[Grapappytek]

I find some of the comments here quite worrying. Speaking as a Sunni Hanafi, I was someone who for many years wished the best for the Islamic and wider Arab world, particularly the palestinians. For years and years, nothing would happen, agreements were torn up by Israel and the US would just watch on. Expecting the Arab league and the OIC to do something, it became evident these were merely talking shops, all for the same reason. The dissenting vioces and few nations that wanted to do something could never really put any pressure on US (Israel) because the Mubarak's, Saudi's, and other Gulf rulers (who all happen to be Sunni's) were absolutely corrupted beyond the point they were effective leaders anymore. All of them in the pocket of the US and thus would not even challenge fragrant violations by Israel. I mean, the silence from the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) was deafening. It took me many years to realise, until this nexus of Al-Saud and the other corrupt Sunni Gulf rulers are overthrown by their people, the US (and by virtue, Israel) will always have the upperhand on Muslims in region.

Some folk on here are so caught-up in their little factional Sunni Vs Shia mindsets, they seem to forget the US and Israel have successfully played Sunni's against Shi'as in the region before. It was called the Iran-Iraq war. Saddam was armed-up heavily by the West and Russia, to the point it was believed he had the fourth most powerful mechanised army in the world. He was supported AND funded by the Gulf Sunni rulers to attack Iran and retake the entire Shatt-Al-Arab waterways, which was and still is Iranian soveriegn territory. That was an appalling decision, because the Iranians actually fought back and did not stop resisting Saddam's invasion. A truce and peace agreement ended the conflict some 8 years after it had begun. Saddam was forced into humiliating retreat. His army battered, the funds Iraq was given by the Gulf arabs were now being called in - to Saddam's fury. To add insult to injury, the Gulf arabs, particularly Kuwait, then started pumping far more oil than the market needed and there followed a slump in global oil prices, thus reducing Iraq's much-needed oil income. Unfortunately, the Americans played him, the Sunni Gulf rulers stood-by with the Americans and watched, Israel was on the floor laughing. A once rich nation was led to ruin by a hardline dictator in a war that was never going to be won. Its regional neighboors (brotherly nations) gave it the cold shoulder and stabbed it in the back at its most needy hour. Debt-laden Saddam's Iraq had few options and soon after he found himself in another war, against Kuwait, after what he believed was a US greenlight for his invasion. He was skillfully ensnared into the perfect trap. Then the first Iraq war happened - the rest is history.

They say history always repeats itself.

In recent years, the US, with tacit Israeli backing, has been building-up the Sunni Gulf Arabs for a war against Iran. Like some 30years before in Saddam's Iraq, currently Saudi-Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and to a lesser extent Oman are all having their armies modernised and weaponry to the tune of $100's billions sold to them, in preparation for a major Gulf conflict. Again, the same factional hype 'Sunni vs Shia' are rearing their heads again in certain western media and Takfiri arguments are heating-up amongst Islamic media. This only exacerbates the issue in the region and builds unnecessary tension. Before long, it will take a spark to ignite another conflict in the Persian gulf region. Where that spark will come from, waits to be seen. Going on a good stretch of history, Iran/Persia has done well to keep out of wars and simply defend itself from invading foreigners. I hate to say this but I suspect it will be either US/Israel who spark the conflict or their Sunni client states in the Gulf region. Iran knows fully well, it is a huge country and any war against it will most likely be inconclusive. The great fear is these Sunni rulers are waisting hundreds of billions on weapons, literally sending the billions of oil income back to the US and Europe for arms - what an enormous folly. The Sunni Gulf Region does not now how to live through a long war, especially with the technological advancements in military over the decades. If Iran is forced into another conflict, it is led by men who were involved in the brutal 8 year war against Saddam, where they successfully held him off. The Sunni's in the gulf have far more to lose, yet they as blind as ever, seem to be sleepwalking into the perfect US/Israeli war forgetting they are Iran's immediate Gulf neigboors and will have to deal with the consequences, especially if any conflict becomes protracted.


The real-winners? .....US/Israel. Instead of fighting the war themselves, they outsource it to Sunni's and allow Sunni's to commit the slaughter on their behalf - which ABSOLUTELY poisons relations with Iran/Shias long into the future and sows even deeper divisions between different Muslims groups and their neighboors. It is exactly this 'divide and rule' tactic which they have successfully employed on a number of occasions now and will continue to do in the future. The question is whether Sunni's will be daft enough to actually fall for it yet again and allow Israel to come clean off the hook. Make no mistake, Israel is the only nation that benefits from these Sunni/Shia wars. The sooner Sunni's can accept that the Gulf Arabs states are acting in concert with Un-Islamic, external interests, we will be one step further to understanding what needs to be done for the better.


Allahu A'alam