Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, & Pakistan vs. Iran?
جامعة الدول العربية
Jāmaʻat ad-Duwwal al-ʻArabiyya Arab League Flag
The stage seems to be being set between the Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims as Bahrain may be the line in the sand for both sides:
People throughout this Sunni Arab kingdom talk now of their own Cuban missile crisis. Amid the unrest and calls for democracy, their focus is on a regional cold war between Sunni-led nations and the “Shia crescent,’’ the term King Abdullah of Jordan used to describe Iran’s growth as a regional superpower. The test case of this cold war is not in oil-rich Libya, or terrorist-ridden Yemen, or Israel-bordering Syria. The line in the sand has been drawn in Bahrain.
Iran’s Shia hand is seen as a guiding force throughout the Arab uprisings, but especially in the protests against King Khalifa of Bahrain, a Sunni Muslim who leads a country with a Shia Muslim majority. http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-09/bostonglobe/29401270_1_bahrain-cuban-missile-crisis-cold-war
“What is happening in Bahrain is Sunni versus Shia, Saudi Arabia versus Iran. It’s big powers facing off against each other in a small place. It’s really explosive. We share the same concerns with the US and with Russia,” one EU source told this website http://euobserver.com/892/32006
Notice also the following report out of India:
Iran-Pakistan fallout over Bahrain
Hindustan Times – Apr 8, 2011Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Iran are under a cloud after the Iranian government protested recruitment of Pakistani military officials into the Bahraini police forces…Plans are also being finalised to send regular Pakistan army contingents to Saudi Arabia and possibly Bahrain, officials have said privately.
Essentially, the Sunni (Arabs) are concerned that support by Shia-dominated Iran for the protests in Bahrain could make the problems worse. Yet the Iranians want more influence in the Middle East. Sunni Pakistan has long had military connections with Sunni Saudi Arabia. And unlike Saudi Arabia, Pakistan has a lot of ground troops that appear willing to support those in the primarily Sunni Arab League.
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are part of the Arab League. It appears to me that Saudi Arabia, with its interventions in Bahrain (and its recruitment of Pakistani soldiers), is telling the Muslim world that Iran is not the only military power and that Sunnis should cooperate amongst themselves militarily. Of course, Iran, according to a recent video, seems to wish to tell the Muslim world that it is the primary military power in the Middle East and it hints that all Muslims should follow it (see Iran’s Ahmadinejad to Conquer Jerusalem?).
Of course, most of the Sunni Arabs do not see it the way that Iran does.
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). And it may be that Iran may be dealt with militarily before all of Daniel 11:40-43 is fulfilled. While I doubt that Iran intends to directly attack any Arab nations at this time–it could. Additionally, it seems to want to provoke war with Israel in order to get Muslim support for a religious leader, that it calls the Imam Mahdi (who, to a degree, could be the final king of the south) to rise up (see Iran’s Ahmadinejad to Conquer Jerusalem?). Yet, I do not believe Iran will get quite what it wants, based upon my understanding of biblical prophecy. A leader will rise up in the Middle East/North Africa, but the final King of the South will not fill all the predictions from Iran for the Imam Mahdi as some appear to be in conflict with Bible prophecy.
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 African?
India, Its Biblical Past and Future: Any Witness? The Bible discusses the origins of those of Indian heritage and discusses some of the witness to them (including those in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka).
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?
 |
Tweet |
|