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In a recent meeting with Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to the Iranian ayatollah, Iraqi Vice President and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki thanked Iran for their assistance in fighting jihadists and criticized the Gulf States for colluding with these groups.
Maliki praised the Islamic Republic of Iran during a visit to Tehran to improve diplomatic and military relations. He thanked Iranian officials for the ongoing assistance they have provided during Iraq’s battle against takfiri militants such as the Islamic State (IS). The VP said despite many countries promising to assist in the campaign against jihadists, Iran was the only one to deliver on their promises.
Video of a daily prayer service at the Saudi Arabian Masjid al-Ḥarām, the largest mosque in the world, reveals a top Saudi imam calling for the killing of Shia Muslims, Jews, and Christians. This as the West continues to send billions of dollars worth of military aid to Riyadh.
Masjid al-Ḥarām, also known as the Sacred Mosque, or the Great Mosque of Mecca, surrounds the holiest place in Islam, the Kabba, in the city of Mecca. It is the center toward which Muslims globally pray, and the primary destination for pilgrimages.
The fact that one of the principle allies of the “self-proclaimed champions of democracy” is routinely beheading people makes one feel like they’re living in Lewis Carroll’s surreal “Wonderland.” According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia violently executed 79 people in 2013, more than 150 in 2015, and at the beginning of this year a total of 47 people were beheaded in just one day in Saudi Arabia. The horrific results of this year are yet to be assessed, but it is now becoming clear that the norms of international law are being blatantly disregarded in this country.
It is also important to note that while the entire Islamic world strictly adheres to the norms of Islam, Riyadh puts itself above the Righteous Caliphs, the Prophet and the word of the Quaran. This is because it has been violently punishing and killing people and seeks for a way to justify it religiously.
The Iranian government has reportedly executed dozens of Sunni prisoners at Gohardasht prison, an institution notorious for its mistreatment of political prisoners, including Shahram Ahmadi, a prominent prisoner of conscience. Relatives were reportedly asked to come to the prison to say their final goodbyes, but upon arrival were directed to the morgue to collect the bodies of their loved ones. The executions mark the state’s continued policy of systematically and brutally targeting political dissidents and ethnic minorities.
At least 36 Sunni prisoners were transferred to await execution and reports indicate that at least 20 prisoners were executed on Tuesday, August 2, with some reports stating that the total could be as high as 29 people killed. Sunni prisoners in Gohardasht have reportedly gone on a hunger strike to protest the executions.
In Aleppo the fierce fighting continues. After the peace agreement was broken by the armed opposition, Syrian government forces launched an offensive in order to completely blockade and take control of the western part of the city that had been seized by militants.
Anti-government forces regularly shell civilians in Aleppo’s Christian neighborhoods and in the Sheikh Maqsood district that is inhabited by Kurds. One result of this new phase in the military campaign has been an increase in the influence of jihadist groups, especially Jabhat al-Nusra. It is this group and its allies that Turkey and the US are trying to proclaim the «moderate opposition», which is supposedly capable of battling the Islamic State. But when it comes to their methods for disposing of political opponents and Christians, these radical Islamic groups are indistinguishable.
The leader of al-Qaeda urges the «moderate» and «radical» militants to unite
Note should be made of yet another jihadist group that emerged in Syria in March-April of last year. They are known as Jaish al-Fatah. That group incorporates Ahrar ash-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa, in addition to Jabhat al-Nusra. Most experts consider Ahrar ash-Sham to be the same type of Salafi-jihadist group as Jabhat al-Nusra, which is included in the UN Security Council’s list of terrorist organizations.