But, the end of armed extremists will never come
Isis (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) Sunni Muslim extremist group has commenced its terrorist activities in northern Iraq since June. Once, this organization constituted a part of “al – Qaeda” terrorist organization and pursued a goal to form an “Islamic Caliphate”, which was the cherished idea for the Muslims over the centuries. Currently, this organization has managed to take some cities of Iraq under its possession, and in some parts it had even crossed the borders of Syria and Lebanon, and since August, it “cleans up” the “Caliphate” territories from “unbelievers”: Yezidis, Assyrians, Christians, Muslims and even Shiite Muslims. The number of killed, starved from hunger and epidemics continues to grow day by day, the number of refugees is also growing. The international community, like 100 years ago, when due to imperialistic ambitions, the territories were “cleaned up” from Armenians, as well as Assyrians and Pontiac Greeks, reacted late, when the number of killed were counted by dozens or hundreds.
But nothing hold back the extremists filled with extremist ideas and seeing their work “for the sake of Allah”. They intend to establish their own state. Even these caliphate maps are spread out on the internet: starting from Spain, the whole Balkan peninsula, Greece, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India, Pakistan and so on…
In this regard, “Aravot” asked the orientalist, also Professor and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Armenia, Davit Hovhannisyan, how likely he considers the risk that is put to danger to the world by these extremists, and whether he sees the real chances for the establishment of this caliphate. “No, of course, such programs can hardly be considered realistic. But, in all cases, I have repeatedly expressed my view. Now, it is the time for various globalization projects proposed by different sides and entered into the playing ground to become a competitive of different sides, and it is Sunni globalization project, which different groups are trying to accomplish. And, from time to time, different countries are joining these groups, and some time later, withdraw… I do not think that in the modern world, such territorial ambitions, first, are realistic, secondly, have sense.”
And what can Armenia do in these circumstances, first of all, to help the friendly Yezidi people? Various proposals are voiced, for instances, today, a number of Yezidi NGOs made an appeal to the Government of the Republic of Armenia to promptly ensure the temporary protection of Iraqi refugees appeared on the border line, or in other words, in the territory of Armenia as stipulated by the UN Convention on the “Status of Refugees” signed by Armenia, as well as by the RA Laws on “Refugees and asylum” and “Political asylum”, and by the Government decrees No. 524 on “Procedures approving free mobility and residence of refugees in the territory of the Republic of Armenian” and No. 594 on “Procedure for granting certificate to refugees”. There were proposals made to reach humanitarian aid to Kurdish and Assyrian peoples, even yesterday, “Hayazn” party board member, Armen Aghayan, voiced a proposal on Facebook “to help Iraqi Yezidi to organize their self-defense, to provide them with weapons and quickly teach them how to use it, to form self-defense units and general command headquarters.”
To our question of what Armenia can do, what methods of support and assistance Armenia should employ and which is more correct option, Davit Hovhannisyan responded, “I think all possible methods of diplomatic and economic assistance up to finding resources and opportunities to bring Yezidis to Armenia and to apply to various international instances to receive assistance on this issue, all methods should be employed. And with regard to military assistance or military advice, I think that as of today we strongly need these people on our borders, and we should not go for it. But with regard to all other possibilities: humanitarian, economic, diplomatic, and informational, we should use them. In respect with information, we should use both our and the Diaspora capabilities to help these people in a very grave situation ASAP. For sure.”
To our next question to Mr. Hovhannisyan, perhaps, was from utopia industry, whether it is ever somehow possible to stop the activities of such armed forces extremists, whether there are hopes that such activities conducting forces would no longer exist in the world, or this threat is always going to exist. And the answer was very realistic. “No, nothing like will ever be, perhaps, the risk will always be there, because there are forces that do not find any other mechanisms for the implementation of their political and economic objectives, hence they apply to this class of methods. On the other hand, it seems to me that the establishment of the same Islamic state, in some place, is driven by the interests of superpowers to remove the danger from their capitals and cities intimidated by the Islamists and be filled into such a “cloaca type” (sewage) place, far away, and will hit bit by bit. Currently, different fighters from different sides are going to these countries to fight, they conduct terrorist acts in order to establish their caliphate. These fighters are potential threats, and the explosion of the twin towers also showed that the United States cannot avoid this risk, either. Hence, the superpowers think of what is bad here to be far away and be accumulated in one place, and then they would bomb the place from afar, without land clashes”.
Melania BARSEGHYAN
