Syria's Sectarian Specter: Iran, Its War On Syrian Territory And Its Failures
20 March 2014
By Hamad Al-Majid
The Iranian government must surely realize that its
war on Syrian territory, and its defense of a bloody
regime which relishes killing its people, is a lost
cause even if the war lasts for decades.
At most, it wishes to achieve two objectives:
victories on the ground which would help it and help
the Syrian regime—which is fighting on its behalf—and
gaining political leverage allowing it to preserve
some of its influence in the region, as the end of the
Syrian regime will mean an end of the influence Iran
has built since the days of the Iranian Revolution.
Iran's second objective is to weaken its enemies in
the region, enemies who support the oppressed Syrian
people and the opposition who are fighting a life or
death struggle against its ally.
While recognizing Iran's ability to prolong the
presidency of its ally Bashar Al-Assad, it has failed
to destroy the popular Syrian opposition, and even
failed to control the whole of Syrian territory. The
Syrian regime cannot turn back the clock to before the
people's revolution no matter what, and therefore Iran
was expected to mobilize its allies and sleeper cells
in the countries which support the Syrian people and
their liberation.
Unlike the revolutions in Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia,
where people have not shown a great deal of sectarian
bias, sectarianism in the Syrian revolution has
remained an inescapable concern. The ruling party is
heavily Alawite and is strategically supported by
Iran, and this is one of a number of factors stoking
sectarian tensions.
This is why extremists from all sides have found an
opportunity to bolster their influence and promote
their depraved ideologies. This will drag the region
into a dangerous sectarian struggle if it is not
stopped by wiser heads on each side.
Here, we must question two groups who are involved in
this complicated issue. Firstly, there are those who
accuse all Shi'ites of being agents of Iran,
representing a "fifth column" in countries where
Shi'ites exist. In addition to this being an unfair
generalization, it is also at odds with religion,
logic and true nationalism. It also provides a
suitable climate for Iran's sleeper cells to spread
their influence under the pretext that they are living
among people who target them indiscriminately. No
country in the world is free from religious, sectarian
or ethnic diversity, and a civilized state is one
where all religious, ethnic and sectarian constituents
can coexist.
The second group involved in this sensitive issue
comprises the members of the Shi'ite sect and its
leaders, intellectuals and scholars.
These are the ones who influence public opinion and
are required to side with their nations in the Gulf
states against threats and terrorist incidents. They
should even announce open and frank stances which
condemn these terrorist attacks and all who sold their
consciences to a foreign power which wishes evil for
their homeland, just as Shi'ite clerics in Qatif and
Al-Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia have.
Dr. Hamad Al-Majid is a journalist and former
member of the official Saudi National Organization for
Human Rights. Al-Majid is a graduate of Imam Muhammad
Bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh and holds an
M.A. from California and a Doctorate from the
University of Hull in the United Kingdom.
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