TEHRAN- Do we still remember the coward and brutal assassination of General Qassim Soleimani? Iran said they would take revenge on this barbaric act and the world was waiting for an answer, but to the disappointment of many in the Western world, this revenge was delayed and many thought it was just words, but they were mistaken.  

Also, many people (Western) immediately thought of war, weapons, and missiles. But Iran, knowing all too well that weapons and missiles are not the answer, decided tactically to wait for the right moment and the right time to give an answer to the U.S. and its allies.

The answer is not war and weapons but to make the enemy, the U.S. and its Western allies, withdraw from large parts of West Asia. In January 2020, the process of withdrawal from West Asia and in this case, Iraq, the people of Iraq suffered a long war and occupation by the U.S. and its allies NATO, started. The people of Iraq finally realized that the occupation, assassinations with drones, killings, and looting of their resources must really stop, so they adopted a resolution in their parliament stating that the U.S. and its allies should withdraw from Iraq. The killing of General Soleimani and not to forget Abu Mahdi al-Mohandas, they were both assassinated in Bagdad by U.S. drones, might have been the trigger of what we are experiencing today. 

The hasty retreat of Afghanistan, by the U.S. and its allies NATO, the adopted resolution by Iraq, and the looting of oil and gas by the U.S. and its allies from Iraq and Syria, is a situation which must also end and West Asia should be compensated for the horrible wars, which started in 2001, after the so-called “War on Terror”. In 2001 U.S. President George Bush Jr. called for war, after the attack on the World Trade Centre, which was done by mainly Saudi Arabian citizens and up to today many versions as how it had happened and if it was really a terror attack, or perhaps a PSYOP, remains unclear. But Bush used it to declare war, the War on Terror and vowed to destroy seven countries in his “Axis of Evil” speech, among them: Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran were on this hit list and openly Bush and his Administration, as did many European countries, declared war on these countries. Many years of pain and suffering began for the people of West Asia.

Muslims were declared the enemy of the Western world and even in Europe, the bakermat of so-called democracy, they were no longer safe, they could be arrested for the slightest thing and sent to mainly Eastern European "black sites", or to Guantanamo Bay, the largest concentration camp for Muslims, here it didn't matter whether you were Sunni, Shia, Alawite or even Christian or something else, you were Arab, or West Asian and therefore a potential terrorist. This painful violation of human rights has been going on for twenty years already, but slowly but surely West Asia is now liberated by, in most cases, its own people, rising up and with help of Iran and Russia, like in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon taking back their independence and peace for their countries.

Arbaeen Pilgrimage and New Equations in West Asia

The largest trigger however is the Arbaeen pilgrimage with its yearly Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram on the Islamic calendar, to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. Arbaeen is one of the most important ceremonies in the Shi'ite Muslim calendar. Arbaeen means forty in Arabic as forty days is the traditional length of mourning after the death of a family member or loved one in Muslim traditions. Imam

Hussein was killed at the Battle of Karbala in Iraq on 10 October 680 AD. Hussein was seen by his followers as the rightful heir of the prophet's legacy. When he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, he was killed in the battle.  

Some countries and Iraqi business owners are urging the Iraqi government to open its borders to all pilgrims who want to come to Karbala, under strict health measures. Even there is still fear of Covid-19 spreading, most of the pilgrims are not afraid, they have a strong faith and endured murder, torture, and horrendous crimes from the U.S. and its allies. The Arbaeen pilgrimage can be seen as another trigger to show the world that people are united in faith and against occupation of the U.S. and its allies, they will remember the killing of General Qassim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandas and this will unite the people of West Asia in faith and the urge for freedom and independence, it will unite and make strong, perhaps a bond can be seen between Sunni and Shia.

Also, recently some footage came from Al-Alam TV that the U.S. and its allies will withdraw from large parts of Syria, which is actually already happening right now. Like in Afghanistan, but in secret, because the U.S. and its allies suffered a severe blow and a lot of Western media outlets compare the hasty retreat with the retreat in Vietnam, when the U.S. lost the war. But as many scholars and most important the Secretary-General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah of the resistance group Hezbollah on August 17, 2021, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 9th night of Ashura, two days before the martyrdom of Imam Hussein said: 
“Everything that is happening in Afghanistan, even in Lebanon (and Syria) were we are absorbed by our daily problems (hunger and no power due to sanctions), must be given attention because it is the pivotal moment of the humiliation of the U.S., inhumane things have happened during the last 50 or 60 years. This will have a great impact on international policy, international relations and international alliances.  Today, those who most closely observe and comment on these events are the Israelis and so-called Western experts! But the Israelis are the instigators, together with the U.S. and its European allies, they have indulged in atrocities in the name of democracy, but their time is up and regime is finished”.

I will conclude by saying the words of Sayed Hassan Nasrallah and many scholars in Iran, the events as seen in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq show that the withdrawal of Afghanistan may be the trigger.  There will be a rollercoaster of events, what we will see unfolding the coming weeks and months in West Asia, the liberation and the fall of an empire which has similarities with the collapse of the Roman empire, this empire is now pursuing a world technocratic dictatorship, which can be witnessed in the Western world, a system without God and morals.  But if the non-Western world, like West Asia, a continent ravaged by wars, takes its revenge, with their strong belief in God and morals, the one-world technocratic regime may fall apart.  Westerners should focus on this goal and not listen to the propaganda from Western news outlets; they must realize that their "chosen" leaders and politicians over the last decades have chosen a path of war, murder, and criminal acts this must now be ended, with God's help, Insha’Allah!

Sonja van den Ende is an independent journalist from the Netherlands. Her expertise includes international affairs by special focus on Syria, West Asia, and Russia. She is the former International Secretary at International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA - Vienna).