Arab League and Iran Differ Greatly on Syria
جامعة الدول العربية
Jāmaʻat ad-Duwwal al-ʻArabiyya Arab League Flag
The situation in Syria is starting to seriously affect the Middle East:
Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) — The Arab League said it will send its Secretary-General Nabil El Arabi to Syria to press President Bashar al-Assad to end unrest in the country. Arab League foreign ministers, meeting in Cairo, said they are “upset and worried” about events in Syria where thousands of people have been killed or injured.
Xinhua
TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi warned against “dire consequences of change in Syria’s government,” the English language satellite Press TV reported on Sunday…”Syria is an independent country. International conventions do not allow (other) countries to adopt an interfering stance towards another country,” Salehi was quoted by Press TV as saying. “The U.S. still considers itself the world’s police,” Salehi said…
Basically, Iran is worried that the situation in Syria may cause it to lose an ally. The Arab League wants to take steps to show that it supports the people of Syria, so when change happens, they will be more supportive of the Arab League. While some in Iran are also calling for an end to the violence in Syria, the Iranians seem to mainly blame the protestors while the Arab League seems to mainly blame the Syrian government’s responses. Iran has made statements that the government in Syria listen to the people their “legitimate demands”), but my read is that Iran still mainly supports the Assad government.
The USA itself has seemed to back the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria (see Obama Administration Picks Muslim Brotherhood in Syria?), a group that wants a multi-national Islamic state, known as a caliphate.
As a general rule, the Arab League is made up of countries that are primarily Sunni Muslims, while Iran is primarily Shi’ite Muslim. And while they differ somewhat in their prophetic outlooks, by and large, both want a leader to rise up and unify the Islamic world. The Iranians seem to feel that they need to contribute to chaos for this to happen, while the Arab League, thus far, has taken a more diplomatic approach.
And their has been chaos/flux in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Tunisia, and other parts of the Arab world.
Of course, Libya too is in a state of major flux. At this instant it appears that the anti-Qaddafi forces have the upper hand, and that this may also assist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood gain more power in that nation. Notice two items about that:
Libya rebels reject negotiation offer from Gaddafi
Hindustan Times – 28 August 2011
AP Libyan rebels on Sunday rejected an offer by Muammar Gaddafi to negotiate and said they have captured the eastern town of Bin Jawwad, forcing regime loyalists to flee after days of fighting. The opposition fighters have threatened to advance westward on the coastal road toward Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte if tribal leaders there don’t agree to surrender peacefully.Libya’s Interim Leadership Releases Its Members’ Names
New York Times – Rod Nordland… Lamin Bel Haj, described by politicians in Benghazi as a member of the previously banned Muslim Brotherhood, which most Libyans regard as moderates. Mr. Bel Haj was described as taking charge of Tripoli for the rebels. and was one of five Tripoli names on the new council.
Ultimately the Bible tells of an Arabic confederation that will rise up with a leader that it calls the King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43). Since the Bible does NOT indicate that Iran will be a major part of it, it may be that Iran may be weakened first by some type of military attack first.
Is Iran prepared to send in troops or take other military action to prevent the loss of an ally? Will it blame Israel for some of what is happening and encourage Syria to attack Israel with its assistance? We will see.
For more information, here are three articles of possibly related interest:
The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? What does the Bible say?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
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