BLOWBACK: CREATING A MONSTER
BENT ON DEVOURING ITS MAKER

America's Doomed Effort to Create
Common Cause between Itself and the
Sunni Countries of the Middle East

[Part 2 in our series on the buildup
to the Gog / Magog War]

April 13, 2007
By: S.R. Shearer

INTRODUCTION

For some time now the United States has been determinedly promoting division between the Shia and Sunni Muslim communities of the Middle East. The idea being pressed upon the elites of America's Sunni client states in the region - specifically, Jordan, the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, and North Africa in general) by the Bush Administration is that their real enemy is not Israel (much less the United States) but Shia Islam which wants to displace Sunni Islam as the predominate Muslim community not only of the Middle East, but the world at large. [To understand the differences between the Sunni Muslims and the Shia Muslims, please see our article, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsan."]

This fear has been intensified among leaders of the Sunni elites by reports that Iran has ostensibly been attempting to persuade the Sunni populations in Lebanon and Syria to convert to Shiism. Presumably, IRAN'S PURPOSE HERE IS TO CONSTRUCT A SHIITE ALLIANCE OF NORTHERN MIDDLE EASTERN STATES (IRAN, IRAQ, LEBANON, SYRIA) HOSTILE TO THE SUNNI SOUTH. Whether Iran is actually attempting to do this or not is an open question, but that is what America is telling the Sunni elites, and that's what these elites are beginning to believe.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Divide and conquer! - that's the policy the United States is pursuing in its attempt to take over the oilfields of the Middle East; pit the Sunnis and the Shiites against one another and by doing so NEUTRALIZING ANY POSSIBLE ARAB (SUNNI) SUPPORT FOR IRAN IF AND WHEN AMERICA FINALLY DECIDES TO ATTACK IRAN. So sure is the U.S. of the efficacy of this policy that many in the Bush government believe they can actually convince America's client state Sunni elites that Israel should be seen as their friend in their struggle against Shia Islam.

Moreover, it appears that Israel actually subscribes to this ridiculous notion, i.e., that the Sunni governments of the Middle East can be made their friends over the corpse of Iran.

Well, maybe the elites in these countries who are dominated by the Americans can be persuaded in this belief, but certainly not the masses who hate both America and Israel with a burning passion because of the grinding poverty they have been reduced to as a result of American oil policies and their governments groveling participation in the American New World Order System.

THE POPULARITY OF THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT AMONG
THE PEOPLE IN AMERICA'S CLIENT SUNNI STATES

The very real fact of the matter is, as Ken Silverstein says:

"Were democracy suddenly to blossom in the Middle East today, Islamist parties [opposed to America's toady elites in the Sunni communities in that area of the world] would control significant blocs, if not majorities, in almost every country."

And there is a very good reason for that: In the Sunni countries of the American New World Order System - countries which by their very nature care little or nothing for the plight of the poor - it's the radical Islamist movements such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Islamic Action Front that run the schools, take care of the sick and run the hospitals, pick up the garbage, run the orphanages, and provide clean drinking water. America's client-state governments have no interest in doing such things. Their only interest is in suppressing the population in the interest of the American New World Order System and keeping the flow of money flowing into their own pockets.

It's little wonder, then, that the radical Islamic movements in America's Sunni client-states enjoy such great support from the people - a fact that is evidenced wherever these Islamic groups are allowed to compete against the government in "fair and open" elections. Silverstein points to Hamas' electoral victory in the Palestinian territories, and Hezbollah's victories in Lebanon where the "terrorist group" picked up parliamentary seats in Lebanon's 2005 national balloting and entered the cabinet for the first time. Moreover, there is a good deal of evidence to suggest that the Islamic Action Front would sweep to power in Jordan if fair elections were ever held in that country.

HOSNI MUBARAK & EGYPT

And then there is the frightening prospect of what would happen to America's toady - Hosni Mubarak - if free elections were ever held in Egypt. The fact is, Mubarak would be swept from power in a paroxysm of pent up scorn and disdain, and the Muslim Brotherhood - the "Mother" of all extremist Islamic groups in the Middle East - would easily ascend to power in his stead. [Members of the Muslim Brotherhood were implicated in the first attack on the World Trade Center in the 1990s.] Silverstein writes:

"It is impossible [for outsiders] to grasp the contempt of most Egyptians for the Mubarak regime."

The Muslim Brotherhood is an international Sunni movement with affiliates across the Arab world and beyond, including in the West; but its first and preeminent branch is in Egypt. Established in 1928, the party has periodically been implicated in violent action against America's client-state elite in Egypt; indeed, they were responsible for the assassination of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.

Technically, the Brotherhood is banned in Egypt; but it runs candidates for office as "independents" - an effort fraught with danger for those who do so in Egypt's rigged" electoral process.

THE RIGGED ELECTORAL PROCESS

And just how rigged is the electoral process in Egypt? - very rigged! For example, two years ago Mubarak ostensibly won a "landslide" re-election victory for the presidency, but only after jailing his primary challenger, Ayman Nour, on the spurious charge that he had forged signatures for his party's registration.

Moreover, protesters are routinely dispersed with great violence; last May, for example, security forces in Cairo brutally assaulted people demonstrating in support of a number of "reformist" judges. Dozens of the protesters were severely injured and hundreds were arrested, according to Human Rights Watch. [Please see the attached video].

The very real fact of the matter is, the electoral process in Egypt is the mirror image of the electoral process in Mexico where America's client-state elite clings to power by jailing its opponents, shamelessly stuffing the ballot box, and even murdering its opponents. [Please see our two article, "The Bolivarian Revolution Reaches America's Southern Border" and "Obrador's Parallel Leftist Government in Mexico City and the Spread of Chavezism throughout Latin America."]

President Bush likes to talk about promoting democracy in the Middle East, and when he does so he often cites Egypt as an example. However, Joseph Martin, writing in The Progressive, says that -

"Egypt under Hosni Mubarak is anything but. It lacks freedom of the press and freedom of speech. The police are increasingly cracking down on peaceful demonstrations."

Martin continues:

"In 2004, Mubarak promised to do away with prison sentences for libel. 'Nobody in Egypt will be imprisoned again for their opinions', Press Syndicate chairman Galal Aref said at the time. But Ibrahim Eissa, editor of the independent weekly, Al Dustour, and his colleague Shar Zaki are evidence that this promise hasn't been kept. They were sentenced to one year in prison for an April article that described a lawsuit against Mubarak and his family … The suit charged the president, his wife, Suzanne, and Gamal with 'wasting the government's resources', 'squandering foreign aid', and turning 'Egypt into a monarchy'. The two journalists were also fined $1,750. The lawyer who filed the lawsuit, Saied Abdallah, received an identical sentence and was also fined the same amount."

And there should be no mistake about it, time spent in an Egyptian prison is no picnic; indeed, the United States routinely sends prisoners who have dared to defy the dictates of the American New World Order System to Egypt to be tortured.

EGYPT IS A TYPICAL AMERICAN CLIENT-STATE

The Mubarak regime is typical of most U.S. client-states. Silverstein explains:

"The overwhelming majority of Cairo's 17 million residents live in trash-strewn slums, with open sewers running through the streets. Meanwhile, the richest Egyptians lead lifestyles so extravagant that they have become strangers in their own country. They vacation in Europe, spend weekends at summer homes on the Mediterranean coast, and escape the indignities of life in Cairo at private clubs - like the sprawling 150-acre Gezira Club, which was founded by the British colonial rulers and still boasts a golf course and manicured lawns for croquet and tennis. The military, a critical pillar of the regime, is also well looked after. Senior officers easily move into comfortable jobs after retirement, while those still on active duty are offered perks ranging from cheap beach homes to subsidized groceries." [Please see our article on Algeria, "Algeria: A Study of the Dreadful Two-Tiered Economic System the U.S. Is Promoting among Its Muslim Client-States."]

Obviously, the government is kept afloat not because it enjoys the popular support of the Egyptian masses, but because it is propped up by the guns of the Egyptian military which in turn are backed-up by American military might.

The only force that dares to defy those guns is the Muslim Brotherhood, a fact that does not go unnoticed by the Egyptian masses. As a result, Islam has insinuate itself into the very fabric of Egyptian society, at least insofar as the poor are concerned. It has become the means through which the "common people" of Egypt express their opposition to the American-backed Mubarak regime.

THE GROWING ISLAMIZATION OF EGYPT

It is precisely for this reason that so many young Egyptians, even those from solidly secular backgrounds, are increasingly devout. It is their way of expressing solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood in its struggle against Mubarak and - ipso facto - the American New World Order System. Silverstein says that the examples of what's occurring are numerous and not that distant insofar as his many friends in Egypt are concerned.

For instance, Silverstein recounts how the university educated son of a friend in Egypt had become increasingly devout - even to the point of growing a long Islamic-style beard. Over the course of a recent Ramadan, the son spent hours daily at mosque and began lecturing his father about how he must live a simpler life or else risk going to hell. The daughter of another Silverstein acquaintance suddenly broke off her engagement to a wealthy businessman after deciding that he was not sufficiently religious.

THIS WAS PRECISELY THE COURSE TAKEN BY MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF IRANIANS PRIOR TO THE FALL OF THE SHAH IN 1978. IT WAS THEIR ONLY WAY OF EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO THE SHAH'S AMERICAN-BACKED GOVERNMENT, GIVEN THE FACT THAT OPEN OPPOSITION TO HIS HATED REGIME WOULD MEAN A KNOCK ON THEIR DOOR BY THE SHAH'S SECRET POLICE, THE SAVAK, AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT DISAPPEARANCE INTO THE NIGHT.

Silverstein continues:

"Egypt has become more and more 'Islamized', as Muslims from all social classes have increasingly (whether or not they strictly abide by) a conservative interpretation of Islam. In Cairo, especially in poor neighborhoods, it has become increasingly difficult to find small shops that sell cigarettes, due to the growing belief that smoking is unIslamic. Even in the wealthy district of Zamalek, an island in the Nile, a single shop - forthrightly named Drinkie's - sells bottled liquor. The number of restaurants offering alcohol anywhere in the city has dropped sharply.

"The turn to Islam has been fueled by scholars and 'televangelists', the latter of whom have been particularly successful in proselytizing to educated Egyptians. A TV preacher named Amr Khaled was deemed to be such a threat by the Mubarak regime that it banned him from his central Cairo mosque; for three years he lived in London, but his sermons continued to circulate in Egypt via satellite television, cassette tapes, and the internet."

THE GROWING ISLAMIZATION OF TURKEY

And it's not just in Egypt that the masses of the people are turning against the American New World Order System and embracing Islam as a means of expressing their opposition to the American dominated elites who control their society; Turkey is one more example. Turkey is another Sunni Muslim state that has heretofore been counted as one of America's most reliable client-states in the Middle East. No more!

Michel Gurfinkiel, writing in Commentary Magazine, laments what he sees as the inevitable "Islamization" of Turkey; he says:

"Until recently, Turkey was everything … [the American elites] would want a country to be in the Middle East … Now, however, the romance looks over. If one were to name a single turning point, it would be the sweeping electoral victory of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development party (AKP) in late 2002 … Overnight people displaying an alarming affinity for Islamist fundamentalism have been placed in charge … Even more telling has been the rise of a rabid anti-American, anti-Semitic, and anti-Christian mood within every level of Turkish society."

What's especially alarming insofar as Turkey is concerned is that anti-Americanism in Turkey is not simply confined to the poor, but has taken root in the highest levels of Turkish society and even in the government itself. So far has this anti-Americanism progressed in Turkish government circles that Erdogan refused to "treat" with the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Eric Edelman, on even the most trifling basis. The Turkish newspaper, New Dawn, explained why: Erdogan refused to have anything to do with people who treated Turkey as nothing more than a colony. Pretty heavy stuff!

Turkey is rife with rumors that America plans a re-conquest of Turkey as part of a Christian crusade to convert Turkish Muslims and restore Istanbul to its former status as Constantinople, the Christian metropolis that dominated the Middle East for more than a millennium after the birth of Christ.

GIVEN THESE REALITIES …

Given these realities, one cannot help but conclude that the American effort to create common cause between itself and the Sunni countries of the Middle East so that it can attack Iran without fear of stirring up a hornet's nest among the Sunnis is doomed. The very real fact of the matter is, the only allies the Americans have in the Sunni countries of the Middle East are the tiny toady elites in each country that the U.S. has partnered with over the years to rob the poor of these countries of their patrimony.

And make no mistake about it, these elites are infinitesimally small in comparison with the great masses of the poor in these lands who HATE America with a burning passion that in reality has very little to do with religion, and everything to do with the way America has treated them over the years. [Please see our article, "Radical Islam."]

The hold of these Sunni elites on the poor masses over which they rule is very tenuous at best, and the belief - shared hopefully by both the United States and Israel - that the Sunni masses define their existence more by the branch of Islam to which they adhere than by the overwhelming poverty that is their common lot is naïve at best, and just plain stupid at worst.

Moreover, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the Iranians are seeking common cause with the Sunni poor in their war against the American New World Order System - contrary to what the U.S. has been marketing to their Sunni client-state elites. Iranian agents in Iraq have been discovered supplying al-Qaida (Sunni) forces there; furthermore, they have been working hard to affect an accommodation between both factions of Islam in Lebanon. In addition, they have been aiding their Sunni brothers and sisters in Algeria in their struggle against the client-elite that the Americans have installed in that war-ravaged country - a fact demonstrated recently in a combined Sunni-Shia bombing in downtown Algiers.

THE LOOMING "NECESSITY" FOR
AN AMERICAN ATTACK ON IRAN

It seems that the poor throughout the Islamic world are willing (at least for now) to put aside their theological differences in their struggle against the cruelty and oppression of the American Empire.

And if that's the case - and it seems very much as if it is - than the strategy that Israel and the United States are pursuing in order to create a Sunni bulwark against Shia radicalism behind which they can attack Iran without incurring the wrath of the Sunni masses is ill-fated.

What such an attack is very likely to accomplish is to topple America's client-state Sunni governments in a fit of Islamic rage as the poor in the Sunni nations rally behind their mullahs in support of Iran.

WHAT OTHER CHOICE DO THEY HAVE?

But what alternatives do either the U.S. or Israel have with regard to this matter? The U.S. simply cannot allow Iran to emerge as a challenge to its hegemony in the Middle East; it cannot allow the "mother's milk" of the modern age - i.e., oil - to be delivered into the hands of its Islamic adversaries.

And more than that, what else can Israel do? The plain fact of the matter is, Israel simply cannot stand idly by and allow Iran to get its hands on nuclear weapons. For Israel to believe that Iran wouldn't use these weapons in an effort to destroy Israel is naïve. The Jewish people have been down that path before with regard to Hitler when they stubbornly refused to believe that Hitler really meant to destroy them when he warned the world that that was precisely what he was going to do.

"NEVER AGAIN!" - that's the cry of the Jewish people! While the world may not take Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel seriously, the Jewish people certainly do!

THE QUESTION IS …

The question in all of this is, how long can the United States and Israel drag this out before they are forced to act. Ahmadinejad boasts that Iran currently has 3,000 uranium centrifuges "on line," producing fissile material on an "industrial basis." If that's the case, most experts in the West believe that Iran can produce a nuclear warhead in less than a year.

In addition, the North Koreans have been working with the Iranians to fit such a warhead on the tip of one of their modified missiles - missiles that have already been tested for that purpose. That means that Iran could be able to deliver a nuclear blow against Israel by next summer.

Some might argue that that would mean suicide for Iran. But one should bear in mind that with Ahmadinejad, one is not dealing with a rational man, but one who is more than willing to commit national suicide in the name of Allah.

Of course, people like Ahmadinejad don't call such an act suicide - they call it MARTYRDOM! Besides, there are those in Iran who believe that they could actually survive a nuclear attack - such is the mindset of those who embrace radical Islam.

And there is more! - the Israelis have probably calculated that it would be best for them to strike Iran while Bush and his "Christian allies" are still in power in the United States. While they could count on the U.S. for support in such a strike now, they could never do so if the Democrats were to take over the White House.

BLOWBACK: CREATING A MONSTER BENT ON DEVOURING ITS MAKER

America's Doomed Effort to Create Common Cause between Itself and the Sunni Countries of the Middle East

[Part 2 in our series on the buildup to the Gog / Magog War]

April 13, 2007 By: S.R. Shearer