Analysis, Side Feature

Views on the News – 21 Oct 2017

Headlines:

  • With capture of Raqqa, US announces defeat of IS group
  • Catalonia separatism exposes reality of the West’s concept of freedom, democracy and the nation state
  • Tillerson exposes actual source of US-Europe conflict over Iran nuclear deal


With capture of Raqqa, US announces defeat of IS group

The US is declaring that practically the IS group has now been defeated in Syria and Iraq. According to the Washington Post:

The U.S.-led coalition said Friday that the capture of the Islamic State’s onetime Syrian capital of Raqqa marked a turning point in the fight against the extremist group, effectively declaring an end to the military operation there.

A U.S.-backed force known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, has been clearing the final pockets of resistance in the city since proclaiming victory over the Islamic State on Tuesday.

“Daesh’s loss of Mosul and now Raqqah are turning points for the terrorist organization whose leaders grow ever more distant from a dwindling number of terrorist adherents,” the coalition said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

Three years after seizing a swath of land the size of Belgium across Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State no longer holds any major cities and is clinging to only one sizable stretch of territory spanning the border between the two countries.”

The reality of the major groups fighting against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad is that they became dependent upon foreign funding and supplies, which allowed them to be manoeuvred by external disbelieving powers. The IS group was no exception to this, despite their claim to have re-established the Khilafah. Accordingly, America, which sits behind most of these external powers, was able to play off one group against another, in order to strengthen the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which is the only viable path at this time for America to retain control over Syria.

There is no concept of Khilafah, in the Islamic Shar’ia, that is not truly independent of the disbelievers, depending on the power of Muslims alone. Muslims will never be able to succeed until and unless they depend only upon themselves and their Lord, Allah (swt).

 

Catalonia separatism exposes reality of the West’s concept of freedom, democracy and the nation state

Spain continues in crisis after the referendum held by its Catalonia region demanding independence. According to the New York Times:

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is holding an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday to decide what measures to take under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution — a broad, forceful tool that has never before been used — that could allow him to take full administrative control of independence-minded Catalonia.

Mr. Rajoy said he would use Article 155 after the Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, failed to withdraw his secessionist plan, and instead warned that Catalonia’s separatist lawmakers could vote a unilateral declaration of independence.”

Catalonian officials have said that 90% of Catalonian participants voted for independence from Spain in the referendum held last month but Spain is being supported by other EU countries in blocking Catalonia’s independence and retaining the region as part of Spain, even under threat of force, similar to what has just happened with the taking of Kirkuk from independence-declaring Kurds by Iraqi state forces.

At the 17th Century Peace of Westphalia, it was decided that Europe’s various states would agree to disagree, and determine their own path independently. This was, pure and simple, a political compromise between Europe’s then political powers. But since then, the West has always presented this compromise as built on genuine principles, which it has also imposed on the rest of the world. National self-determination is held to be an inalienable right in accordance with the principles of freedom and democracy. This philosophy is enshrined in the UN charter and all countries, including sadly today’s Muslim countries, are signatories to it.

The reality is that the West believes in power and not principle. Freedom, democracy and national statehood are vaguely defined, meaningless constructs that are readily compromised when these run against the interests of those who hold real power. Muslims must reject these false concepts and return to the well-defined divine rules, thoughts and opinions provided by Islam.

 

Tillerson exposes actual source of US-Europe conflict over Iran nuclear deal

Europeans have been consistently opposing US President Donald Trump over his attacks on the Iran nuclear deal, by asserting that Iran remains compliant with it. However, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has now pointed to the true cause of conflict between the US and the Europeans, which has nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear programme. According to the Wall Street Journal:

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Trump administration isn’t seeking to disrupt European business deals with Iran, offering a message of reassurance following President Donald Trump’s refusal last week to certify the nuclear deal.

“The president’s been pretty clear that it’s not his intent to interfere with business deals that the Europeans may have under way with Iran,” Mr. Tillerson said in a Thursday interview in his State Department office. “He’s said it clearly: ‘That’s fine. You guys do what you want to do.’”

Europe, like China on the opposite side of the Eurasian landmass, is severely deficient in natural resources and is, in particular, heavily dependent on foreign energy sources. According to an Iranian media report, Europe’s oil imports from Iran have multiplied 6 times in one year, as a consequence of the reopening of trade between Europe and Iran after the nuclear peace deal was concluded.

Muslims are part of a powerful and noble Ummah, live in resource-rich lands, and have been blessed with the true divine Deen of Islam. There is nothing to stop Muslims from returning to their position as the leading state in the world, except the limitations of their own thinking and vision. With Allah’s permission, the entire world will soon see the re-establishment of the righteous Islamic Khilafah State (Caliphate) on the method of the Prophet ﷺ implementing the Deen and carrying its light to the entire world.