[Letters] Libya: As you sow, so shall you reap

The west has already scripted the ouster of the Libyan strongman Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Coalition forces have given a severe blow to the Libyan Air Force and Army. Now, NATO has taken over the military command. Qaddafi’s one son has reportedly been killed. Going by Qaddafi’s own statement, he would like to die in Libya.

How he meets his end is yet to be determined. Will he decide to flee Libya and seek asylum abroad? If he does will NATO and the rebels allow him to escape the country? Or will his end be like that of Saddam Hussein? Or would he prefer to commit suicide?

Qaddafi has called the attack on Libya an ‘attack of Christianity on Islam’ and called upon the Muslims to become ‘united’ in this ‘Clash of Civilizations.’ But the Muslim countries are not ready to give an ear to his argument. The United Arab Emirates has in fact joined the coalition forces in order to oust Qaddafi. If the United States is really the ‘enemy’ of Islam, then why have the Muslim countries not closed ranks against them? Whenever such dictators and terrorists find their end imminent, they start talking about the Muslims becoming united.

In case of Libya too, the proposal for establishing a ‘no-fly zone’ was actively endorsed by the nations of the Arab League. Arab countries themselves have paved the way for the bombing of Libya by the foreign forces. And now, the UAE is hand-in-glove with the coalition forces in the occupation of Libya. Where is the Clash of Civilizations and the Islam vs. Christianity in this scene?

The problem with despots like Qaddafi is that while suffering with the hangover of power, they forget Islam while crossing all limits of insanity. When they kill and suppress their own people, they don’t find it against Islam. At that time, they are symbolizing the cruel Yazid. But when confronted with an impending fall in the form of the UN, the U.S., the UNSC or NATO, they find it convenient to invoke Islam, jihad or the Clash of Civilizations.

What should the Muslim nations do to overcome such a pathetic situation? Firstly, all of them should honestly read the writing on the wall, which is evident from the people’s rebellion against the despots in these nations. Countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have been destroyed by the negative and destructive policies of Mullah Omar, Hussein and Qaddafi.

The Muslim world should understand this truth.

The raison d’etre for any foreign occupation of a country has always been its ruler. Oppression of the citizens, remaining stuck to power for their whole life and then transferring it to a son in a shameful show of nepotism are all traits of the Yazidi rule.

Such despots become victims of the West, especially the U.S., when they fail to maintain cordial relations with Washington. After gauging the public mood, it becomes easier for the West to interfere in countries like Iraq and Libya. And as the last resort, these autocrats start crying foul.

Obama, in his address to the Muslim nations in Cairo, tried to put a full stop on the misconception of ‘Clash of Civilization’ by starting his speech with Assalam alaykum. But no visible progress has been made since. Though rebellions, revolutions and uprisings have been witnessed, the only reason being the dictators who are either cruel or indifferent to the people’s aspirations, either busy in consolidating their wealth or worried about transferring the power to their sons.

In such circumstances, people’s anger is bound to erupt and it’s natural that foreign powers will lose no chance to exploit this anger.

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Tanveer Jafri is a columnist based in India