Why U.S. Aggression Against Iran and Venezuela Must Be Condemned Equally.
By Omar Joya, Analyst (Afghanistan)
Our condemnation of U.S. aggression against Iran is based on (1) justice and fairness, (2) the struggle against oppression and coercion, and (3) resistance to neo-colonial intrigues—not on pure Islamism.
Some people assume that since we praised Iran’s steadfastness in the face of the arrogant, colonial-style pressure of the United States, our position must therefore be based purely on Islamism. This is a mistake. Anyone who views issues solely through the lens of Islamism would have to support so-called “Islamic” groups such as ISIS, Boko Haram, or Al-Qaeda in any conflict between non-Muslims and these groups. Such a position would itself be stupidity, a crime, and a betrayal of Islam.
ISIS enslaved Iraqi women and carried out mass killings of Muslims (from groups opposed to it), doing so in the most brutal ways—such as beheading people and burning them alive. Or Al-Qaeda, which—possibly in cooperation with Israel and U.S. intelligence services—carried out the killing of civilians and non-combatants in the United States, thereby providing a pretext and creating the conditions for American military interventions in the Islamic world, the consequences of which we continue to witness today. Or Boko Haram, whose members kidnap women from villages, enslave them, and engage in killings and massacres.
However, no reasonable and conscientious Muslim who possesses even minimal knowledge of Sharia and Islam can support the anti-Islamic and inhumane actions of ISIS, Boko Haram, and similar groups. Therefore, political positions must be based on awareness and political maturity, as well as on principles such as justice, fairness, the pursuit of truth, and the struggle against oppression, arrogance, and coercion—principles that stem from the objectives of Sharia and the spirit of the Islamic faith.
The state of Iran is a legitimate state that emerged as a result of a popular revolution against the Shah, who had previously been restored to power with the support of certain countries. The intelligence services of those countries had, a few years earlier, overthrown the government of Dr. Mossadegh—to preserve the economic and political interests of the West—and returned the Shah to power. Therefore, U.S. aggression against such a legitimate state as Iran is nothing other than an act of coercion, injustice, and aggression. Secondly, in light of political developments in the United States and the growing influence of Israel and Zionists in American political circles, neo-colonial intrigues are increasingly being pursued.
It is precisely based on these same principles and standards of justice, fairness, and rights that we can condemn U.S. aggression against Venezuela, even though we have no religious connection with that country. Moreover, both Donald Trump and Venezuela originate from the same religious tradition—Christianity. There are no religious differences between American Christians and Venezuelan Christians; in fact, the majority of Christians in both countries are Catholics.
Nevertheless, based on the same criteria by which we regard U.S. aggression against Iran as an expression of coercion and colonial mentality and condemn it, we also condemn U.S. aggression against Venezuela. At the same time, we recognize that Iran’s role as a strong Islamic country and a powerful state in the Middle East makes American and Israeli proponents of colonialism even greedier and more hypocritical.
Another difference between U.S. aggression against Iran and aggression against Venezuela is that in the case of Iran there are also sinister objectives related to civilizational rivalry—such as attempts to humiliate Persian civilization in its confrontation with Western civilization and to destroy Islamic civilization, which stands in the way of Israel’s colonial project. A third difference lies in the growing influence of Zionists who, based on a purely religious claim—that God in the Torah supposedly declared the Jewish people the rightful heirs of this land—have risen in confrontation with the Islamic world.
However, all these points that I have mentioned are grounded in the criteria of political awareness and political awakening, as well as in the principles of justice, fairness, and rights, not in pure Islamism. Therefore, we can simultaneously condemn U.S. aggression against Venezuela and condemn the actions of so-called Islamic groups such as ISIS, which in reality emerged to weaken the Islamic world.
Whereas a person who views issues purely from the standpoint of Islamism would have to remain silent about U.S. aggression against Venezuela and might even rejoice in it (since outwardly one Christian group is attacking another), and would have to support the criminal actions of ISIS. Such a position is nothing other than a betrayal of Islam and a betrayal of humanity.
