Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Spreading Shiism to the Moon | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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The Iranian Shiification project has spread to the moon, without the need for spacecrafts or astronauts in space-suits equipped with oxygen. This moon that was geologically formed millions of years ago by the big bang was first introduced to the Shiite sect in the 1980s, when the Shiites visited and brought with them mullahs, intellectuals, and a number of specialists in the promotion of the [Iranian] ideology and revolution.

The Americans have busied themselves looking for water on the surface of the moon in the hope of perhaps finding some traces of life there, however Iran has already discovered life on the moon, and in fact [discovered] a population of over 800,000 human beings. Whilst US astrophysicists are exhausting their resources to find even one drop of water on the surface of the moon, the moon that the Iranian ideology is targeting is drowning in water. This “moon”, in fact, comprises of four islands [located off the coast of east Africa] known as the Comoros Islands [which derives its name from the word ‘Qamar’ meaning ‘moon’ in Arabic].

The Comoros is an Arab-African nation that recently joined the Arab League, and the majority of its population are of Hadharamut Yemeni Arab origin. They have fought a war of independence, and this led to the Islamic leaders and scholars taking part in the struggle, as they did in most other countries that resisted colonialism; the most famous examples of this are the Association of Muslim Algerian Ulema and [the role played by] Sheikh al-Husayni in Palestine.

The vast majority of the Comorian people are Sunni Muslims who follow the Al Shafi school of thought; yet despite this Iran is poking its ideological and sectarian nose [in Comoros internal affairs] as it did in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Sudan, and a large number of other Arab and Islamic Sunni countries, thereby trampling on the slogans of Islamic unity that it used to fool and dupe the gullible. If Iran truly believes in Islamic unity, it would not sow the seeds of Shiite sectarianism in these Sunni states, as such seeds will inevitably grow into ticking time-bombs.

We regret that Iran has not heeded the warnings against becoming entangled in sectarian bloodshed in its neighbouring countries of Iraq and Pakistan, and it is intensifying its efforts to sow the seeds of sectarianism in countries where the entire population is Sunni, such as the Comoros Islands.

Due to the negligence of Arab countries, a number of which are already suffering from schisms and controversy regarding their Islamic identity, Iran – following the revolution – was able to infiltrate the Comoros, and has been working quietly but diligently on its missionary project, under the pretext of providing humanitarian aid, and spreading culture, education, training, and rehabilitation in a country where the per capita income does not exceed 30 dollars a month.

There has been a lot of talk about the current president of the Comoros, Ahmed Sambi, as some Comoros scholars believe that he is a proponent of the Shiite sect, but he denies these allegations. If we accept that he is not a proponent of the Shiite sect, we can at the very least safely assume that he supports the Iranian influence in his country. What is cause for hurt is that although the Arab countries are complaining about the intense Iranian activity [in Comoros], they themselves have not even established embassies there. Even if the Arab countries did establish embassies, their activities would not go beyond lacklustre diplomatic activity that has no political or religious benefit [to anyone]. Iran took the lead, and has statistically proven that it is the most skilful player [in the region], while the other [countries] – even at their best – are only good enough to sit on the substitutes’ bench.

So what is required at the current stage is what was called for by Comorian Sheikh Dr. Abdul Hakim Shakir, one of the top academics in Comoros, who said “at this stage we would prefer to intensify ties with the Islamic world, for when push comes to shove the issue is between the institutions of good and the institutions of evil. We are in need of institutions that support the people, and combine humanitarian work with a call to God. We are in need of religious scholars and Sunni governments, and to open the lines of communications between embassies and educational and health centres, and [we are in need of] more humanitarian work to help not just Comoros, but the entire region.”

Is there anybody to offer aid?