Those ancient hostilities continue to divide the Islamic world in modern times, flaring up after the Iranian revolution in 1979 -- when a revolutionary Shiite regime took power and unnerved the more conservative Sunni power structure based in Saudi Arabia. Saudi fears about possible Iranian encroachment in the Persian Gulf drove the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq War in which Iraq's Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein served as the bulwark against Shiite influence from Tehran.
A Misguided War
The delicate sectarian balance was disrupted again in 2003 when President George W. Bush invaded Iraq to overthrow Hussein, a victory that gave Iraq's Shiite majority the opportunity to seize control and build a working relationship with Shiite-ruled Iran. With Syria controlled by the Assad dynasty, based in the Alawite sect which is an offshoot of Shiite Islam, a Shiite crescent suddenly extended from Tehran to Beirut.
This expanding Shiite influence upset the Saudis who began supporting the Sunni rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and thus shatter the Shiite crescent. Though the Saudis claim they are backing the moderate Syrian opposition, their support also has been crucial in drawing jihadists from around the Muslim world into Syria.
Many of those jihadists are flocking to Syria from Saudi Arabia, including some of the most extreme elements with ties to al-Qaeda. Not only have these foreign jihadists engaged in acts of terrorism in Syria, they have used staged photos of dead militants -- posed with macabre smiles on their faces -- to recruit other extremists.
An article in Tuesday's Washington Post cited a Saudi fighter as the lead example:
"In his death portrait, the young rebel's bearded face is fixed with a broad, unearthly grin. The Saudi man had been killed in fighting, and his corpse, with its beatific smile, was photographed and displayed in a Twitter posting inviting others to celebrate his martyrdom..."Since the arrival of the first foreign jihadists in Syria more than two years ago, rebel volunteers have used Facebook and Twitter accounts to keep their friends and relatives updated about their experiences... When fighters are killed, the same Web sites offer a way to spread the news to family and friends and pay tribute to the fallen, researchers say...
"Many of the postings include images and allusions intended to resonate with the Muslim faithful. In some photos, bodies with grievous wounds are posed so that they appear to be smiling or, in some cases, pointing to heaven....
"A common belief among jihadists is that martyrdom brings special rewards in paradise, including the affections of 72 'houris' -- black-eyed virgins promised to men in the afterlife -- as well as an ability to win entry to heaven for the martyrs' relatives." [Washington Post, Nov. 5, 2013.]
If Kerry wanted to demonstrate the Obama administration's real comfort in exercising power on the world stage, he might have bluntly told Saudi intelligence to stop funding, arming and deploying these fanatics in Syria or anywhere else. Instead, Kerry behaved as a supplicant arriving in the kingdom to appease the petulant king and his court.
Bending in Egypt and Israel
Kerry made similar on-bended-knee appearances in Cairo and Jerusalem. In Egypt, Kerry praised the military regime that overthrew the elected president in July and brutally suppressed his Muslim Brotherhood followers, killing more than a thousand. As the New York Times reported...
"In substance as well as tone, Mr. Kerry's visit to Egypt reflected the Obama administration's determination to work with a military leadership that ruthlessly put down protesters from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that put forth the successful candidacy of President Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted on July 3. A military government, now firmly entrenched here, has promised to establish a civilian-led government."
Kerry hailed the military regime's "road map" for moving toward the restoration of civilian rule, possibly with elections next spring. However, Kerry's trip coincided with the regime's decision to put Morsi and his political allies on trial for murder. The regime's timing and Kerry's praise represented another diplomatic embarrassment for the Obama administration.
In Israel, Kerry's appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to press ahead with peace talks with the Palestinians on a two-state solution was met with the Israeli government's approval of further expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Then, the Washington Post reported that key elements of Netanyahu's coalition were effectively forsaking the idea of a Palestinian state altogether in favor of annexing East Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of a Greater Israel. The plan called for making it hard, if not next to impossible, for many Palestinians to become Israeli citizens, thus guaranteeing continued Jewish domination. The Gaza Strip and its 1.6 million inhabitants would be abandoned to their own desperate fate.
"As Secretary of State John F. Kerry resumes talks [in Jerusalem] Wednesday in the quest to create 'two states for two people,' a vocal faction in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is, more openly than ever, opposing the very idea of a Palestinian state -- and putting forward its own plans to take, rather than give away, territory," the Post wrote.
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