The Iranians, some of the clerics and their followers, have a knack for shooting themselves in the foot. They did it again last week, in the aftermath of a gruesome Saudi festival of executions of 47 people by beheading in one day. Just as the world was building up outrage at the judiciously suspect mass killings, the Iranians misjudged and helped the Saudis change the subject.
The Iranians have done it again. They reminded the world, and especially the American people and media, of that “other” embassy attack in 1979. “Some” groups attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran last week, thus rightly creating outrage among the diplomatic classes across the world.
By allowing it to happen, the Iranians helped change the subject. World media, especially in the USA, have forgotten that 47 people were beheaded by the Saudis on New Year’s Day. They have focused, with a lot of help from Washington lobbyists and special interests, on the embassy in Tehran and on the execution of Sheikh Nimr Al Nimr.
A mass execution of 47 is now being headlined as the execution of one Shi’a cleric. As I said, some in Iran are quite good at helping their sectarian Wahhabi enemies change the subject.
Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum
“Clerics (sheikhs) of Al Azhar (not so shareef) stressed that Saudi Arabia has executed the laws of Allah (God, Yahweh, etc) on 47 “terrorists:” today, Saturday morning. They told Alarabiya (semi-official Saudi network) that Saudis applied the Shari’a of Allah and applied the just punishment as God demanded………”
Al Azhar , whose not-so-grand sheikh was a functionary of Hosni Mubarak’s party and regime in Egypt before changing clothes, refrained from claiming that Allah (God, Yahweh) personally texted the Saudi King and expressed approval of the massive beheading executions (47 had their heads chopped off on Saturday). That included sheikh Al Nimr who was not involved in any terrorist activity. Except for calling for reform and democracy and equality in the blighted Wahhabi kingdom. Adding insult to injury, the bodies of those beheaded, including the heads, will NOT be returned to their families.
One thing is clear: the government-paid Egyptian sheikhs/bureaucrats of Al Azhar know where the money is, even if it is less these days than it used to be.
Other Arab regimes, especially those tribal autocrats on the Persian Gulf, banned any public criticism of the executions.
Cheers
Mohammed Haider Ghuloum
Multidisciplinary: Middle East, North Africa, Gulf, GCC, World, Cosmos…..
