shia collaboration spans years and is not hard to come by. Wikileaks, for instance, has revealed a number of State Department cables from Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, and Egypt that specifically document Iran’s support of Sunni terrorist organizations. (I’ve put together a video incorporating these cables which can be accessed here.)
According to these cables, a Saudi official speaking for King Abdullah stated that Saudi Arabia sees an “alliance of convenience” between al-Qaeda and Iran. King Abdullah demanded that Iran stop supporting Sunni Hamas — and Saudi Interior Minister Nayif accused Iran of hosting Sunni Saudis, including Osama bin Laden’s son Ibrahim, who were in contact with terrorists and working against the kingdom.
In other cables, Israeli Intelligence Analysis Production Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz declared that there are multiple bases in Iran where Iranian forces train with operatives of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; UAE officials stated that Iran is allied with al Qaeda; and then-Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Soliman told General Petraeus that Iran supports Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
But the Wikileaks cables are just icing on the cake. American public documents and statements by Sunni and Shia leaders provide ample proof of Sunni-Shia cooperation. Here are just a few:
Vittorio Arrigoni- He was devoted to the Palestinian cause. Well sad to say but he got what the Palestinians have to offer-MURDER!!!
“Iran is planning to re-establish formal diplomatic relations with Sunni Egypt after more than 30 years.”
This is the heart of it. If the radical Islamists take over in Egypt (which they probably will), then there very well could be an alliance between Egypt and Iran and that would be very, very, bad for Israel. These are dangerous times and the Obama administration doesn’t realize that the Middle East is about to explode, probably as soon as by the end of the year. The Muslim Brotherhood has a very good chance of taking over Egypt and they have made no secret of the fact that they want to end the Camp David Accords. If they manage to do that AND strike an alliance with Iran, then the two countries, plus Hamas and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, will surround Israel and then war will be likely within a few months. Add to that the posibility that Iran could get its hands on either nuclear or chemical weapons and the picture doesn’t look that good for Israel. We are almost out of time, and we have a White House that is in deep, deep, denial about it.
What you say makes sense.
So, I say….let’s quarantine and contain -Soviet Cold War Style – Iran and any country which is allied to Iran….and concurrently treat Israel as an isolated island amidst this cauldron of terrorism, a Berlin-like fortress defended by the United States.
I’m not an in-the-know strategist, however I think as a layman that our Naval Fleets and offshore drones could very well be key to our success in Central/West Asia; our massed ground troops are too easily absorbable by The Great Asian Sponge. Remember VietNam.
That separate cauldron of Somalia and these currently in-flux North African countries will be watched guardedly as they in turn emerge from being our covert enemies to overt enemies.
We should exercise a stand-offish posture as concerns these “rebels” in North Africa, as they will in time, and in turn, be “rebelling” and killing us Americans with our munitions “aid”.
Are you sure you’re not talking about middle earth?
…of course not….and, no need here to be flippant.
……and Tolkein would throw up his hands at the current complexities of our (American) situation…as being quite beyond his erstwhile imaginings.
What I saw first-hand in South East Asia all during the 1960′s convinced me that that vast spongy-absorbent mass, [review the Mongols and blue-eyed-charismatic Alexander, for starters] which indeed extends westwards to the Mediterranean, is no place for massed American ground forces….this concept was voiced against by Eisenhower, one who should know…I can’t remember while as General or as President.
But, years pass, times change, so now we Americans have thousands of massed ground troops taffy-stuck in Central/West Asia….smack dab in the middle of these barbaric factions which seem to be adroitly playing us off one against the other, while we’re trying to play nation-builder in this historically fluid area of horse back riders trying to scoop up a dead goat (or some other dead animal) for sport like polo players.
I say:
…a pox on all their Islamic faction-houses. Let’s come home and leave them contained/quarantined in thier accustomed Islamist savagery all to themselves.
Sealing off and isolating the virus may well be the only real way through this mess.
Our Islamist enemies seem to thrive on infidel resistance, and, literally, you don’t know from day to day who is or is not on which side.
We paid members of the resistance in Iraq to stand down, which was more or less successful for the moment but really nothing more than a bandaid.
The same is true for loyalty we might purchase or negotiate in Afghanistan.
When I was growing up, Pakistan, Afghanistan, even Iraq were reasonably stable countries. Beirut was called the Garden City of the world, a beautiful place where all faiths more or less co-existed peacefully, until the “sectarian violence” took hold and the city was trashed.
Now the morons under Nasrallah have gained enough political power in Lebanon to stymie government operation and have managed, largely through Syrian and Iranian support, to amass a large cadre of weapons for the next assault on Israel.
I don’t think the Obama administration is in denial. Obama has been fed the Rashid Khalidi and Samantha Power narrative of the Middle East. He sees Israel as a burden, not an asset. Israel is viewed as an asset by people who see the advantages of partnering with a culture that possesses a unique capacity for innovation. Israel has this capacity because of its education-oriented, entrepreneurial Jewish tradition. Obama, as a pure political animal, has little appreciation for that, it brings him no personal political advantage.
The Israelis are the ones in denial, refusing to recognize what has changed. Just a few months ago, former Israeli Chief of staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, said Israel should give Syria back the Golan in exchange for peace. That is an example of denial.
Greetings:
One of the best descriptions of the Islamic world came from Fouad Ajami when he described it as the lands of “I against my brother; my brother and I against our cousin; and, my cousin, my brother and I against the stranger.” Even Samuel P. Huntington, in his “The Clash of Civilizations…”, remarked on the low levels of trust in Muslin societies. To paraphrase Pogo, “They have made their hell, and it is them”.
Say, Brian, that photo next to the headline of your piece on the PJM home page looks a lot like the photo cover of my recent best-seller: “Krugman and Reich, the Clownishness of Bearded Economists.”
Attribution will be appreciated.
I think the real Muslims are in one unity. They are working for peace together. Like Iran they are in the right way to do not beg to western. Cheers!
….”They[..the real Muslims...]are working for peace together.”
Where is your evidence for that strange statement?
To quote “aboo ayaat al hindee” on the notorious IslamicAwakening forum…
“a peaceful nation is a nation which agrees to come under the dominion of the islaamic state. the nation which objects to these conditions will be fought and this is where (offensive) jihaad comes into play.”
http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f18/offensive-jihad-18053/#post170858
Now, Alfrad’s comment makes perfect sense…
I think you are right but are they taking risk and going forward to a war?
Alf” “I think the real Muslims are in one unity.”
Hmmm. Well I suppose being in one unity is the way to go; being in twenty or 200 unities is a bit complex. But being like Iran? Attempting to build nuclear weapons and beating up on demonstrators like Syria is doing as well? You can’t sell me on that one, Alfie old chap.
I don’t think the war between the two countries will ever come to an end.
I don’t know that there are inconsistencies with the groups aiding one another in terms of a sunni/shia divide. If you look at the controversy surrounding Syad Qutb and his acceptance by the Iranian regime, one may actually be talking about Shi’ite’s supporting Sunnis who are only apparently Sunni. Qutb himself was considered somewhat of a traitor to the Sunni cause and he also combined Sufi mysticism, and Salafi anarchism within his views besides the Shi’ite radicalism and Sunni orthodoxy.
A type of Shia subversion may be taking place, controversial within Islam but the Iranians are the only nation taking a strong and high profile stand against the West and so converting Sunnis may not be as difficult as one thinks. Opportunism is a hallmark of Islam and what is unacceptable one day may be acceptable the next. If you look at Qutb’s own writings, one wonders what such men feel Islam is worth if it is not fighting against its own stagnation. Qutb was supporting the rise of Islam first and the way to properly doing it second. Were this not at least to some extent true, he wouldn’t have called out Islamic countries in his own day as Jahiliyyah. The ends justify the means.
Are you forgetting that Assad’s minority sect are in fact Shiites? Kind of a ig point to miss.
They are Alawites — “trinitarian Muslims” — considered Mushrikeen (polytheists) and Murtaddeen (apostates) under Sunni fiqh (therefore they are deemed devoid of sanctity of blood and property, licit to be slain and plundered, unable to purchase aman [protection] by paying jizya as ahl al-dhimma).
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend!” Sounds like they all have their “tribal” interests at heart. Thanks Brian for another great article.
The Assads are Alawite, not Sunni. However, the majority of the nation is indeed Sunni Arab and Sunni Kurd…
It would seem that, in the spirit of (highly ignorant) cooperation, the old Sunni contention that Shiites aren’t “real Muslims” has been thrown under the bus.
Until his own timely demise, Zarqawi freely slaughtered Shiites in Iraq. Reportedly, he was slapped on the wrist in some long, written diatribe by Zawahiri for going too far.
Qaradawi, in real time, is disgusting. The main impression I got reading Sayyid Qutb was that he was something of a pervert.
The main rallying point of all these morons seems to be destroying the one prosperous, democratic country in their midst.
I agree with your statement “the main rallying point of all these morons seems to be destroying the one prosperous, democratic country in their midst.” However, don’t be hasty about dismissing Qutb as a “pervert”. He was definitely a “fundamentalist” and that of the Wahabbi nature. While such an ideology is quite perverse to the Western mind, he was merely a product of the fundamental teachings of Islam; a true Muslim, submitted to the entirety and fulness of Koranic mandate.
http://definingthenarrative.com/2010/01/26/milestones-in-review/
Muslims should be in one community. If they are in one unity, they could find the best for them. Like Iran, now they are doing the best things against US and their friends. US and it’s friends eye washing us about Iran.
The community work can reach them to the top success. They should be united in the right paths. So that they can defeat all the bad doings beyond them. Thanks for the post.