No Islamic Help
October 19, 2003
New York Post
Amir taheri
As the latest reports indicate, it seems that the Muslim states have scripted themselves out of efforts to shape the future of Iraq.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference summit, held in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, is expected to end with a call for the U.S.-led coalition to announce a time frame for ending its occupation of Iraq. There will, however, be no attempt at offering an alternative vision for Iraq.
The OIC members may have missed an opportunity to devise a collective policy on Iraq. Doing so, they have divided themselves into four groups:
* In one group are states that, like Turkey, are determined to cooperate with the United States because of their national interests. In its own way, Kuwait, too, could be regarded as part of this group. Do not be surprised if other states, notably Pakistan and Bangladesh, emerge as members within the next few weeks.
* Another group includes countries like Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and others who are cooperating with the coalition but do not wish to admit it in public.
* A third group consists of states that find themselves between a rock and a hard place. This is especially true of Iran and Syria. Both hate to see a pro-American regime in Baghdad. They may not be too unhappy about American difficulties in Iraq. But they also fear chaos, which could overspill into their respective territories.
* In the fourth group, one finds the remaining OIC members, who seem satisfied with a variety of postures, from shrill rejectionism to elegant obfuscation. The fact is that most of them do not know what to do or are fearful of standing out from the crowd. They find it more comfortable to take no position collectively than to adopt one individually.
Before the summit, Turkey and Pakistan had launched diplomatic initiatives to forge a collective OIC position on Iraq. The Turks wanted the summit to set up an eight-country special committee to deal with Iraq during the period of transition from occupation to self-rule.
The Iranians did all they could to sabotage the Turkish move. The idea of Turkey gaining a position of leadership on Iraq, and on behalf of the entire Muslim world, was too much for them.
Also, the Turkish effort was derailed because several Arab countries were not prepared to give a non-Arab state a leading role in Iraq, an Arab country.
The Pakistanis, meanwhile, wanted the summit to create a pan-Islamic peacekeeping force for Iraq to which individual OIC member states would contribute men and materiel as they saw fit.
Such a move would have solved the problem that Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is facing. Asked by the United States to send 10,000 troops to Iraq, Musharraf is keen to do so but is concerned about an Islamist backlash against his government. A pan-Islamic force would have provided him with the needed fig leaf.
Pakistan's initiative failed because several Arab states found it easier to say "no" to everything than say "yes" to something that they would have to explain later. Saying "no" is a well-established, and safe, tradition in Arab diplomacy.
Although no one said so in so many words, it is clear that both the summit, and the foreign ministers' conference that preceded it, felt no sympathy for Saddam Hussein. There was a general recognition that the toppling of one of the most brutal regimes in modern Arab history was a positive event not only for the Iraqis but also for the entire region.
Although some Iraqis do not wish any of the OIC members to play any role in their country, the absence of Muslim nations is bad both for the OIC and for Iraq. The average Iraqi will feel abandoned by his Muslim and Arab brethren. And that could sap his morale at a time he is most vulnerable.
The Muslim nations should take a leading role in stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq. They should welcome the liberation of Iraq and offer the support needed to shorten the period of occupation.
For occupation to end quickly, it is necessary to speed up the country's stabilization, which means contributing peacekeeping troops, and financing reconstruction projects, which means investments, grants and loans.
Iraq is a major Muslim nation. It would be odd if the Muslim world simply turned its back to it at this crucial time.
Amir Taheri is an Iranian author of 10 books on the Middle East and Islam. E-mail:
amirtaheri@benadorassociates.com http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/8392.htm