Understanding the Middle East Mess

Winds of great change are blowing in the world: the future of global politics for the next century will be determined by what we do in reaction to current events. I am referring to the goings-on in the Arab world on the other side of the globe.

Problem: few seem to really understand what is going on. This criticism applies to the Punditocracy, members of the Senate and Congress, not to mention Mr. O's Dept of State. Permit me an attempt to illuminate.

SUNNI
This flavor or Islam says that upon the death of Mohammed, he left behind a council of elders, sort of the like the disciples in the New Testament, who had the authority to carry on the Muslim religion.

SHIA
This version of Islam says that only direct the direct descendents of Mohammed have the right to speak henceforth for the prophet, sort of like Jesus' brothers authority in the church upon his death.

THE ISLAMIC CHESSBOARD
Right now, there are many moving parts in the Arab world. Unless you understand the conflict between Sunni and Shia, you will never understand the shooting match. The players are Saudi Arabia (Sunni) and Iran (Shia). Everyone else is simply a pawn of one of these. In the Sunni corner, count Egypt, Turkey, Libya, Hezbollah. In the Shia corner count Hamas, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq (disclaimer, I may have gotten some of these wrong, but you get the gist, yes?).

THE SHIA 'CRESCENT'
Saudi Arabia, over the past few years, have become alarmed over the formation of the so-called 'Shia Crescent' along the Arabian Sea. Thanks to that doofus Jimmy Carter, the Shah of Iran (a more or less harmless despot) was deposed and a Shia theocracy took his place. Pakistan is Shia. The United States overturned the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and the native Pashtun now rule; problem: they have always been strong Shia allies. Iraq was a majority Shia country being suppressed by a Sunni minority (Saddam Hussein and friends). The US stepped in, the majority Shia now rule, and Iraq was changed from the Saudi side to Iran's.

'ARAB SPRING'? NOT
I have heard much nonsense about the revolutions happening as we speak in the Middle East. It has been likened to the Prague Spring or Attenborough's Cry Freedom. What nonsense. These cultures have no history or cultural thinking that supports freedom and liberty. A more apropos simile would be the French Revolution, where one form of tyranny was replaced by a much more repressive one.

SHARIA LAW? WHAT'S THAT?
It is critical for you Judeo-Christians to understand this. Your Western tradition has granted freedom of worship: you can kneel at the temple of any religion you wish, as long as you do not violate civic law. Sharia is the exact opposite; think the Church of England of a few centuries ago: attendance on Sunday at a C of E service was required, along with a compulsory 10% tithe, regardless of what your religion is. Under Sharia law, you may not even possess a Christian Cross or a Bible; you may not celebrate Valentine's Day or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, even in private; if you are convicted of theft, your hand will be cut off. These laws apply to 100% of all people, 100% of the time, no exceptions. These are exactly conditions today in Saudi Arabia.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE OF SHARIA - MECCA
Unless you are Muslim, you cannot even enter the city of Mecca (which is controlled by Saudi Arabia, Sharia), much less approach the Grand Mosque. Contrast this with St. Peter's for Catholics or the Wailing Wall for Jews. Just to show you the enmity between the 2 flavors of Islam: up until recent times, there were many historic buildings (related to the family of Mohammed) in Mecca that dated to the times of Mohammed; most of these have been bulldozed by Saudi Arabia. Why? Remember: they are Sunni, and they believe that the family of the Prophet have no authority over Islam, so destroying these historic structures is akin to taking out the trash.

READ THE KORAN
When you do, you will see that there are 2 levels of enemies to Mohammed. First, are the infidels, that is, you and me. We have not heard his word and are therefore the uninformed, unwashed masses. Second, there are apostates. These have heard the Prophet's words, but have either turned their backs on it or distorted them. In Islam, the latter are much bigger sinners than the former. This is important to know when you see the actions of various Islamic forces: for the Sunni and Shia, they regard each other as the latter.