The Syrian Game, Winners and Losers

What is going on in Syria is not a “War”, nor a “Civil War”, it is a game being played by the major powers, principally the US and Israel, where the goal is to weaken the Shia and Sunni participants and perhaps, get an opening to deal a death-blow to Hizbollah. The willing players in this game, are the Shia and Sunni Syrians who are being goaded into an unbridgeable sectarian war with each other. Ultimately, the winners will be the Western powers and the losers will be everyone in Syria, plus Hizbollah in Lebanon.

When Hafez Al-Assad died in June 2000 and his son Bashar Al Assad took over, there was a brief period of hope that this British-trained Ophthalmologist would bring some freedom to the country and maybe a degree of democracy. After all, Bashar was a reluctant heir-apparent because it was his older brother Bassel, who was being groomed to take over, not him.

Bashar did bring in a little liberalization here and there, but people who held high hopes for the introduction of democracy and freedom in Syria were doomed to be disappointed. Things got tighter and tighter until March of 2011, when the people of Syria started a popular movement for the end of Assad rule and for a popular government rule in Syria. The movement was generally peaceful in the beginning, with people from all sects and religions participating against the Assad regime, but the regime successfully divided the people using fear of the “other” to gain greater support. At first, Bashar’s government sought support from their own sect, the Alawites of Syria. The government took advantage of the fact that about 70% of Syrians were Sunni while the country was ruled by the tiny Alawite Sect which is closer to Shia. The government portrayed the opposition as being close-minded Sunnis who would exact revenge on the Alawites for the tyrannical rule of the Alawite Assad family; it was a persuasive argument and the tiny Alawite minority felt they had no choice but to support Assad. The government’s next step was to approach  the Christians and other minority sects who were struggling to remain neutral and tell them that an intolerant, pro-Saudi government can only bring brutal oppression on them.

Ramadan and Fasting…care to try it?

First Published August 24, 2008

This year, the Muslim month of Ramadan in the year 1433, begins on Friday, July 20 ^th  2012 .  The Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammed during this, the ninth month of the Muslim Lunar calendar, making it the holiest month for Muslims.

Ramadan is also one of four sacred months of the Muslim calendar, during which any form of warfare is forbidden (Quran 9:36). This is the month for not only physical, but even more importantly, spiritual cleansing for Muslims.

Rob McKenna Signs Pledge to Protect Muslims!

Congratulations to Rob for joining the family of REAL Americans, who care that every person is equal in this country! Now we can judge Rob on merits other than the unasked question, “Is he among those who hate us Muslims too?”

• “I, ___Rob McKenna___ do affirm my belief that all people under the jurisdiction of the United States, have the right to equal protection under the constitution of the United States, including Arabs and Muslims.

Ban Muslim Laws, Ban Jewish Laws

There is so much mythology and fantasy around the so-called “Sharia Law” that a large number of states have now been involved in either passing laws against “Sharia Law” (under various euphemisms) or, have been involved in voting for the “ban” or, are currently discussing methods to ban “Sharia Law”( Map below is as of March 2012).

 

Going into details of Sharia and its application would require a separate, detailed article however, it is worth point out a few basic facts about Sharia and the hysteria being generated against it in the West, led by the US.

Sharia is a composite

America on Trial; Muslims guilty! Non-Muslims innocent (of course!).

The ads say, “Take the Pepsi Challenge!”, what they mean is that you will be presented with two drinks, you will not know which is which and you have to say which one you like; the assumption being, that you will select Pepsi because it is a better drink.

Don’t take the Pepsi Challenge when it comes to Justice in America because you will lose.

Consider the following comparison of two events occurring within a couple of days from each other…

It’s Not Getting Better For Muslims In America

It keeps getting worse…

No. not really.

Yes, REALLY.

 

The common myth embraced by most Muslims is, if Muslims keep their heads down, do nothing bad, tell everyone how much they love America, wear flag lapel-pins and sing songs of gratitude for being allowed to be in America, then MAYBE, they will be left alone….

…until someone decides to take you down and then all that has to be said is that you are suspected of sympathizing with terrorism or, Al-Q or, helping those who are planning to attack the US or its “coalition friends”.

I wish I were fighting for Pakistan rather than the US…

“I wish I were fighting for Pakistan rather than for the US and I would like my son to be fighting and killing for Pakistan in the Pakistan Army“.

 

I can already see at least one hysterically paranoid person getting ready to string me up from the nearest lamp-post and a Hell of a lot of other REAL Americans getting mad at me. I can also see a lot of very sincere Americans…reasonable people all, wondering if I have taken leave of my senses and then, wondering what I am doing in the US.

 

Let’s add the the mix….

 

What if I then contributed $1000 to Jay Inslee or his opponent-to-be, Rob McKenna. Any bets that my money would be thrown back at me faster than a red-hot brick? they would also condemn my stand and tell me unequivocally, that I should leave this country if my heart and loyalties are so passionately with the country of my birth, Pakistan.

At the same time, I would be pilloried for being an untrustworthy “Muzlem” and I would be used to point out how Muslims are here to undermine this, so free, land of “Judeo-Christian values”.

When to attack Iran

I have been listening and reading the news about the increased sanctions against Iran, like everyone else. It was not until I read this latest news that something clicked into place.

• Business Week  Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) — A European Union embargo on Iranian oil will probably be phased in to protect countries with the greatest reliance on imports from the country, according to an EU official familiar with the talks.
• Telegraph (UK): Japan agrees to cut dependency on Iranian oil as US scores significant coup against regime…
  However, any embargos are only likely to come into effect gradually. Refiners generally buy two thirds of their crude on long term contracts, and these will probably be honoured. The proposed EU embargo – which all member states are understood to endorse in principle – is likely to be phased in over a period of up to 12 months.

As I said earlier, there is little risk of a US-Israeli attack on Iran because of the disastrous effect it will surely have on oil prices.

How to avoid this? Get the “allies” (Europe) to reduce dependence on Iranian oil until a halt in Iran’s oil is barely felt in Europe and North America.

 

An attack after such a reduction of dependence on Iranian oil, will barely affect oil prices except that the non-European countries will feel a pinch and really, who cares about them when we are fighting a “War!” on terrorism/Iran/Islam?

 

China might disagree, but it could be placated somehow, with US dollars (not Israeli shekels). The rest of Asia, Africa and South America don’t carry sufficient power to merit America’s attention.

 

I am convinced that once the West’s oil dependence on Iranian oil is taken care of, a US-Israel attack on Iran will follow within days.

Israel wants it and America is desperate to oblige.

 

There will be no invasion, just an attack that, over a period of a week or two, will destroy all of Iran’s fighting capacity and most if not all, of Iran’s infrastructure a la Iraq. It will be done by the US under a fig-leaf covering of the “Coalition of the Willing” (Europe) and the Coalition of the Servile (Middle-East); Israel’s role, if any, will remain protected.

 

Who gives a damn about long-term consequences?

 

Post script:  This is an excellent analysis by Mehmet Kalyoncu, on the planning and events that are today, leading us to the brink of a “War!” on Iran.

Maybe I am just imagining that the US is targeting Muslims…

Or, why Muslims need to wake up…

A lot of people have told me to “tone it down”,  not sound so “anti-American” and asked me why I hate America so much that I keep criticizing it and if I do hate America so much, why don’t I “go back where I came from”? I have even been accused of supporting and inciting terrorism (but when I consider the source and intelligence of those criticisms, I suppose I shouldn’t mind too much).

Fair enough.

Maybe I AM imagining that the US is geared up to target Muslims and maybe things are not so bad after all.

The again, maybe the Tooth Fairy is leaving gold coins in exchange for teeth these days too.

Let us look objectively and see where the results take us, shall we?

Israel or Palestine? “My Home!”

This is a small part of the well-known story of two families, a Jewish one and a Muslim one, who are rooted in the same land…in the same house.

Watch the video!

Steadfast Hope Video

I don’t believe there will ever be peace on “The Holy Land” as long as the game being played is a zero-sum game; “I cannot win unless you lose”.

 

Almost every Jews in Israel lives on land that has been stolen in some form or another and they justify it as the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Jews. God has been used as the ultimate justifier in every atrocity that we can think of, from the current Muslim-on-Muslim slaughters