By Mohammed Khaku
18 June, 2015
All over the Islamic world Muslims have been preparing for the coming of the blessed month of Ramadan, which began Thursday. Mosques are decorated and cleaned. Muslims look forward to breaking the daily fast (iftar), nightly prayers and reciting Quran. Mothers stock up with kebabs, samosa, bajiyas (Hush puppies) and tandori chicken; children look toward iftar and playing games, such as Islamic Jeopardy and pingpong. Every Muslim — young or old, male or female — awaited the sighting of the moon that marks the advent of this holy month Ramadan.
However, the Muslim world is faced with sectarian violence in Iraq, Syria and around the world. Year after year, every Ramadan I hear the imam say in Friday prayers and nightly lectures that "We must fight the sectarian conflict. … Fanaticism is most dangerous for the unity of Muslims. … We are all losers in this conflict."
These are all fine words, but the question every Muslims has to answer is: Who is inflaming destructive sectarian strife? Are these Arab rulers promoting this sectarianism to hold on to the power?
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Kuwait on May 27, said: "We are all eager to confront the threats that face the Islamic nation, foremost among them the phenomenon of terrorism, violence, extremism and sectarianism, which have wrought deep damage in the Islamic nation."
Nobody could fault these words. But what is the truth? Who is promoting and financing the extremism? Who were the hijackers of 9/11? Where did they come from? And who provides funding to extremist organization such as Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Shabab and many others around the globe?
There are forces deliberately trying to stoke fears in the Muslim nation to keep people divided and control the oil resources. Such demonic ideology is actively promoted by the enemies of Islam. The Saudi regime is notorious in creating this division to safeguard its kingdom and power.
The proliferation of the heretical cult known as Wahhabism is the root cause of much of the terrorism and evil in the world. It is the tumor in the Middle East. The irony is that Saudi Arabia has not fired a single shot against the occupiers of the land of Palestine but instead the same regime is bombing Yemen — one of the poorest countries in the world.
Why is Saudi Arabia bombing Yemen? Is it the desire to restore President Mansour Hadi to office or is it a sinister campaign against Yemen's Houthi Zaydi community?
Houthis have been discriminated against for centuries just because of their affiliation to Zaydi Islam. The Zaydi school of thought emerged in the eighth century and is rooted in the teaching of Imam Zayd, the grandson of Imam Hussain.
Unknown to the world is that Yemenis are being killed just because they don't share the ideology. For the past three months, Saudi Arabia has been using cluster bombs to kill Zaydi Muslims. Under international law any military aggression against another country and its people can never be justified. But of course the world's media and the private club of world leaders have kept silent on such tragedies. Is it because Saudi Arabia has the money, powerful friends and oil that it does not have to abide by international laws? The rulers of Saudi Arabia got away with 9/11 where seven hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
This is genocide of Muslims against Muslims. An investigation should be launched, and people responsible should be prosecuted for war crimes.
One question Muslims should ask during this holy month of Ramadan is how many more Muslims will die because of the extremism and sectarianism propagated by Wahhabism. What will it take to shake our deep slumber? The time has come for the liberation of our communities and our faith from the grip of corrupt rulers.
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Mohammed Khaku, who lives in Upper Macungie Township, is active in the Islamic community of the Lehigh Valley.
Source: http://www.mcall.com/opinion/yourview/mc-ramadan-begins-khaku-yv-0619-20150618-story.html
12:30 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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