The Growing Shiite Threat

Published on November 30, 2006 By Larry Kuperman In Current Events

More than Al Queda, I fear the growing power of the Shiites and the possibility of a pan-Shiite state.

Iran is on the verge of becoming a nuclear power, if it is not already one. 90% of the Iranian population is Shi'a. The country is a theocracy, ruled by the Supreme Leader (Rahbare Enghelab) currently the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, although the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears most often in the media. A substantial amount of evidence points to Iran as the leading supplier of arms and money for Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran is widely believed to be supporting Shiite forces in Iraq.

The Mahdi Militia (or Mahdi Army) is one of the greatest destabilizing influences in Iraq today. The militia was created by the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in June of 2003 and is armed with assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades, mortars, Strela anti-air missiles, and other light weapons. In October of 2006, the militia captured the city of Amarah, in Iraq. The militia has not openly battled US forces since August, but maintains a highly visible presence nonetheless. Members are believed to have infiltrated both the Iraqi police force and army. Exact numbers of militia members are unknown, but are believed to be in the thousands. The militia has pledged support for Iran in the event of an American attack. Members of the militia are believed to have gone to Lebanon for training by and with Hezbollah.

Ayatollah Muqtada al-Sadr is the founder and leader of the Mahdi Militia. His family has roots that can be traced back directly to the Prophet Mohammed. He has displayed political canniness in his dealings with the current government of Iraq, supporting and then withdrawing support from time to time, becoming a figure to be wooed. His father created a series of charitable Shi'a institutions, giving him great support among the poor in Iraq.

Hezbollah is tremendously powerful force, both politically and militarily, in Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah is the leader of Hezbollah. In 1987, before becoming leader of Hezbollah, Nasrallah studied the Shiite faith in Qom, Iran. After the 2006 Israeli invasion, Hezbollah emerged as the victor (in this case victory may be defined as surviving, since Israel's mission was to destroy Hesbollah or at least their power base) and Nasrallah is a hero, not only in Lebanon, but in the wider Arab world. A song about Nasrallah, entitled "The Hawk of Lebanon," is popular in the Palestinian territories.

So, lets tie the threads together. Iran, a Shiite nation, is the most powerful Arab country today. Not only a budding nuclear power and oil-wealthy, Iran is successfully defying the US and the UN. There is no question of the potential for weapons of mass destruction in Iran, they show footage of the nuclear reactors. Iran supports the Shiite forces in Iraq and a pro-Iranian Ayatollah controls a private army that has taken over Iraqi cities. That same army has infiltrated both the police and the Iraqi government army. Hezbollah is a power in Iraq and has trained and supplied the terrorists operating in Iraq.

Iraq and Iran share a common border. Lebanon is separated from Iraq by Syria, but recent intelligence reveals that Syrian government officials allow the terrorists to pass across the borders.

If a pro-Iranian leader was elected to head a post US Iraq, who could stop the creation of a pan-Shiite super state?

Comments

Larry Kuperman

on Nov 30, 2006

Enough to give you nightmares, eh?

MasonM

on Nov 30, 2006

Sooner or later the Shiite's gonna hit the fan.

Larry Kuperman

on Nov 30, 2006

It appears that it will be sooner.

I have stated in the past that, whether rightly or wrongly, America will begin withdrawing forces from Iraq prior to the 2008 election. It will be a political necessity. But I don't think that we, the American people, understand the nature of the threat we face. Terrorism is supported and financed by wealthy nations. Iran's oil supplies are estimated at 137 billion barrels, its gas reserves are second only to Russia. Iran sells 3.9 million barrels of oil per day.

That buys a lot of AK47's and Katyusha rockets.

Dr Guy

on Dec 01, 2006

ONe small correction. Iran is not an Arab state.

Dan Greene

on Dec 01, 2006

No but they still suk lol.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!