The “KING” is naked: Political Reengineering in the Muslim world -- The Greater Middle East Initiative

THE “KING” IS NAKED:
POLITICAL REENGINEERING IN THE MUSLIM WORLD -- CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS BY MANY NAMES – THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE AND THE PARTNERSHIP FOR FUTURE PROGRESS

By: Hashim Syed Mohammad Bin Qasim, Riyadh


As the leaders of World’s leading economic and military powers, the club of G-8, meet from June 8 to June 10 in the eastern US Atlantic resort of Sea Island, Georgia, the Muslim world from Morocco in western Africa to Indonesia in the south eastern Asia continues to ponder about its agenda and outcome affecting the future of Muslim countries. This is the 30th annual summit of this group; the previous one was held in Evian France.

The west has identified a belt of countries from Morocco to Pakistan, including the Far eastern countries of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia, as a target for bringing about changes in their educational, political, economical, and religious outlooks. Initially dubbed as “Greater Middle East Initiative”, its name has been changed on the insistence of Germany, which does not like the connotations to any “Greatness”, initially proclaimed by Hitler, and considered a Nazi slogan. On the other hand, the African countries have been added to the list of “prospects” to please France, which has had an active role in the politics of many of the African countries.

While the G-8, comprising of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, and USA, have targeted the Muslim world, to guide them in accordance with the western intellectual and political thoughts, the Organization of Islamic Conference, OIC, seems to have once again failed to counter this strategy, with its own active brainstorming, stand, and proposals. The west has thus succeeded in dividing the Islamic vision, especially by inviting a few of the Muslim leaders, who are expected to tow the western line, and ignoring a major part of the Muslim world. While some of the more conservative and autocratic countries might not like to participate in this “re-engineering” process, absence of a country like Pakistan is notable, as its current leader has very openly come out in the favour of a moderate and enlightened Islamic thinking. Only very weak and occupied Muslim countries are taking part: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, and Yemen are on the guests list. Important absentees are: Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Some of these countries, even if invited, though, would not give a credence to this forum’s relevant agenda of suspicious regional reforms at this point in time.

USA think tanks, and secret analyses seem to have reached a conclusion, that the roots of terrorism lie within the Muslim world’s educational systems; and the world’s currently known energy resources are under the Muslim controls. They are intent on somehow fixing both of these causes. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been forced to re-consider their school and college curriculums, and some changes have already taken place. It is not to say that a few changes are not required; the problem lies in the objectives behind such requests. Islamists see it as an attack on the roots of Islamic teachings, and that is clearly a Clash of Civilizations, as per the philosophy propounded by US Professor Samuel P. Huntington. Also, such plans ignore the clear injustices and ethnic cleansing carried out by Israel in Palestine, with the overwhelming political and military assistance of USA itself. On the other hand, Kashmiri Muslims have been ignored and left to bleed to their political death. When the East Timor oil resources were required by Australia, the whole Western world stood by their side, and forced Indonesia to “free” one of its dependencies. It was amusing to see the Australian Prime Minister visit Eastern Timor the very next day of declaration of its independence, and hastily sign a oil trade treaty, beating Japan in this race.

The original Greater Middle East Initiative plan has been renamed to Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative, and also called a Partnership for Future Progress (of the west!). As much of its details have not been made public, only following main points are known so far:

1- Turn Autocratic Monarchies into some sort of Constitutional Monarchies
2- Introduce Democratic Political Reforms, providing a common man participation in the decision and law making process
3- Introduce Economic Reforms, emphasizing open markets, job creations, better distribution of income
4- Introduce Judicial and Legal Reforms, to remove ambiguities and injustices
5- Introduce Social Reforms, to provide equal opportunities to all strata of the society highlighting the Human Rights
6- Empower women-folk, who are a subdued part of the society
7- Control Muslim Population Explosions (a much trumpeted fear by Professor Samuel), introducing the Population control methods so far despised in this part of the world

While the open agenda appears to be based on the foregoing points, the hidden agenda, among other things, might include:

1- Overpowering and controlling the Energy resources, now under the control of Muslim World
2- Controlling the spread of Islam, at least in its current “extremist” form
3- Politically empower non Muslim minorities out of proportion to their respective strengths, using Human Rights as an agent of change
4- Provide full protection to Israel, with possible expansion of its territories in future
5- Creating a chaos in the Muslim world, making them to lose their Muslim brotherhood and identity, by especially promoting divisions among the ethnical and major Muslim sects of Sunnis and Shias
6- To reduce the importance of certain Political and Geographical nations, like Saudi Arabia and Iraq, propose the “internationalization” of holiest of Muslim places on a pattern of Vatican City. Najaf has been targeted as a first step, and, ignoring the Jersulem, the Makkah and Madinah could be included at an appropriate time, when the Muslim world is sufficiently weakened. (Iran has held and promoted similar views in the past, providing a basis to the Western proposals now.)
7- Keep the weapons industry going, by selling the inefficient weapon systems, to those regimes that feel threatened with this political instability
8- Control the Chinese influence, and cut Pakistani Military might to size, by empowering the Indian Military machine
9- To control all the water ways all around the world, using the NATO, and NON-NATO allies, including the ever expanding Indian Navy

The area identified for an extended targeted change is inhabited by at least 1+ Billion Muslims (see the OIC members table at the end of the Article). But none of these countries, except Pakistan, has a military machine that can at least temporarily resist any advances on its sovereignty. In the talks of Democratic candidate for Presidency, USA’s future government is already setting a tone for future controls of Pakistani nukes. Obviously, the leaders of the targeted countries have rejected the US proposals. USA has assured them that if they agree to such eventual reforms, they will not set up a follow up formula, like issuing an edict from United Nations. What is surprising is, however, there has not been an open exchange of views and a dialogue with each of the country, and most of the plan appears to be woven in a secretive way, creating more suspicion about its ultimate objectives. The outcome appears to be what a classical story about the making of an invisible (to virtueless!) dress for a king had: The “King” (USA) appears naked – but only an innocent child, and not the smart political leaders, can dare to declare this fact openly.

Another problem is that should countries like Syria and Saudi Arabia do bring about an instant change in their political set up, it is certain that those elements would assume power, which are not in the good books of the West for now. Iranian Democratic but Clerical oriented rule is an eye opener for that matter. And this is for the same reason, that the current dictatorial democratic set up is continued to be supported in Pakistan, lest the Islamists assume power and take a control of the dreaded nuclear weapons: thus when time is right for action, any leader like President Musharraf would be removed – in a manner like Ziaulhaque’s plane “disaster” – and Pakistani nukes knocked out.

The US costs of Iraq war have exceeded US $ 100 billion, with over 800 personnel killed so far. In order to reduce these losses USA has been “requesting” the rich neighbors of Iraq to forego some of their debts collectible from Iraq. In order to drum up a support for its own Broader Middle East and North African Plans, USA is now dangling carrots of long term Iraqi rebuilding plans in front of its G-8 allies. Iraqi economic occupation is expected to continue for up to 20 years, with budgets of up to US $ 500 billion to be “earned” by these re-builders of the Iraq so effectively destroyed by them.

For now, forget the thousands of innocent Iraqi lives lost since March 2003, forget Israel, forget Cuba, forget North Korea (they are not Muslims, remember!). Long live Iraqi oil revenues! And by the way, what is this place on earth called Kashmir?

OIC Member Countries - Population Estimates:
Population Estimates In Alphabetical Order

S.# Country Millions Target! Millions
1 Afghanistan 22 Yes 22
2 Albania 3 0
3 Algeria 31 Yes 31
4 Azerbaijan 8 0
5 Bahrain 0.8 Yes 0.8
6 Bangladesh 127 Yes 127
7 Benin 6 0
8 Brunei 0.3 0
9 Burkina Faso 12 Yes 12
10 Cameroon 15 Yes 15
11 Chad 8 Yes 8
12 Comoros 0.7 Yes 0.7
13 Cote deivoire 16 0
14 Djibouti 0.6 Yes 0.6
15 Egypt 63 Yes 63
16 Gabon 1.5 Yes 1.5
17 Gambia 1.5 Yes 1.5
18 Guinea 7.5 0
19 Guinea-Bissau 1.3 0
20 Guyana 0.9 0
21 Indonesia 210 Yes 210
22 Iran 65 Yes 65
23 Iraq 23 Yes 23
24 Jordan 7 Yes 7
25 Kazakhstan 15 0
26 Kuwait 2 Yes 2
27 Kyrgyz Republic 5 0
28 Lebanon 3 Yes 3
29 Libya 6 Yes 6
30 Malaysia 23 Yes 23
31 Maldives 0.4 0
32 Mali 11 Yes 11
33 Mauritania 3 Yes 3
34 Morocco 28 Yes 28
35 Mozambique 17 Yes 17
36 Niger 11 Yes 11
37 Nigeria 110 Yes 110
38 Oman 2.5 Yes 2.5
39 Pakistan 145 Yes 145
40 Palestine 3 Yes 3
41 Qatar 0.7 Yes 0.7
42 Saudi Arabia 24 Yes 24
43 Senegal 10 Yes 10
44 Sierra Leone 5 Yes 5
45 Somalia 10 Yes 10
46 Sudan 30 Yes 30
47 Suriname 0.5 0
48 Syria 17 Yes 17
49 Tajikistan 6.5 0
50 Togo 5 0
51 Tunisia 10 Yes 10
52 Turkey 67 0
53 Turkmenistan 4.5 0
54 Uganda 22 Yes 22
55 UAE 3 Yes 3
56 Uzbekistan 2.5 0
57 Yemen 18 Yes 18

Total 1,252 1,102


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