And The Middle East Breaks Along Sectarian Lines

Traditional long-standing friend and ally, the United States of America, was seemingly horrified when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided to execute popular Shiite preacher, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, alongside 46 others, which included Sunni terrorists, leaving the world groping with the implications of escalated Riyadh-Tehran hostility on the Middle East, particularly the Syrian crisis, and war against terror group, Islamic State in Iraq and Levant.

China on the other hand, alongside the European Union and Russia also called on the two Middle East hegemonic powers to take steps to settle their differences peacefully. Particularly, Russia, an emerging center of gravity in the region, offers to mediate between them.

US President Barack Obama, caught in the middle by its long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia and recent quest for a closer relationship with Iran, hopes Tehran and Riyadh would somehow reverse the journey towards perdition and inflammation sectarian tension.

“We are urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region,” the White House said in a statement.

On its part, China has sent an envoy to both countries, calling on all sides to exercise restraint.

“We hope the situation in the Middle East can move in the direction of amelioration. We hope that all parties can remain calm and exercise restraint and appropriately resolve relevant issues via dialogue and consultation,” China foreign ministry said.

But rather than ebb, the rift between the two competing regional powerhouses, which encompasses all of the wars raging in the zone, may be escalating. On Wednesday, Qatar joined in the row as it recalled its ambassador to Tehran. In the wake of the simmering feud, Kuwait recalled its ambassador and Bahrain followed suit. The United Arab Emirates, a key Iranian trading partner, has also reduced its diplomatic presence in Tehran.

Leading the African Saudi sympathisers are Sudan and Djibouti. But other major regional powers, such as Egypt and Turkey, are yet to join in the diplomatic onslaught against Tehran. Turkey has echoed calls for restraint on the part of both countries.

Curiously, understanding the historic division between Saudi Arabia and Iran strictly on Sunni and Shiite religious divides may not paint the complete picture of the division. Though, both sects differ on the rightful heir after the death of Prophet Mohammed, they both share same principle and article of faith. In terms of religious obligation and practices, the difference between Sunni and Shiite blurs significantly.

Rather, what seems to be fueling the over one century animosity is the race for regional influence; not dissimilar to the Western world and Russia rivalry, especially at the height of communism.

However, there is no denying the fact that sectarianism influences the foreign affairs direction of Tehran and Riyadh, especially in relationship with Muslim dominated countries.

The execution of Nimr, rather than being the latest salvo in the simmering war, may have been motivated, on the other hand, by domestic politics in Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom’s royal family has been suspected of acting out a script to mollify influential Sunni clerics who are not too pleased with the way the war on ISIL, a Sunni extremist group, is being waged. A chunk of those executed with Nimr are Sunni extremists.

Beyond the allegation of call to arms by the Saudi authority, Nimr may have paid the supreme price for his biting condemnations of the royal family. Nimr advocated an end to discrimination against Saudi Arabia’s minority Shiites.

If the sectarian divide between Tehran and Riyadh is a ruse, the idea that Iran and Saudi Arabia are the puppet masters of the Middle East’s sectarian struggles—from Syria and Iraq to Yemen and Lebanon—may follow. The two countries may as well be at the whim of forces well beyond their control. The collapsing state structures in the region to terror and rebel groups may have ignited this feeling.