The Islamic Republic vs. the Islamic State

APTOPIX-UN-General-As_Horo-e1411668283485Although the Islamic State has gained the global spotlight in the media due to its brutality and barbarism, it is critical not to be distracted from the larger threat posed from the ruling Ayatollahs and politicians in the Islamic Republic of Iran. As former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stated in an interview with NPR, Iran “is a bigger problem than ISIS.”

On other other hand, while Iranian leaders proclaim that they are fighting the Islamic State, there are many similarities between the Islamic Republic and the Islamic State. Let us unravel the commonalities and differences between the Islamic Republic and the Islamic State from several angles such as ideological, strategic, geopolitical, military, as well as human rights perspectives.

Ideologically and religiously speaking, although the fighters of the Islamic State are predominantly Sunnis and the ruling politicians of Islamic Republic of Iran are Shiite, there exist several underlying similarities between these two entities.

Both groups believe that Islam should be a dominant element in the political, social, cultural and economic affairs of the territories they govern. By Islam, they mean the literal application of Quranic verses and the Hadith — Muhammad’s sayings, his way of life, etc.

When it comes to specific Islamic and Shari’a laws and rules, Iran and ISIS apply the same doctrine. For example, if an adulterer is arrested, she or he should be stoned. Body amputations, tortures, rapes, executions, religious discriminations,  oppressions, and the elimination of any one who disagrees with their ideology are prevalent in the activities of both groups.

On the other hand, the Islamic Republic has enshrined its Islamic and Shari’a laws in its Islamic judiciary, legislative, and executive branches, in a more sophisticated matter in order to legitimize its actions and in order to avert any global outcry and attention.

Both the Islamic Republic and the Islamic State are attempting to spread their version of Islam to other territories in the Muslim and non-Muslim world. The Ayatollahs in Iran fulfill this action in a more clandestine way by funding Shiite and religious schools and movements (such as Hezbollah) in other countries, as well as by interfering in the domestic affairs of other nations through their Quds forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Islamic State carries out these objectives by their offensive attacks to various territories.

In other words, the religious objective of both groups is maintaining an Islamic state, ruling by the religion of Islam and Muhammad, and spreading their version of Islam to other nations.

When it comes to human rights violations, the Islamic Republic enjoys a much heftier file of  human rights abuses with regard to executions, persecution of religious minorities, tortures, amputations, etc. While the Islamic State has been carrying out these atrocities in the last few years, the Islamic Republic began its barbarism with its establishment in 1979.

Militarily speaking, the Islamic Republic of Iran poses a much more serious threat than the Islamic State due to the fact that Iranian clerics possess much more stronger and sophisticated armies, ballistic missiles (which can reach Israel), nuclear programs, and defense systems.

While it remains to be seen whether the Islamist militants of the Islamic State are yet capable of establishing a state and capturing more territories, the Islamic Republic had already established a state run by Islamic doctrine of Shiism, with a large territories – approximately 640,000 square miles excluding their influence and dominance in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. As Kissinger pointed out,

The borders of the settlement of 1919-’20 are essentially collapsing… That gives Iran a very powerful level from a strategic point of view. I consider Iran a bigger problem than ISIS. ISIS is a group of adventurers with a very aggressive ideology. But they have to conquer more and more territory before they can became a strategic, permanent reality. I think a conflict with ISIS — important as it is — is more manageable than a confrontation with Iran.

Strategically speaking, while the Islamic State might pose some threats in some parts of Iraq, the Islamic Republic presents a more serious threat through its control over the Strait of Hormoz, where approximately 20 percent of the world’s petroleum (and nearly 35% of the total petroleum traded through sea), passes through the strait. Iran has threatened repeatedly that it will shut down the strait. Iran already possess an advanced nuclear program that is a step away from developing an atomic bomb. In addition, the Islamic Republic is quietly attempting to significantly alter the military balance of power in the Gulf more to its favor. As IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly stated, “Iran’s Khalij Fars anti-ship ballistic missile (AShBM) – a weapon that could shift the military balance in the Gulf region – is being delivered to operational units, according to the US Department of Defense’s annual report to Congress on the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities.”

While the politicians and mainstream media have concentrated on the threat of the Islamic State, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is a much more critical threat militarily, strategically, religiously and ideologically, is quietly enjoying and continuing its nuclear program and developing more sophisticated anti-ship ballistic missile, and weaponries which are also being exported to other terrorist groups.

More fundamentally, the Islamic State has averted the world’s attention from the Islamic Republic’s efforts to build an atomic bomb. This year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York focused mainly on the threat of the Islamic State, while the Islamic Republic enjoyed not being criticized for its nuclear program. As Israel’s ambassador to the United States pointed out, a nuclear Iran is “thousand times” more dangerous to the world than the Islamic State. Nevertheless, we still need to wait for a robust leadership from the United States to take a strong stance against the Ayatollahs and ruling politicians in Iran who continue to carry out gregarious human rights abuses, support terrorism, and threaten the security of other nations.

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  • Sprickoló Tömegek

    Iran is no Arab country.

    Of course they are more dangerous.

  • James_IIa

    Islamic State (IS) is a magnet for radicalized Muslims around the world, so it is growing faster. Also, people “inspired” by IS are motivated as individuals to kill in their homelands. So, while Iran is much bigger, the threat which might actually kill you in New York or California or Ohio, is the Islamic State. Since IS is smaller now, it is easier to defeat, and doing so is probably a task better suited to our now reduced military. It’s shameful that Iran has been allow to develop nuclear weapons, and thanks to a thoughtless strategy it may be inevitable that it will become a nuclear-armed terrorist state. It it then becomes as aggressive as IS, we are in for a big war.

    • Dong Yaba

      Actually, if we could encourage Iran and ISIS to kill each other, we would have less problems to deal with.

  • Mahmoud

    If we consider how much innocent people America kill around the world (hundred of thousands), then US is more similar to ISIS. But US kills with more advanced weapons and drones, and bombs…so you Americans think this is not violence. You Westerners have seriously twisted idea of what violence is.

    • http://www.twitter.com/changeirannow ChangeIranNow

      That is just Multicultural 101 junior college speak and has no basis in reality. The fact that you place the blame for for terrorism on Americans when Iran is the leading financier and supporter of terror groups around the world is epic. Last year Rouhani is tweeting, sending shout outs to American Jews for Rosh Hashanah and gabbing on the phone with Obama. Now thousands of Iranian rockets have fallen on Israel courtesy of Hamas. Over 1,000 people have been executed, most by gruesome hangings. Scores more have been flogged or had limbs cut off. Iranian kids shooting mash-up videos to “Happy” get arrested and threatened with 91 lashes. Posting on Facebook gets you arrested. Being a Christian minister earns you a 20 year prison sentence. And steady arms supplies to Assad in Syria and Maliki in Iraq have led to the creation of ISIS. Not exactly a great record. But least we forget, nuclear talks went into the toilet when Rouhani’s boss, Supreme Leader Khamenei went on some epic rants denouncing any nuclear deal that takes away Iran’s centrifuges or missile technology. Now we see a Rouhani who still tries to sell a moderate image, but the truth has come to light as to what Iran’s real intentions are and Rouhani has come to symbolize the erratic nature of a theocratic state intent on building a Shia sphere of influence through a series of proxy wars against Sunni nations using terror groups.

  • http://www.twitter.com/changeirannow ChangeIranNow

    There really is no doubt that Iran does stand at the center of turmoil in the Middle East. It’s Quds Force fighters are in Syria and Iraq. Revolutionary Guards are in Afghanistan offering $500 each for fighters to go to Syria and Iraq. It smuggles rockets to Hamas to rain down on Israel. It supplies cash and arms to Hezbollah as it conducts bombings and strikes in Lebanon and Syria. It funnels support to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in an attempt to prop it up. Khamenei denounces efforts to remove centrifuges and refuses to give up missile technology it trades with North Korea. Iran maintains the region’s largest standing army as it’s ruling mullahs preach a Shia sphere of influence free from any Sunni stain. And at home, it’s hangmen are busy executing over 1,000 people in the past year, many for political crimes. Yeah, I’d say the Islamic Republic is much more dangerous that the Islamic State.

    • fahad

      Pass the blunt please , Saudis are responsible for Isis al qaeeda and extremism across the globe , Hezbollah is result of Israeli occupation of Lebanon :D try to stop watching fox news for once please

  • RMThoughts

    The author seem to be oblivious to the reality that the chaos in the Middle East has been produced by the United States and Israel, not by Iran. Iran might not be anyone’s idea of Club Med on the Caspian Sea but it has invaded no one and has threatened no one in spite of the inflamed rhetoric in the US media. Israel’s demand that Iran should not be able to enrich uranium at all in spite of its right to do so under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to which it is a signatory would guarantee no agreement.