#Shiites in Saudi Arabia

[deadpresidents]

You said you read a lot about Arabia and Islam and I have a random question that you might be able to help with. I know that for centuries there was a caliph who was like the leader of muslims and I always wondered why if the king of saudi arabia is in charge of the holy sites why isn't he considered the caliph or declared himself as the caliph?

It's a good question and there are a number of complex reasons why that didn't/doesn't happen which require a much deeper dive, but I'll try to give a simplified answer. First of all, the caliph was the spiritual leader of the entire Muslim world and while the caliphs also had a political role as successors to Muhammad, that role changed dramatically through the centuries as the Muslim world grew, Islamic empires rose and fell, and Islam itself branched into different sects. The last widely-recognized caliphs were the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, but even in the last decades of the Ottoman Empire, there were disagreements throughout the Muslim world about the legitimacy of anyone's claim on the caliphate. The two main branches of Islam -- Sunni and Shia -- have entirely different ideas on how a caliph should be chosen and who the caliph is chosen by.

When the Ottoman Empire collapsed after the end of World War I, the Sharif of Mecca -- Hussein, a direct descendant of Muhammad as the leader of Hashemite dynasty (and great-great grandfather of the current Jordanian King Abdullah II) -- attempted to declare himself the new caliph, but was not accepted. In many ways, it was like a modern European monarch suddenly declaring himself the Pope; that's just not how most Muslims believed the spiritual leader of the Islamic faith should be determined. Plus, Hussein only had a tenuous hold on Islam's holiest sites (Mecca, Medina, and, at the time, Jerusalem) following World War I, and Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud was in the process of taking control of what is now Saudi Arabia. Once Ibn Saud became King of Saudi Arabia, he took over as "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (Mecca and Medina), but the idea of declaring himself caliph was out of the question. Ibn Saud and the vast majority of his supporters were members of the deeply conservative, puritanical Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam and they believed that the caliph was chosen by all Muslims, not declared by one person. As the guardian of Islam's two holiest sites, the King of Saudi Arabia is responsible for ensuring that all Muslims capable of making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca (and the lesser pilgrimage to Medina) can do so. Unilaterally declaring himself the caliph would undoubtedly have alienated many Muslims, particularly those from countries outside of Saudi Arabia and especially Shiites. In other words, it's not within the power of the King of Saudi Arabia to give himself (or any other individual) the title of caliph, and he'd probably get just as much resistance from his fellow Saudis if he tried to do so. There's no way that the Ikhwan -- the ascetic tribes and Bedouins who largely acted as Ibn Saud's military forces as he conquered most of the Arabian Peninsula in the first half of the 20th Century -- would have remained loyal to the first Saudi King if he had unilaterally proclaimed himself the caliph.

The Muslim people around the world -- the ummah -- haven't been united since the death of Muhammad, which is when the divide between Shia and Sunnis began over the true successor of the Prophet, so any caliph is going to be seen as illegitimate by a significant percentage of the population. And in the modern world, any political aspects of a potential caliph are going to be superseded by the temporal responsibilities of the heads of state or heads of government in every country, no matter how large or devout their Islamic population might be. So, a modern caliph would really have to be a spiritual leader, not a political one -- very similar to the Pope. But the Pope also has the unique position of being the head of state (and, really, an absolute monarch) of a sovereign nation. The Islamic world is too fragmented and divided by opposing theologies to allow a modern-day caliph to govern, command military forces, and provide religious guidance in the same manner as Muhammad's immediate successors or even during the 600+ years of Ottoman Sultans. A caliph would effectively have the same standing today as a modern-day Doge of Venice or Japanese Shogun; it's an anachronistic position of leadership and somewhat outdated concept in the world we currently live in -- you know, like the Iowa Caucus or Electoral College.

[argyrocratie]

(...)

"What is the Houthi movement?

The Houthi insurgency is a Zaydi Shiite Islamist political movement established in 1992 to challenge Yemen’s longtime, and increasingly corrupt, leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. Following massive street protests, Saleh resigned his post in 2011. After the resignation, a national unity dialogue was held in Yemen’s capital Sana’a to try to resolve a host of Yemeni political conflicts. However, those talks eventually broke down, prompting the Houthis to advance on Sana’a with the goal of taking power. This sparked Saudi Arabia’s deadly US-backed air, ground, and naval invasion of Yemen, which lasted for seven years and killed an estimated 9,000 civilians, as well as significant numbers of Houthi forces, in repeated airstrikes. Despite the overwhelming force used by Saudi Arabia, however, the Houthis gained control over roughly a third of Yemen’s land—and two-thirds of its population—over the course of the war.

In April 2022, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis negotiated a truce that has nearly eliminated the fighting in Yemen. The truce halted offensive military operations, allowed fuel ships to enter Yemeni ports, and restarted commercial flights from Sana’a airport. However, it did not offer a comprehensive political settlement, leaving open the threat of renewed hostilities.

How have the Houthis become involved in the war?

After Israel began bombing Gaza on October 7th, the Houthi movement—which has long held what Yemen expert Helen Lackner called a “fundamentalist foreign policy position against the US and Israel”—announced that it was ready to intervene in solidarity with Palestinians. “There are red lines in the situation related to Gaza, and we are coordinating with our brothers in the jihad axis and are ready to intervene with all we can,” the Houthis’ leader said. As part of this effort, the movement has carried out 27 attacks in the Red Sea between November 19th and January 11th, most of them on commercial ships linked to Israel (although some of the attacks have targeted ships without a clear connection to Israel). The movement has also tried to fire on American warships and on Israel itself.

In the attacks on commercial ships, the Houthis have mostly fired missiles at them, though on November 20th, the group’s fighters seized a cargo ship and detained the crew members onboard. These attacks have discouraged shipping companies from traversing the Red Sea, the fastest route from Asia to Europe; many are instead sailing around the Horn of Africa, which adds $1 million to the typical cost of a roundtrip. On January 11th, the White House cited this trade disruption as a key motivating factor for the US’s bombings in Yemen, noting that “more than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea—which can cause weeks of delays in product shipping times.”

The Houthi movement’s attacks in the Red Sea, as well as the retaliation the attacks have generated, have revitalized the group’s power within Yemen. Prior to October 7th, the Houthis were facing discontent due to their authoritarian rule, their failure to pay salaries, and their control of aid in the face of spiraling poverty. Their confrontation with Israel, however, has seen “their popularity suddenly skyrocket, including in areas in Yemen where they don’t rule and in stark contrast to other Arab [states] who are at best being silent, or at worse, helping the enemy,” Yemen expert Helen Lackner told Jewish Currents. After incurring significant losses in their conflict with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Houthis’ firm opposition to Israel has also helped them to recruit more young men to their military who believe they will have the opportunity to fight in Palestine, according to Lackner.

In this context, experts say it is unlikely the spate of Western bombings will end the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea—and such attacks could even contribute to the group’s bolstered popularity. “They’re willing to live with some level of retaliation because they can then position themselves as having been targeted by this Western alliance that is serving the interests of Israel,” said Mohamad Bazzi, director of New York University’s Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies. Other experts have also warned that the US strikes risk provoking further escalations: For instance, the Houthis could decide to attack Saudi Arabia in a bid to up the pressure on American allies.

(...)

What is Iran’s role in the regional escalation?

While the groups responding to Israel’s bombing of Gaza—Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Iraqi and Syrian paramilitaries—are spread out across the region, they are all supported by Iran, which has armed and financed them as part of an overall strategy to contest US and Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. This Iran-supported network is often called the “axis of resistance,” and the alliance’s close collaboration reflects an approach developed by Qassem Soleimani, who was a key Iranian military leader until he was assassinated by the US in January 2020. “A big part of his strategy in the region was for the groups to get to know each other, and to share training and expertise—and that continued after the assassination in Baghdad,” said Bazzi.

Experts emphasize that Iran does not have full control over the groups it funds and arms, which often pursue their own agendas. For example, the relationship between the Houthis and Iran, according to Lackner, “is a bit like Netanyahu’s relationship to Biden. If they agree, and they want to do the same thing, then they do it. But they are not afraid to diverge either,” said Lackner. For instance, the Houthis ignored Iran’s orders to halt their advance on Sana’a in 2014, which sparked the years-long civil war and the conflict with Saudi Arabia. In the current conflagration, Bazzi said, Iran is unlikely to be directing the various forces to pursue “specific attacks,” but Iranian military leadership is “probably involved in larger-scale conversations about the division of responsibilities of different parts of the axis of resistance.”

According to Bazzi, at this moment Iran is carefully calculating how to maintain regional credibility by showing support for Hamas, while not going far enough to provoke a war with powerful foes like the US and Israel. “The primary Iranian calculation is about regime survival, and they don’t want to do anything that seriously jeopardizes their survival,” said Bazzi. Parsi said that so far, Iran has benefited from avoiding risky moves—in contrast to Israel, which has diminished its own “global standing” with its operations in Gaza. “Israel’s pariah status globally—at least outside of the West—is something that the Iranians are drawing benefits from. But that only works to the point that this doesn’t escalate into a larger conflict,” he said.

How is the US responding to the regional conflict?

Since October 7th, the US has repeatedly said that it wants to prevent more fighting in the region. Early on, the US dispatched warships and fighter jets to the Mediterranean to deter Hezbollah from entering the fray. Biden administration officials have also ramped up diplomatic efforts to halt a regional conflagration: The president sent envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanon to try to negotiate a solution to the fighting around the blue line, and reportedly warned Israel against escalation with Hezbollah in private conversations. In October, when Israel had made plans to pre-emptively strike Lebanon, President Biden called Netanyahu to tell him to “stand down” on the attack plans, and ultimately, Israel did not launch a wide scale attack, according to a December Wall Street Journal report. “The priority for the Biden administration is to limit or prevent the broadening of the conflict,” said Schenker.

At the same time, the US has carried out repeated bombings in Iraq, Syria, and now Yemen, even as officials continue to talk about de-escalation. “We’re not looking for conflict with Iran. We’re not looking to escalate and there’s no reason for it to escalate beyond what happened over the last few days,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said last Friday, after the first US bombings of Yemen. But yesterday, the US military again bombed Houthi targets for the third time in a week, and then designated the Houthis as a terror organization, blocking the group’s access to the global financial system. By targeting Yemen, experts say the US is significantly expanding the regional war—“escalating regional tensions and adding fuel to a conflict,” as Bazzi wrote in a recent column published in The Guardian. “The conflagration could spiral out of control, perhaps more by accident than design,” he noted.

Many Middle East analysts say the Biden administration’s attempt to avert regional war is failing for one main reason: its refusal to couple a plea for de-escalation with advocacy for a ceasefire in Gaza. “Seeing the wider regional conflict as something that can be managed separately from Gaza is the source of the dissonance [in the administration’s strategy],” Bazzi told Jewish Currents. “You can’t prevent the wider regional war effectively without addressing the core immediate issue, which is the Israeli assault on Gaza. It’s just wishful thinking in the Biden administration that somehow it can separate the two.”

[girlactionfigure]

*ISRAEL REALTIME* - "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"

🔹No rockets from Gaza yesterday.

▪️Wall Street Journal: Israel informed the US of its intention to establish a buffer zone one kilometer deep in the Gaza Strip.

▪️Shiite militias of Iraq (Iran supported and weapon supplied) state they have shut down Israel’s Haifa and Ashdod ports via suicide drone attack.  “The Islamic resistance in Iraq began the second phase of the naval blockade of the Zionist entity, which includes: a naval blockade in the Mediterranean Sea and the shutdown of its seaports. The siege on it will continue until the blockade of Gaza is lifted and the massacres in the Gaza Strip stop.”  This is called believing your own propaganda and assuming that your enemy failing to report on it is enemy lies.

▪️Flood alert:  Normal Negev and Dead Sea sites for seasonal rain flow are flooding or expected to flood and must be avoided.  Hiking and nature trips should be suspended.  The National Center for Flood Prediction: a flow has been detected down Nahal Ergot, it is expected to reach Highway 90 soon.

▪️The compound and neighborhood where 21 soldiers fell was destroyed yesterday afternoon.

🔶 GAZA-HAMAS Front 

▪️Heavy fighting continues in Khan Yunis, including airstrikes on enemy terror squads.

▪️Enemy action reports: Violent bombardment in various parts of the Gaza Strip now. Israeli aircraft bombed a group of people (fighters - but we report they were children) on the shore of the sea near Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.  Heavy concentration of IDF forces southwest of Gaza City.  IDF tanks firing at buildings next to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, south Gaza.

▪️Gaza Now reports that somehow, nobody knows why (sarcasm), the HUNDREDS of trucks of food aid entering Gaza and sent to north Gaza keep not arriving or arriving mostly empty.  Where is the aid going?

🔶 RED SEA-Houthis Front 

▪️The Pentagon:  Since the 11th of this month, we have destroyed 25 missile launch facilities and more than 20 missiles, drones and radars in Yemen.

▪️Due to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, the German shipping company Hapag Lloyd announced the launch of an overland corridor from the shores of the Persian Gulf in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea - bypasses the "Houthi problem" and also significantly shortens shipping time - truck shipping the containers across Saudi Arabia and loading them on ships in the northern Red Sea closer to the Suez Canal.

🔶 REGIONAL War 

▪️Iraq:  A wave of American attacks in southwestern Iraq and on the way to Qaim (against Iranian backed Shiite militias that have been attacking US bases).  The area under attack is Jarp al-Nasr, an area that was taken over by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (yes, Iran operating in Iraq).  Iraqi Hezbollah battalions were also attacked.  American planes carried out 5 airstrikes.

🔶 JUDEA-SAMARIA Front 

▪️The village of Urif: our forces blew up the house of the terrorist who carried out the deadly shooting attack near the settlement of Eli on June 20 of last year.

[beardedmrbean]

BEIRUT (AP) — Hashem Safieddine, a strongman who rose through the ranks of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah over decades to become the second-most powerful person within the organization, has died.

Safieddine, who was about 60, was killed in early October in a series of Israeli airstrikes in a southern suburb of Beirut that shook much of the Lebanese capital, part of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah. Israel said Tuesday that Safieddine had been killed in the strikes; Hezbollah confirmed the death Wednesday.

Safieddine's death came as he was widely expected to be elected the group's next leader after the death of Hassan Nasrallah, one of its founders.

Safieddine, Nasrallah's maternal cousin, had spent years preparing for the position — but the announcement was slow in coming following the Sept. 27 airstrike in the Beirut suburbs that killed Nasrallah, part of a series of blows dealt by Israel that had left Hezbollah in disarray.

A black-turbaned cleric with a thick gray beard who bore a strong resemblance to Nasrallah, Safieddine was known for defiant speeches in which he vowed that Hezbollah would keep fighting Israel no matter the price.

A familiar face in Lebanon and a leader with close ties to Iran, he was a member of the group’s decision-making Shura Council and its Jihad Council, which acts as its military command. He also headed its Executive Council, which runs schools and social programs.

Safieddine's death comes at a delicate time for Hezbollah. In the wake of its ally Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel's ensuing offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles at Israel — and they have exchanged fire regularly since.

But recent weeks have seen a significant escalation, as Israel carried out a series of strikes on top Hezbollah commanders and apparently blew up thousands of communication devices used by the group's members. It has since launched a ground invasion in Lebanon that it says aims to push Hezbollah militants back from the border.

Despite the lack of formal announcement following Nasrallah’s death, it was widely known that Safieddine was already in control and running the group’s affairs, though the official acting leader was his deputy, Naim Kassem.

It’s not clear who will end up taking Hezbollah’s top job now, especially since another leading candidate, Nabil Kaouk, was also killed in an Israeli strike hours after Nasrallah’s death.

Like Nasrallah, Safieddine held the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shiite cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Since its founding during Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah has been led by a cleric.

During a funeral in a Beirut suburb last month for Hezbollah members who were killed in the exploding pagers attack, Safieddine vowed that Hezbollah would not bow down and would fight back.

“This aggression will definitely face its special punishment. This punishment is definitely coming,” Safieddine said.

During the ceremony, several walkie-talkies exploded wounding people nearby. Safieddine stayed at the funeral until the end, despite the new round of blasts.

Safieddine was close to Iran. His son, Rida, is married to Zeinab Soleimani, the daughter of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq in 2020.

Safieddine’s brother, Abdallah, is Hezbollah’s point man in Tehran, a crucial role in the organization given that Iran is its main backer, providing it with weapons and money.

In May 2017, the U.S. and some of its Arab allies, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, imposed sanctions on 10 top Hezbollah officials including Nasrallah, Kassem and Safieddine.

[femmederbender]

One of the most infuriating things abt the American “perspective” on the Middle East is the propaganda around sects of Islam dictating policy and being the basis of animosity between countries. What the actual situation in middle eastern countries is there are complicit client state governments (turkey, jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt) who trade land for military bases, greater stability, and trade with the us. And then there are states that have come to the brink of socialist revolution or upending the British or American installed governments and have been punished and destroyed for it. OR haven’t played nice with their natural resources (Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Syria). In only 3 (three) countries is there ever a non Sunni majority: Iran, Iraq, and Azerbaijan. Bush era foreign policy writers would have you believe the states that are hosting the hostile western influence and acting in accordance with its will in the region aren’t the source of tension, that it’s this fundamental difference between religious branches like we’re fucking Christians or something. It is a fabrication. It is a figment of American foreign policy. If you are American, forget the words sunni and Shiite because they’re fucking irrelevant to you. Thankfully if you’re under 35 they haven’t done the propaganda on this in a while so you might not even know about it/remember it. But with where things are now, understand that at a certain point of other countries getting involved, the Americans are going to trot out this little idea so you don’t get it in your head that the countries getting involved in the conflict are tired of watching Israel kill Palestinians while a gun is held to their heads. They’re going to try to convince you this is religious fervor and not nations in the region watching Israel starting wars and killing countless civilians without so much as a finger wag from their handlers.

[mariacallous]

No one in Lebanon wants a war, but they may still get one.

The country has been on tenterhooks since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel amassed hundreds of thousands of troops—stationing many along its northern border with Lebanon. The scale of the Israeli response in Gaza may define Lebanon’s future as Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese militia backed by Iran, may feel compelled to join in, despite its instinct for self-preservation. The Lebanese are fully aware the conflict might spill over and push the country, long teetering on the edge, into an irretrievable abyss.

It will be “catastrophic, a final blow to Lebanese resilience,” said Nizar Ghanem, the director of research and a co-founder of Triangle, a Lebanese think tank. “Israel can destroy Lebanon,” Sami Nader, a political analyst, told Foreign Policy. During the 2006 war with Israel, “it cost Lebanon billions of dollars.”

Yet, at a time when the country is grappling with myriad crises, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has failed to get assurances from Hezbollah that Lebanon will not be engulfed in yet another conflict with Israel. “I could not get assurances about the developments from any party because the situation is constantly changing,” he said on Lebanese TV.

Lebanon has been reeling over the last few years under its worst-ever economic crisis; since mass protests erupted in 2019 over a cost of living crisis, Lebanon has faced rising unemployment and among the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the world. As the economy went into a tailspin, the local currency devalued by 90 percent, inflation skyrocketed, and pushed 80 percent of people below the poverty line.

Living standards dropped substantially, and power blackouts for 22 hours per day became routine. A sense of injustice prevailed as no one was held accountable for the catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s port on Aug. 4, 2020.

The country’s parliament has repeatedly failed to elect a president; there is only a caretaker prime minister and a temporary central bank chief. The foreign reserves have depleted from $30 billion back before the 2019 crisis to $8.6 billion today—which, incidentally, is just a billion more than the $7.6 billion raised by the international community to help Lebanon rebuild the infrastructure destroyed in the 2006 war.

If there’s another war, experts believe Lebanon may not get a chance to recover. They say an already bankrupt Lebanese state won’t be handed any loans by the international community and the wealthy Arab monarchies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates may not want to flush Lebanon with money that could easily end up in the hands of Hezbollah, which they see as an Iranian militia training other militias in the region that present a threat to their security. “It could lead to a complete meltdown of the state,” Ghanem added. “And this time, Lebanon does not have the chance to borrow from international markets.”

In case of war, the chassis of basic infrastructure sustaining daily life may get bombed and demolished, forcing another generation of Lebanese to flee the country. There are chances of civil unrest, too. If Israel limits its operations to Hezbollah-dominated southern Lebanon, Bekaa, and Dahieh, where Shiites predominately live—many of whom support Hezbollah or are beholden to it—the people in those communities will likely flee to other parts of the country. That will further burden the civic services already under strain from the presence of Syrian refugees and could even exacerbate sectarian differences.

Khaled Zeidan, a restaurateur in a posh Christian neighborhood in Beirut, said his biggest concern is displacement—and the social tensions that could lead to: “The biggest risk is displacement from the south towards Beirut and other areas, particularly with the overwhelming problems we are currently facing.”

Even after decades of war, the country is still divided, and often members of a specific sect dominate a specific neighborhood or an entire city. There are palpable tensions in the country, with many opposing Iran’s influence through Hezbollah and long demanding the group disarm. Hezbollah’s weapons, ostensibly stockpiled to protect Lebanon from Israel, give it the power it exudes in domestic politics.

Mark Daou, a Lebanese member of parliament who taught media studies at the American University of Beirut, said the impact of the Israel-Hamas war is already being felt in Lebanon as the German airline Lufthansa has stopped flights and not all shipping lanes are open, causing shortages.

“We are starting to get tight on supplies. Lanes are not all open. It’s a struggle to get ships to send stuff to Lebanon,” he told Foreign Policy over the phone from Beirut. “This is just on the risk of war, not even an ongoing war.” (Lebanon is heavily dependent on imports—even for some basic food items.) Daou said Hezbollah has “no excuse” to go to a war that “will destroy the country.”

The key question is if Hezbollah—armed with 150,000 precision-guided missiles—including hundreds of long-range rockets that can hit anywhere inside Israel—will heed the call of Hamas, its ally in the axis of resistance against Israel. Or will Israel’s leadership, with troops already mobilized and global sympathy onside, see an opportunity in opening another front to destroy Hezbollah’s armory?

Hezbollah does not have the consent of the Lebanese people to wage a war on Israel. It also isn’t suicidal and won’t enter a conflict without gaming out an exit. Yet it is an ideological organization with thousands of fighters and reservists who were enrolled and brainwashed with anti-Israel rhetoric.

Even though the United States has sent two aircraft carriers to the Eastern Mediterranean to deter Hezbollah and Iran from expanding the conflict, the opening of another front in Lebanon cannot be ruled out. Hezbollah may enter the war with all its might in three situations: extreme bloodshed in Gaza; if Israel starts bombing Hezbollah’s stockpiles, hidden all over Lebanon; or if Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei deems it the path to be.

Elias Farhat, a retired Lebanese Army general, said the Lebanese armed forces and Hezbollah are at a high degree of readiness. He said Hezbollah is likely to intervene in the current conflict if “Israel escalates its attacks on Lebanon and targets deep in Lebanon”—presumably Hezbollah’s rockets or leadership or Lebanese cities—or if “Israel storms in[to] Gaza and commit[s] more massacres.”

Hezbollah may opt for limited involvement to assuage Hamas and save face in front of its devoted and determined cadre while still preserving itself. The group may intensify rocket shelling and send its elite Radwan commando unit to carry out raids of varying magnitude—depending on the state of affairs in Gaza—across the blue line.

Nader, the political analyst, said that in the end, the decision would be made in Tehran, depending on Iran’s calculus. “Hamas is a strategic asset for Iran and a huge instrument of pressure. It offered Iran clout inside Israel,” he said. “If they feel they are about to lose this strategic asset that they have been investing in for years, they will push Hezbollah to open another front.”

As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken went on a six-nation tour of the Middle East to prevent a regional conflict last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Beirut and Baghdad and met Hamas’s leadership in Doha to firm up the alliance among Iran’s proxies. “In light of the continued aggression, war crimes, and siege on Gaza, opening other fronts is a real possibility,” Amir-Abdollahian said in Beirut.

Hezbollah is heavily armed and a much more serious adversary for Israel. It has devoted fighters, a loyal support base, and thousands of reservists, who on any given day express a desire to move to Europe or the United States to build a better life but are still unwavering in their support to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Both Israel and Hezbollah have warned of bombing each other back to the “stone age,” and military experts agree that it would be a destructive war for both sides.

Israel can destroy Lebanon, but Hezbollah, too, can cause a huge amount of damage and attack critical installations and population centers. It can fire volleys of rockets to overwhelm the Iron Dome air defense system and open a third front in southern Syria against the Israel-held Golan Heights. “The Syrian front will open if the situation deteriorates to a dangerous extent,” Farhat said.

In August, Nasrallah warned that it would take a “few high-precision missiles” to destroy Israel airports “civilian and military” and other targets including “the Dimona [nuclear] power station.”

The last war with Israel definitely hurt Lebanon, but it catapulted Hezbollah from a rookie militia to a “savior.” Hezbollah built a huge museum in the mountains to celebrate its performance. Tales of how it emerged from under the ground, via tunnels, and fought Israelis are the stuff of legend in villages on the border. These villages are now tense, and so are Lebanese elsewhere in the country.

So far, the exchange of fire between Hezbollah and the Israel Defense Forces has been frequent but calibrated so as not to escalate. But that’s no comfort for people who are far too acquainted with how quickly skirmishes can turn into full-blown conflicts.

“Another collapsed Middle Eastern nation, it’s not a joke,” says Ghanem. “We hope it doesn’t happen [in Lebanon].”

[bu1410]

Good morning TUMBLR - March 7th - 2024

''Mr. Plant has owed me a shoe since July 5, 1971."

Ch. VIII - 1985- 1989 - Bahrain - Part 1

The 25 km King Fahd causeway that links Saudi Arabia to Bahrain.

Manama, the modern capital of Bahrain.

Bahrain desert - the Tree of Life

Bahrain life

GPIC - Gulf Petrochemical Complex - Sitra Island, Bahrain

The winter between December 1984 and January 1985 was particularly harsh in Italy, characterized by increasingly lower temperatures. Between 13 and 17 January 1985, a depression centered on the Corsican Sea caused what is still remembered in Milan today as the snowfall of the century or the snowfall of '85, constituting the heaviest snowfall recorded in Milan in the 20th century. The snowfall caused serious damage. After four days of real storm, January 17th 1985 the Sports Hall collapsed in Milan due to the excessive weight of the snow that had accumulated on the roof. In this certainly not festive atmosphere, I received a call from an engineering company in Milan, INTECH, an already a supplier of services to SNAMPROGETTI, with whom I soon agreed to leave for Bahrain.

From the SNAMPROGETTI office in San Donato, the Head of HR office Mr. Cincotta reassured me:  ''It's a temporary destination, just a few months, waiting that construction of new Agadir International Airport will start … don't worry…'' I stayed there for 4 years…….

Mind you, not that I minded: Bahrain was a liveable place (drinkable, in the language of shipbuilders) especially because it also allowed families to reach the employees involved in the project. I then left at the beginning of March 1984, with a flight via Kuwait. I arrived at Manama airport and believe it or not there was someone waiting for me! A local guy holding a board with my name written on it almost correctly: Brino Sirino….

Bahrain is a small Emirate in the Persian Gulf (Kaleejj el Arabi) made up of a main island and a myriad of uninhabited islets. It is the ''poorest'' Gulf state, relative to its surrounding neighbors. Above all, Saudi Arabia provides the Emirate with considerable economic aid as the ruling house of Bahrain, like the Al Saud, is of the Sunni faith, in spite to a majority Shiite population The Saudis would never allow a Shiite regime to be established 25 km from the Saudi coast with the approval of the ''Great Enemy'' Iran. And then Bahrain was a sort of ''playground'' for Saudis looking for entertainment just outside their front door. This therefore explains the reason for the economic support to Bahrain by the Saudis. For instance, one of the largest oil well in Saudi waters has always been exploited for free by the Bahraini oil industry. The construction of the 23 km long bridge that connects Saudi Arabia to the island of Bahrain was financed by the Saudis. The free sale of alcohol in Manama by shops managed by a company belonging to the ruling Bahraini family is another concession aimed at helping the Emir Al Khalifa's coffers. In 1986, shortly before the opening of the Dahran – Manama bridge to traffic, King Fahad proposed to the Emir Sheik Eissa the prohibition of alcohol sale, promising to compensate the Emir for the lost earnings: an offer returned to the sender. On top of all this, about 50% of the Southern territory of the island of Bahrain is off limits, due to the largest naval base leased to the US in the Gulf. However, Manama has since then been a modern city, full of skyscrapers, luxury hotels and shopping centres.

AWALI I was housed in Awali, a village of wooden houses built by the Americans of Caltex in 1939, when the first refinery in Bahrain (and the entire Persian Gulf) was built. Someone later told me that around 1942 some Italian planes departing from a base in Egypt tried to bomb the refinery, which produced fuel for the English army. Not having enough fuel to guarantee the return, the planes dropped their bombs into the sea just before the island of Bahrain, and aborted the mission. The village of Awali is located almost in the center of the main island of Bahrain, and its wooden houses are reminiscent of those from the Lassie TV series in every way, including anti-mosquito doors. The houses are 2 and 4 bedrooms, with a large living-dining room, kitchen and two bathrooms. I was assigned to a small 4 bedroom house, but when I got there I was the only occupant. The village also had a club with a partially covered swimming pool (to prevent the summer sun from making the water too hot) and tennis courts, to which we had free access.

RONCI ATHOS A few days after my arrival, around 3.00 AM, I heard some noises: the sound of a car stopping, doors slamming, and than someone throwing something (I than saw that it was suitcases…) inside the house. , on the wooden floor. Then the door of my room suddenly open, and someone said:  Are you asleep?  Before you arrived I was asleep…….  However...... - says the guy - I'm not going to stay here…….tomorrow I'll talk to the HR and then I'll see .....  Okay…. I say…. do as you like but let me sleep now….

For the record, Mr. Ronci Athos – Umbrian from Narni – was still there in 1993, in the place that 8 years earlier he had said he would leave as soon as possible….

THE PROJECT Our client was called GPIC - Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company - a mixed Bahraini, Saudi and Kuwaiti capital company - and was part of the economic aid package from the rich Gulf countries to the ''poor'' relative of Bahrain. Later, at the time of the commissioning and start up of the plants - we would have transformed the acronym into Gruppo Pensionati Italiani Comerint, given the average age of the people that the then company 'ENI had sent to proceed with the commissioning of the plants. The project was in its final phase, and was directed by none other than the P.I. Manoli Benito Italo. Bahrain would be his last construction site personally managing, before becoming Director of the CSO Service of SNAMPROGETTI. The works were even ahead of schedule, so SNAMPROGETTI enjoyed a lot of credit with the Client. Upon delivery of the plant, the Client gifted an extra bonus of 4 million dollars to SNAMPROGETTI for its performance. The credit was than canceled in 1990, during the first Gulf War. GPIC invited SNAMPROGETTI, BECHTEL and UHUDE to provide an initial feasibility study for a urea plant to be built alongside the existing ammonia and methanol plants. BECHTEL replied that she was not interested, SNAMPROGETTI sent a fax requesting an advance of 11,000 USD for the preliminary study. The Germans from HUDE, sensing the deal, in the midst of the Gulf War, sent a representative to Bahrain to discuss the possibility of building the urea plant. In 1992 the belated SANMPROGETTI envoy to Manama was detained at the entrance gate of the plant for a couple of hours, only to be informed that GPIC had officially commissioned UHUDE with the preliminary study.

COMMISSIONING & START UP The long phase of pre-commissioning, commissioning and start-up of the plants soon began. Which were built on a so-called reclaimed land (an artificial island) created by dredging the shallow seabed, characteristic of the Bahraini island. The artificial island - equipped for safety reasons with an outer gate and an inner gate - was connected to the mainland by a causeaway approximately 3 kilometers long, and a second causeaway joined the island to the loading arms of the products, 10 kilometers further into the sea. This is to allow ships to carry out loading operations in complete safety, without the risk of running aground in the shallow seabed. There were many wrecks of ships stranded along the channel dug by the open sea up to the port of Manama - this much to the happiness of the divers, given that the wrecks had been transformed into sanctuaries of Persian Gulf tropical fish. However, I must say a word to describe the characters who are part of the commissioning – start up. These particular people, who believe they are a sort of ''NASA scientists'' intent on launching the SPACE SHUTTLE into space. As soon as they arrived at site their aim was: ''Okay, get rid of Construction people, we're here now''. The fact is that, apart from 3 or 4 of them who really knew what they were doing and were experts in the difficult process of putting the plants into operation (very dangerous indeed) all the others followed suit: ''they claimed to know'' and the less they knew, the more they pretended they were knewing. I met someone who, as soon as they heard someone approaching, started to talk about chemical formulas, operating pressures, and so on, just to put on airs. In any case, within 3 months the start up team had managed to get the two plants up and running, even if the (rhetorical) question that was circulating was - Did you make the methanol?'' ''no…I didn't…So who did it?? No one knows.... ''

Tawfeeq Mohammed Rasul Almansoor - GPIC President The President of GPIC, however, did not seem entirely satisfied, and he demonstrated it with a series of actions that were surprising to say the least. One day Mr. Tawfiq arrived at high speed at the outer gate driving his metallic blue Rolls Royce. The presence of smat guy on the guard post prevented him from ending up against the bars at the outer check point.

Mr Tawfiq continued on the causeway at full speed and the inner gate guard, warned by radio by his colleague at the outer gate, promptly raised the bars. The President's Rolls entered the area of the Administrative offices, where he finally stopped. Tawfiq got out of the car in a rage, and ordered the Security Chief who met him to organize a meeting within 15 minutes. Participants in addition to him were the Security Chef, the Director of COMERINT and the Security Advisor. We mortals later learned that the Security Chef – an British guy, former officer in Hes Majesty's army, had been fired on the spot – Reason given by Mr. Tawifiq:

''Two gates were opened for me and I was able to drive my car into the plant – and this was because at the sight of my Rolls Royce the guards thought I was driving the car. What if he was a terrorist? What if I suddenly went crazy and wanted to attack the plant? What if I had been kidnapped by terrorists who were hiding in the car filled with explosives??'' (I remember that the Rolls Royce was equipped with tinted mirror windows which did not allow anyone to see who was driving the car.) A few days later, a second episode, again with Mr. Tawifiq as absolute protagonist. He had gone between the Main Control Room and Plant Laboratory, in a fairly hidden corner of the plant, and had broken the glass of one of the fire alarms that send a signal to the Fire Department control room. He than set off the stopwatch on his Rolex Platinum Diamond Pearlmaster to see how long it would take for the firefighters to arrive. After 11 interminable minutes - I would like to point out that the Fire Station was about 700 meters from the place where Mr. Tawfiq was stationed - the firefighters arrived to find that it was a false alarm. Again an urgent meeting was called, where this time the HSE manager lost his job. The reason for such a delay – which according to Tawfiq could have led to a disaster in the event of a real fire – was that on the synoptic panel of the fire brigade control room it was not possible to identify precisely where the alarm had went off. Just a week after the episode of the false fire, the start-up of the plants had been successfuly done. The plant was even proding more ammonia and methanol than expected, around 1,200 tons per day per product, instead of the 1,000 tons expected. But many of the ''COMERINT Pensioners'' who had participated in the commissioning were still circulating in the plant. As they say in Southern Italy, ''they were mugging''. Obviously COMERINT was looking for all the plausible excuses to keep them in service, given the daily rates with which they were invoiced to the Customer. (an average of $1,200/day per person). The situation between COMERINT and GPIC had become very tense, with daily requests from the latter to demobilize the technicians. One day Tawfiq lost patience, and went to the Main Control Room - still dressed in the traditional white disdasha, ghutra on his head, he surprised a swarm of Italians having coffee, talking about football, playing on the computer. Tawfiq, who had been taken like an ordinary local, turned to the bystanders waving his arms in the Arab manner and said:  ''What is this? Coffee shop''?  The shift manager, at that moment sitting on the desk with a cup of coffee in his hand and his legs dangling, stood up and in a benevolent manner, took Tawfiq by the arm (a very serious mistake as per Arab habits) pointed to a door at the end of the corridor and told him :  Shouff (look) coffee shop for Arab is there, at the end of corridor – accompanying it all with a laugh. Tawifiq, according to bystanders, didn't show any sign of upset - he left the Control Room, called the Italian Director on the phone. Mr Fiorentino, COMERINT top manager. Mr Tawfiq ordered that all those present at the unfortunate episode were boarded on the first plane to Italy. The offices in the North wing of the Control Room were closed until further notice. But where the President of GPIC gave his best was at the final meeting with Construction Director Benito Italo Manoli and the entire SAMPROGETTI staff present. During the meeting, numbers of questions were raised which mainly concerned the safety of the systems. At a certain point Mr. Tawfiq turned directly to the Italian Doctor Mr. Busonero asking :  Doctor, in case of explosion of one or more tanks of ammonia or methanol, either due to a terrorist attack, or due to an accident, what could be the consequences?

Dead silence in the meeting room… gazes of all those present frantically crossing each other… Mr. Manoli trying to communicate via brain waves with Doct. Busonero, while coughs and noises of chairs moving rang out in the room…. ..and finally the Doctor, red in the face and with drops of sweat running down his forehead (despite the air conditioning being set to 19 degrees C – Tawfiq's favorite temperature) Doct. Busonero replied: - Well…Mr. Tawifiq…with a prevailing wind from the South-East to the North-West, the inhabitants of Manama would have from 7 to 10 minutes to recommend each one's soul to God…''

It was freezing in the meeting room, no one said a word, everyone was waiting for the President's counter-reply. Tawfiq stood up and nodded to Mr. Manoli who followed him into President's private office. The next day there was no trace of Doct. Busonero. We learned that he had been put on a plane to Rome before midnight, the deadline that Tawfiq had indicated to Mr. Manoli. Contrary, Doct. Busonero would have been arrested for telling the truth.

[partisan-by-default]

The Houthis’ most recent strike, on Tuesday, had been a coordinated salvo of 21 drones and missiles at commercial and military ships. U.S. Navy crews were able to shoot down all the weapons, but some came close. In any case, protecting navigation of the seas is an age-old, legitimate military mission. Before Tuesday’s strike, the U.S. and 13 other countries had formally warned the Houthis they would face “consequences” if they continued attacking ships. The U.N. Security Council also condemned the Houthi attacks.

Yet at the same time, the Biden-led attack—which involved ships, submarines, and aircraft firing more than 100 highly accurate missiles at more than 60 Houthi targets across at least 16 locations in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa—could escalate and widen the ongoing conflicts in the region. At the very least, it will further embroil the United States in the war and complicate the prospects of a peace.

The strikes—which officials say were aimed at radars, missile factories and depots, command-control facilities, and drone launch sites—were meant to “degrade” Houthi capabilities to attack more ships. The officials did not claim that the strikes would “destroy” all of their capabilities; they said it was likely that the Houthis would retaliate in some form, in which case the U.S. would respond accordingly. It is not yet known how effective the strike was—it takes hours, sometimes days, for military intelligence to conduct “bomb-damage assessment.” Houthi officials claimed the attack killed five militiamen and injured six. They said nothing about civilian casualties, which suggests there were probably few, if any.

The Houthis are a Shiite sect that overthrew the Yemeni government in 2014 and have been waging a civil war ever since, with steadily increasing support from Iran and against steadily diminishing resistance from Saudi Arabia. The support from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah—in weapons, training, and intelligence—has made Houthi fighters, which were once a ragtag militia just loosely allied with Iran, quite skillful and sophisticated, a full partner in the Iran-led “axis of resistance.” It has also made the Houthis’ leaders more radical and ambitious.

In the past year, they have tried to cast themselves as not only rebels against Yemen’s Saudi-backed regime (which, though deposed, is still recognized by most countries as the legitimate government) but also as a leader of jihad, a “Southern Hezbollah,” as Michael Knights of the Washington institute has put it. Their slogan: “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam!”

[usafphantom2]

Exactly 30 years ago, a US F-16 recorded his first kill and also the first using an AIM-120 AMRAAM

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/27/2022 - 22:33 in Military, War Zones

General Gary North poses for a photo in front of the F-16 he was piloting when he shot down an Iraqi MiG-25.

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On December 27, 1992, four U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters, led by Lieutenant Colonel Gary North, found an Iraqi MiG 25 that crossed the air exclusion zone in southern Iraq. The F-16 held the Iraqi aircraft in the air exclusion zone, preventing it from escaping north. One of the F-16s, arriving from the north, fired an AIM-120A against the Soviet-building fighter. Find out how this fight was.

In April 1991, shortly after the U.S. and its coalition allies expelled Iraqi military forces from Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm, the U.S. established an air exclusion zone in northern Iraq. This was soon followed by the establishment of a similar zone over southern Iraq to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 688.

This resolution guided the protection of Shiite Muslims against attacks by military forces under the control of Saddam Hussein, the Sunni Muslim dictator of Iraq, and a series of other sanctions. To support the resolution and protect the Shiites, the southern air exclusion zone covered the entire south of Iraq, from the 32-degree latitude line to the south to the borders of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The air exclusion zone applied to fixed and rotating wing aircraft, but in October 1991, the southern air exclusion zone also became a "d driving ban" zone and the U.S. Central Command Joint Task Force for Southeast Asia (JTF-SWA) was entrusted with the execution.

Lieutenant Colonel Gary North, commander of the 33rd FS; SSgt. Roy Murray, team chief; SA Steven Ely, assistant to the chief of the crew, pose with the F-16D #90-0778 that Lieutenant Colonel North was piloting when he shot down an Iraqi MiG-25 over the "No Fly Zone" on December 27, 1992. Mounted on the tips of the wings are the advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles AIM-120A. The location of this photo is at Shaw Air Base, on April 1, 1993.

Generally, most Southern Watch missions consisted of fighter scans and patrols, suppression of enemy air defenses, aerial reconnaissance and air command and control using AWACS E-3 Sentry aircraft.

However, the air operations conducted by Saddam Hussein's air force during 91-92 showed that he had no intention of complying with resolution 688. In fact, as explained by Donald J. McCarthy, Jr. in his book "The Raptors All F-15 and F-16 aerial combat victories", countless military combats between coalition forces and Iraqi command and control systems, anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) sites, radar sites and land-to-air missile sites (SAM) occurred since the end of the Gulf War in 1991 until the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

One of the most famous clashes took place on Sunday, December 27, 1992, when an Iraqi MiG-25 fighter (NATO name "Foxbat") violated the air exclusion zone and entered airspace south of the 33rd parallel.

U.S. Air Force Colonel Gary North undergoes pre-flight checks on F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft before flying on a training mission at Luke Air Base in Arizona. The green star on the aircraft represents the Iraqi Mig-25 he shot down.

On that day, at approximately 10:42 a.m. local time, then captain Gary "Nordo" North (who piloted the F-16D "90-0778", indicative Benji 41) led a flight of four F-16s on a routine OSW Mission. While the Viper pilots were refueling from a KC-135, they heard urgent transmissions between a formation of four F-15s in the air exclusion zone and AWACS controllers. An Iraqi fighter (that F-15, having been close enough to obtain a visual acquisition, confirmed it as a "Foxbat") crossed the border to the air exclusion zone and was now accelerating north safely with the F-15 in pursuit. The Foxbat quickly reached the north of the 30th parallel and the F-15, now with little fuel, left the area.

As told by Craig Brown in his book "Debrief: a complete history of U.S. air engagements 1981 to the present", North and his wing refueled only enough fuel to allow them to cover the designated time at the station in the no-fly zone and crossed the border with southern Iraq while the third and fourth aircraft of their group continued to refuel. In a few minutes, the AWACS controllers ordered the two F-16s to head to an Iraqi aircraft heading south towards the thirty-two parallel to ensure that the Bogey did not cross to the air exclusion zone. A few minutes later, the AWACS controllers directed the Vipers to intercept another high-speed contact that originated in the north and crossed to the air exclusion zone approximately thirty miles west of the F-16 formation. The Iraqi fighter was forced to turn north safely before the F-16, armed with two advanced mid-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) AIM-120A and two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, could attack him.

MiG-25 of the Iraqi Air Force.

The AWACS radar monitored another aircraft, northeast of the F-16, flying south towards the air exclusion zone, but this time, while the F-16s flew to intercept the fighter, an Iraqi SAM radar began to track the Vipers. At this point, North ordered the third and fourth aircraft in his group, now fully charged with fuel, to fly north at their best speed. Again the AWACS radar reported a radar contact entering the air exclusion zone west of the Northern formation at high speed at 30,000 feet.

Bogey was flying directly to them from the east.

Nordo asked for a tactical displacement to the north to "fit" the F-16 between the MiG and parallel 30, creating a blocking maneuver and trapping the Iraqi fighter in prohibited airspace. The MiG could not escape back to Iraqi territory without fighting. "Someone would die in the next two minutes, and it wouldn't be me or my wing," North said.

North requested authorization to shoot by visually identifying the aircraft - a MiG-25 Foxbat armed with radar-guided AA-6 "Acrid" missiles. He instructed his ward to employ his electronic interference pod and again requested authorization to shoot. He finally heard "BANDIT-BANDIT-BANDIT, CLEARED TO KILL" about his headset. Approximately three nautical miles, fifteen degrees high from the nose and fifteen degrees from the right bank to the north, he blocked the MiG-25 and fired an AMRAAM, which led to the impact and totally destroyed the Foxbat built in Russia.

It took less than 15 minutes from the moment North left the KC-135 to shoot down the MiG. The video below is the original footage of the slaughter described in this article.

On October 28, 1998, Colonel Paul "PK" White interviewed North for an article of his own, "Nordos' MiG Kill", where North described the moment of the missile's impact: "I saw three separate detonations, the nose and left wing broke instantly and the tail continued in the main body of the jet and, finally, a huge fireball."

Noteworthy, this fight marked not only the first aerial victory won by an American F-16, but also the first shooting of an AIM-120 AMRAAM.

Tags: Military AviationF-16 Fighting FalconHISTORYIqAF - Iraqi Air Force / Iraqi Air ForceUSAF - United States Air Force / US Air ForceWar Zones - Iraq

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[former-leftist-jew]

Don't worry, Biden also approved billions in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Even though they bombed, blockaded, and starved hundreds of thousands of Yemeni citizens to death, caused the largest cholera outbreak ever recorded (thanks to poor sanitation conditions), and pushed millions to acute starvation by 2021.

But don't worry, the "war" between Saudi Arabia and Yemen settled down recently. (And not at all after Saudis basically declared open season on Yemeni journalists around 2021.)

I'm sure everything is fine over there.

After all, Saudi Arabia is still part of the UN!

Sure, there have been some hiccups here and there...

(Like that time they beheaded 81 people in one day, 41 of whom here part of the Shiite minority--without trial, but hey. What's one little mass execution between friends?)

And no one gave a shit about that! So no wonder he thought he could do it again.

[bopinion]

2024 / 39

Aperçu of the week

“Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free.”

(Leonard Cohen song line that the recently deceased country musician and actor Kris Kristofferson chose for his gravestone)

Bad News of the Week

Iran has always seen itself as Israel's arch-enemy. And yet it has always shied away from direct confrontation. The Shiite mullahs have rarely taken direct action against the Jewish state and the Sunnis from the Arabian Peninsula, but rather with their vassal-like militias: the Houthi in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In the current spiral of violence in the Middle East over the past year or so, there have only been isolated incidents between Israel and Iran. It almost seems as if they are cautiously feeling each other out.

This balance of impending terror could now finally be thrown out of kilter. On the one hand, Benjamin Netanyahu is now targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon after largely destroying Hamas. In an address to his citizens, there was really no room for misunderstanding: “We are not waiting for the threat, we are anticipating it - everywhere, on every front, at all times. We are eliminating officials and terrorists, we are destroying missiles - and we are not finished yet. Anyone who tries to harm us, we harm even more.” And the words were followed by deeds. First, the south of Lebanon was bombed across the board, then hundreds of mini-bombs exploded in pagers and walkie-talkies, and finally Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed.

The short-term development can be foreseen. Iran and Israel will continue to fight each other from afar on a limited scale - missiles will fly, but no air force will be used for bombing. Israel will infiltrate southern Lebanon with ground troops. Militant settlers will continue to attack Palestinians in the West Bank. Isolated Arab terrorists will carry out local attacks in Israel. Politicians around the world will call for de-escalation, which both the mullahs and Netanyahu's government couldn't care less about. Anti-Semitic incidents will increase worldwide.

The long-term development cannot be predicted. Will Israel occupy southern Lebanon - like the Golan Heights, which were annexed in 1967 in violation of international law? Will the USA also take part in Israeli offensive actions against Iran - as it will continue to do defensively in any case? Will the still local conflict spread further, for example to Syria - and will Vladimir Putin then continue to stay out of it? Will there be widespread hostility against Jews worldwide - who actually have nothing to do with Israel's actions? Will Germany unequivocally adhere to the raison d'état of pro-Israeli partisanship - even if Israel commits imperialist acts? How will neighboring middle powers such as Saudi Arabia or Turkey behave?

Only one thing is certain: the Middle East as a whole has not been this close to a fundamental abyss for a long time. After decades of more internal conflicts - such as the civil war in Syria, the implosion of Iraq, the takeover attempts by various IS groups, etcetera - it now seems possible that the powder keg that the region has always been will explode. Because the fuse is burning. I'm really sorry that the Arab world just won't calm down.

Good News of the Week

Austria has voted. And as expected, the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has won the election and will form the largest parliamentary group in the National Council, Austria's parliament. So will this be the second Western European country after Italy to be governed by the right? And will the extreme right-wing party leader Herbert Kickl, who already calls himself “People's Chancellor”, become head of government? Not necessarily.

A quick look back: the FPÖ has already been in government several times, but always as a junior partner. The last coalition with the conservative ÖVP (Austrian People's Party) collapsed in 2019 when the party leadership's willingness to engage in corruption became public as part of the so-called Ibiza affair. Since then, the FPÖ has become even more radicalized, especially since the party leadership passed to Kickl in 2021, becoming increasingly racist and anti-Semitic, pandering to Russia and wanting to reduce migration to zero: “Fortress Austria”. With this program, it already came first in the European elections in June and was able to build on this success in the national elections last Sunday.

So why don't I look on the black side for our southern neighbor? Because I believe in democracy and its ability to heal itself. The most recent example is Thuringia. In the state elections there, a right-wing party (the AfD, of course) was also the strongest force and yet seems to have ended up on the sidelines. This is because the state organs, especially the constitutional court, are functioning and the other parties are standing together in rare unity. This is why the first attempt to seize power last week - the election of the president of the state parliament - did not work out; the post went to the conservative CDU. So there is hope that it will be possible to form a government without the right.

That's exactly what I wish for the Alpine Republic. And it looks good. Oskar Deutsch, President of the Israelite Religious Society, which had just been shocked by the singing of an SS allegiance song by FPÖ politicians at a funeral, puts the election success into perspective: “More than 71 percent of voters voted for parties that explicitly opposed the FPÖ's participation in government”. He is right about that. Now it is up to the Austrian president, the former Green Alexander Van der Bellen. Because he must give a party the official mandate to form a government. This is normally given to the largest parliamentary group in the National Council.

But Van der Bellen has deliberately left this open. First, the old government will be dismissed and then entrusted with the continuation of business. After that, he wants to hold talks with all party leaders. The aim now is to talk to each other, find compromises and a viable majority. In the run-up to the election, when the FPÖ was clearly ahead in all forecasts, he emphasized that it was important to him “that the cornerstones of our liberal democracy are respected” when forming a government. This was seen by many political experts as the opposite of a free pass for Kickl. A march to power certainly looks different.

Personal happy moment of the week

After all kinds of scheduling back and forth, we did manage to meet up for three quarters of an hour. For 36 years, “Groovy” from the USA and I hadn't seen each other since our time together as teenagers in Canada. But now she and her husband stopped off in Munich on their way from Austria to Switzerland - coincidentally, of all times, for the Oktoberfest. And we were able to have at least a brief meet and greet. Lovely.

I couldn't care less...

...that French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed his new government under conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Nothing against Barnier himself, who I think is a good politician. But with this appointment, Macron is ignoring the will of the electorate, which is tending to the left, by making his government, without a majority of his own in parliament, entirely dependent on the toleration of Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National. I really hope that I simply haven't understood the ingenious master plan behind this...

It's fine with me...

...that FIFA's transfer regulations are apparently in breach of European law. The way they have been handled up to now has always reminded me a little of noble slavery.

As I write this...

...the extent of the damage caused by hurricane “Helene” in the USA becomes visible - in terms of human lives and material. Politicians from every party and at every level show compassion and pledge solidarity. At the same time, no one is naming the cause, let alone doing anything about it.

Post Scriptum

Following the devastating defeat in the Brandenburg state elections, the Green leadership duo Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour announce their resignation after the party conference in November. The Greens had formed the (red-black-green) Kenya coalition together with the Social Democrats and Conservatives and now, with 4.1% of the vote, did not even make it into the state parliament. Yes, this was also due to the federal trend, which has seen the two smaller coalition partners, the Greens and the Liberals, fall by the wayside. And for which the Liberal FDP bears the main blame with its eternal nagging about its own government work. The result: 0.8% in Brandenburg, which is less than half of the Animal Welfare Party. And less than “Plus Brandenburg”, which I have never heard of. Is there a leadership crisis in the Liberals because of this? No. All the dignitaries are firmly in the saddle, no one wants to take responsibility or draw consequences.

With the Greens, on the other hand, no stone has been left unturned. Following the announced resignation of the entire party leadership - in addition to the co-chairs, their two deputies as well as the managing director and federal treasurer - further resignations followed. Or even party exits, especially from the youth organization “Grüne Jugend”. This reveals a difference in perception that could not be more extreme: While the Greens in the federal government are fighting against the image of the “ideologically blinded prohibition party”, the young see their ideals betrayed in their ingratiation with the mainstream. A generally advantageous way out is therefore anything but obvious. Particularly against the backdrop of the current shift to the right and the Left Party's struggle for survival, the Greens are not only of fundamental importance as a declared party for sustainability, but also as a proverbial alternative.

[culturesofresistancefilms]

3/24/2024

Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises as the war there enters its ninth year. Yemen's civil war erupted in 2014 when Houthi Shiite rebels, historically opposed to the Sunni-led government, seized control of Sanaa, Yemen's capital and largest city. In response, in March 2015, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and supported by the United States launched a military intervention aiming to defeat the Houthis and reinstate President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The conflict's chaos enabled the rise of various factions, including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Southern Transitional Council backed by the UAE, among others, further complicating the situation.

One result of this conflict has been a massive crisis in education for young people in Yemen! A recent press release from our friends at Mwatana for Human Rights are reported that the country's education system is in a dire condition:

"The multiple violations against education and educational institutions have dealt severe blows to the future of Yemenis,” they write, “impacting not only their present rights and lives but also becoming a prominent aspect of the conflict in Yemen, as it struggled against illiteracy… Warring parties must spare educational institutions from conflict. Militants continuing to utilize schools should relinquish them, allowing their children to receive education and securing a brighter future for the next generation."

Read the full press release here: https://www.mwatana.org/posts-en/education-day2024...

Follow Mwatana for more coverage on Yemen here:

Mwatana for Human Rights

Our sister organization, the Cultures of Resistance Network, has supported Mwatana. Learn about it at: https://culturesofresistance.org/groups-we-support/mwatana/

Images courtesy of UNICEF

[head-post]

Houthis, Yemeni government reach financial “de-escalation” deal

The Yemeni government and the Houthi group have reached a significant agreement to de-escalate tensions related to the banking sector and air travel, Arab media reported.

According to a statement released today by the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the two sides agreed on a number of measures. These include cancelling recent decisions against banks, resuming and increasing to three daily Yemenia Airways flights between Sanaa and Jordan, and operating flights to Cairo and India as needed.

They will also address the administrative, technical and financial challenges faced by Yemenia Airways and convene meetings to discuss economic and humanitarian issues based on a roadmap.

The parties have sought UN support for these commitments, and Grundberg acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s significant role in facilitating the agreement.

However, the governor of Yemen’s central bank, which supports the internationally recognised government, resigned in protest against the deal, citing fears that ending central bank decision-making would reinforce Houthi domination of the banking sector.

Earlier, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi accused Saudi Arabia of economic pressure on his movement after Riyadh instructed the Yemeni government to relocate commercial and banking centres from Sanaa to Aden in the south of the country and halt flights from Sana’a International Airport, threatening to attack Saudi banks, airports and ports in response.

In April, Yemen’s Central Bank in Aden decided to move the main offices of commercial and Islamic banks, as well as local and foreign microfinance organisations operating in Yemen, from Sana’a to Aden within 60 days, promising to take legal action against those who fail to do so.

Grundberg announced late last December that the Yemeni parties had reached an agreement to implement a series of measures aimed at establishing peace, including agreeing to respect a ceasefire across Yemen and beginning preparations for the resumption of an inclusive political process under the auspices of the UN.

For the tenth consecutive year, the Arab country has been plagued by an ongoing power struggle between the internationally recognised government and an Iranian-backed Shiite group. The consequences of the conflict have caused a serious humanitarian crisis.

Read more HERE

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Islam

BY: HISTORY.COM EDITORS

UPDATED: MARCH 26, 2024 | ORIGINAL: JANUARY 5, 2018

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Table of Contents

Islam Facts

Muhammad

Hijra, Abu Bakr

Caliphate System

Sunnis and Shiites

Other Types of Islam

Quran

Islamic Calendar, Symbols

Five Pillars of Islam

Sharia Law

Muslim Prayer, Holidays

Islam Today

<strong>Sources</strong>

Islam is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide. As one of the three Abrahamic religions—the others being Judaism and Christianity—it too is a monotheistic faith that worships one god, called Allah.

The word Islam means “submission” or “surrender,” as its faithful surrender to the will of Allah. Although its roots go back further in time, scholars typically date the creation of Islam to the 7th century, making it the youngest of the major world religions. Islam started in Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia, during the time of the prophet Muhammad. Today, the faith is spreading rapidly throughout the world. Widely practiced in the Middle East and North Africa, it is also has many adherents in South Asia—Indonesia, in fact, has the largest number of followers of the Islamic faith.

Islam Facts

The word “Islam” means “submission to the will of God.”

Followers of Islam are called Muslims.

Muslims are monotheistic and worship one, all-knowing God, who in Arabic is known as Allah.

Followers of Islam aim to live a life of complete submission to Allah. They believe that nothing can happen without Allah’s permission, but humans have free will.

Islam teaches that Allah’s word was revealed to the prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.

Muslims believe several prophets were sent to teach Allah’s law. They respect some of the same prophets as Jews and Christians, including Abraham, Moses, Noah and Jesus. Muslims contend that Muhammad was the final prophet.

Mosques are places where Muslims worship.

Some important Islamic holy places include the Kaaba shrine in Mecca, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, and the Prophet Muhammad’s mosque in Medina.

The Quran (or Koran) is the major holy text of Islam. The Hadith is another important book. Muslims also revere some material found in the Judeo-Christian Bible.

Followers worship Allah by praying and reciting the Quran. They believe there will be a day of judgment, and life after death.

A central idea in Islam is “jihad,” which means “struggle.” While the term has been used negatively in mainstream culture, Muslims believe it refers to internal and external efforts to defend their faith. Although rare, this can include military jihad if a “just war” is needed.

Muhammad

The prophet Muhammad, sometimes spelled Mohammed or Mohammad, was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in A.D. 570. Muslims believe he was the final prophet sent by God to reveal their faith to mankind.

According to Islamic texts and tradition, an angel named Gabriel visited Muhammad in 610 while he was meditating in a cave. The angel ordered Muhammad to recite the words of Allah.

Muslims believe that Muhammad continued to receive revelations from Allah throughout the rest of his life.

Starting in about 613, Muhammad began preaching throughout Mecca the messages he received. He taught that there was no other God but Allah and that Muslims should devote their lives to this God.

Hijra, Abu Bakr

In 622, Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina with his supporters. This journey became known as the Hijra (also spelled Hegira or Hijrah), and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Some seven years later, Muhammad and his many followers returned to Mecca and conquered the region. He continued to preach until his death in 632.

After Muhammad’s passing, Islam began to spread rapidly.  A series of leaders, known as caliphs, became successors to Muhammad. This system of leadership, which was run by a Muslim ruler, became known as a caliphate.

The first caliph was Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law and close friend.

Abu Bakr died about two years after he was elected and was succeeded in 634 by Caliph Umar, another father-in-law of Muhammad.

Caliphate System

When Umar was assassinated six years after being named caliph, Uthman, Muhammad’s son-in-law, took the role.

Uthman was also killed, and Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, was selected as the next caliph.

During the reign of the first four caliphs, Arab Muslims conquered large regions in the Middle East, including Syria, Palestine, Iran and Iraq. Islam also spread throughout areas in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

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The caliphate system lasted for centuries and eventually evolved into the Ottoman Empire, which controlled large regions in the Middle East from about 1517 until 1917, when World War I ended the Ottoman reign.

Sunnis and Shiites

When Muhammad died, there was debate over who should replace him as leader. This led to a schism in Islam, and two major sects emerged: the Sunnis and the Shiites.

Sunnis make up nearly 90 percent of Muslims worldwide. They accept that the first four caliphs were the true successors to Muhammad.

Shiite Muslims believe that only the caliph Ali and his descendants are the real successors to Muhammad. They deny the legitimacy of the first three caliphs. Today, Shiite Muslims have a considerable presence in Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Other Types of Islam

Other, smaller Muslim denominations within the Sunni and Shiite groups exist. Some of these include:

Wahhabi: This Sunni sect, made up of members of the Tameem tribe in Saudi Arabia, was founded in the 18th century. Followers observe an extremely strict interpretation of Islam that was taught by Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab.

Alawite: This Shiite form of Islam is prevalent in Syria. Followers hold similar beliefs about the caliph Ali but also observe some Christian and Zoroastrian holidays.

Nation of Islam: This primarily Black, Sunni sect was founded in the 1930s in Detroit, Michigan. Black Muslims now comprise one-fifth of all Muslims in the United States.

Sufism: A mystical denomination of Islam, those who follow the Sufi faith seek to attain a purer state of existence through their personal and direct relationship with God.

Kharijites: This sect broke from the Shiites after disagreeing over how to select a new leader. They are known for radical fundamentalism, and today are called Ibadis.

Quran

NAZARUDDIN ABDUL HAMED/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES

THE QURAN.

The Quran (sometimes spelled Qur’an or Koran) is considered the most important holy book among Muslims.

It contains some basic information that is found in the Hebrew Bible as well as revelations that were given to Muhammad. The text is considered the sacred word of God and supercedes any previous writings.

Most Muslims believe that Muhammad’s scribes wrote down his words, which became the Quran. (Muhammad himself was never taught to read or write.)

The book is written with Allah as the first person, speaking through Gabriel to Muhammad. It contains 114 chapters, which are called surahs.

Scholars believe the Quran was compiled shortly after Muhammad’s death, under the guidance of Caliph Abu Bakr.

Islamic Calendar, Symbols

Ramadan

The Islamic calendar, also called the Hijra calendar, is a lunar calendar used in Islamic religious worship. The calendar began in the year A.D. 622, celebrating the journey of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina.

The Islamic calendar indicates the proper days of Islamic holidays and celebrations, including the period of fasting and prayer known as Ramadan, which occurs during the ninth month of the calendar.

As in many religions, there is no single image or symbol of Islam that is universally accepted by all Muslims worldwide.

The crescent moon and star has been adopted in some predominantly Muslim countries as a symbol of Islam, though the crescent moon and star image is believed to pre-date Islam and was originally a symbol of the Ottoman Empire.  

In some other applications, such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent humanitarian aid movement, a red crescent indicates that followers of Islam are respected and treated accordingly.

The color green is also sometimes associated with Islam, as it was reportedly a favorite color of Muhammad's and is often featured prominently in the flags of predominantly Muslim countries.

Five Pillars of Islam

Muslims follow five basic pillars that are essential to their faith. These include:

Shahada: to declare one’s faith in God and belief in Muhammad

Salat: to pray five times a day (at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening)

Zakat: to give to those in need

Sawm: to fast during Ramadan

Hajj: to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during a person’s lifetime if the person is able

Sharia Law

Islam’s legal system is known as Sharia Law. This faith-based code of conduct directs Muslims on how they should live in nearly every aspect of their lives.

Sharia law requires men and women to dress modestly. It also outlines marriage guidelines and other moral principles for Muslims.

If crimes are committed, Sharia law is known for its harsh punishments. For example, the punishment for theft is amputating a person’s hand. Adultery can carry the penalty of death by stoning. However, many Muslims do not support such extreme measures.

Muslim Prayer, Holidays

The prophet Muhammad is credited with building the first mosque in the courtyard of his house in Medina. Mosques today follow some of the same principles he established in A.D 622.

Muslim prayer is often conducted in a mosque's large open space or outdoor courtyard. A mihrab is a decorative feature or niche in the mosque that indicates the direction to Mecca, and therefore the direction to face during prayer.

Men and women pray separately, and Muslims may visit a mosque five times a day for each of the prayer sessions. In addition to hosting prayers, mosques often function as public gathering places and social centers. 

The two major Muslim holidays are:

Eid al-Adha: celebrates the Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for Allah.

Eid al-Fitr: marks the end of Ramadan—the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Muslims also celebrate other holidays, such as the Islamic New Year and the birth of Muhammad.

Islam Today

In recent years, Islam’s supposed association with terrorism and mass murder has sparked a political debate in many countries. The controversial term “radical Islam” has become a well-known label to describe the religion’s connection to acts of violence.

Recent surveys have found that in countries with high Muslim populations, the majority of Muslims have overwhelmingly negative views of terrorist groups like ISIS.

While Muslims aim to clear up misconceptions about their faith, the religion continues to spread rapidly. Today, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion. Experts predict Islam will surpass Christianity as the largest religion by the end of the century.

Sources

Islam, BBC.

Islam Fast Facts, CNN.

Basic Facts About Islam, PBS.

What is Sharia Law and How is it Applied? BBC.

In nations with significant Muslim populations, much disdain for ISIS. Pew Research Center.

Islam Rituals and Worship: Symbolism, The Religion Library.

The Islamic Calendar: TimeandDate.com.

Sufism. The British Library.

What is Sufism?  The Threshold Society.

"Black Muslims account for a fifth of all U.S. Muslims, and about half are converts to Islam," by Besheer Mohamed and Jeff Diamant, January 17, 2019, Pew Research Center.



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BY: HISTORY.COM EDITORS

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata.

Citation Information

Article TitleIslam

AuthorHistory.com Editors

Website NameHISTORY

URLhttps://www.history.com/topics/religion/islam

Date AccessedMay 8, 2024

PublisherA&E Television Networks

Last UpdatedMarch 26, 2024

Original Published DateJanuary 5, 2018

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IMAM JAFFAR AS-SADIQ (AS)

Father : Muhammad al-Baqir

Mother: Umm Farwah daughter of Qasim

Birth: 17 Rabi'al Awwal, Medina, Saudi Arabia

Imam: 6th Imam for 28 years

Title: As-Sadiq (the truth)

Children: Moussa al-Kazim, Ismail ben Jafar, Ali al-Uraidhi ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq, Abdullah al-Aftah

Martyrs: 25 Shawwal, Medina, Saudi Arabia

Burial: Al Baqi Cemetery, Medina, Saudi Arabia

Founder of the Shiite Law School called Ja'fariya (School of Ahl al-Bayt), first Islamic school for interpreting the fiqh of the Shia-inspired Quran.

Apart from Fiqh, Hadith and Tafsir, Imam (as) also gave mathematics and chemistry classes to some of his disciples.

More than four thousand scholars have benefited from his teaching, knowledge and wisdom.

_Hadiths de l'Imam Jafar As-sadiq_

"He who keeps the Qur'an and acts according to it will be with the noble angels who are devoted on the Day of Judgment." "

(Usul-ul-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 603)

"The heart is the sanctuary of God; don't allow any other person to enter the sanctuary of God" (i.e. the heart is for God; so remove attachment to this low world from your heart).

(Bihar ul Anwar / flight. 70/p. 25)

"Indeed, a modest good deed (performed) with piety is better than an important good deed (achieved) without piety." "

(Al-Kafi/the flight. 2/p. 76)

"No invocation is answered by God unless it contains the formula "God bless the Prophet and his Family." ”

(Al-Kafi/the flight. 2/p. 493)