Recent media reports paint a dire picture about the consequences of the final onslaught on Idlib spearheaded by Russia, Iran and Syria. However, the West is not an innocent bystander in the impending slaughter—long as chemical weapons are not used—it is happy to have blood on its hands. Has the world lost its sense of morality in dealing with the Idlib crisis?

Comment:

For days now, the news of an impending attack on Idlib has increased in intensity and has received global coverage. Russia, Syria and Iran are eager to let loose the full ferocity of their weapons on Idlib, caring little for the tens of thousands of civilians trapped there. The West is also keen to see the last bastion of Islamic resistance fall, and has given Russia the green light to launch its bloody campaign. The only point of contention is that Russia and Syria should refrain from the deployment of chemical weapons. What type of morality is the West employing? Russia and its allies are armed to the teeth; they will pulverize Idlib and pay scant regard to the civilian population. Russia and Syria do not need to use chemical weapons to unleash carnage on an unimaginable scale.

What is even more surprising that Russia has publicly gone on record to lay the blame of any chemical attack at the foot of Islamic fighters. It is almost as if Russia fears a false flag chemical attack that America and its allies will induce to intervene. There is little doubt that the West is looking to intervene not to save the civilian population of Idlib, rather, to secure territory that will feed into West’s narrative of a post war settlement for Syria.

Russia also has a counter narrative for Syria once Idlib has been destroyed. Russia’s warning to American military commanders that it cannot vouch for the safety of dozens of US troops stationed in the vicinity of the kill zone suggests that Moscow is prepared to pay a price for some glory. Not to be dissuaded by Russian threats, America has retorted that its troops are full authorized to use force to repel any attack from Russia. So while foreign powers agree to disagree on operational details and what version of post war Syria will emerge, the question remains why the world is not interested in the fate of the Idlib’s civilian population.

The West prides itself on the principles of just war and the precepts of the Geneva Convention, but these are seemingly absent in the case of Idlib and other conflict zones involving Muslims. For several months now, the West and Russia were brokering deals with Islamic fighters that resulted in Assad reclaiming territory for the safe passage of fighters and their families to Idlib. In sum, both America and Russia have been planning for this day—the end game that will see tens of thousands of civilians slaughtered.

It is a great shame to see the Muslim world aiding and abetting the impending carnage of Idlib. At the forefront of this treachery is Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia—countries that have covertly conspired with Russia and America to make the destruction of Idlib a reality.

The only salvation for the Muslim Ummah is to work for the reestablishment of the rightly guided Khilafah state (Caliphate) so that foreign powers are not allowed to fight their proxy wars in Syria, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere in the Islamic world. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, «إِنَّمَا الإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ» “The imam is a shield behind which the people fight and are protected.” [Muslim]

Abdul Majeed Bhatti