Something is seriously wrong in West Asia

How would you react if somebody tells you that the Taj Mahal is no more? Or all Stupas in Bodhgaya have disappeared? Or any other monument of any value has been decimated? I will be shocked to the core and I believe you will share the same feeling as well. The destruction carried out by ISIS in the Iraqi city of Nimrud is beyond any known expression of grief and utter nonsense. They have not only belittled the people of Iraq but also inflicted a colossal damage to the World Culture and Heritage.

All the standing artifacts, structures and layouts of the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire have been bulldozed. All the magnificence of the past that belong to Nimrud has been erased. Yes, some of them has been preserved earlier elsewhere but the loss is irrecoverable. There used to be statues and walls and a citadel which ISIS has leveled to the ground. Other tangible valuables have been looted.

Nimrud was the capital of the world's first empire, the Neo-Assyrian Empire of the 1st millennium BC. Lying 35km (22 miles) south of the modern city of Mosul in north Iraq, Nimrud covers some 3.5 sq km (1.35 sq miles), with a prominent "citadel" mound within the city walls, on which are clustered the main administrative and religious buildings. These buildings include the enormous palaces of several Assyrian kings and the temples of Ninurta, the god of war, and of Nabu, the god of writing.

I am deeply saddened, a state which can not be put into words. This is not the first time the Culture and History of a place has been put to the sword. In 2001, Taliban blew away the Bamian Budha. In 2013, retreating Islamist insurgents set fire to a library containing thousands of historic manuscripts, some of them dating back to 13th century. Both of these devastation events took away forever a very invaluable piece of our history.

Taller Sasal Budha in 1963 on left and after destruction in 2008

Why should we worry about history? Well, the most pragmatic planning of future as well as immediate present can be done only on the basis of analyzing what occurred in the past and how. A past that tells us about the spread and acceptance of cultural beliefs and practices across the globe from the place of their birth. To think that Islam and Buddhism would have flourished together in ancient Afghanistan is so encouraging and strength-giving against the clash of religions. The same is the case in Iraq. The Mesopotamia of the old was a treasure trove and a world pioneer in so many things. It had rulers and subjects who cared for and assimilated faiths from across the world. A great reinforcer of the fact the myriad groups of people can peacefully coexist.

Needless to say, the historical insights into how people and culture and they clicked is so much useful in finding solutions to similar present day problems. The versatility and innovation of the past when combined with Science of today can work wonders to many small and big problems alike. The preservation of once lineage and culture through idols, sculptures, manuscripts, paintings and other forms of artwork guides us about the importance of doing and highlighting all things good for future generations to embrace and learn from.

It is true that ISIS has floored Nimrud not only for their stand against all things which they believe is non-Islamic but also for selling those priceless artifacts in black market. Their major income is from the sale of these stolen goods and belongings. All the ancient antiquities in their purview is under serious threat of being led to the same fate as Nimrud in days to come. They are unbelievably insane.

The topic of rise and flourish of ISIS and all the negativity surrounding Islam can be dealt elsewhere. We are concerned here about losing a big share of our history in West Asia because of these religious bigots gaining ascendance every passing day. Will we see any sort of clamp down from their current position in coming days?

Obama vs Osama

May Osama Bin Laden quickly complete his ordeal in the Hell and attain Salvation. He might have been a terrorist and could have spent most of his adult life in doing things which are to be abhored but he still deserves all the prayers to help him rest in peace. After all he was the brother of Barack Obama.

I am not joking. "All humans are brethren of each other". That is what US wanted to prove by killing Osama and announcing that his death will make the world a much better place to live in, a place full of love and harmony. The brotherhood existed before and exists now. Hence, Osama and Obama were brothers before and brothers now.

Let us try to answer the following questions.

1. Should Obama regale in the death of Osama? 
2. Should US consider itself safer and believe that Osama won't take an incarnation? 
3. Will the strife in Afghanistan, Iraq and rest of the Islamic world lessen a bit? 
4. Will there be no more Jihadis? 
5. Will the US greed and bad motives come to an end?
6. Will the Islam vs Christianity crusades end?

One thoughtfully written blog post describes why it is a pity that Obama was killed. Why killing of Osama is a pity? Obama may garner hopes of a second term based upon the immediate popularity soar that he has got among the US voters. In the long term though he has chosen to tread on a dangerous path that his predecessors starting George Bush senior had opted for. He leads the world in general and US in particular to another cycle of hate begetting hate. Without pronouncing a verdict, I would also predict a backlash from the Al-Qaeda and other similar terror-driven outfits to continue to target US directly and innocent people indirectly. It would be foolhardy for Obama to rejoice at this moment.

Osama was a commoner but acquired a larger than life image through his resolve and atrociousness. He got invaded by the virus of mental whitewash preached by those who are now at the receiving end of the US Foreign Policy. Many others are also affected by the same insanity but Osama went a step ahead and got himself a leadership role. As there is in any other sphere of life, the leadership doesn't stay in vaccum for long and Al-Qaeda will also be able to pick somebody equally menacing if not more as its head. So, US cannot assume the end of Osama's philosophy because it was never his in the first place and will find another flag-bearer.

The countries that have borne the brunt of US the most are Iraq and Afghanistan. The landscape of these countries has changed for ever. They were culturally and resourcefully rich. Now, they are left at the whims and fantasies of the US to survive and progress. No matter how bad was the position inside these countries, it should have been left at the citizens themselves to figure it out. A civil war of some length and intensity may have helped overcome the negativity of Saddam Hussein and Taliban. International community should have helped in negotiations as it may choose to do in case of any other sovereign state. But because of the ulterior motives of US, NATO invades them and seizes the control on the polity and the economy of these countries. Nobody else can do business in these countries without US permission and involved interests. This means control of worlds significant share of oil which influences the world economy like anything. US also gained an irremovable military foothold into the heart of oil-rich West Asia. It will flex its muscle and keep everything under the control as it it likes.

Off late the same tenet is being propagated to other Islamic countries as well. Alas, there seems to be no end to the misfortune of these nations which are struggling from enemies within and outside their territories.

Radical and unrelenting face of Islam converts young men and women into Jihadis, people who are ready to die and kill for the so-called upkeep and progress of Islam. The root cause of this ideology lies in the poverty, illiteracy and exploitation of people and misinterpretation of Islam. The Muslim world has to step up their efforts and resolve to cater to these problems. Until then, the whole of Muslim community will be branded incorrectly as Terrorists and remain secluded from the World Order. Indonesia, Malaysia and India are home to the largest population of the Muslims in the world but they have been successful in making the Muslims feel and think progressively and respectfully towards their brethren practicing other religions.


What conspires on the strategy drawing boards of White House and Pentagon may be kept as a top notch secret. But the damage those strategies do around the world is for anybody to see and contemplate. Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Saddam are all pieces of policies which have been nurtured and bred to espouse a particular US cause at different times. When these folks grew out of their shoes, they started thinking big and out-thought US at some stage. They wanted their own share under the sun and US said NO. Things started getting out of hands and it promoted events like Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan invasion. Egypt, Syria, Iran, North Korea and many others are on the card. All US business, political and military agencies work directly or indirectly towards these plans. The biggest threat that we have is not from the Jihadis but their godfather, US.


The struggle between Muslims and Christians has been very old. Crusades had happened regularly in the past. Followers of both the religions have continued to tweak the scriptures to suit their thinking and action. And unfortunately the evangelism efforts from these two religions' followers have resulted in  loss of peace and life instead of the love and peace they wanted to achieve through conversions. US and NATO countries can be seen as Christian evangelists and the Islamic nations are the Islamic evangelists. Both don't see eye to eye on almost every matter of day-to-day business. Yet, they befriend each other to work against a common hostile state. So, we can see UAE helping NATO in Syria, US in Iraq and Afghanistan, France in Tipoli and so on. But in the far run both want each other to be unstabilized, fall into mires of poverty and scarcity and finally leave space for the other to move in and capture.

In a nutshell, the killing of Osama may portray a temporary lull in the activities of the terrorists but he will very soon become a martyr in the eyes of those who want motivation to keep supporting the unjustified violence and hatred. US must correct its intentions and foreign policy to make sure it doesn't meddle with other nations and help them at one point and bomb them at others.