THE conflict in the Middle East saw a new escalation following the blazing of Saudi Embassy in Tehran on Sunday and Riyadh’s snatching of diplomatic ties with Iran as a reaction to this attack. Saudi Arabia has also asked Iran to close its embassy within 48 hours and take back all diplomats as Riyadh did it indicating only hard-lines on their way ahead. The Middle East and particularly the Gulf region is witnessing bloody sectarian wars focused on which regional powers – Saudi Arabia or Iran would dominate the region since the outbreak of Iraq war. The new escalation is a shame and poised to further divide the unity of the Muslim Ummah to the benefit of the West. Continued destabilization of the region even may prolong the Syrian war; which has already destroyed the country and made millions homeless. The IS may also exploit the new situation to hold the ground
As we see the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran came as a reaction of execution of an outspoken Shi-ite cleric by Saudi Arabia on alleged ground of inciting sectarian violence. The Kingdom is already coming under attacks by Jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) and the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni monarchy and Shi-ite Iran over Syria, Yemen and elsewhere had already brought their relation to the freezing point. As it appears the Shi-ite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was a popular figure among the Shi-ite community in the Gulf states and to the Iranians his execution appeared quite unacceptable and humiliating. The Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s invocation of ‘divine vengeance’ on Saudi rulers left no secret of Iranians anger and the blazing of the Saudi Embassy reminds one of the siege of the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
There is no doubt Saudi Arabia has triggered the crisis by executing as many as 47 persons on Saturday that also included the Shi-ite cleric and two others of Shi-ite origin. The remaining persons belonged to the Sunni community and were blamed for involvement with al-Qaeda outfits accused of working to destroy the monarchy. As it appeared, the Saudi rulers may have acted in hysteria for fear of their safety but we must say that executions of some accused alone can’t bring safety to a nation. People must give safety and for that they must have their say in the affairs of the State. In our view the Saudi government could hear the appeals of the friendly governments and other international human rights organizations to condone the accused with lesser punishment and that could help avert a bigger crisis now spreading across the region.
We fear that the security situation in the Gulf region may only deteriorate following all those executions and the latest breaking of diplomatic relations between the two major players of the region in matters of war and peace. We are afraid that the Middle East is stepping towards a bigger crisis in which big powers like the USA and Russia are poised to play their dirty roles on both sides to hold their grip on oil and other energy resources it holds plenty in reserves.
Let us not put ourselves to a position of disgrace for others to say that Muslim countries cannot live together and solve problems peacefully. Muslims anywhere are ashamed for the conduct of some sections of the Muslims for their unIslamic intolerance.
