Submitted by Mehrdad Mandegar, May 18, 2007 13:15

Reasoning Iranian's Revolution (that also, thanks to US backing blindly the Shah's dictatorial order since 1953, after a nationalist government was toppled by CIA & seven sisters ) as the main cause for US's involvement in Afghnistan, may surprise even Bush, the elder and Bush, the junior.

Afghanistan's leftist governement of Babrak Karmal was already toppled by US backed Islamist mouvements (including Ben Laden's controlled and 'money'tored paramiltaries and many other ethnics and religious mouvents like today hostile Talibans ) which brought in 'openly' the invading Soviets, who were already there under a 'pact of cooperation' and the Americans were deeply aware and annoyed by this non-Yalta position of the Soviets.

But who on earth has assured Professor Karsh that the Soviet Russians had no ambition for south warm oily waters in doing so or even before that in the make up and supporting a leftist government in Kabol ?

And then again, were one can find something to chew on Islam for World Mastery with the 2 big powers positions and deeds, when Saddam Hussain was encouraged to attack Iran and a 8 years bloody war fueled and kept on by ... everyone on both sides, during which one million young people were perished but 2 blood thirsty fools were still not . Oh, yes, that was also for Islam World Mastery !

And more, Ottoman Empire Axis' position in WWI, was it only for the hostility that this Falling Empire had with Pre Soviet Russia ? Even Bernard Lewis, a Turkophil, with no positive feeling for the Persians and obviously Arabes, has not dealth with this subject so naïvely.

Is this mythology or historical analysis? Islam's "War of the Worlds" ? What is this? An André Malraux like opium-over-dosed-'high'-anticipation for the third millenium? There is no such a house as The House of Islam on the earth: Umma is in the Book as is God on US $ bills.

Poverty, dictatorship and ignorance can make all kinds of Ummas in all religions and regions of the world. I would like to know Mr. Ephraim Karsh opinion of The Anti-Semit House of Catholic Umma in today's Poland witch-hounting and the aftermath of that Pope kissing hand Solidarity (among many other ex communist countries with mounting extreme nationalist mouvements, non philo-Semit). How about that 'tradition venerable quest' of The Houses of nationalist-Orthodoxy and nationalist-Catholisism, let alone the rising neo-Nazi in post globalized world of now quasi unified free European countries, indeed?

In Meditheterranean studies at King's College, University of London, I think Professor Karsh is well aware of what can mobilize the ignorant, poor and suppressed people in North African countries under harsh and corrupted regims. What can mobilize them is not "traditional quest for Islam Mastery". Here, in these societies, kept in obscurantism, Islam, The Book and all that jazz of Alazhar & Co. are their last resorts. They have never heard expressions such as The House of Islam. They are badly despaired. They are stolen and deprived of the very basic things and politically are suppressed by the most corrupted and brutal oders.

I think 'Islam-players' will win the match so far as we stick to our myths of religions and races, closing our eyes on the awful realities.

Historain must suffer, by leaving his own taste and preference on the door step. History has only one and only one version and it is not alway easy to forget one's own history I suppose.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.