Muslims to unite in face of Saudi moves: Academic

Press TV has conducted an interview with Alexander Azadgan, a professor of Strategic Global Management and International Political Economy, about a decision by Saudi Arabia to severe diplomatic ties with Iran.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you think about this measure taken by the Saudis?

Azadgan: Well, I think the Iranians should have actually expelled the Saudi ambassador from Tehran. It’s ironic that the Saudis are pulling out. The Iranians had warned the Saudis of the consequences if this human rights activist Sheikh al-Nimr be executed. This is not a lightweight individual. He is an Ayatollah, which is a high-ranking Shia cleric and this is really a provocative action by the Saudi regime.

You have to understand that the new generation of princes that are in charge in Saudi Arabia, they lack experience, diplomacy, tact and this is another sort of consequence of their lack of experience. They have seen their defeat in Syria, they have totally seen their defeat in Iraq, in Bahrain, it was a disaster; Yemen is an absolute chaos. So, now they are trying to cause havoc within their own country; it’s completely crazy, doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

Press TV: And what do you think about the allegations that Saudi Arabia has leveled time and again against Iran? It said that “Iran has supported terrorism in the region, that it’s intervening in the internal affairs of other countries in the region; it’s also causing sectarian strife.” What are your comment regarding that?

Azadgan: This is absolutely ludicrous. This is the typical bogus charges that we have been hearing from the Saudi regime. It is the exact opposite. It’s Saudi Arabia that is causing chaos. It is Saudi Arabia who is completely supporting – financially and otherwise – the ISIS or the ISIL savages in Iraq and Syria. It is Saudi Arabia that has many TV broadcast of various sources that are causing a Shia-Sunni rift.

This has nothing to do with a Shia-Sunni rift. This has everything to do with Zionist-Wahhabi ideology, that is a cancer in the Middle East and it’s taking over in places like Iraq and Syria.

And now by murdering this Sheikh, by beheading this individual, they have directly caused chaos within their own borders in the Eastern Province, in the al-Qatif region. You will have to keep in mind this is the oil-rich area of Saudi Arabia; so, we are going to see if the instability continues and the chaos continues; we’re going to see higher prices for oil in the weeks and months to come.

So, this is another idiotic action by the Saudi regime again governed by the new generation of princes who have no experience, and it’s like shooting themselves in the leg. And in psychology, this is called projection; they’re trying to blame other countries in the region for their own lack of skill in running their own country and having a corrosive influence throughout the region.

Press TV: Alexander, what repercussions does this have for the Muslim world in general, given that we’re living at the time where we’re seeing all these brutal executions by ISIL and Islamophobia is spreading, Xenophobia is spreading? What kind of consequences is it going to have for Muslims in general?

Azadgan: I actually disagree with that premise. I believe this is going to unify the Muslim masses in the Middle East. Again, this has nothing to do with the Shia-Sunni rift. This has everything to do with true Islam and a death cult coming from the Middle Ages called Wahhabism.

Saudi Arabia has completely lost its credibility in the region by their barbaric bombing and cruelty against the people in Yemen. So, if anything, this is rallying the Muslims of the world against the true barbaric regime that happens to have custody of two holy Muslim places in the world – Medina and Mecca. We saw how they handled the Mina crisis over the summer. It’s an absolute disaster. Every other year, we have a disaster like that happening in Mecca.

So, this is a completely illegitimate and incapable regime that is toward the end of it. I believe these of the last sort of gasps of air for the Saudi leadership. I believe, because of their own savagery, the Islamic mass, the Ummah, is finally coming together and standing against Wahhabism.

In the West, we are trying to educate the masses that the face of Islam that is being broadcasted to the world, because of the savage acts of Saudi and Qatari-controlled terrorist groups such as Daesh or ISIL, does not represent the true Islam.

So, I think this is an opportunity for true Islam to come out and to merge and I don’t believe… I don’t see it as pessimistic. I see it as a wonderful event; unfortunately, at the cost of 47 people being beheaded or executed in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh al-Nimr being one of them.