Hope for Understanding in the New Year

Important events have taken place in the past year at the international level. The continuation of turmoil and crisis in Afghanistan, the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and persistent insecurity in that country, the financial crisis in European countries and UN Security Council interference in the issue of the “responsibility to protect” with regard to the Libyan crisis were important international issues in the past year.
 

Nevertheless, the most important global development in fact took place in the Middle East and North Africa. That development was the revolution of the Muslim people of the region’s countries against dictators who had had control over their people for many years and had followed their own interests and those of foreigners rather than the interests of their nations. Who would have thought that the fall of the former leaders of Tunisia and Egypt would happen in just a few months and these leaders, who took no responsibility for their actions only a while before, would be thrown in the trash bin of history? Would it have been fathomable for the dictator of Libya, who had felt immune to all and any domestic or foreign challenges, to be overthrown in the span of a few months and be killed in a degrading manner? Would it really have been predictable for Islamists to take the majority in parliament after the fall of Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt? Developments in the Middle East were not only restricted to these two countries in the past year, and the overthrow of the ruthless dictator of Yemen by the people of this country is also a rare phenomenon in the contemporary history of the region. It is now clear to all that the time of dictatorships has come to an end and leaders of countries in the region must know that even their own long-term interests are linked with the involvement of their people in their countries’ current affairs. Therefore, peace and order in Syria and Bahrain can only be established through reforms and dialogue between the government and the opposition.
 

Another development this past year was the decision of Western countries to expand sanctions against Iran, including sanctions against the Central Bank and the oil industry. Apart from the effect these sanctions might have on Iran, the essence of the West’s measures is open hostility with the people of Iran; the same people that these countries claim to support. On the other hand, the Israeli regime’s threats against Iran reached new heights this year. Threats of military action by Israel (and its neo-conservative supporters in the US) against Iran were not well-thought decisions or plans-- they were mostly due to the fact that the Zionists do not know how to deal with an independent and innovative Iran with modern technology in the world. They know well that the start of a war or any type of adventurous action might be in their hands, but when and how it will end is something they will have no control over.  American and Israeli strategists are fully aware that it is difficult to set specific geographical boundaries for wars today, and to identify certain places as safe zones. These realities have clearly been stated by American and Israeli analysts who are against war. Unfortunately, international organizations have remained silent in response to Israeli threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities, facilities that all work within the framework of IAEA safeguard regulations and are protected sites according to these regulations. In the same way that NPT members must respect the Treaty’s provisions, facilities of member states must also be immune against any sort of aggression and the least that is expected from the UN Secretary General and the IAEA Director General is that they condemn threats against these facilities and give warnings of the potential consequences.
 

Ominous acts of blasphemy against Islamic sanctities by some western citizens, acts which were either guided by officials in these countries or weren’t severely dealt with by high-ranking officials, entered a new stage in the year 1390. After the Quran-burning incident in the state of Florida which was led by an American minister, it was American soldiers at the Bagram base in Afghanistan who this time set fire to a few copies of the Holy Quran while disposing of rubbish. This act by the American military was met with strong reactions by Muslims in Afghanistan, some of whom were killed in confrontations with the police. Apart from these degrading actions, a while back, American soldiers once again showed their animosity towards Muslims through another heinous act. Images of American soldiers urinating on the corpses of some Afghan citizens ignited hatred among the people of the world, especially Muslims. And finally, the recent killing of 16 Afghan women and children by an American soldier in Kandahar once again showed the hideous visage of occupation and its ugly consequences in Afghanistan. The US government has promised that it will put this soldier on trial just as it promised to do with those who urinated on the Afghan corpses, but even after the passing of a few months there still hasn’t been any news published in this regard. And the last example of blasphemy against Islamic sanctities in the West is the burning of a mosque in Northern France by French extremists. Why are these acts performed in the West and who is really responsible for these crimes? Are they just coincidental or is there a plan behind the scenes? Even if we neglect some factors, we come to the conclusion that the policy of Islamophobia, which has been advertised for years in the West, is the main reason behind all of these despicable and criminal acts. How can we expect a soldier who has no familiarity with Islamic societies to not be influenced by this poisoned propaganda and to not perform these heinous actions, when Islam and Muslims have been spoken of as sources of terror and backwardness? Leaders of political and civil societies in the West must be aware of the reality that policies based on hatred and animosity have consequences, and it is only through dialogue and understanding that we can hope to resolve problems in societies.
 

I hope that in this New Year understanding will replace threats and sanctions, friendship will replace animosity and hostility, and justice will replace oppression and discrimination.