After the Islamic State attack on Paris and San Bernardino in Los Angelo’s to comprehend what is happening viewing the 1998 movie “The Siege” with Denzel Washington and Annette Benning is vital.
“The Siege” highlights the betrayal of an Islamic movement by the American state who initially trains and supports the rebels. Like Islamic State the movie stresses terrorism, draws in Islam but sub-plots other tricky agendas at play. Like in the movie, Islamic State retaliates by targeting those nations that betrayed its cause. Currently Islamic State and its handlers have already achieved some of its goals.
A goal of this war was the oil fields of Syria and Iraq that are occupied by Islamic State. Since Russian satellites confirmed that the oil is trucked to Turkey, the world must know which western nations sustain the Islamic State by buying the oil. While it is easy to consider Islamic State as terrorists, we must identify those that benefit materially from this war.
The killing of innocent people and propaganda must be exposed. Those that lead the campaigns like the USA, Britian and France etc and their counterparts like the Taliban, AL Qaeda and Islamic State etc together kill 100 times more regular people than enemy combatants. Comparatively consider the death toll since the initial invasion by the USA, Britian and France etc of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya and compare the killing statistic under Saddam Hussein and Muammer Qaddaffi etc.
Also Islam and Muslims have successfully been linked to terrorism and violence fuelled by a global agenda that has long been in the making. After the collapse of the communist bogeyman, the west needed a new diversion or else regular people could grasp what their regimes were actually doing. Creating a global Islamic bogeyman is basic politics 101. Hatred for Muslims was required as we all need someone to blame for what goes wrong in life. In the European war (WW2) the Nazi’s blamed the Jews and in the recent Great African war in Central Africa the Hutus blamed the Tutsi’s and so on.
When people are distracted with threats of terror, regimes do what they want. This includes suspending human rights as it transpires in Europe. Who cares when Muslims are detained or killed?
Similar sentiment after 9/11 indorsed the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan without evidence or a UN mandate. This suggests that rules only apply when it works for the USA, Britian, and France etc.
Recently Russia annexed Crimea and parts of Ukraine and now bomb Syrian territory. Where is the United Nation resolutions and the “coalition of the willing” for peace, justice and human rights? How come the British parliament deliberated for one day before sending in planes to bomb Syrian territory but failed to intervene in the many other horrific acts of war which crush human rights elsewhere?
While Islamic State perverts Islamic values that are not the only issue at play as the hypocrisy of western nations that initially fuelled this war and then turn on their proxy IS, must be held liable.
What is obvious is that the betrayal of the Islamic State by the USA, Britian, and France etc is a key reason why acts of terrorism will continue in western cities.
This ongoing war does not benefit Islam or the global Muslim community. It bears the hallmarks of western imperial political shenanigans. In the words of the wise, Muslims must think deeper when it comes to global political games played by our mutual enemies. We cannot be fooled again like we were with the Iran/Iraq war where a few oligarchs benefitted at the cost of millions of ordinary people.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress