Afghanistan was one of the most significant factors which led to collapse of the Soviet Union. The United States had organized Islamists in the region to break the Soviet occupation and they had also ended the occupation. However, not only Russians were defeated in Afghanistan but also the United States which found the largest Islamic organizations such as Hizb Al-Islam and Jamaat Al-Islam, later Taliban against Russia, which did not succeed.
Now a New Afghanistan is born in the Middle East. The United States which overthrew dictators through uprisings in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, was not successful in Syria with the same method. Because Russia, Iran, Iraq and further China have been behind Syria. This alliance also has relied on the Shiite sectarian. Furthermore the United States and Western countries decided to organize Sunni Islamists in the region and as a result, a new Afghanistan was born in the Middle East.
Do Sunni Islamist organizations defeat the Eastern alliance? Yes, maybe not for long! Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) may overthrow the Syrian regime and become permanent in Central Iraq. “Create a threat to demolish another threat” was the most important strategy of the West for centuries. The Green Belt Project against the Soviet Union, Saddam Hussein against Khomeini and The Muslim Brotherhood against nation-states are the most prominent examples.
Despite the fact that this strategy attained the expected results in the short term, it turned against the United States and countries in the region in the long term. New threats affects not only the region but also all countries which support it.
New Afghanistan of the Middle East is more experienced, more organized and more powerful than the other. Islamists use all modern communication tools and social media channels. They can reach easily the new generation in the entire Islamic word. They don’t hide their objectives and take financial and human support from around the world.
Sunni Radical Islamists will create a permanent threat for pro-Western leaderships in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and Israel, because oil which is one of the most important weapons of the world is in their hands also.
The most powerful militant groups accept Eymen Al Zawahiri who is the leader of Al Qaida, as “Global Jihad Leader”. In “General Guidelines for Jihad” published last year, Zawahiri said this:
“The military work firstly targets the head of (international) disbelief, the United States and its ally Israel, and secondly its local allies that rule our countries.”
Intelligence organizations in the West are expecting that they struggle against these groups by they are only distributing images of brutality which some of them are clearly spurious. However, Islamist organizations strongly oppose these problems in themselves. Here are some of the orders given to members of the organizations by Zawahiri:
“Avoid entering into an armed clash with the local regimes, except if forced to do so, for example when the local regime is a part of the American forces, as in Afghanistan; or where it wages war against the Mujahideen on behalf of the Americans, as in Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula; or where it does not tolerate the mere presence of Mujahideen, as in the Islamic Maghreb, Syria, and Iraq.”
“Avoid fighting the deviant sects such as Rawafidh, Ismailis, Qadianis, and deviant Sufis, except if they fight the Ahl as Sunnah. If they fight the Ahl as Sunnah, even then the response must be restricted to those parties amongst them who are directly engaged in the fight. At the same time, we must make it clear that we are only defending ourselves. Those from amongst them who do not participate in the fight against us and their families, should not be targeted in their homes, places of worship, their religious festivals and religious gatherings. However, this should not stop us from continuously revealing their falsehood and the deviation in their creed and conduct.”
“Refrain from killing and fighting against non-combatant women and children, and even if they are families of those who are fighting against us, refrain from targeting them as much as possible.” “Refrain from harming Muslims by explosions, killing, kidnapping or destroying their wealth or property.”
While world public opinion is perceiving Islamists as a threat with news and images, They are relating to local communities and supporting with food and medicine in the captured areas.
Perhaps the most important strength of Islamist fighters comes from their faith. Fighting only for money and salary against the thousands of people who accept death as “Entering Heaven” is very difficult. Thusly Free Syrian Army which has 100 thousand people, receiving salary from the West, could not succeed in Syria for many years. On the other hand, the Al-Nusra Front which has only five thousand people, attacked many times throughout Syria, particularly in Damascus. They made over 600 attacks against the forces of Assad last year. The Assad regime suffered heavy losses and some top commanders -President Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law and Deputy Defence Minister Gen Assef Shawkat, Defence Minister Gen Daoud Rajiha, former Defence Minister Hassan Turkomani and NSB (National Security Bureau) chief Hisham Ikhtiar- were killed on July 18.
Needless to say, there is a new Afghanistan in the Middle East now. This is big problem not only for the Middle East countries but also for the security of world countries. Expecting to solve this problem in a few days or a few years would be a dream, just like the issue of Political Islamism in Turkiye. Islamist organizations settled to bottom of society with their human and financial resources. These threats will not disappear by magic or an election in a short time. Both Turkiye and the Middle East countries will struggle against Islamist organizations for many years to come.
For this reason, the United States and Western countries are standing outside the fire. They are trying to protect their interests by some groups that they are able to remotely control in the region. Both killers and victims are Muslim.
There is only one solution to overcome this problem: The training of Islamic society. Both religious and non-religious people in the Islam world are too ignorant of reality to see these facts. They are only hostile to each other with emotional responses.
The religion of Islam whose name is Peace and Serenity, does not exist. Everyone’s Islam is only in their speech and appearance. Lies, rumors, gossip, arrogance, greed of money and possessions, worldly passion, luxury and ostentation are rampant. They waste the property of the state and lead a life of pleasure with the possibilities of the state. We are craving for people who reflect the social ethics and moral rules to their life.
