Iran terror attack exposes Western fault lines in judging countries they dislike
Days after US President Donald Trump targeted Iran, even if tangentially, over its alleged terror links, and warmed up to Saudi Arabia, the Persian state was hit by a major terrorist attack on two of its most revered locations — Parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini. Gunmen and suicide bombers owing allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) caused havoc in the Islamic nation's heart, Tehran, leaving a dozen persons dead. The attack was apparently to avenge Iran's role in combating the terror outfit in Iraq and Syria. This assault should alert the Western world to the dangers of working on pre-determined templates in bracketing countries they have an aversion to, as supporters of terror and ignoring dubious activities of those nations they nurture a soft corner for. The Islamic world has never been a cohesive entity, and the fractious nature has become more evident with the advent of global terror. The Islamic State is a Sunni-dominated outfit that seeks to promote the Wahhabi-Salafi brand of Islamist ideals, and Shia Iran is its natural enemy. Tehran understands the enmity and has, therefore, been in the forefront in countering the IS in the region and beyond. The Shia-Sunni divide has also impacted relations between Iran and the Arab world which is led by Saudi Arabia for all purposes. For historical reasons, since Iran and the US have rarely got along well, the former remained on the ‘other side' of the campaign while Saudi Arabia cultivated a robust relationship with the US and the rest of the West. In pursuit of its anti-Iran agenda, the West has over the years overlooked the fact that many terrorist organisations now operating across the world have their ideological moorings in countries that are in the US's camp. Al Qaeda founder Osama bin laden was, after all, a Saudi Arabian born into a billionaire family who had his ideological training in his home country before joining the Mujahideen forces in 1979, who were fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. Since then, a number of similar global terrorists have emerged, owing loyalty to the Wahhabi-Salafi notions having roots in the Saudi kingdom. This is not to say that Riyadh is involved in promoting terrorism, though the linkages are embarrassing. Iran too cannot be accused, though terror outfits such as the Hamas and the Hezbollah supposedly draw oxygen from the Persian state.
The bare fact, as terror strikes in Muslim countries (both Shia and Sunni) and non-Muslim nations, is that terrorism knows no discrimination. Pakistan, which swears by its Islamic credentials, regularly sees sectarian violence where Shias and Ahmadiyas are targeted. The religious fervour with which terrorists have been working, is becoming both worrisome and dangerous for global security. The unrest in Kashmir, for instance, is no longer limited to a demand for greater political autonomy (which in itself was dubious given that such autonomy was being demanded outside the Constitution); now it's for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate (of the Wahhabi-Salafi kind). Statements from terrorist leaders in recent weeks tend to confirm this belief. Strangely, pseudo-seculars have been circumspect in condemning this phenomenon.