Iraq is in flames, but at least we have Nancy Ajram

I saw a dream a few nights night so severe I actually gasped awake. I don't ever remember startling awake before. I dreamed of the Iraq invasion. I don't remember too many details but I do remember the blood flowing like rain, demons in the sands, and cannibals lurking in the urban desert. When I told my Iraqi friend of my dream, she reminded me that we were on the eve of the anniversary of Iraq war.

It is on the ninth anniversary of the Iraq invasion that the Arab people sit infatuated with videos of Nancy Ajram and the latest styles coming from Milan and Paris -- filling their quench for narcissism. For sure, this last year has been a phenomenal year of change and uprising as the conscious youths of the region rose up against corrupt dictatorships.

Yet, the forces of counterrevolution are much stronger than expected.

The Saudi monarchy poured in billions of dollars to stop the spread of revolution at all cost, sent it brigades of illiterate thugs to beat the Bahraini people and assist the Khalifa family in tearing down places of worship. They fear the piety of the Bahraini people and the power of Islam. They are in power not for the sake of Islam as they claim but because they lust for power and greed. The Saudi monarchy lies at the heart of many of the regions political problems. They are deceitful and utilitarian and have shamed the position of guardianship of the haramain.

The cries of the Syrian children are not forgotten either. The Baathist regime has little legitimacy based off of it's founding principles and its use of strong armed tactics to stay in power. Yet, the situation is not so clear cut and moral as many try to make it out to be. The presence of heavy foreign interference has changed the nature of the domestic demands of the people. Despite the legitimate requests of some of the disenfranchised Syrian people for more accountable government, the situation has escalated with significant armed opposition within the country undertaking severely brutal tactics. Of course, government forces have engaged in similar atrocities. Simply advocating for the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad will do nothing to help the future of Syria because it doesn't address the roots of nation building and identity. The project of nationalism is not an easy one to undertake and while getting rid of a one-party state is certainly a step in the right direction, that alone will not solve Syria's problems.

At the end of the day, these issues are moral ones. The counterrevolution is also in our hearts. Humanity is at war against itself because of the devil within. Desire, lust, greed and love of position and power blind the heart. We are human beings undergoing a spiritual experience yet many are willing to risk our moral standing before God in order to feel materially secure. There are real concerns here and people are not acting irrationally, yet, this is a foolish decision. In the end, how long does one expect to stay alive to benefit from ill gain?