WarSclerotic

Despite the fact that Hamas, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, is a Sunni movement, it maintains close ties with Shi’ite Iran, which serves Hamas as a central supplier of arms and financial support. As a result, questions have been raised regarding Hamas’s loyalty and sense of belonging to the Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia, including during a January 2010 visit to Saudi Arabia by Hamas Political Bureau Head Khaled Mash’al, during which he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Sa’ud Al-Faisal in Riyadh. Mash’al’s visit focused on the issue of Hamas’s loyalty to the Sunni world. As Al-Faisal reported: “I asked Mash’al to explain to us [his] movement’s stance on the Palestinian issue, which is to say, whether it regarded it as an Arab issue or as an issue having to do with another side [i.e., Iran]… Mash’al openly declared the Arabness of Hamas.”[1]

Over the course of his visit, Mash’al continue to emphasize Hamas’s loyalty to the Sunni world: “We have good relations with Iran… but we support Arab security in all its details, and we will not accept any harm to [this security] from any side… Hamas belongs to the Arab ummah and, as such, is fervent about the interests of its ummah.”[2]

On April 4, 2011, Mash’al was reported to have claimed that the Sunni Arab leaders had sold out the Palestinian cause, and that Syria had defended the Palestinians who had been expelled from Sunni countries by these leaders.[3] Hamas, it should be noted, denied these reports.[4]

Against the backdrop of mounting tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran due to the unrest in Bahrain and other Gulf countries, Muhammad Bin ‘Abd Al-Latif Aal Al-Sheikh wrote a column in the Saudi daily Al-Jazirah criticizing Hamas for its alliance with Iran. He claimed that Iran and Israel are similar in that they occupy Arab lands, are hostile to Arabs, and incite riots in Arab countries.

Following are excerpts from the article:[5]

“Iran Has Employed a Clear Strategy of Expansionism, Using Sectarianism to Achieve Its Goals”

“Ever since [Ayatollah] Khomeini rose to power in Tehran, Iran has employed a clear strategy of expansionism, using sectarianism to achieve its goals and [claiming] to defend Shi’ites as a pretext to meddle in the internal affairs of [other] countries. Sadly, one must admit that they have achieved major victories using this method. They planted agents inside the Arab home[lands], made pacts with sectarian rulers whose regimes are at risk, and took advantage of the intra-Arab schism to establish groups that work for them. Thus, they managed to swallow Iraq and Lebanon without our noticing it, and are now poised to swallow Sa’da in [northern] Yemen.

“I am not speaking of Hizbullah, whose leaders admit that they work for Iran, and openly declare that they follow its dictates. They have even made the Rule of the Jurisprudent in Tehran their legal and religious authority. They obey [Iran’s] orders, give it one fifth of their money, and are not ashamed to have willingly become an Iranian fifth column in Lebanon. They consider their service to Iran a [form of] worship bringing them closer to Allah.

“I want to talk about Hamas, which has used the Palestinian cause to satisfy Iranian ambitions in the region. If you ask Hamas why they have allied themselves with the Persians, and why they give their lives for [Iranian] plans, they say that they could not find any Arabs to stand with them and assist them, as though they were forced into an alliance with Iran and had no choice. Using this excuse, they have allowed themselves to make a deal with the devil, while their [true] motive is political. Does their religion, to which they claim to be committed, permit this?

“For the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Iran as an occupying country, just as Israel is for the Palestinians. [Iran’s] occupation of the three UAE Islands, and its lust for Bahrain, have become clear as day… [This is also clear from] the spy ring that was recently exposed in Kuwait, and the evidence tying Iranian authorities to its activity.”

To Hamas: “Are You With Us or With Our Enemies [i.e. the Iranians]?”

“Well, why do you ask us to help you, to stand by your side, and to devote the bulk of our efforts to your cause, while you openly make a pact with those who occupy our land, make up excuses to meddle in our internal affairs, and do whatever they can to incite riots in our region? I ask members of Hamas, and their supporters from among our people, who were fooled by [Hamas’] jihad, to clear up this confusion: Are you with us or with our enemies? The latest events have proven that the Safavid Persians are no different from the Zionist Israelis. Both are occupiers and both are enemies. [The Iranians] incite riots in our country just as Israel does in Palestine. Why should we forgive you for this Persian alliance when you have intentionally, maliciously, and persistently become allies with our enemies? Did you think that we were so negligent and naïve that we would sacrifice our interests, security, and stability for the sake of your pretty eyes?

“Moreover, _{why do you remain silent regarding the Ahvazis}, or regarding Arabistan, as [the region] was called prior to the Iranian occupation, as though the people of this region, which was stolen by the Persians, are not Arabs? The problem of usurped Arabistan, O Khaled Mash’al, is not at all different from the problem of usurped Palestine, and its people are no different from you. Where is the national Arab dimension that you claim is part of your principles?

“Believe me, Khaled Mash’al – your chameleon [policy] of double standards will not last long. As they say, lies will ultimately be exposed. O, Palestinians engaged in jihad, [you should know that] Persia has bared its teeth, and has resurrected its vengeance and hidden historical animosity to the Arabs… Today [as in the past], it is the same Iran, which does not tire of meddling in our affairs by sharpening sectarian lances… You are either on our side against the Persian enemy, or you should leave us alone and we will do the same.”
Endnotes:

[1] www.alarabiya.net, January 5, 2010.

[2] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), January 4, 2010.

[3] www.syrianow.sy, April 1, 2011.

[4] www.palestine-info.info, April 2, 2011.

[5] Al-Jazirah (Saudi Arabia), April 3, 2011.