Question:
On 06/01/2018, Iran accused the Kurdistan region of being behind the protest demonstrations in Iran, and on 07/01/2018, the Kurdistan region responded with a denial. It was noted in the massive demonstrations that took place in the Kurdistan region, especially in the Sulaymaniyah governorate on 19/12/2017, that news was circulated that Iran had a role in them. Can it be said that the protests in Iran on 28/12/2017 were a case of the region playing a role as a tit-for-tat? In other words:
- Is what happened and is happening in Iran and what happened in the region a matter of action and reaction?
- Are they spontaneous movements or driven by an external motor?
- If so, who is this motor? Is the intention of these protests to change the regime in the region or Iran? May Allah reward you with goodness.
Answer:
The two events are not a matter of action and reaction. Iran's accusations against Erbil are nothing but political floundering resulting from the internal nature of the events. Erbil is currently preoccupied with its own crisis that is almost overwhelming its entity, and it does not have the capacity in the current circumstances to stir the street in Iran! This floundering was clear from Iran distributing accusations to several parties; Iranian officials blamed foreign powers. Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's representative to the United Nations, said on Friday that Tehran has strong evidence that they "the protesters" clearly received "directions from abroad" (BBC Arabic, 07/01/2018). Therefore, Iran's accusation against Erbil falls within this floundering: (The Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, Mohsen Rezaei, stated yesterday, 06/01/2018, that the details of the scenario of events in Iran were planned in Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq... RT, 07/01/2018). The region denied this accusation through Safeen Dizayee, the spokesperson for the regional government (Previous source). Thus, the matter is not one of action and reaction; rather, each has its own goals and circumstances. However, both events began spontaneously and were then surrounded by external motives to achieve goals related to the region and Iran according to the course of events, as explained below:
First: Events in the Region:
Various news agencies reported that on 19/12/2017, demonstrations broke out by teachers and employees in Sulaymaniyah who had not received their salaries for months. This then included broad popular sectors in the Sulaymaniyah governorate and later extended to other areas in the region, including parts of the Erbil governorate. The speed with which the masses joined these demonstrations indicates the people's distress over the economic state of the region after the decline of major oil resources following Baghdad's control over the Kirkuk governorate and other pressures exerted by Baghdad—especially the closure of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports to international flights, which increased travel difficulties. What added fuel to the fire were accusations of corruption and wealth misappropriation against members of the local government and influential figures. The demonstrations spread like wildfire, especially in areas where the influence of Kurdish parties opposed to Masoud Barzani and his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is high. Contributing to the worsening living conditions was the displacement of Kurdish families from Kirkuk and elsewhere to the region under the weight of concerns over counter-local movements. All this indicates that these movements began spontaneously.
These were protest demonstrations primarily directed against the Erbil government controlled by the KDP, the party of Barzani, who, after resigning from the presidency of the region, hides behind his nephew Nechirvan Barzani. This is understood from several aspects:
a. The demonstrations broke out initially in the Sulaymaniyah governorate, which is controlled by movements and parties opposed to the agent of the English, Masoud Barzani. The Gorran (Change) Movement is based in Sulaymaniyah, and the powerful Talabani wing of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is also based there. These parties are capable of inciting and organizing demonstrations, even if they cannot fully control their course.
b. Nechirvan's statement, from which it is understood that the demonstrations are directed against his government: (The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, warned of the existence of a "great conspiracy" being hatched against the region, "bigger than anyone can imagine," and pointed to the presence of "parties that want to create chaos in the region, divert the demonstrations from their path, and spread violence." He added, "There are hidden hands trying to create chaos in Kurdistan, and we are proceeding to prevent them," referring to unnamed parties that "support those efforts toward chaos, but the security authorities in the region will face these cases firmly," noting that "we are facing a serious threat and a conspiracy larger than anyone can imagine; what happened in the borders of Sulaymaniyah governorate are attempts to undermine security and stability," calling for the necessity of unity and cooperation to overcome them. BasNews Kurdish site, 21/12/2017). By this, he is referring to Kurdish parties that strongly opposed the referendum in Sulaymaniyah and have ties to the Americans and their followers in Baghdad and Tehran. Among these parties that fueled the protests against the Barzani government is the Gorran Movement. Following the protests, Gorran and the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) withdrew from the Erbil government. Yassin Hassan, a leader in Komal, said in an interview with Al Jazeera: "After fire was opened on the protesters, the Islamic Group and the Change Movement decided to withdraw from this government completely. We demand the government dissolve itself immediately and form a national salvation government" (Al Jazeera Net, 21/12/2017). Similarly, the BBC reported on 26/12/2017 the position of one of the leaders of the Gorran Movement, Yusuf Mohammed, the Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, who resigned to weaken the Erbil government’s position: (The Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament announced his resignation in protest against what he described as the control of a clique of individuals and certain groups over the legislative authority... Yusuf Mohammed said the US position rejecting the referendum, represented in a letter sent by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, was a golden and historical opportunity that the regional government wasted... BBC, 26/12/2017). This is an indication of the man's and the movement's subservience...
Thus, the start of the demonstrations from Sulaymaniyah, the participation of leaders from opposition parties, the arrest of some of those leaders by security forces, the withdrawal of those parties from the government to weaken it, the call for its dissolution, and the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament—as well as the Abadi government's threat in Baghdad to intervene—all indicate that while the beginning was spontaneous, a second dimension with external motives surrounded the internal one to achieve objectives related to the region.
This second dimension is the result of pressure from local groups in Kurdistan opposed to Barzani's influence, as well as pressure from Baghdad to topple the Barzani government in Erbil. This is in addition to the rhetoric heard in Turkey, Iran, and Baghdad about the need to punish those responsible for the independence referendum adventure. All these parties and regimes are loyal to America. If we add to this what has been observed from the Trump administration's policy in the region—that under the "America First" slogan, it no longer settles for its policy being the only one implemented in areas where there are agents of the English, but rather resorts, if its interests dictate, to punishing or even eliminating them—as happened in the anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia, and as is happening today with the leadership of the General People's Congress in Sana'a after the killing of Saleh. Therefore, America is pushing its local and regional agents to put more pressure on the Barzani government to topple it and end the English hegemony over the Erbil government. If it cannot do so immediately, it prepares the conditions through successive pressures.
This is most likely what has happened and is happening in Kurdistan.
Second: Events in Iran
The demonstrations that exploded on 28/12/2017 appeared in protest against economic conditions, the standard of living, high unemployment, poverty, and high prices. Reports state that the unemployment rate is very high; the Iranian Interior Minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, revealed in a press conference on 01/10/2017 that "the unemployment rate currently exceeds 12%, while in some Iranian cities it has reached 60%, including Ahvaz (Arab), Kermanshah (Kurdish), and Balochistan. The unemployment rate among degree holders and university graduates is very high" (Al-Arabiya, 02/10/2017). Reports indicate that 21% of university graduates are unemployed and 15 million Iranians live below the poverty line. This means that the results of implementing the Capitalist system reflect negatively on the general public, as is the case in all countries that apply this Western system. Since the Capitalist economic system is the one applied in Iran, there is a maldistribution of wealth, its accumulation in the hands of the rich, the deprivation of many people from it, the failure to address the issue of poverty, and the presence of banks that deal with riba (usury). Furthermore, an unjust Capitalist tax system is implemented, linked to the policies and recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Before the recent events, an IMF delegation visited Tehran on 18/12/2017. The head of the delegation, Catriona Purfield, told Iranian officials: "In light of this uncertainty and the increased risks to the Iranian financial system, the government should accelerate the restructuring and recapitalization of banks and credit institutions." She added, "Reviewing asset quality, assessing related-party loans, and developing a time-bound action plan for bank recapitalization and addressing non-performing loans should begin immediately." She also said, "The cost of recapitalizing banks can be covered through the issuance of long-term government bonds" (Official Iranian Al-Alam page, 19/12/2017). The government's implementation of these demands results in high prices, unemployment, and poverty. People fall into the hardships of living and subsequently rise up against the system, expressing their suffering in all ways.
Thus were the protests; they began in the city of Mashhad in eastern Iran where the call carried the slogan "No to high prices," but they quickly spread to numerous cities, reaching 80 cities and towns. Thousands of young people and the working class, angry at official corruption, unemployment, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor, participated. Ahmad Tavakoli, Chairman of the Board of the Iranian "Transparency and Justice Watch," stated in an interview with Fars News Agency on 30/12/2017: "The protests were the result of three factors: first, the adoption of harsh economic adjustment policies of the IMF; second, the weakness of the government and officials in solving economic problems; and finally, avoiding transparency and accountability for decisions taken by the government." If we add to all that Iran's external expenditures on its militias and followers in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, this makes the economic problem massive, weighing heavily on Iranians and pushing them to protest—even accusing the regime of betraying the people's livelihood ("Many Iranians consider their government's assistance to Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen as unnecessary; rather, it is a betrayal" Arabi 21, 01/01/2018). All this shows that the start of the protests was spontaneous, driven by an economic factor. However, the regime met them with force, resulting in deaths and injuries (some reports indicate the number of detainees since the start of the protests on December 28 has risen to more than 1,700... BBC Arabic, 07/01/2018).
As is well known, if the correct remedy for any economic protests is delayed, especially if they are met with force, they will be accompanied by political protests. This is what happened; political slogans against the regime and its leaders were added to the economic slogans, criticizing the regime's intervention in regional wars and its spending of billions of dollars there. Political orientations opposing the regime began to dominate the protests, along with attacks on the regime's symbols and leaders. Here, Europe and America began to exploit these events. Promotion of the protests appeared in the European media, especially the English, such as the BBC. For his part, French President Macron said in response to a question from Al-Hayat newspaper about the events in Iran published on 04/01/2018: "The demonstrations reflect the openness of Iranian civil society, and this made me contact President Rouhani to remind him of the need to avoid violence and leave freedom of expression to citizens... we will wait for Iran to show the required elements of openness by responding to the protesters so we can judge the course of things..." However, Europe's intervention by exploiting these events is not worth dwelling on because its impact in terms of effectiveness is almost non-existent.
But what is worth pausing at is America's entry into the fray. US President Trump began tweeting on his Twitter page, saying in a tweet on 01/01/2018: "The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!" The White House Press Secretary stated: ("The Trump administration is deeply concerned about reports that the Iranian regime has imprisoned thousands for participating in peaceful protests," adding, "We will not remain silent as the Iranian dictatorship suppresses the fundamental rights of its citizens, and Iranian leaders will be held responsible for any violations" Iraq Electronic Newspaper, 10/01/2018). Thus, many American officials, headed by President Donald Trump, openly supported the Iranian protesters against the government from the first day. (Nikki Haley, the US Permanent Representative to the UN, told the Security Council on Friday that Washington stands with those in Iran "who are demanding freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation"... Washington's call for a Security Council meeting angered other council members, including Russia, whose representative described the Iranian protests as an "internal affair" BBC Arabic, 07/01/2018). Washington's call for a Security Council meeting was evidence of America riding the wave of demonstrations; the speed of the call surprised Security Council members (BBC Arabic, 06/01/2018).
Here a question arises: Does America's support for the movements in Iran mean it is working to topple the regime? Or does it have another goal it wants to achieve by riding the wave of demonstrations? To answer that, we say the following:
As for the saying that America's support for the movements is to change the regime, it is far-fetched, especially since they say so with their own tongues. Andrew Peek, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran, told Al-Hayat on 04/01/2018: "...We are only talking about protecting protesters and respecting their rights, and in the end, we want to see the regime change its behavior in more than one way, specifically with the protesters," and he stressed that "the administration wants a change in the behavior of the regime, not its change in Iran." America's role in the regime is known, as we mentioned in a previous Q&A on 21/08/2013: "America's role in the Iranian revolution was clear since its beginnings... and all the political actions in the region carried out by Iran are all in agreement and harmony with American projects." We also said in another Q&A dated 23/02/2017: "Thus, the Iranian role in the region is a carefully studied American policy, and this role expands and contracts according to the requirements of American policy and circumstances." Accordingly, America's declared support for the protest demonstrations is not on the path to changing the current regime.
6. So why did America ride the wave and find its opportunity in it? This is for two important reasons:
First: To divert attention from Palestine and Trump's declaration regarding Jerusalem, and to preoccupy the region with the subject of Iran so that it becomes the primary enemy in the region. Consequently, the focus shifts to Iran and diminishes or vanishes from the Jewish entity occupying Palestine.
Second: To create a justification for the continued subservience of American agents in the region to America under the pretext of its stance against Iran and American protection for them from the Iranian threat. Trump's declaration about Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish entity—the people most hostile to those who believe—that declaration, as we said in our leaflet on 07/12/2017, slapped the agents of America. Jerusalem is in the hearts and minds of Muslims, and the silence of those agents regarding Trump's declaration while remaining agents loyal to America is a major scandal for them. Thus, Trump's escalating statements against Iran were the straw they cling to to justify their continued loyalty to America despite his declaration on Jerusalem, by claiming that Trump stands in the face of Iran, the arch-enemy! This is an excuse worse than the sin itself.
قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ
"May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?" (QS At-Tawbah [9]: 30)
This is most likely what has occurred and is occurring in Iran regarding internal protests and external statements, especially American ones.
- In conclusion, the "manipulation" by the colonialist kafir states of the destinies of Muslim countries is only because of the Ruwaybidah rulers who take charge of them, show loyalty to the enemies of Islam and Muslims, and rely upon them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ warned of this in what was narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad from Abu Hurayrah:
إِنَّهَا سَتَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ سِنُونَ خَدَّاعَةٌ يُصَدَّقُ فِيهَا الْكَاذِبُ وَيُكَذَّبُ فِيهَا الصَّادِقُ وَيُؤْتَمَنُ فِيهَا الْخَائِنُ وَيُخَوَّنُ فِيهَا الْأَمِينُ وَيَنْطِقُ فِيهَا الرُّوَيْبِضَةُ قِيلَ وَمَا الرُّوَيْبِضَةُ قَالَ السَّفِيهُ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي أَمْرِ الْعَامَّةِ
"There will come to the people years of deceit, in which the liar is believed and the truthful one is disbelieved, the treacherous one is trusted and the trustworthy one is betrayed, and the Ruwaybidah will speak. It was asked: 'And what is the Ruwaybidah?' He said: 'The insignificant man who speaks on public affairs.'" (Narrated by Ahmad and Al-Hakim)
The calamity of this Ummah is in its rulers. But it is the best Ummah brought forth for mankind, and it will not remain silent, by Allah's permission, for long under this oppressive rule by these Ruwaybidah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us the glad tidings of the return of the Rightly Guided Khilafah after this oppressive kingship, as stated in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad and At-Tayalisi from Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman:
ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكًا جَبْرِيَّةً، فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ نُبُوَّةٍ
"...then there will be an oppressive kingship, and it will remain as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then He will remove it when He wills to remove it. Then there will be Khilafah on the method of Prophethood."
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى هُوَ قُلْ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ قَرِيبًا
"And they say, 'When will that be?' Say, 'Perhaps it will be soon.'" (QS Al-Isra [17]: 51)