In a press statement issued in Baghdad, the Iraqi thinker and MP Hassan Elwi revealed that there are those who slur the leaders and the intellectuals of the Arab nation.
The aim of this slur is to hurt Arab dignity. His statement came in the context of his response to what the Iraqi Al-Rashid Satellite TV aired quoting Sami Al-Askari — another MP from the bloc of the State of Law — slurring intellectual, religious and political figures in the Arab world. This attack came within the context of an inciting sectarian attack supported by Tehran.
His critique and affront touched the Kingdom and its political and religious figures in an inaccurate manner. He hurts and underestimates Shaikh Yousif Qaradawi, dubbing him with the harshest words.
Hassan Elwi considers what Al-Askari said was an insult to all Arabs and all good people chief among them was the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz. In his statement, Hassan Elwi reminds Al-Askari that Saudi Arabia under the wise leadership of King Abdullah kept the same distance from all Iraqi various constituents. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia tried its best to defuse internal Iraqi tension rather than exploiting the tension. Implicit in the last statement is that Iran has sought to disintegrate Iraqi national unity and to ignite the sectarian dimension.
Hassan Elwi stressed out that history testifies that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has been tolerant. He dealt with all as a reference to them and away from grudges. He is the guarantee for stability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the rest of the Arab region. Every time conflicts among Arab countries erupt, all eyes turned toward King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz to defuse these conflicts. There are living examples of this role. On top of that, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has always been the final guarantee after God of the rights of his citizens regardless of their sectarian and ethnic backgrounds.
According to Hassan Elwi, Saudi Arabia has done what it takes to avert the region destructions and wars. Its contribution in regional and international stability cannot be overlooked. Riyadh is the first to sign a strategic and security agreement with Iran. The agreement, which was reached with Hashemi Rafsanjani, was a roadmap for Arab-Gulf-Iranian relationship.
The agreement was reached thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques who is concerned about the solidarity and unity in the Muslim world and he is concerned about averting the region from transforming into an arena for sectarian competition. Elwi stressed that Al-Askari should learn more about history and should not have undermined the status of leaders such as King Abdullah as the latter is a king that enjoys a remarkable popularity among his people and in both the Muslim and the Arab worlds. It should surprise no one when we say that King Abdullah has traits as great leaders. His sympathy towards his people has brought him closer to his people. He has managed to protect his people, brushing aside any perils against them, and made available good life for his people.
Elwi clarified that King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz leads the Kingdom as will as the Gulf, Arab and Muslim worlds. He has been leading his country with a sense of patriotism, a leader that is concerned with making the lives of his people comfortable. All along his political life, the King has been generous and close to the poor and needy people. He allocates two days a week to study the demands and petition that he receives and does what it takes to respond positively to these demands. Interestingly, these meetings end up with having lunch or dinner with the petitioners. Elwi added that he wished the Al-Askari did in similar manner like the King. He wished that Al-Askari was dealing with his people with credibility and transparency. He attacked Al-Askari describing him as living like princes from the Iraqi oil money. He does not bear the burden and take responsibility toward those who elected him. Rather than slurring Saudi Arabia and its religious figures, Al-Askari should have respected the methodology of ruling and the way wealth is distributed among the Saudi citizens. He should have looked at the grand projects, construction, infrastructure and sending students abroad. He added that Saudi Arabia has become a producing country for agriculture and its products have invaded the markets including the Iraqi market.
Hassan Elwi pointed out that Al-Askari needs to look at his own country and how it has been transformed from basket food for Iraqis into swamps surrounded by weak buildings made out of mud. These buildings are built on ponds and lakes of oil. He also made it perfectly clear that his own city and other cities, the Shiites, have never been more thirsty and hungry than these days. Ministers and members to the parliament from these areas should bear the responsibilities.
In a TV show aired by Al-Rashid channel on July 28 and aired again on Sunday afternoon, the deputy Sami Al-Askari talked about the state of law, which is the current ruling bloc. The way he talked about intellectuals and religious figures is nothing but a naked slur. His affront saved no one including senior officials in the Saudi state and Yosif Qardawi dubbing him with the harshest words. Elwi said that in his capacity as an MP that represent the Arabness of Iraq and the interests of the Arab nation and defending it over the last 50 years, he considers what Al-Askari had said was an affront to the dignity and status of the Arab nation. This is true especially when the insult touches the first leader, King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz, of the Arabs who has done everything possible for the best interest of his own country and the rest of the Arab countries. It was the King himself who countered the radicals in his own country and signed an agreement with Hashemi Rafsanjani to aver the region the possibilities of war. This agreement saved the country from transforming into an arena for sectarian conflicts and disputes.
Al-Aaskari may ignored history but he needs to learn a lot about an Arab King who enjoys a great popularity among his own people as well as the Arab and Muslim worlds. He has been leading his country with a sense of patriotism, a leader that is concerned with making the lives of his people comfortable. All along his political life, the King has been generous and close to the poor and needy people. He allocates two days a week to study the demands and petition that he receives and does what it takes to respond positively to these demands. Interestingly, these meetings end up with having lunch or dinner with the petitioners. Elwi wished that those who affront the King do what he has been doing all along. He went as far as saying that instead of slurring the King for his success, they should have learnt from him. He refers to the Saudi experience in spending the wealth of the nation on development, construction and other things. In Saudi Arabia they managed to plant the desert with wheat. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has been providing the Mediterranean countries with agricultural products. Interestingly, Iraq has become the biggest market for Saudi yoghurt and agricultural oils that are being produced in the Saudi desert.
Hassan Elwi has warned that this way of slurring the leaders of a country like Saudi Arabia has only deepened the isolation of Iraq regionally and among the Arabs. He also referred to the $30 billion that were allocated for electricity but were stolen in Iraq. Al-Askari, who belongs to the ruling bloc, should present a project to break out with the isolation imposed on his government especially when Iraqis are living a situation whereby an interpreter for the American army is seen as a master in his own country. Elwi wished that Al-Askari tell us about the worst kings of non Arabs and leave the Arab kings for the Arabs. He also wish that al-Askari tell us about the state preachers, the misleading of people, and those who deformed history. Mr. Elwi said that “He has personally invited Nuri Maliki, the prime minister, to come up with an open speech that can address quickly the political discourse of his allies in his bloc and those who work for him especially those who think that their status would be enhanced by slurring other with better status.”
It is worth pointing out that the MP and thinker Hassan Elwi is one of the famous Iraqi people in terms of clarity in his political thinking. He disagreed with Saddam Hussein but opposed him with ethics. But he was the first one to oppose the way Saddam was executed as it had sectarian flavor that was damaging. Additionally, Elwi warned against Iranian interference in internal Iraqi affairs confirming that Iran behaves as if Iraq is a Persian state.
