Blog #26 The Arab Curse

The Middle East continues to be a hot, boiling mess. This has been true for hundreds of years.

The depth of dysfunctional religious groups and their inhumanity towards one another is breathtaking. Incomprehensible to most civilized people.

Israel and Saudi Arabia are conducting discussions to develop some kind of agreement and formal friendship. This is anathema to the Iranians who do more than shout, “Death to Israel” by funding militants, supplying weapons, and otherwise fomenting chaos and civil wars.

This is also about Muslims against Jews, Shiite Muslims against Sunni Muslims, Hamas is Sunni and hates all Jews, Hezbollah in Lebanon is Shiite and hates all Jews, and Persians are typically against Arabs. It’s a historical mess.

Saudi is Sunni and Arab. Iran is Shiite and Persian. Israel is Jewish, of course, with millions of Palestinians living within its borders. Palestine is Sunni and Arab and is therefore considered an apostate by Iran. Gaza is Sunni and Arab. Iran hates Sunni Arabs but supports Gaza to disrupt the relations between all countries, especially Israel and Saudi. The Muslim Brotherhood is sympathetic to Hamas and is in Egypt. However, the Government of Egypt is afraid of letting Hamas refugees into its country directly from Gaza as some may join forces with the Brotherhood against the government.

Islamic extremism rules, and we are not talking about the other countries in the area, including Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Qatar, Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman.

Lastly, radical Hamas (~30,000 fighters) is only focused on itself in Gaza, on the south side of Israel next to Egypt, and is funded over $100 Million/year by Iran. Hezbollah (has from 50-100,000 fighters) is just as radical but is located north of Israel, in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, and is funded by Iran with over $750,000/year.

There was a hope that if the Palestinians in Gaza would throw out Hamas, it could redefine itself and develop a successful community on the same model as Singapore.

That won’t happen. Hamas is a lethal, virulent, radical group, as recently demonstrated in this latest outbreak of war with Israel. The level of butchery in Israel by Hamas rivals the most barbaric actions in all human history - as bad or worse than ISIS.

War is the only option Hamas knows how to do. Hezbollah is not much different, but with a smaller impact. As a form of governance, most Arabs simply have never transitioned to the capability of Western nations with the implementation of free markets and capitalist ideology in creating a wealth-producing economy without reliance on commodities. Typically autocratic, most Middle Eastern Arab and Persian countries can’t even advance to a socialist stage of economic activity.

Several years ago, I was reminded that if you add up the GNP for all the Middle Eastern countries minus commodities (Oil & Gas), it would not equal the GDP of Spain. Russia, a violent meddler in the affairs of Africa and the Middle East, also has a GDP about the same size as Texas. Unfortunately, the equation changes only due to their nuclear missiles.

Instead, they focus on reading/researching/teaching the words of Muhammad and the Quran rather than starting/creating and building businesses across many disciplines. They are left with simple trading of goods and without advanced technology and techniques for industrialization or even for building a financial or healthcare center of excellence. There are no IPOs or stock ownership by investors living in these countries with capital markets to support the innovation we see in the West. Women, for the most part, are locked out of business and professional trades. The Emirates and Qatar are striking exceptions, funded by oil & gas commodities, but the strict adherence to Islamic law and culture is a major reason why Muslims are disconnected from wealth creation and personal growth.

We also see this in the massive migration of Muslims to the European Union. Without skills, education, and experience beyond menial jobs, they will not be able to achieve happiness and economic independence and have an economic impact on their chosen countries. Assimilation will not happen anytime soon. They will remain a divided people inside an unfamiliar country with a different culture and set of values.

Aggravating this entire catastrophe, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that “one of the representations of the power of Islam” is the attack on Israel.

News reports reveal that “Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, rejected allegations about his country’s role in Hamas’ attacks against Israel and vowed to continue supporting the Palestinian territories.

“Iran is a known backer of Hamas and praised the attacks on Israel. The State Dept. has stated in the past that Iran provides some $100 Million a year to Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

“The Biden Admin. Officials have said there is no specific evidence that Iran helped Hamas plan and execute the attack but acknowledged broad complicity by the Iranians in supporting terror throughout the region.”

Without question, the future looks bleak and will see thousands more die over religious, regional, and ethnic issues.

Prayers will not change this. Long live Israel.