For decades, the specter of a Third World War loomed large in my mind, fueled by youthful readings of Nostradamus’s prophecies and shaped by early global events when I was a student of Bayero University Kano (BUK). One defining moment was Saddam Husseins 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

As a student writer at the time, I penned a passionate defense of the allied forces backed by Saudi Arabia, condemning Saddams aggression. That article, In Defence of Saudi Arabia, earned me more than a few enemies on campus, including a physical confrontation from my senior, Saka Raji Audu testament to the deep emotions stirred by global politics, even among students.

Looking back, my youthful conviction was both sincere and, in many ways, naive. I hadn’t yet grasped the more insidious realities behind the headlines. In time, a disturbing pattern began to emerge: courageous, independent, non-monarchical leaders in the Arab and broader Muslim world were being systematically weakened or eliminated, not solely by Western powers, but with the silent consent, and sometimes active participation, of Arab monarchies.

A turning point in this awakening came with the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq under the now-debunked claim of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The deafening silence of Arab leaders during this blatant assault on a fellow Arab nation was chilling. Not only was Iraq reduced to rubble, but Saddam Husseinonce courted and financially and militarily backed by these same Arab powers during his eight-year war with Iranwas subjected to a “Kangaroo court” after the killing of his sons.

In my 2004 article, Saddam Trial: The Humiliation of the Arab World, I expressed outrage at the complicity of Arab leaders and their failure to build military and technological capacities despite immense oil wealth. Instead, they remained reliant on foreign powers to protect their regimes, even at the cost of betraying their own.

That outrage deepened after Saddams execution on Eid al-Adhaa sacred day in Islam meant for mercy and reflection. My 2007 piece, Saddam Hanging and Arab Culpability, decried both the timing of the execution and the broader betrayal by Arab leaders who stood idly by while a sovereign nation was dismantled under false pretenses.

Then came the Arab Spring in 2011a movement sparked by the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia. That year, I wrote Arab World: Between Democracy and Monarchy, where I highlighted a paradox: while many self-proclaimed Arab republics had devolved into brutal dictatorships, constitutional monarchies seemed to offer better living standards, stronger economies, and more stable governance. This raised uncomfortable questions: Was democracy truly the answer for the region? Or could a reformed monarchy offer a viable alternative?

Whatever the answer, one thing was clear: monarchical Arab states were selectively silent or actively supportive when the West destroyed nations led by strong, pan-Arab, and pan-African voices.

The 2011 NATO-led invasion of Libya marked another watershed. On the false premise of humanitarian intervention, Western powersagain with the approval or silence of Arab regimestoppled Muammar Gaddafi, a leader who had transformed Libya through free education, healthcare, and massive infrastructure development. Gaddafi was also a formidable voice for African unity and economic independence.

In my article Saddam, Gaddafi and the Arabs An African Perspective, I condemned the Western medias dehumanizing portrayal of their deaths and the Arab worlds cowardly complicity. Libyas destruction triggered a chain reaction: looted arms depots fueled terrorists like Boko Haram and ISWAP, unleashing instability across West Africafrom Nigeria to Mali, Niger to Cameroon.

Yet, refugees and internally displaced people had nowhere to go, while only a few countries could accommodate them. Moved by such hypocrisy, I wrote May Allah Bless Chancellor Merkel of Germany in 2015a tribute to a Christian woman leader who welcomed over a million refugees, many of them Muslims. Her compassion stood in stark contrast to the indifference of some Arab leaders whose actions helped displace their own people.

And Libya was not alone. Syria under Bashar Assad, Lebanon, and Yemennon-monarchical Arab nationshave also suffered immensely. The pattern is clear: when a nation dares to chart an independent path, especially one not aligned with Western or monarchic Arab interests, it becomes a target. Even the plight of the Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, underscores this tragic hypocrisy. Beyond occasional condemnations, Arab monarchies have offered little meaningful support.

The duplicity became more glaring under Donald Trumps presidency. A man known for his erratic, often inflammatory style, Trump cozied up to brutal regimes and abandoned diplomacy. His abrupt cancellation of nuclear talks with Iran, the assassination of a top Iranian general, and aggressive posturing towards nations like China, Canada, and South Africa among others marked a dangerous shift in U.S. foreign policy. His overt support for Israels military aggressionespecially the recent unprovoked strikes on Irancame barely a month after receiving lavish gifts, including a presidential jet, during a state visit to oil-rich Arab nations of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Whats worse? These same Arab leaders, whose nations share the region with Iran, remained conspicuously silent. Only when Iran retaliated by targeting U.S. military bases did they suddenly find their voices. Trumps subsequent announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran revealed the disturbing extent to which global narrativesand potentially even future warsare being shaped by a handful of powers under the guise of diplomacy.

Meanwhile, the loudest voices condemning the attack on Iran were not from the Muslim world, but from the Eastern bloc: Russia, China, among a few others. Most Arab leaders, fearful of offending their Western patrons, chose discretion over solidarity. It is also worth noting that people of consciencemany of them non-Muslim scholars, activists, politicians, and other influential voices, including Nigerias own Femi Fani-Kayodehave been vocal in condemning the unjustifiable atrocities committed against Palestinians and Iranians in the ongoing conflicts orchestrated by Benjamin Netanyahus Israel.

This reinforced one of my earlier reflections on the region: Any Muslim who thinks supporting an Arab is protecting Islam must have a rethink. Islam is not a religion based on ethnicity, tribal marks, geographical location or color of skin. It is a faith rooted in compassion, good conduct, truthfulness, and coexistence. This principle remains urgent today.

The Middle East is being held hostagenot only by Western imperial ambitions but by the cowardice and complicity of Arab monarchies. Until Arab leaders begin to act in the true interest of their people and region, rather than in service to foreign alliances and personal survival, the region will remain in perpetual turmoil.

The time for silent diplomacy and selective outrage is over. What the Middle East needs now is courageous leadershipbold enough to resist manipulation, honest enough to admit past failures, and principled enough to chart a truly independent future.

Yushau A. Shuaib mnipr is the author of Award-Winning Crisis Communication Strategies.
Email: yashuaib@yashuaib.com

REFERENCES:
“In Defence of Saudia Arabia” by YAShuaib 1990
https://yashuaib.com/1990/12/in-defence-of-saudi-arabia/

“Saddam Trial: The Humiliation of the Arab World” by YAShuaib 2004
https://yashuaib.com/2004/07/saddam-trial-the-humiliation-of-the-arab-world/

“Saddam Hanging and Arab Culpability” by YAShuaib2007
https://yashuaib.com/2007/01/saddam-hanging-and-arab-culpability/

“Arab World: Between Democracy and Monarchy” by YAShuaib2011
https://yashuaib.com/2011/03/arab-world-between-democracy-and-monarchy/

“My article titled “Saddam, Ghaddafi and the Arabs An African Perspective” by YAShuaib 2011
https://yashuaib.com/2011/11/saddam-ghaddafi-and-the-arabs-an-african-perspectives/

“May Allah Bless Chancellor Merkel of Germany” by YAShuaib2015
https://yashuaib.com/2015/12/may-allah-bless-chancellor-merkel-of-germany/

The post Reflections: How Arab Monarchies Enable Western Aggression Against Defiant Leaders appeared first on YAShuaib.

Iranian Victim of Acid Bahrami

It sounds like a typical love story full of suspense, regret and bitter encounter and in most cases sweet ending. Few hours to the commencement of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan fasting and just a few minutes to injection of acid into the eyes of her attacker in hospital, an Iranian woman closed the chapter of a thrilling encounter with her former boyfriend who had attacked her with acid because she refused to marry him.

The Iranian woman, Ameneh Bahrami was only blinded but disfigured by the man, Majid Movahedi who threw acid into her face some years ago.

In strict Iranian law fashioned after the Sharia or Islamic judicial system, a victim has a right to ask for the revenge equivalent to the attack. The woman had asked for the revenge and the judges granted her request. In the trial of Bahrami’s attacker, the court ruling in November 2008 allowed the woman to have a doctor pour a few drops of the corrosive chemical in one of Movahedi’s eyes as retribution. It is a legal right for victims in Iran to ask for a strict enforcement of Islamic law, under which an attempt is made to reach a settlement with victims or their families. If no agreement is reached, then “qisas,” or eye-for-an-eye retribution, is enforced. Under the Iranian judiciary’s policy of qisas, convicted murderers are sentenced to death.

After the ruling of November 2008, Bahrami said she was happy with the sentence. Adding that she was not doing it out of revenge, but rather so that the suffering she went through is not repeated.

The moment to execute the court order came as the woman was in the hospital where her attacker would be administered the acid on his eyes. But the woman she stood above her attacker in a hospital operating room as a doctor was about to put several drops of acid in one of his eyes in court-ordered retribution. The man waited on his knees weeping.

The doctor asked the 34-year-old woman, whose own face was severely disfigured in the 2004 attack: “What do you want to do now?”

The woman simply responded by saying: “I forgave him, I forgave him.” She asked the doctor to spare him at the last minute in a dramatic scene broadcast on Iran’s state television.

The woman continued: “It is best to pardon when you are in a position of power,” Bahrami said, explaining that she did not want revenge.

The sobbing attacker at that moment, Majid Movahedi, said Bahrami was very generous. He added that: “I couldn’t imagine being blinded by acid.”

In other countries including Nigeria the attacker could have escaped or disappeared with connivance of powerful backers like case of mass murders.  Would the blind woman now concede to the request of her former boyfriend by marring him? time will tell. I call this Ramadan love-gift

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