After five years of bloodletting, there is a glimmer of hope that the Syrians' long nightmare may end soon. A truce agreement was announced by Russia and the US today under which a ceasefire will go into effect in Syria on February 27. Humanitarian aid will be delivered to besieged towns and villages. The truce does not extend to such terrorist outfits as Daesh, Jabhat al Nusra, Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham.
Amid all the doom and gloom, there is one country—Islamic Iran—that stands out as a beacon of hope for the oppressed Muslims, indeed all oppressed people. The Islamic State has entered its 38th year.
1Islamic resistance movements operate under very difficult conditions but they must be careful about who they choose as “friends”. Hamas seems to be drifting toward the Saudis that will certainly result in disaster.
Two crucial elections are scheduled for this month in the Islamic Republic: for the Majlis and the Assembly of Experts. There is immense excitement about both.
History seems to be repeating itself. The Bani Saud's execution of the respected Islamic scholar Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has aroused intense hatred for them and also stoked the already simmering sectarian warfare. Will the Bani Saud survive their latest folly?
When a puppet regime leads other puppets, the result is often disastrous. The Saudi regime of Najdi Bedouins cut off relations with Islamic Iran followed by their puppets in Bahrain and Sudan. The crime was committed by the Najid Bedouins in unjustly executing a respected alim and human rights activist, Sheikh Nimr al Nimr. The Najdi Bedouins will pay a heavy price for this crime.
The Bani Saud’s latest concoction of an ‘anti-terror alliance’ is no more than an attempt to appease their imperialist-Zionist masters to intensify Shi‘a-Sunni conflict.
As the Iran nuclear deal reaches implementation stage, the US Congress has introduced new disruptive measures, such as the Visa Waiver Program to frustrate completion of the deal. Can the US be trusted?
What socio-political issues are likely to dominate the year 2016? ICIT director provides some pointers and food for thought.
The US and its allies in the P5+1 group of countries appear to be dragging their feet in fulfilling their part of the bargain while demanding Iran comply with all its conditions in the nuclear deal. On October 21, the Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei sent a letter to President Hassan Rouhani pointing this out saying the Islamic Republic’s concessions on the nuclear file were conditional on the other side, especially the US, lifting all sanctions.
The politics of takfir (excommunication) in the contemporary Muslim world is at its peak because of the subtle sophisticated promotion of the phenomenon by external forces. This does not mean that takfir has not been known in Islamic history; it existed and still does in all major religions.
It appears that neither Russia or China is prepared to allow NATO countries led by the US to create another Libya-type scenario in Syria. The stakes are too high for both. Given US duplicity in fighting against the takfiri terrorists (actually non-fighting), Russia and China have decided to go after the terrorists for their own reasons. Iran and Hizbullah are also helping the Syrian government to confront the terrorist threat...
In a reply to Abdul Latif Halimi’s recent article on 5Pillars, Zafar Bangash argues that Muslims need to stop deluding themselves and realise that the Syrian conflict is nothing more than an imperial war to take down the Resistance Axis.
With the foreign-instigated war on Syria into its fifth year, is there room for opti-mism about a possible end to the bloodletting? Recent developments give rise to guarded optimism that there may be a dim flicker of light at the end of Syria’s long dark tunnel. It would, however, be prudent not to assume that peace will descend on Syria tomorrow. That may still be a long way away but it appears there is much greater awareness among all parties involved, especially foreign backers of the takfiri terrorists, who realize they have created a monster that needs to be brought under control before it devours them as well.
An Iranian NGO has found a novel way to express solidarity with the oppressed and brutalized Palestinian people. A mass Iftar (breaking of fast) was organized at the Aqsa Compound on July 8 by the International Union of Unified Ummah. Despite attempts by the Zionists to prevent Palestinians from entering the Aqsa Compound, the Iftar went ahead and was a huge success.
One of our correspondents shares his experiences of working with the Crescent International and what it has contributed to creating awareness about regional as well as global issues. After writing for ICIT’s publication, Crescent International, since 2009, one of our journalists decided to share his understanding and experience of working with the oldest surviving Islamic publication on current affairs.
1While drum beating about Iran’s non-existent nuclear weapons program, Western regimes hypocritically refuse to make the Muslim East a nuclear-free zone because the Zionist regime possesses hundreds of weapons.
Islamic Republic's nuclear negotiators have made clear that there will be no discussion about visits to military sites or interviews with Iranian nuclear scientists. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi was quoted by IRNA that this message has been communicated to the other side.
The Arabian rulers led by the Najdi Bedouins, are like frightened mice. They want the US to provide them assurances that their illegitimate hold on power would be guaranteed. The US is unwilling yet it lashes out at Islamic Iran accusing it of supporting terrorism. The US and Najdi Bedouins are the real instigators and financiers of terrorism. Al Qaeda, the Takfiris and a host of other terrorist outfits are the poisoned fruit of Wahhabism.
The IAEA has been forced to retract its allegation, made in March, that Iran was not being transparent with its nuclear activities. The IAEA head, Yukiya Amano appears to have a special aversion towards Iran but he had to eat crow when the IAEA April report admitted that Iran is fully compliant. Negotiators from Iran and the P5+1 group of countries are meeting in Vienna to finalize the deal by June 30.
