Today, for once and as an exception I do address my Muslim friends only. Currently, the Muslim world is falling victim to a dangerous strategy developed by some politicians in the West. The essence of this policy reads in Latin, as follows: “divide et impera” – “Divide and Rule”. And today it does work, because some Muslims do fall for it enthusiastically and foolishly. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are mobilizing against Iran (and vice versa) and the Sunnis and the Alawites in Syria are fighting against each other to the death. In other Muslim countries, the relations between the individual faiths are becoming more and more tense. The enemies of Muslims in the West are taking huge pleasure in the fact that Muslims do kill each other now; this does save them a lot of effort and work.

The current and extremely appalling spectacle brings to one’s mind the time of the Thirty Years’ War, when Germany totally destroyed itself in its battle of Protestantism against Catholicism; and beware, Germany’s neighbors were heavily involved in that war. Our country needed a century to recover from the unimaginable devastations.
When I travel to a Muslim country, I do not see Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites, Ismailis, Wahabis or Salafis. To me, they are all members of a great religion. I respect and do admire them in many aspects for the great cultural achievements in their history, which immensely enriched the western civilization. And I admire them for their wonderful hospitality and warmth with which they do welcome peaceful strangers even in difficult times. The very fact that they increasingly fight against each other on western command (!) deeply saddens me.

The future of the Muslim and Arab world does not lie in dispute, but in its unity, in a new interpretation of the pan-Islamic and the pan-Arab ideas.

The United States are strong because they are the United States of America, and Europe, because there is finally a “Union”, after Europe had demolished itself in two world wars so that the U.S. could realize her old dream to take over Europe’s role and become herself the world’s number one power.

Arab and Islamic countries will only play an appropriate role in the world-to-be, if they do not allow themselves to be divided. if they cooperate more closely, economically, culturally and politically. If they look at each other as friends, as allies rather than enemies. If they emphasize the common ground of their religion and not the dividing rifts. If all Muslim denominations are tolerant towards each other. Yes, “spiritedly tolerant”, and yes passionately tolerant, but at the same time non-violent! This also applies to the Muslims in the western world.

I believe that Prophet Muhammad must have thought similarly and that he would have expected the various Islamic denominations of our time to work together more closely. I assume he would have formulated this in a much more drastic manner than I do.

This also applies to the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. If a strategic partnership between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran would ensue in the context of the US-Iranian reconciliation, then this would be a historical breakthrough for the entire Islamic world. The dispute between these two regional powers is completely counterproductive.

The recipe of success for Islam, the fastest growing religion of our time is not to say: “Muslims of all countries: Go on and kill each other” but “Muslims of the world: Unite!”

Sincerely yours,
Jürgen Todenhöfer

SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/JuergenTodenhoefer