http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=2&id=29158
Nor do we want a “Sheikh” Lavrov
07/04/2012
By Tariq Alhomayed
On 21 March, 2012, Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey Lavrov] warned that some
countries in the region will want to establish Sunni rule in Syria following
the fall of the tyrant of Damascus. This statement raised a storm in the Arab
world, and I dubbed it a “gaffe” in my op-ed “Mullah Lavrov” published on 22
March, whilst the Russians, of course, raised an “official” objection to this
article!
However today, nearly two weeks after Larvov’s statement, the Russian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs has taken action to address this dangerous statement about
Sunni rule in Syria, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov
saying that Lavrov’s statement “was taken out of context and misunderstood”
adding that those who live in Russia are well aware that “the majority of
Muslims in Russia are Sunni!”
In reality, it is well-known that the majority of Muslims in Russia are Sunni.
I was personally part of a delegation that accompanied current Saudi Minister
of Defense Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz – then Governor of Riyadh – during one
of his visits to Moscow. I heard him, first-hand, addressing a delegation of
Russia’s Muslims, during which he called on them to be citizens who respect
their country and its laws, and to avoid listening to any external voices,
adding that their strength lies in their commitment to their country. Therefore
it is well-known that the majority of Russia’s Muslims are Sunni, however the
resentment over Lavrov’s comments was not just in defense of the Sunnis; what
is required is not for the Russian foreign minister to become “Sheikh Lavrov”
instead of “Mullah Lavrov”, rather what is required is simpler and more
important than this!
What is required is for Russia, and particularly its politicians – including
Lavrov – to care about the innocent Syrian blood that is being shed, for these
innocent Syrian people have done nothing wrong except to reject the rule of
al-Assad the tyrant. What is required from Moscow is for it to cease defending
a killer, who has slaughtered more than 10,000 Syrians, whilst also being
responsible for the detention of close to 50,000 Syrians, not to mention
thousands of refugees! It is not required that Moscow become the champion of
the Sunnis, for the majority of those who criticized Lavrov’s statement against
the Sunnis – which contrary to the claims of the Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister, was clear and not taken out of context – were not supporters of
sectarianism or those obsessed with defending the Sunnis, rather their
intention was to stop the al-Assad regime’s killing machine and protect all of
Syria, and this is something that can only be achieved by the ouster of the
al-Assad regime. This is the same al-Assad regime whose victims include members
of all communities and sects, whether in Iraq, Lebanon, or within Syria itself.
What Moscow, and particularly the decision-makers there, are unaware of today,
is that if Russia were a partner in the Arab stock market, they would have been
declared bankrupt thanks to the deterioration of its reputation and the hatred
felt by the Arab world towards it. If the US veto in the interests of Israel
had harmed Washington, then the Russian veto to protect al-Assad the tyrant has
caused Moscow’s stock to drop completely throughout the Arab world. This
appears to be something that Moscow is yet to grasp, but there can be no doubt
that the Russians will ultimately pay the price for this.
Therefore whilst we criticized “Mullah Lavrov”, this does not mean that we want
him to become “Sheikh Lavrov”, rather all that is requires is for Russia to
halt its defense of Bashar al-Assad, the tyrant and killer of children. This is
not a Sunni/Shiite issue whatsoever, for we want to protect the fabric of the
Syrian state, even more than the Russians d
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