It’s time for tough love
Try hard as we may, we cannot deny the fact that in today’s world, encountering people dressed in Muslim garb quite often raises hairs on the backs of our necks, Muslims inclusive. Islam has become synonymous with terrorism, the explosive type. The Middle East today is in shambles and it is Muslims fighting Muslims. In Africa we have radical Islamist terror groups like Boko Haram that put Nigeria on the map as a world first for all the wrong reasons. “Bring Back Our Girls;” imagine, 234 young girls kidnapped from their school! This is the reputation Islam has today. It is bad.
The past years of Obama and Hillary Clinton, while feigning love for Muslims and avoiding saying, “radical Islam,” supervised the destruction of Islam as a religion of peace in any form whatsoever. The USA, the ‘world police’ watched as the Middle East went up in flames. Through the last eight years we witnessed some of the most deadly wars in human history and the great migration– millions of Muslims fleeing their native lands to Europe. This can’t be good. This can’t be love. Muslims cannot like the status quo.
So why is Islam today associated with terror? You simply need to follow the money. Contrary to what people might think, terror is an expensive business. To operate a terror franchise, you need two things: an extreme ideology and a lot of money. Saudi Arabia conveniently provides both. The Kingdom controls a quarter of the world’s known oil reserves and has a radical brand of Islam known as wahhabism which originated in the 1700s from a certain man called Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab who claimed to be restoring “pure Islam.” His books and teachings are the bedrock of most fundamental islamist groups like al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and Daesh (ISIS). Wahhabi Islam is said to ride on the Muslim Sunnite sect, convincing its adherents that “pure Islam” is intolerant to deadly proportions.
Interestingly Muslim writings attributed to the faith’s prophet describe end-of-days evil (the horn of Satan) emanating from the Kingdom itself. No, not America, Russia or China, but the very Middle East and center of Islam. A hadith says:
‘Narrated Ibn ‘Umar: (The Prophet) said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham (Syria) and our Yemen.” People said, “Our Najd as well.” The Prophet again said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen.” They said again, “Our Najd as well.” On that the Prophet said, “There will appear earthquakes and afflictions, and from there appears the Horn of Satan.” (Book #17, Hadith #147, Bukhari).’ Encyclopedia Britannica puts “Najd” as the rocky plateau region in Saudi Arabia, the home-base of Ibn Wahhabi the founder of wahhabi Islam and the house of Saud. Several other ‘hadith’ and documents reinforce this “horn of Satan” prediction and the location of Najd.
The Saudis have been given a blank check to promote the wahhabi radical and intolerant brand of Islam around the world via various organizations like the Muslim World League and World Assembly of Muslim Youth organization, US cables indicate as presented by Secretary Clinton. Arab royals sponsor political candidates and media organizations in the US and millions of dollars in donations are given as birthday presents and donations to politicians’ foundations to maintain a see-no-evil official US stance. Radical Islam is promoted, terror is sponsored and the majority of Muslims, who are moderate continue to look bad and have to defend themselves daily. Terror-linked and sponsoring wahhabi organizations are not labeled or shut down. See: “Charity cases: why has the Bush Administration failed to stop Saudi funding of terrorism?” Excerpt:
“The Bush Administration made a conscious decision not to pursue major Saudi conduits for terrorist funding. The clearest example involves two ostensible charities that are long known to have funneled money to Al Qaeda–the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) and the Muslim World League (MWL). … Although both IIRO and MWL were known to have funded Al Qaeda, U.S. government sources indicated to Newsweek in October 2001 that the Bush Administration left the two organizations off the list of designated terrorist groups in order to spare the Saudi government from embarrassment.”
It is no surprise that the US looked the other way while as few as 800 ISIS terrorists drove to and overran Mosul. Why were these easily extinguishable bunch not blown to bits promptly from the skies, with all the US arsenal stationed in the region? The policy appears to have been one of tolerance. Until Russia entered the war and bombed thousands of oil-loaded ISIS trucks freely crisscrossing to sell their loads in Turkey for a million dollars-a-day in earnings to sponsor terror bombings across the world, did US appear to sit up against ISIS.
According to the Financial Times, ‘after the Iraqi city of Mosul fell to a lightning Isis offensive in 2014… the late Prince Saud al-Faisal, the respected Saudi foreign minister, remonstrated with John Kerry, US secretary of state, that “Daesh [Isis] is our [Sunni] response to your support for the Da’wa” — the Tehran-aligned Shia Islamist ruling party of Iraq.“‘ After the 28 pages were declassified, New York Post summarized with the caption, “How US covered up Saudi role in 9/11.” Imagine that!
This has pretty much been the summary of the predicament of Muslims under the previous arrangement. The US covers-up Saudi acts, terror pervades society and the peaceful Muslim majority are made to look bad and continue to defend themselves. Almost all Muslim terrorists are linked to this cash flow and radical ideology source. Over 100 billion dollars has been pumped into this radical project according to estimates.
Enter Trump, a new president and a chance to call it as it is. Candidate Trump recently told it straight to ‘Spoiled’ Saudi Prince Alwaleed. He tweeted, “Dopey Prince @Alwaleed_Talal wants to control our U.S. politicians with daddy’s money. Can’t do it when I get elected.” While the prince has made nice in the past few days after Trump won, the new direction is obvious. Trump does not plan to give the royals a blank check any more. Appointing General Flynn as National Security Adviser speaks volumes. General Flynn is noted for accusing the Obama-Hillary team of ‘creating ISIS’ to fight Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.
While a complete overhaul of US’ policy is too much to hope for, at least this is the first and best step in a new direction. The US is currently oil sufficient and the world’s largest producer. The days of dependence on Saudi oil are over. Congress overriding Obama’s veto of the 9/11 bill “that would allow 9/11 victims’ families to sue the Saudi Arabian government over its alleged support for the terrorists who carried out the attacks,” in spite of Saudi threats to pull out investment billions, proves the US is already finding its spine. Trump may ride the horse and free the world’s Muslims.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah; @EveryNigerian