Reality of the situation

 Momtaz Ahmed 

Published on February 13, 2007

The President of United States of America is right to say that US will stay in Iraq not a day longer than is necessary, again it is the Iraqi people who should decide which day that is. The cartoons were printed  in Denmark under the guise of free spech and reprinted in the other parts of the world to make sure Muslim get the story. Already the gap between Muslims and West are widening as a consequence of the cartoon controversy. The destruction of the gleaming more than 1000 year old dome of the Askariya shrine in Samarra sent entire angry Shiites into the streets of Iraq. What should we say about the more dangerous sparking violent between Shiite�s and Sunnis?
 
The Sunnis and the Shiites are divided into various groups by the different imams and orders. The followers accuse each other of not being Muslims. Unfortunately, they regard many who profess to be Muslims as infidels. Each claims to be the true followers of the religion. They are unwilling to see the reality of the situation or admit that how far we have deviated from the teachings of Islam.
 
These days I see the worst of humanity, the ability of humanity to destroy at will others, and rob the life given to others by almightly God himself. Muslims are fighting each other not to free themselves from oppression and occupation or not to achieve any real objective. They fight and die to retaliate, take revenge and expel their anger.
 
Dhaka women protest at Prophet�s caricature definitely a rare event after days of male dominated demonstrations around the world. Did anyone notice the Egyptian newspaper Al Fagr on October 17, 2005 were reprinted six of the Danish catroons. It was the month of Ramadan and not a single protest was called in Cairo or any where in the world against Denmark or the newspaper.
 
After the collapse of Arab nationalism and the absence of any foremost Arab nation Shiites become a regional power. Iran acts like an Islamic power and Arab leaders are in limbo to accept it easily. The Saudi Arabia has a good deal to fear from a resurgent Iran now that they have done what a decade of Iraqi-Iran war could not. Neocons and extremists have successfully created a climate of fear and imaginary axis of evil threatening the world peace. Bush administration�s messianic zeal to make democratic Iraq, has contributed to a dramatic rise in radical political Islam around the world. Could things become any more sordid and cynical?
 
Momtaz Ahmed
Canada