Syria- jewel in the crown
The confrontation between the Arab national thought and the radical quasi-Islamic currents is not an embryonic issue. It dates back to past decades and the main reason behind such currents was the Muslim brotherhood movement in particular which was born in Egypt towards the 3rd decade of the twentieth century. It targeted the national Arab thought and confronted all currents and parties including those politicians who adapted the national thought such as Abdul Naser and the Baath Arab socialist party.
The dilemma of the Muslim brotherhood lies in the fact that it was bred and fed by the British in cahoots with the projects that served their agendas in the region.
The US cropped up as an international superpower following the eclipse of the Britain and France and the talk about Eisenhower principle which speaks volumes about bridging the gap which signifies taking over the role of the two colonial states in the region fearing that the soviets would take the rudder instead or what was later dubbed as the cold war which broke out then between the Americans and soviets on who will be calling the shots in the region.
Adaptation of the national Islamic notion and Arabism adapted by the national parties were not the genuine reason in construing the hostility that branded the behavior of the Muslim brotherhood against the Arab national thought. We refer particularly to Egypt Abdul Naser and Syria under the leadership of the Baath Arab Socialist Party that confronted the Zionist entity and the colonial projects in the region.
The question is not confined to the discord between Arabism and Islam as some people tend to export it so. It is concerned with defining the political identity and the geostrategic policy.
Talking about Arabism and Islam being as different as chalk and cheese is a big falsity because they are intrinsically blended in our culture, history and social awareness whether we were Muslims or Christians. Therefore, talking about Islam is the crux matter of Arabism and it is very crucial to brush away those who utilize Islam as a cover-up to serve the political projects of colonial powers and the Zionist expansionism.
The fabricated confrontation between the Arab national powers and the extreme quasi-Islamic currents is a struggle between two projects; the national project and a foreign colonial hegemony which is deeply involved in the quasi-Muslim brotherhood currents to become the political front controlling the region with all its resources. It also aims at guaranteeing the stability, security and supremacy of the Zionist enemy.
The clearest revelation of such struggle is manifested by the terrorist war being waged on Syria as a battlefield between an Arab national project and a perfidious alliance between radical quasi-Islamic currents and imperialist powers using liberalism and democracy as window dressing to grab power.
Dr.Khalaf Moftah
E.T Mamoun Abdin