By Munir Varraich, Sweeden

The recent change of guard in Saudi Arabia, with the death of King Abdullah and taking over the reign of the Kingdom by Salman, was the headline news of world media. President Obama, who was on a state visit to India, cut short his state visit to go to Saudi Arabia to show solidarity to USA’s “most dependable” ally in the troubled Middle Eastern region. The Economist termed this visit as “The Unholy Pact” in its latest issue of 31st January 2015.

The other news which has dominated the news agencies is the sweeping victory of a leftist party in Greece and which has created waves in Brussels. Russia was the first one to welcome the leftist victory. The social democratic parties of Scandinavia and the rest of Europe also welcomed the events in Greece, terming those as the “Red Spring” which they hope will sweep the politics of European Union for the better.

Surely, the ISIS phenomenon and the general deterioration in the Middle East should have come up in the meeting directly or indirectly. The visit has unleashed discussions about the role of Saudi Arabia in the ISIS phenomenon and how democratic west has given full support to the Saudi Kingdom in spite of its undemocratic policies and questionable human rights record.

Let us examine the ISIS phenomenon in the historical context, which has been able to carve out a geographical territory through the barrel of the gun, in this 21st century, in spite of the opposition from the rest of the world and in the presence of United Nations and accepted international law.

What were those events which led up to what we have today as the so called “Islamic State” and the so called “Caliphate”?

In this context it becomes interesting to revisit “The last 40 to 50 – odd years”. The student of history might find some sense in the “logic” of this so called “senseless and inhuman” ISIS phenomenon.

It takes us back to the 1970s. It is in that decade that important changes/events were being initiated internationally.

In the USA, the corporate world, the big business, became greedy. The earlier income of the American family, which had increased proportionately to inflation, in real value, for almost one hundred years, got disturbed; and American mothers had to come out of their homes to take up jobs to meet the increasing house expenses, the younger generation became “Nickel Barn” (a Swedish term used for children of working mothers, who have the house-key around their neck so that when they come home, they could enter the house). Those American children of the 1970s were not welcomed by their mothers, but an empty house! In short the “American Family” was sacrificed at the altar of Corporate Greed, in the name of Free World. I term that as the betrayal to the American Values by the American leadership.

1970s, is also the closing years of Muslim Hijra Calender., That decade marked the end of 14th century Hijra. The new century which was about to dawn on the Muslim World was seen as glad tidings which would bring back the lost glory to the Muslims who had been colonized for almost two centuries. Thus the oil money was about to shake up Europe and the west, with the oil weapon in the hands of Arabs, and who in the next coming years would display “impertinence” to the very powers which had put them on the throne in Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The “Shah of Iran” was on his way out, Z.A.Bhutto of Pakistan, with his “Socialist Manifesto” was to become the Chairman of the Islamic Conference at Lahore (1974) and was to tow the Pan-Islamic Agenda backed by the governments of the Muslim World and their religious Ullema. Khomeni’s Islam was about to be introduced to the West with a negative slant. The “last battle” between the two super powers – USA and the USSR – was about to begin in a “land nearby”-Afghanistan.

An important event occured in Pakistan. A section of the Muslim Body, the Ahmadiyya Muslims, was about to be cut asunder and declared “Non-Muslim”, not by any “Fatwah” of some “religious authority” but, for the first time, by a Political body – Elected Parliament- which had come into power on a Socialist Manifesto, and which was backed by the rulers of the Muslim World at the Islamic Conference at Lahore. And which also had the tacit support of the western democracies. No questions asked.

The events, both at the regional and the international plane, was to gain momentum from then onwards.

By the turn of the Hijra century (1981-1982), the Muslim World had been plunged into the inferno of “Jihad”, an instrument used by USA to give the final defeat to her rival super power, USSR, and at the same time replacing the threat of the earlier “Commy” with that of the “Jihadi”; from the colour “RED” of the “Commy” to the “Black” of the “Jihadi”. As far as “Islam” was concerned, the international media and the Muslim media made sure that “Jihad” is publicized as the corner stone of “Islam”. No effort from any quarter of the Muslim World or the western media bothered to see the repercussions of that picture of “Islam” which was being presented to the world!

And, during that commotion, in 1984, a military dictator in Pakistan wanted to “finish the cancer of Qadianism” and passed the April 1984 Ordinance, which criminalized the profession and practice of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan. The “Khalifa” of the Ahmadiyya Muslims went into self exile to London, the UK.

The implementation of the Salafi Islam and Wahabism of Saudi brand had been initiated in a Muslim country, Pakistan, which by the turn of the 20th century, in 1998 would become nuclear with its so called “Islamic Bomb”.

Back to the declaration of a sect as “Non-Muslim” in 1974. One by one the governments in the Muslim World declared that sect as “non-Muslim” until it became an established fact that whatever interpretation of “Jihad” and “Islam” that sect was presenting to the world was considered as coming from a “non-Muslim”. Hence it had no relevance to the Muslim World.

That was until the “Twin Towers” attack on 9/11.

The built up of the last decade of the 15th Hijra century (1980 – 1990) and the built up of the last decade of the Christian Millennium (1990 – 2000) has a similarity. The former decade saw the implosion of USSR (an Atheist Empire), the latter decade pushed the other super power USA to the beginning of its “Fall”.

The turn of the 21st century AD, started with a bang (9/11). USA and her allies were sucked into the same “inferno” of the “Land nearby” (Afghanistan) and the same “Jihadi” which had took on USSR (the forces of atheism) , were there to fight the other super power (the forces of Trinity).

It is interesting that Saudi Arabian Islam, which endorsed “Jihadi” strategy to fight the USSR during the 1980s and which had spread its tanticles across the Muslim World, is in the first decade of the 21st century reaping what it sowed, in the form of ISIS and, which is knocking at its door and shaking its Saudi Kingdom.

During the Khomeini Revolution, and down to the 9/11 Great Tragedy, it was the over all philosophy and the “Moral and Value” system of “Islam” which was ridiculed.

Later, the attack was directed to different institutions of Islam – The Islamic State, The Caliphate, Sharia Law, Jihad ( the way it has been advertised by the media). It follows the same pattern which the western media followed during the days of USA-USSR rivalry. USA ridiculed every institution of USSR, one by one, until USSR collapsed.

The present turn of events of ISIS which has come up with “titles” like Islamic State, the Caliphate and those who are bringing this about – the “Jihadi”- clad in Black (this must remind us of the Hollywood movie, “Men in Black”; shown to the world and which hit box office records) are to tell the non-Muslim World the ugliness of “Islam” and its institutions, so that the common man in the west loathes the “Muslim” within their societies, the Clash of Civilization within their societies.

As for the Muslim Mindset, it is divided and apologetic. A section of the 1.2 billion Muslims are accepting this ISIS having no other choice. There are sections which are afraid of the new developments and still others who have already started looking to other faiths and religions. There is a confusion in the Muslim Mind.

There is another aspect to this. Earlier, in the beginning of the 20th century, after the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate, the Muslim World had lost its Symbol of Unity, when the end of Ottoman Caliphate had sent the morale of the Muslim World to its lowest ebb, and it had become a “headless body”. That was in 1917.

Beyond that it was rather easy for the powers to put puppet regimes in the Muslim countries, who would implement their policies in the Muslim World.

However, there was another “Khilafat” (Caliphate) which had been established in 1908 after the death of the person who had claimed to be a “prophet”, and who at first was praised for being the “champion of Islam” but after his declaration of being a “prophet” and “Reformer of this Age”, was branded as “heretic” by the Ullema of the Muslim World.

100 years on, 2015, the western media has brought up this subject: that there is already a “Khalifa” of the Ahmadiyya Muslims which claims that he is the “Khalifa of the Reformer of this Age”. This “Khalifa” has been all along condemning “Jihad” – “any form of violence in the name of religion”, and who has in the last few years addressed American, European and other world leaders with an interpretation of “Islam” which is quite opposite to the “Islam” which is being projected by some Muslim Ullemas and some governments of the Muslim World who refuse to budge from the “Jihad by the sword” interpretation. Thus indirectly supporting the ISIS agenda.

With the coming on to the stage of another style of a “Caliphate” and an “Islamic State”, the world at large is once again thrown into a confusion, as to what is the real “Islam” and what is this “Caliphate” and “Islamic State” all about.

The question which now arise is: what is the Grand Strategy of the world powers and which of the “Caliphate” – Ahmadiyya Khalifa with his interpretation of “Jihad” which is essentially “Jihad by the Pen”, OR the Caliphate of the Islamic State (ISIS) with its interpretation of “Jihad by the Gun” can become instrumental to promote their grand strategy? For, after all the powers can ill afford to ignore 1,2 billion Muslim World.

Depending upon which definition of “Jihad” is accepted by world powers, will determine whether the Grand Strategy of world powers is pointing towards peace or perpetual war.

It appears the “Clash of Civilization” has been diverted from Arnold Toynbee’s “The West verses Islam” debate to a debate between the “Jihadi Islam” represented by the “Caliphate of ISIS” and the “non-JIhadi Islam”, represented by the “Khilafa” of the Ahmadiyya Muslims. The world opinion seems to accept the “non-Jihadi Islam” and reject the “Jihadi Islam”.

The year 2015 is also the beginning of a “New World Order”. I had maintained this since the beginning of this century. Events are moving in that direction in Europe, in the AF-Pak, Middle Eastern region and also internationally.

In the “Batin World”, (not visible to the material eye), 2014 was a reflection of 1914 – when Mankind witnessed unfolding of a “New World Order” in the shape of the Great War, breaking up of old empires, re-drawing of boundaries, new “isms” surfacing (Communism, Zionism, and the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam), World War II, Bi-polar world, and the Unipolar Moment.

In the beginning of 2015, the stage has been set for events following the same pattern but at a higher nivå of “Evolution”. ISIS is part of that phase which announces the beginning of re-drawing of boundaries, the interpretations of new “isms”, a new kind of war, rejection of the earlier “World Order” of the last century and unfolding of the “New World Order”.

It has to be seen which “morals” and “values” are opted by the powers which steer Mankind through this 21st century. Will it be Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” or will Mankind move towards the “Merger of Civilizations” to take Mankind to the next level of Evolution.

The ISIS phenomenon is just the Beginning.