The Al Wadi al Kabir incident brought to mind a joke: Why doesn't IS fight Israel? The answer was: We will fight them if they convert to Islam.
This is not merely a joke but rather a reflection of the reality of this organisation, which has fought Muslims everywhere, committing heinous crimes against humanity by beheading innocent people, bombing places of worship, and tarnishing the reputation of Islam with its immorality, arson and slaughter.
They kill and rape in the name of religion. It is well-known that IS and similar groups are products of Western intelligence, funded by Arab sources, as we have written numerous times before.
To illustrate the link between this organisation and foreign intelligence, we cannot ignore the statement made by former US president Donald Trump on August 11, 2016, during his presidential campaign, when he described President Barack Obama as the “founder” of IS.
In the same speech, he attacked Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, labelling her as a “co-founder” of the organisation. Trump reiterated the following day that Obama and Clinton were the “most valuable players” for IS.
Furthermore, an unprecedented statement by an Israeli official regarding the organisation was reported by French and international media.
Moshe Ya’alon, the former Israeli Defence Minister, stated in a meeting in Tel Aviv on January 19, 2016 that “if he had to choose between IS and Iran, he would prefer IS.”
This statement resonated strongly in international media. Some might argue that Ya’alon's statement does not explicitly clarify the relationship between Israel and IS, but Aida Touma-Sliman, a former member of the Israeli Knesset, was candid in her statement on February 13, 2018, accusing Israel of cooperating with and buying oil from IS.
She criticised Israeli policies, saying, “I am against any racist policy that targets sovereign countries in the region or in the world, and against cooperation with extremist and terrorist groups that slaughtered people, such as IS.” She noted that links between Israel and extremist groups are well documented by the United Nations.
Additionally, on October 19, 2018, news reports indicated that the Syrian army found large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices, some of which were Israeli-made, during a sweep of the city of Al Mayadeen in Deir ez Zor, in warehouses belonging to IS.
In trying to unravel the mystery of IS, a recurring question is: Why does it not target the Zionist entity?
Is there a more opportune moment than now, as Gaza resists a fierce global Zionist attack? Ten heavy months have passed since the Zionist war on Gaza began, yet IS remains indifferent to the thousands of martyrs and the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Their focus is on killing peaceful Muslims who have come to seek a livelihood in a safe country.
The incident at the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Wadi al Kabir, though a crime, pales in comparison to the major atrocities committed by this terrorist organisation in various places, far from the Israeli entity. This clearly indicates that the organisation is a tool of global powers to implement specific agendas; for example, using IS to pressure regimes that do not comply with the policies of its founders and financiers, as seen in the Wadi al Kabir incident.
In truth, while I was shocked by the Al Wadi al Kabir incident. I anticipated that these honourable Omani stances would cause trouble. I recall wondering, during an interview with my colleague Abdul Aziz Al Sa’adoon on the 'Wednesday Forum' programme on the 'Majan' satellite channel on January 17, 2024, about the price we might pay for these positions.
The Al Wadi al Kabir incident has raised many points for discussion, but I believe now is not the time to address them. The competent authorities are investigating the matter, but it is certain that the independent and honourable Omani positions are troubling many.
The authorities must remain vigilant, and no one will fault them for taking strict measures to maintain security and peace in the country, to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
In general, it is well-known that IS has nothing to do with Islam and is not connected to any religion or belief. It is merely a tool used by global security services to achieve their interests and to intimidate anyone who deviates from their agenda.
These agencies have succeeded in making it a source of destruction, igniting sectarian strife, and fanning the flames of hatred among Muslims to serve the interests of those who created and financed them. The era of colonialism and direct control has passed, necessitating the use of agents.
There is an undeniable fact: those who resort to terrorism to kill innocent people who differ in religion, race, or region suffer from psychological disorders. It is impossible for a sane person to deliberately kill innocent people of any religion.
Dr Jamal Farweez, a consultant psychiatrist in Egypt, explained to the newspaper 'Youm7' that some individuals join IS and terrorist groups because they feel inferior, seeking to become leaders with followers. Others join to atone for past immoral acts by carrying out martyrdom operations, making them easy targets for terrorist recruitment.
If I emphasised the necessity of taking strict measures against anyone who threatens the country's security and citizens' safety, I believe the incident requires in-depth study from multiple perspectives to find appropriate solutions for Omani youth before the situation escalates.
Some discussions on social media may not be promising, but they offer a golden opportunity to gauge public sentiment. This article presents my immediate thoughts on the Al Wadi al Kabir incident, acknowledging that the issue requires extensive studies, research, and articles.
Translated by Badr al Dhafari.
(The original version of this article was published in Arabic in the print edition of Oman newspaper on July 22)
The author is a writer and author of 'The Road to Jerusalem'
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