Two Killed as Bahrain's King Declares Martial Law
THE GUARDIAN: Government-backed security forces clash with Shia demonstrators in the capital city, Manama

The sectarian standoff between Bahrain's Shia majority and its Sunni elite deteriorated further on Tuesday when the king declared martial law and security forces clashed violently with protesters throughout the capital, Manama.

At least two people were killed in fighting between the civilian protesters and government-backed security forces that included Saudi soldiers invited into the kingdom on Sunday.

Hospitals were again teeming with wounded demonstrators in scenes reminiscent of earlier clashes in February, that severely tested the legitimacy of the US-backed government.

Soldiers were active in numerous areas that had been flashpoints in past clashes. Doctors and medical staff reported that troops had taken over a medical centre in the Sitra area and, in some cases, prevented them from tending to casualties. Doctors in the medical centre claimed they were being prevented from leaving by troops stationed outside.

"They are shooting at us, they are shooting," one doctor told the Guardian. "Get help, get the international community to help."

Up to 200 people were reported to have been treated at some point during the day, which is being seen as the start of a new phase in the increasingly bitter clashes that are steadily gaining a regional dimension in the Gulf.

Bahrain withdrew its ambassador to Tehran in protest at a warning from the Iranian foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, to the kingdom not to harm demonstrators, almost all of whom are Shias. Meanwhile, the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia said they felt obliged to intervene, claiming that continuing unrest in Bahrain could threaten them. » | Martin Chulow | Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Saudi Arabia Polices the Region as Trouble Stirs at Home
THE GUARDIAN: The Saudi regime is stepping up its regional security role, but it is clear that it is not immune from 'contagion'

Saudi Arabia's decision to send troops into Bahrain to help stabilise the country following violent anti-government demonstrations marks another stage in Riyadh's reluctant emergence as a regional policeman at a time when the Arab world faces unprecedented turmoil.

The Saudi move, requested by Bahrain's embattled Sunni Muslim royal family, is motivated primarily by self-interest. If Bahrain, with its majority Shia population, succumbed to an Egyptian-style popular uprising then the regime in Riyadh would fear, rightly, that its oil-rich eastern province, where many Shia live, might be next.

But Saudi actions are also influenced by larger geostrategic considerations. One is Riyadh's close military and economic alliance with the US – its defender of last resort – which in effect embraces Bahrain, home to the US fifth fleet. The move by the Gulf Cooperation Council will not have come without prior consultation with Washington.
Another crucial consideration is Riyadh's intensifying rivalry with Iran, which has powerful political and religious aspects (Iran is majority Shia Muslim, Saudi Arabia is majority Sunni).

The developments in Bahrain follow stepped-up Saudi involvement in other regional flashpoints. They include Lebanon, where King Abdullah tried unsuccessfully last year to persuade Syria and Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah to take a less confrontational line; and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has supported the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh, an American ally, against Iranian-backed rebels and al-Qaida infiltrators.

The Saudis have also been actively involved, with the Obama administration, in international efforts to forge an Israel-Palestine settlement, another regional running sore exploited by Iran. The Saudi peace plan of 2002 remains the most likely basis for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Saudi efforts to keep a lid on unrest in the region extend to Oman – like Bahrain, a relatively poor country that acts as a base for the US military. Read on and comment » | Simon Tisdall | Monday, March 14, 2011

Saudi Troops Enter Bahrain
THE AUSTRALIAN: MORE than 1000 Saudi troops, part of the Gulf countries' Peninsula Shield Force, have entered Bahrain where anti-regime protests have raged for a month, a Saudi official said.

The troops entered the strategic Gulf kingdom on Sunday, the official said, requesting anonymity.

The intervention came "after repeated calls by the (Bahraini) government for dialogue, which went unanswered" by the opposition, the official said.

According to the regulations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, "any Gulf force entering a member state becomes under the command of the government," the official added. >>> AFP | Monday, March 14, 2011

Related >>>

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bahrain protests intensify as Foreign Office advises against travel to country: Thousands of anti-government demonstrators cut off Bahrain’s financial center and drove back police trying to push them from the Pearl Square in the most disruptive protests since calls for more freedom erupted a month ago. >>> | Monday, March 14, 2011

More Than 800 Injured in Bahrain Political Clashes
USA TODAY: MANAMA, Bahrain — Hundreds of people were injured in violent clashes Sunday between protesters and armed civilians backed by police in this small island nation.

The latest violence came after a month of protests led by the Shiite majority to demand sweeping political reforms and possibly the ouster of the nation's Western-allied Sunni monarchy.

The government's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that protest camp tents from near the harbor were "removed." The statement said attempts by uniformed police officers to persuade the protesters to re-open a road reached an impasse and that a group of protesters attacked unarmed police officers.

Police then sought to disperse approximately 350 protesters by using tear gas in order to clear the road, the statement said. >>> Nada Alwadi, USA TODAY | Sunday, March 13, 2011

Gulf Regimes: The Real Game - Saudi Arabia
THE JERUSALEM POST: Rival forces are attempting to make use of the sudden eruption of popular unrest for their own preexisting purposes.

From a strategic point of view, the Iran-led regional axis has until now emerged as a net earner from the “Arab Spring” of 2011. In Egypt and Tunisia, two stable, pro-Western Arab regimes have fallen, giving way to ambiguous and potentially chaotic situations in those countries.

Among the countries of the “resistance axis,” meanwhile, protests have been brutally suppressed or stillborn, at least for the moment.

Attention is now turning to the vital Persian Gulf area. Bahrain is in the midst of an uprising by the country’s majority Shi’ite population. But the main question is whether instability will spread to Saudi Arabia – the key US ally in the area, and in many ways the linchpin of US regional strategy.

Here, Tehran stands to play a more active role than that of lucky bystander. The Gulf area is the central focus of Iranian ambition. It wishes to fulfill a long-standing strategic ambition of emerging as the dominant power in this area. The breakdown of order in Saudi Arabia would offer it a major opportunity to advance this cause.

Iran lacks conventional military ability and real economic power. It is adept, however, at turning political chaos into gain. The regime has developed tools and practices for political warfare which have so far delivered it domination of Lebanon, a competing franchise in Palestinian nationalism and key influence in Iraq.

If the Gulf regimes fail to effectively navigate the current unrest, Iran is fair set to begin to apply these practices in this area. The potential implications are enormous. The rulers of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are aware of the risk, and are energetically trying to keep these areas closed to Iranian political-military subversion.

Bahrain is the test case. Here, the Iranians are best placed to make gains. The population of this tiny kingdom is 70 percent Shi’ite. The ruling Sunni al-Khalifa family has failed to address the socioeconomic needs and demands of this section of the population. The kingdom is currently roiled by a Shi’ite uprising. A formerly London-based cleric with Iranian connections, Hassan Mushaima, recently returned to take part.

Bahrain is small but vital. It is the base of the US Fifth Fleet, which ensures the security of the Gulf states in the face of a conventional military threat. Still, the real game is in Saudi Arabia. >>> Jonathan Spyer | Friday, March 11, 2011

Bahraini Shi’ites Protest at U.S. Embassy
Mar 7 - Shi'ites protesting at the U.S. embassy in Bahrain are greeted with doughnuts and an invitation to talk. Travis Brecher reports

Sectarian Clashes Erupt in Bahrain
Mar 04 - Clashes break out between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Hamad in Bahrain while protesters in the capital marched through the city pressing the Sunni-led government for swift democratic change. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports

Saudi Arabia Contagion Triggers Gulf Rout
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fears of sectarian uprisings in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have set off the first serious wave of investor flight from the Gulf, compounding market turmoil as civil war in Libya pushes Brent crude over $116 a barrel.

Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul stock index has tumbled 11pc in wild trading over the past two days, led by banks and insurers. Dubai’s bourse has hit a 7-year low.

The latest sell-off was triggered by the arrest of a Shi’ite cleric in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province after he called for democratic reforms and a constitutional monarchy. The province is home to Saudi Arabia’s aggrieved Shi’ite minority and also holds the country’s vast Ghawar oilfield, placing it at the epicentre of global crude supply.

“Unrest in this region can have fatal consequences for the world,” said JBC Energy. “The plunge on the Saudi stock exchange can be interpreted as a sign of waning trust.”

In Bahrain, the island nation’s Sunni elite holds sway over a Shi’ite majority that is denied key jobs and has a token political voice, making it a trial run for Saudi Arabia’s near-identical tensions in the Eastern Province.

Bahraini dissidents have so far been much bolder, prompting a bloody crackdown last month when at least seven people were shot by the military. The ruling family – under intense pressure from Washington to stop the killings – has since held out an olive branch to protesters and let the radical Haq leader Hassan Mushaima return from exile, yet the crisis is far from contained.

My Mushaima said on Wednesday that protesters have “the right to appeal for help from Iran” if Saudi military units interfere in the struggle. Tanks were seen crossing the 17-mile causeway from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain on Tuesday.

“These were supposed to be Bahrain’s tanks returning from Kuwait: that is not a credible story,” said Siras Abi Ali, a Gulf expert at the risk group Exclusive Analysis.

He said the outcome in Bahrain will set the template for events across the border. “There is no good outcome from this for Saudi Arabia. If Bahrain offers concessions, the Saudi Shia will demand similar concessions. If they crack down, they risk an uprising. These people do not want to live under the House of Saud,” he said. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor | Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Arab Unrest Propels Iran as Saudi Influence Declines
THE NEW YORK TIMES: MANAMA, Bahrain — The popular revolts shaking the Arab world have begun to shift the balance of power in the region, bolstering Iran’s position while weakening and unnerving its rival, Saudi Arabia, regional experts said.

While it is far too soon to write the final chapter on the uprisings’ impact, Iran has already benefited from the ouster or undermining of Arab leaders who were its strong adversaries and has begun to project its growing influence, the analysts said. This week Iran sent two warships through the Suez Canal for the first time since its revolution in 1979, and Egypt’s new military leaders allowed them to pass.

Saudi Arabia, an American ally and a Sunni nation that jousts with Shiite Iran for regional influence, has been shaken. King Abdullah on Wednesday signaled his concern by announcing a $10 billion increase in welfare spending to help young people marry, buy homes and open businesses, a gesture seen as trying to head off the kind of unrest that fueled protests around the region.

King Abdullah then met with the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, to discuss ways to contain the political uprising by the Shiite majority there. The Sunni leaders in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain accuse their Shiite populations of loyalty to Iran, a charge rejected by Shiites who say it is intended to stoke sectarian tensions and justify opposition to democracy.

The uprisings are driven by domestic concerns. But they have already shredded a regional paradigm in which a trio of states aligned with the West supported engaging Israel and containing Israel’s enemies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, experts said. The pro-engagement camp of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia is now in tatters. Hosni Mubarak of Egypt has been forced to resign, King Abdullah of Jordan is struggling to control discontent in his kingdom and Saudi Arabia has been left alone to face a rising challenge to its regional role.

“I think the Saudis are worried that they’re encircled — Iraq, Syria, Lebanon; Yemen is unstable; Bahrain is very uncertain,” said Alireza Nader, an expert in international affairs with the RAND Corporation. “They worry that the region is ripe for Iranian exploitation. Iran has shown that it is very capable of taking advantage of regional instability.”

“Iran is the big winner here,” said a regional adviser to the United States government who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. >>> Michael Slackman | Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Bahrain Opposition Protests Resume
REUTERS: Shi'ite Muslim protesters filled streets in Manama on Tuesday demanding the fall of the Sunni-run government in the biggest protest since unrest began last week, while the return of a key opposition figure was delayed.

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched to Pearl Square -- the focal point of the week-long protests in central Manama -- to press demands for political reform in a country dominated by the Sunni Muslim minority.

Led by opposition groups such as Wefaq and Waad, it was the first organized demonstration and followed spontaneous protests by a rising youth movement relying on social media.

"We want the fall of the government" was the most common chant. "Some want the family out but most (want) only the prime minister (to quit)," said protester Abbas al-Fardan. "We want a new government, the people need to rule the country."

The protesters want a constitutional monarchy, in contrast to the current system where Bahrainis vote for a parliament that has little power and policy remains the preserve of an elite centered on the al-Khalifa family.

The al-Khalifa dynasty has ruled Bahrain for 200 years, and the family dominates a cabinet led by the king's uncle, who has been prime minister since independence in 1971. >>> Frederik Richter, Manama | Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Thousands Protest Government in Bahrain
Feb 22 - Several thousand people gathered in Bahrain's capital of Manama on Tuesday as demonstrators renewed demands for the fall of the Sunni-dominated government. Jon Decker reports

Unrest Spreads as Bahrain Cracks Down on Protesters
REUTERS: Bahrain police stormed a Manama square on Thursday to clear activists camped out there as anti-government protests in the Middle East and North Africa, inspired by revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, gathered pace.

Clashes were reported in tightly controlled oil producer Libya, sandwiched between Egypt and Tunisia, as people there prepared to take to the streets for a "day of rage" after new protests erupted in Yemen, Iran and Iraq.

The demonstrations against old rulers came after U.S. President Barack Obama commenting on the overthrow of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, said: "The world is changing ... If you are governing these countries, you've got to get ahead of the change, you can't be behind the curve.

Authoritarian governments have reason to fear contagion with young people able to watch pro-democracy uprisings on satellite television or the Internet and to communicate on social networks hard for secret police to control.

In Bahrain, police firing tear gas and rubber bullets cleared hundreds of people from the central Pearl Square in the early hours as they tried to end three days of protests. >>> Cynthia Johnston, Manama | Thursday, February 17, 2011

Police Teargas Bahrain Protesters
Feb 17 - Deaths as Bahrain police teargas protest camp in a central Manama square. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports


Bahrain: Riot Police Fire on Protest Camp
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Riot police have stormed a protest camp in Bahrain's capital, killing at least three people, as the government tried to quell three days of protest.


Hundreds of security forces used batons, rubber bullets and tear gas on demonstrators who had been camped out in Pearl Square calling for political reform.

In the clashes that followed, an estimated 100 people were injured.
After the police had cleared the square in the capital Manama, 50 tanks were deployed to patrol the city's streets in a show of force by the authorities.

"Police are coming, they are shooting teargas at us," one protestor said amid the chaos. Another said: "I am wounded, I am bleeding. They are killing us."

Demonstrators had gathered in Pearl Square in the hope of emulating the protest in Cairo that led to the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. >>> | Thursday, February 17, 2011

La grande peur des sunnites : être lâchés par les Etats-Unis
LE MONDE: C'est le cauchemar que redoutent, depuis 1979, la plupart des alliés arabes des Etats-Unis : un lâchage américain. Qu'il s'agisse du royaume saoudien, des principautés du Golfe, ou de la monarchie hachémite en Jordanie, tous ont gardé en mémoire le sort du chah d'Iran. Pièce maîtresse de l'endiguement soviétique et d'un "grand jeu" pétrolier mis en place par Washington, après le renversement du premier ministre, Mohammad Mossadegh, en 1953, cet autocrate fut abandonné en rase campagne, une génération plus tard, par une administration américaine qui le jugeait désormais indéfendable.

Silencieux pendant la révolution tunisienne, inquiets par la tournure prise par les événements en Egypte, les monarchies autoritaires de la région ne peuvent qu'être déstabilisées par la succession de déclarations américaines incitant le président Hosni Moubarak à répondre au plus vite à la pression de sa rue.

L'Arabie saoudite est sortie de sa réserve traditionnelle en tonnant, jeudi 10 février, contre "l'ingérence de certains pays étrangers". Pour la dynastie saoudienne, les Etats-Unis alimentent la contestation par ces prises de position pressantes. Qu'un pays affaiblisse ainsi son allié leur paraît inconcevable et incompréhensible, surtout dans un contexte régional où tout ce qui pénalise l'axe des pays arabes présentés comme "modérés" (c'est-à-dire proches des Occidentaux) renforce le voisin iranien déjà débarrassé de l'endiguement assuré par l'Irak à la suite de l'invasion américaine de 2003.

Avec une Egypte paralysée pour longtemps par ses tumultes intérieurs, cet axe perd l'un de ses deux principaux moteurs. Même diminuée par le vieillissement du régime et la réduction de son influence régionale aux affaires palestiniennes, l'Egypte conservait jusqu'à présent des atouts : un appareil et un savoir-faire diplomatiques sans équivalent dans la région et une puissance économique émergente.

Le second moteur arabe, le saoudien, n'est pas sans défaillances, alors que la Jordanie connaît également quelques troubles. La convalescence du roi saoudien Abdallah au Maroc, après des opérations du dos subies aux Etats-Unis, en décembre 2010, a mis en évidence la fragilité d'une dynastie confrontée à la perspective de successions répétées compte tenu de l'âge avancé du roi (86 ans), de celui du prince héritier, Sultan (83 ans), et du suivant dans l'ordre de succession, le prince Nayef (77 ans). >>> LeMonde | Friday, 12 Février 2011

Iran Issues Tacit Warning to Saudi Arabia Over Attacks on Rebels
TIMES ONLINE: Iran warned Saudi Arabia yesterday not to become further entangled in supporting the Yemen Government’s drive to put down Shia Muslim rebels.

After a week of Saudi air raids and the imposition of a naval blockade by Riyadh to prevent weapons from reaching the insurgents, Iran issued comments that are certain to escalate tensions between the regional powers.

“Those who pour oil on the fire must know that they will not be spared from the smoke that billows,” said Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian Foreign Minister, in a clear warning to Saudi Arabia — which attacked Huthi rebels after they took control of a Saudi border town last week.

Iran is a majority Shia Muslim country and supports Shia groups across the region, particularly in Lebanon and Iraq, while Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim state. >>> James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, November 12, 2009

Iran 'Executes Sunni Militants'
BBC: Iran has executed 13 members of a Sunni rebel group blamed for a spate of attacks in the south-east of the country, Iran's state news agency says.

They were members of Jundallah (God's Soldiers). The execution of the brother of their leader was postponed, the agency reported.

Tehran blames the group for a series of attacks including the bombing of a mosque in May which killed 25 people.

Amnesty International had appealed for a stay of execution.

It said that the convicts had not received a fair trial.

Ebrahim Hamidi, who heads the judiciary in south-eastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, told the official Irna news agency on Tuesday that 13 of the group had been hanged inside a jail in the city of Zahedan.

"After last minute consultations, the executions were carried out in a prison," Mr Hamidi is quoted as saying.

Fars, a semi-official news agency, had earlier reported that the executions would be carried out in public.

Abdolhamid Rigi, the brother of the group's leader Abdolmalek Rigi, was not among those hanged on Tuesday but would be executed later this week, the report said. >>> | Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Supreme Leader Calls on Shiites, Sunnis to Maintain Solidarity
TEHRAN TIMES: TEHRAN (FNA) - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Monday urged all Muslims, including Shiites and Sunnites, to maintain and enhance heartfelt solidarity.

“Continued unity and solidarity of all Iranian peoples and different political streams in defending the flag of Islam in Iran is necessary and guarantees a bright future for the nation,” Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated while addressing a gathering of local residents in the city of Bijar in the western Kurdistan province. 



The Leader further reminded that unity of the Iranian people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds and their subordination and obedience to the Late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, created such a fresh civilization and movement in the world politics that its leading effects are still clearly observed not only in Palestine and Lebanon but also in awakening nations from northern Africa to eastern Asia. >>> | Wednesday, May 19, 2009

Saudi Arabia Arrests Shi'ites after Clashes
REUTERS: RIYADH - Saudi authorities arrested at least nine Saudi Shi'ite pilgrims after clashes in the holy city of Medina, Shi'ite and security sources said on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia sees itself as the bastion of mainstream Sunni Islam and is worried about the rising influence of non-Arab Shi'ite power Iran in the region.

Jaafar al-Shaib, a leading figure among minority Saudi Shi'ites, said clashes occurred between Shi'ite pilgrims and morals police near a mosque that houses the tomb of Prophet Mohammad.

"Some 1,500 Shi'ite pilgrims gathered near the mosque for the commemoration of Prophet Mohammad's death," he said.

"Stick-wielding members of the morals police backed up by plainclothes policemen sought to disperse them."

Morals police often prevent pilgrims venerating tombs, seen as idolatry under the strict Saudi version of Islam.

Some pilgrims were injured in a stampede after police fired into the air to disperse the crowd, al-Shaib said, adding ambulances took some away. He said some shops owned by Shi'ites were attacked. >>> Reporting by Souhail Karam; editing by Thomas Atkins and Michael Roddy | Tuesday, February 24, 2009

MSNBC: Saudi Cleric Calls for End to Anti-Shiite Actions

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - A prominent Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia appealed to King Abdullah to put an end to "extremist practices and insults" by members of the religious police against Shiite pilgrims following a series of incidents at a revered cemetery.

Sheik Hassan al-Saffar's posted the appeal on his Web site Monday, following reports of several incidents of confrontations between Shiites and riot police at the al-Baqee Cemetery in Medina, Islam's second-holiest city.
The confrontations aggravate the friction between the overwhelmingly Sunni population and the Shiites, who say they make up 10-15 percent of Saudi Arabia's 22 million people.

Saudi Arabia follows the severe Wahhabi interpretation of Sunni Islam that considers Shiites infidels. Shiites routinely complain of discrimination, including being banned from joining the religious police. >>> By Donna Abu-Nasr | Associated Press | Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

Saudis Hope Turks Will Help Stem Shi'ite Influence
REUTERS: RIYADH - Turkish President Abdullah Gul can expect a warm welcome when he starts an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with the stated goal of boosting business ties with the world's largest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia hopes the visit will bring it closer to forming a strategic alliance with the NATO member state to counter the growing influence of Iran in the region, diplomats say.

Bilateral ties have improved dramatically since Gul's AK Party and King Abdullah came to power in 2002 and 2005 respectively.

Saudi Arabia's ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim rulers were for decades wary of the avowedly secular Turkish state -- having helped to evict the Ottomans from the Arabian peninsula in the early years of the 20th century.

But the Saudi economy has more recently provided work for thousands of Turks, including Gul himself, whose daughter was born in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

Diplomats say that rising Shi'ite influence in the region, foremost from Iran, is now bringing a further rapprochement.

"Saudi leaders see in Turkey a strong ally to counter Iran's growing influence in the region. They don't mind giving Turkey the means that will enable it to supersede both their own influence and that of Iran," said one Western diplomat. >>> Editing by Thomas Atkins and Kevin Liffey | Monday, February 2, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

The World Doesn’t Wish to "Absorb the 'Good Message of Islam'”, Your Highness!
Photo of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Saudi Arabia's monarch has urged Muslims to speak with one voice in preparation for interfaith dialogue with the Jewish and Christian worlds.

King Abdullah was speaking at a three-day conference in Mecca, attended by hundreds of Muslim delegates.

The king, whose country is mainly Sunni Muslim, said extremists were exploiting the tolerant nature of Islam.

As well as extremism, delegates hope to tackle what is seen as the negative perception of Islam in the West.

BBC Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says the meeting is supposed to be the Saudi answer to the controversial "clash of civilizations" thesis of US academic Samuel Huntington.

Muslim writers often cite Prof Huntington's ideas as evidence of Western hostility to Islam in particular.

'Voice of justice'

King Abdullah entered the hall alongside Iranian politician Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who sat beside him on the stage.

Correspondents say the message was that the Sunni kingdom was now in agreement with moderate Shia Muslims such as Mr Rafsanjani, a former Iranian president.

"You have gathered today to tell the whole world that... we are a voice of justice and values and humanity, that we are a voice of coexistence and a just and rational dialogue," King Abdullah told the delegates.

Extremism was a challenge to Islam that targeted the "magnanimity, fairness and lofty aims" of the religion, he said.

"That's why this invitation was extended - to face the challenges of isolation, ignorance and narrow horizons, so that the world can absorb the good message of Islam." Saudis Launch Islamic Unity Drive >>> | June 4, 2008

YNET NEWS:
Saudi King: End Islamic Extremism >>> (Associated Press) | June 4, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Sunnis, Shi'ites and the West
”The policy in the past used to be, ‘Let’s just accept tyranny, for the sake of... cheap oil, or whatever it may be, and just hope everything would be okay.’ Well, that changed on September the 11th for our nation. Everything wasn’t okay. Beneath what appeared to be a placid surface lurked an ideology based upon hatred.”

AUSTRALIA/ISRAEL & JEWISH AFFAIRS COUNCIL (AIJAC): The attacks of 9/11 generated a tide of commentary on the origins and aims of anti-Western jihadism. Lately, however, events have shifted attention to another, more long-standing feature of the Muslim world, raising the question of whether Islamic militancy against the West is now of lesser geopolitical significance than a stark, increasingly salient divide within Islam itself. This is the ancient divide between the numerically dominant Sunnis and a Shi’ite minority that is finally coming into its own.

In this, as in so much else, the prime exhibit is Iraq. Since the country changed hands from a Sunni dictatorship to a Shi’ite-controlled government, the conflict there, at first slowly but then with growing intensity, has at least in part taken on the appearance of a war between two sects. Every week brings gruesome suicide attacks on Shi’ites by Sunni terrorists, attacks answered in kind by Shi’ite militias or death squads. Iraqis have been dragged from their cars and killed merely for being Sunni or Shi’ite. Whole neighbourhoods of Baghdad have been emptied of one sect or the other. Mortar attacks have been launched from cemeteries and shrines, and the holiest of mosques have been bombed and torched by putative co-religionists.

American policymakers have seemed stymied by this outburst of Sunni-Shi’ite hatred, and especially by the assertiveness of the Shi’ites. Not only does it challenge a familiar conception of the order of things in the Middle East - an order ostensibly based on the leadership of longtime “moderate” Sunni allies like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan - but it coincides with the mounting aggressiveness of Shi’ite Iran, which aspires to regional hegemony. From Iraq to Lebanon, from Pakistan to the streets of Amman, the delicate fabric of a centuries-old pattern is being torn. The Great Divide (more) By Gal Luft and Anne Korin

Mark Alexander

Muslims of the Iraq Unite Against the Common Foe!
THE TELEGRAPH: American attempts to co-opt Iraqi insurgents in Baghdad have suffered a set back after Sunni and Shia Muslim militants in a key district of the city forged an alliance against United States forces.

In the first half of the year, US commanders teamed up with Sunni fighters loyal to the al-Girtani clan to attack al-Qa'eda cells in the Shorta and Amil areas near the airport. But after intense fighting, in which the extremists were defeated, the al-Girtani tribe reached across Iraq's sectarian divide, in what is believed to be the first partnership of its kind.

"We fought the Shia because of pressure from al-Qa'eda," said Turki al-Girtani, the tribe leader. "Now after they were beaten we have to refocus on the real enemy, which is the US army." Shia and Sunni militants unite to attack US (more) By Aqeel Hussein

Mark Alexander