—Soroor Ahmed
In no recent wars the enemies had vowed to eliminate each other’s top most leader more than the one going on in West Asia now. Unlike the pre-20th century conflicts, where the supreme commanders (read monarchs) would lead from the front in the battlefield there is little scope for such killing now.
Yet Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated on the first day of the conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is high on the list of targets of Tehran and unlike the late Iranian spiritual guide is hiding in safe place. Though the martyred supreme leader was during his life time opposed to the hereditary succession of leadership, yet the panel of 88 experts elected his son Mujtaba as the Imam. The latter accepted it not out of love for power and glory but to demonstrate to the enemies that he too is prepared to sacrifice his life like his entire family. Thus, the current bloody showdown is very different from others in the past.
That is why, among the factors coming in the way of early end to this war is the fact that the parties involved in it are extremely committed to their ideological/religious cause and have very high level of motivation and tenacity. The Iranians, the Houthis, Hezbollah, the Islamic resistance in Iraq (an umbrella organization) and Hamas as well as the Jewish Zionists of Israel and the United States and Christian Zionists (not all Christians) of the world are locked in the grim battle to wipe out each other.
For the Iranian-led camp it is the struggle to take back the third Holiest Shrine of Islam, Al-Aqsa Masjid in Jerusalem, for which it gets the overwhelming backing of Muslim masses cutting across the Shia-Sunni line. For the fanatic Christian Zionists, the main creator of the whole problem in 19th century, the Armageddon, the Biblical last battle before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in Palestine/Israel is going on. Media reports suggest that the American troops engaged in the present war have repeatedly been reminded about the Holy last Battle. The prayer meeting of President Donald Trump with Pastors in Oval Office was highlighted with this purpose.
However, a section of Several non-Evangelist soldiers, and those belonging to other faiths resented this invocation by the High Command. At the top level the American forces may have been heavily dominated by Whites, but at the lower-level people of different colours, races and nationalities are serving. Herein lies the problem in raking up Crusade like sentiment.
Unholy Alliance
As per the belief of the hardline Christians the forces of Good or Virtuous led by them would prevail over the armies of Evils or Wicked, (read Muslims) before the advent of Messiah.
According to this belief, Christians would emerge victorious over the forces of Evil and the Jews of Zion, the ancient name for Jerusalem, would strangely be killed or converted to Christianity. Today, the US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have a common cause, but the Christian Zionists’ hostile view about Jews is well known. That is why there is a divide in the Republican camp now. As the Americans have received a bloody nose, a large number of them are now blaming Netanyahu for the start of the war. But had the US-Israeli duo succeeded in the so-called regime change after the February 28 assassination of the Ayatollah, the same West would have been celebrating it.
Jewish Scriptures
Curiously again, according to Jews belief their Messiah—and not that of Christians–would arrive when they would be facing acute persecution. He would assemble them to the Palestine from all over the world and liberate them. Ironically, according to their own scriptures Jews would be collaborating with their enemies at that point of time. It is on this ground that many Jews, especially the Ultra Orthodox ones, opposed and denounced the idea of Israel floated and fully backed by the Christian Zionists in 19th and 20th century. They were of the view that Christians and not Muslims were the main persecutors and enemies of Jews. The Jewish opponents of concept of separate homeland for them then and even now argue that it was a wicked Christian Zionists design to pitch Jews against Muslims of Ottoman Empire—Palestine was then a province under it. Jews, notwithstanding religious differences with Islam, were held in high esteem by Ottoman and had been enjoying good posts. Believe it, the Ultra Orthodox Jews, though in minority, consider the rest of Jews as deviation, and question the existence of Israel without the advent of their own Messiah. Thus, many of them still resist serving in Israeli army.
Quranic Stand
Though some Muslim clerics and intellectuals wrongly rate Jews as the real ruler of the world, what they fail to appreciate is that this stand is in total contrast to the Quranic position. In several verses, it has been clearly mentioned that Jews would never get peaceful refuge anywhere in the world, but may be temporarily by someone. Thus, since late 19th century the Christian Zionists have been using them for their own larger political objective. In that way, actually Jews are no power on their own. The Christian dominated West is of the view that it is they who have promoted Jews and are now using their shoulders to fire upon the Muslims. Many Evangelists strongly believe that these Jews have actually converted into Christianity or have no faith left in their own religion. Here it needs to be mentioned that there still are Ultra Orthodox Jews who hate Christians more than Muslims.
Earlier contradictions apart, at present the Christian Zionists and Jewish Zionists have ganged up against the global Muslim sentiment. There is another irony: it is Shia-dominated Iran, Houthis or Ansarullah, Islamic Resistance of Iraq, and Hezbollah which is fighting for the cause of Al-Aqsa Masjid and Palestine, especially Gaza, where there is hardly any Shia. Hamas incidentally is a Salafi Sunni Muslim group, yet it enjoys huge support from Shia Iran, simply because the larger cause is common.
In contrast the Salafi Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies are led by Sunni rulers, who are opposed towards the Hamas’s tough stand towards Israel. Though today the common Sunni masses in these Sheikhdoms are not in a mood to revolt, yet it is a fact that a large number of them do not approve the policy of their respective rulers towards Palestine. The silence over the genocide in Gaza has angered them.
No Territorial Dispute
Iran and the Shia groups backing it have no territorial dispute whatsoever with Israel. They are shedding so many blood and facing widespread destruction for what they believe is the just cause. They accuse the other Muslim rulers of dancing to the tune of the western colonial masters.
Unlike the past wars fought by the nationalist, secular and socialist Arab armies against Israel religious zeal is extremely strong in the Iranian-led camp.
Similarly, the Crusading army of Christian Zionists are fighting the latest war with somewhat same spirit as of seven or eight Crusades which they launched between the last decade of 11th century and end of 13th century. Their army led by Godfrey of Bouillon occupied Jerusalem then under the control of Ismaili Shia Fatimid dynasty ruler of North Africa and West Asia then.
However, in 1187 Salahuddin Ayyubi-led army snatched back this Holy City for Muslims. He was a Kurdish general of Abbasid dynasty who later established Ayyubi dynasty in Levant and Egypt.
Needless to remind about the love for Christian Zionism displayed by Democrats Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. Here it should also be understood that Christian United for Israel is the biggest Zionist organization of the United States. It has membership of one crore, that is about 25 lakhs more than the entire Jewish population in Israel. So, when one talks about the Jewish lobby in America, it does not just mean that it is backed only by the Jews. The American Deep State is heavily dominated by the Christian Zionists, though Jewish Zionist have substantial financial clout in the country.
(Soroor Ahmed, an independent Indian journalist, is the author of the book, The Jewish Obsession, published in 2004. He writes on international, national and regional issues. The views expressed is author’s own)
