Arabic Coffee shop

Family has been bugging me since a long time to visit Umluj- but I was always hesitant to go to a recently developed site and get stuck with no hotels.
Btw Yanbu AlBahr is now expanded so much especially the industrial area so you don’t have the same swimming experiences anymore unfortunately if you are coming from Yanbu AlNakhl
You definitely should visit. Rent a small boat (not that expensive) and go snorkeling or visiting the many nearby breathtaking islands and clear blue waters. Snorkeling/diving in the Red Sea is one of the best destinations globally in this regard. Amazing fauna. If you are lucky you can approach local fishermen and ask them to take you with them - often they will do it for free or for some token help with the catch. I remember a Yemeni friend of mine doing that a few years ago. He had an amazing trip.

Yes, it has changed a lot but all you have to do is to travel or walk down the coastline to the outskirts of the city and you will have plenty of wild beach and coastline for yourself.

BTW have you ever visited during the flower festival? Females love it, lol. It usually lasts 1 moth from end of January to February. They had the largest flower carpet and flower basket in the world a few years ago and some other records. Even though I personally prefer trees and plants, rather than flowers, it is a sight to behold.

1772613385937.png

1772613411146.png

 
Last edited:
Oh man I have been waiting since 2024 for stuff to finally settle down so I can visit the historic sites in Palmyra- it would make for the perfect roadtrip from KSA through Amman on to old Damishq😍
Make yourself the favor (it is right on the road) to explore Tabuk Province next door. It has more to offer in many ways than Jordan as a whole - in particular in terms of the spectacular scenery and nature. Some of the largest national parts in the Middle East/Muslim world, Grand Canyon like landscapes, amazing secluded beaches, mountains (during winter with snow each year), tons of heritage sites and charming villages. In my view one of the most underrated areas of KSA by far. The climate is also wonderful 80% of the year and even during the 3 hottest summer months temperature are tolerable.

1772613704010.png1772613713943.png

1772613732471.png

1772613745655.png

3bb3ae7e-a113-41fc-950d-ce10d736fd6d.jpg.webp

BTW Umluj is in Tabuk Province as well as those stunning beach resorts and many island resorts.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Yes, travel is one of the best things that one can do. I used to travel a lot as a child (with family obviously) and later as a student. Something I am very grateful for and some of my best memories involve that. Much harder to find the time now with your own family, job, obligations etc.

Not really, as I don't use Instagram much at all. There are probably many around. As for tourism spots in the Arab world - there are far, far too many to mention. We are talking about 20 + countries. KSA is becoming more and more expensive and it is not an overly cheap destination if you want the conventional experience - hotels etc. I would instead recommend befriending locals and they will host you for free most often than not. Village and nature tourism is something that I usually prefer. In Hejaz and southern KSA you can combine beach, mountain, village, city, religious, nature etc. tourism and in my opinion that is the perfect mixture. Very few travel destinations have this combination on this scale and significance. With guaranteed good weather unless you decide to travel in June, July and August (I cannot recommend that) unless you are traveling to the many mountainous areas and towns of KSA or coastal along the Red Sea. Other than the extreme coastal southwest (Jizan city for instance) where temperatures (tropical climate more or less) are pretty much the same year around.

Personally I would love to visit Syria again. I was there 100 years ago (15-20 years ago as a small child). Revisit and explore more of Damascus, Palmyra, Homs, coastal areas etc. Could be combined with a visit next door to Jordan which is also very underrated in terms of heritage sites. A lot to offer for such a small country in this regard.

The Maghreb is another great travel destination that I would like to explore much, much more of. Palestine as well of course.

-------

Looks like another calm night/morning so far. Several drones shot down.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


I wonder, do those mushrikin not understand that they will be condemned to hellfire if they attempt to attack our soldiers and civilians during Ramadan no less in order to harm and destroy Arabia of all places? What is the excuse of such satanic behavior? KSA is not attacking anyone let alone fellow Muslims. Nor part of any war/conflict directly.

The same minority of mushrikin are spreading false rumors about the most learned shuyookh in Islam. Pathetic.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


A wonderful way that KSA has been hosting and accommodating brothers and sisters from the other GCC states that have been stranded in KSA or chose to leave for KSA. For free. Same with expats from those nations.

On the other hand Iran continues to be hit hard.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.




"BREAKING

The Iranian Moudge class frigate IRIS Dena is SINKING a few miles off Sri Lanka after a U.S. Navy strike. Sri Lanka’s foreign minister says 30 of the 180 sailors on board have been rescued so far.

Do they even have much of a navy left by now?"

As I wrote from the very beginning there is no way that the Iranian regime can win any battle let alone the wider war/conflict. If I have to make a guess we have seen the worst from them already. They would do wisely not to antagonize the smaller GCC states now, let alone KSA. This includes their terrorist cult militia allies in the region. It is only going to end very badly for those militias.

Yeah I believe the frigate tried to attack one of the US destroyers in thr Indian ocean. Everything aside it was pretty audacious. Didn't go well as expected. At least the sailors were rescued by the Sri Lankans.
 
They don't want to win; they want to survive and so far the Iranian regime is quite successful.
Sure, DR Congo is also "intact" on paper. However at what price? Similarly with the Iranian regime. It has only been 4 days as well and look at the destruction that has targeted Iranian regime targets. It does not look good for them at all. Outside of the resident propaganda that is.

If you ask me this version of the Iranian regime that we have known since 1979 is gone. Its senior leadership annihilated. Even if it does not collapse (would only be because this suits the US and Israel - a weak fragmented Iran) - the new version of it will be far meeker and far more accommodating for regional countries. I don't see any other way around this.

And all It takes for the entity to collapse economically completely is miscalculation by attacking energy sites in the region - and in return lose everything of its own.

They should be praying for the US and Israel and potentially others not to work (actively) towards balkanization. They are very vulnerable in this regard.

Yeah I believe the frigate tried to attack one of the US destroyers in thr Indian ocean. Everything aside it was pretty audacious. Didn't go well as expected. At least the sailors were rescued by the Sri Lankans.
Only 30 of the 180 total sailors have been rescued. Rest could have perished already. Not sure, only seen the tweet.

Once again, this is all the fault of the incompetent Iranian regime. Nobody else is to blame for it. They have wasted almost 50 years on mostly pure regional stupidity leaving them without any allies or friends. They worked 50 years for this and that is all they have to show for? Pathetic.

I don't endorse this Palestinian twitter user but what he wrote is spot on:


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


And the less said about their ridiculous "resistance" the better:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


Anyway I am just going to continue to enjoy their downfall along with most Arabs and Muslims. Talking specifically, once again, about their regime.
 
Last edited:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


Hezbollah doing token attacks on Israel. They never learn. You are only going to destroy Southern Lebanon further while alienating your own people further (already large Shia Arab Lebanese tribes and clans in the Beqaa Valley have defected from Hezbollah - putting up official statements even). Let alone rest of Lebanon who do not even want to host your people. It is a joke this militia disease that is helped by a certain failed regional regime.

Go merge with the official Lebanese army and help reform Lebanon as a state politically and economically. Right now you are playing right into the hands of Israel as usual. As long as Lebanon is a failed state economically and politically they are not a threat. In fact Israel has lived off the excuse of fighting "terrorists" as a cover to carpet bomb southern Lebanon. If they faced a unified Lebanese army composed of all its components with full international recognition - things would be different. The propaganda would work far less.

It cannot be explained other than them being trojan horses (leadership). One just needs to look at their fatal mistake of fighting Syrians for almost 10 years. Which destroyed their reputation and popularity in the Arab world completely. On behalf of the Iranian regime because they wanted to safe their Al-Assad tyrant. It is a joke.

How can a self-described Islamist movement (militant no less) support an anti-Muslim Nusayri secular tyrant next door that is engaging in mass murder of Muslims? How can such a group engage in widespread drug trade and drug production?

Say what you want about the Houthis but they are 1000 times smarter. Not to mention 1000 times more competent and 1000 times the fighters. However they have been severely compromised in the past 12 months as well. Which is one of the reasons, I believe, that they have kept out completely so far.
 
The Zionist entity claims that it destroyed 300 rocket launch platforms in a single strike!

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


1772617263869.png

1772617290645.png

It is amazing to see how many videos of bombardments of Iranian cities are actively cheered on by Iranians on the ground. Shows how unpopular their regime really is. I can't think of another war or conflict where locals would be doing that on such a large scale.

Now Trump has publicly stated that he will not allow any major disruption of maritime trade routes in the region or a energy war.

Same thing with China.

Now France is actively engaged and moving their sole aircraft carrier to the region.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


They are going to use Iraqi and Iranian Kurds against the regime:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


Likely KSA (RSAF) bombing Iraqi terrorist cult militias again.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


1772617916555.png
 
Last edited:
@_Arabia_

My friend, some of your posts about Iran are really inflammatory.

We are on the same side: we both want the mullah regime gone and a sanegovernment to take over and one that makes Iran a partner in trade and prosperity not war and misery.


So I dont understand why you feel the need to use an insulting tone in your posts.


Do you know that millions of Iranians support MBS and Saudi Arabia and would even prefer them over the mullah regime?


Dont pay attention to a few ''Iranians'' on this forum. Im not even sure they are Iranian.
They dont speak Persian and many seem to be South Asian supporters of the regime because of religious identity.


I suggest that Iranians and Arabs unite to remove the threat of this regime once and for all.


We Iranians support the Persian Gulf countries in taking firm action against the regimes military targets. I hope for a better future together.
 
Once this ends fifth columns, traitors and trash like this needs to be eliminated. Even Iraqis are calling for it.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


"This kind of trash is what rules Iraq, and this is the rotten traitor Hadi al-Amiri back in the days when he was killing Iraqis while in the service of Khomeini...So, has the time come for the scum to depart?"

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


Now Israel is going to carpet bomb all of Southern Lebanon due to the usual stupidity of the Hezbollah proxy cult.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


At one point you wonder, when do those clowns learn from their mistakes? It seems the answer is never.
 
Last edited:
Sorry, you would be angry too if KSA or any other Arab country had been attacking your country directly in recent days or for the past 47 years helped create disunity, division, terrorist cult proxies etc. Iran has been a huge cause for disunity, division, opportunistic meddling, holding the region down etc. I am not even going to mention events in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon etc.

Feelings and emotions are high. Many Arabs are sick and tired of the Iranian regime and their actions in the region. I am one of them.

We never had a problem with ordinary non-hostile Iranians regardless of their ethnic origin - whether Persian, Arab, Azeri, Baloch, Kurd, Turkmen, Lur, Afro-Iranains and the many other ethnic groups that call Iran their home.

Do not forget that GCC is hosting the largest regional Iranian diaspora. Or that there are deep and long-lasting (several millennia old) ties between Arabs of Eastern Arabia and Iraq next door and Southern Iranians in particular (homeland of Persians - Fars province). Millions of Arabs from our part of the world and Iranians have ancestry from both regions and groups of people.

My problem was always the Iranian regime policies and actions of it and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim Iranians who display hatred towards us. Otherwise I have no problem with any Iranian, whether Shia, Sunni, Atheist, Agnostic, nationalist, communists, liberal, secular, you name it.

BTW, there is no such thing as "Persian Gulf countries" anymore than Iran being a "Gulf of Oman" and "Arabian Sea" country. The countries that you are talking about are Arab countries of Eastern Arabia located on the Arabian Peninsula. KSA is not a "Khaliji" country either. We are 1.5 times the size of Iran and only a very small overall portion of our country is located in Eastern Arabia let alone speaks any Khaliji Arabic dialect.



Less than 1 million locals speak a Khaliji Arabic dialect (a dialect (s) also spoken in Southern coastal Iran btw).

Persian Gulf is a (before it was known as the Gulf of Dilmun, Sumer etc.) body of water that we share and whose longest coastline is composed of Arab countries. Even many Arabs in Iran live along this body of water. I do not understand the obsession about some Iranians to impose on us some ridiculous notion of "Persian Gulf countries". I look at this as a provocation similar to how Iranians would look at it, if we called you an "Arabian Sea country" or "Gulf of Oman country".

If you ask me this entire "Gulf" terminology must die. In particular those of us from KSA - in my case Hejaz which is closer to Cyprus, southeastern Turkiye (Hatay etc.), Jordan/Palestine/Israel/Syria (Southern Levant) next door, Egypt, Yemen etc.

This terminology (Khaliji Arabs) should be used exclusively for people from Southern Iraq, Kuwait, coastal Eastern province of KSA, UAE, Bahrain and northern Oman. Nobody else, really.

Anyway lastly you know that millions of Iranians are cheering for the downfall of the Iranian regime - yourself included. I have posted some videos from Iran where locals are cheering and cursing the regime while the country is getting bombed (regime targets mostly).

BTW, I do apologize if some of my posts have been inflammatory but they are aimed at the Iranian regime and also fueled by numerous trolls who are insulting Arabs out of nowhere even though Arabs, other than some claims of Qatar attacking Iran directly (who can blame them when they were attacked) as well as shooting down 2 Iranian Su-24 fighter jets, are not attacking Iran. In fact leadership constantly called for a stop to this war but it was the US and Israeli decision. Not our, yet we are blame for this.

Any way we will need many years, a new regime and much more people to people relations for this mistrust and at times dislike to end. I am sure it will because if you look at history, throughout most of it, Arabs and Iranians have lived peacefully next to each other.
No hard feelings. I have known you here for many years and you seem reasonable. To be honest there are many trolls here who do cause us to react sensitively sometimes.

About the other points you made, Id like to say that we should first focus on the downfall of the mullah regime. I want to kindly remind you: this is not an Iranian regime. It is a vile, sectarian, backward, nonIranian regime that is hellbent on imposing its ideology on the entire world, not only on Iran.


Normal Iranians dont export terror. Normal Iranians are educated people who would never chant 'death to' this or that.
The regime lost the support of the people a long time ago. Its only support inside Iran comes from a few million people (at most 5 out of 95 million). Many of them are older, uneducated, disabled, or living paycheck to paycheck, and some are just mercenaries.


Most of its support, however, comes from Shia supporters outside Iran, especially in South Asian countries such as Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. So please be mindful that most of the attacks on Arab countries (which many Iranians support for their modern vision) mainly come from the usual 'Khan' from Pakistan.


Its a regime that is more popular among non-Iranians than among Iranians.


We Iranians hope that whatever happens in the future, the entire region can grow hand in hand not that we end up in another war again in a few years, which has sadly become the norm in our region (also fueled by outsiders).


We need to break this backward mentality and surpass the West in a few decades, which I believe will happen at some point. The biggest obstacle to this is the Nazi regime occupying Iran (However, the wannabe sultan, Erdogan is also a problem. and a few other Arab countries such as Oman and Qatar) which needs to go before any peace can happen.
 
@Sarhang

I also once believed that it was only a small minority of Iranians that actually wholehearted supported their regime but it seems that this is not the ground reality entirely. You know Iran better than I do but as an outsider it seems very unlikely for me that a regime would be able to survive for almost 50 years if it had so few supporters. I am afraid that almost 50 years of brainwashing Iranians, regular hardship, imposed wars and conflicts, have had a big effect. The Iranian diaspora is an entirely different matter. Most left after 1979 or after the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988). Vast majority of them are anti-regime indeed.

Also foreign attacks tends to gather people together even if they are not supportive of the regime.

Honestly, as I wrote in this thread already, it is not for me to decide who and what regime should be ruling Iran (ideally that is a decision that only Iranians should make), but my firm belief is that if the Iranian regime had acted in a more rational manner and did not try to spread its revolution, Wilayat al-Faqih ideology, create numerous proxies, engage in opportunistic meddling in war torn/unstable regional countries, as well as if they had found a better balance in terms of the application of Shia Islam (their version of it) and in general been way more competent, many more Iranians, let alone the region, would be less hostile or negative towards them.

I don't know if you are a Muslim, I suspect not, but the Iranian regime has actually destroyed much of Islam within Iran. Many of their practices have very little to do with Islam. Their version of Shia Islam is almost more worried and obsessed about various historical events, "infallible" Imams, crying over events 1400 years ago, Husayniyyas etc. while they often miss the core of Islam which is monotheism and worship of Allah (swt) without any partners. They have taken the spirituality out of the religion and replaced it with cheap populism, politics etc.

There is a Sunni Persian based in the UK (EbnHussein1424) who exposes this in great detail. I believe the hatred that many Iranians have for Islam is rooted in the Mullah regime since 1979. Because even the Shah was a Muslim (just look at his name or his visits to KSA for Hajj and Umrah or the fact that he chose to be buried in Cairo) and Iran pre-1979 had a far healthier relationship with Islam and religion as a whole.

Many Iranians are very hostile towards Islam and religion as a whole which in my view is a big mistake because they are applying their personal experience with the Mullah regime (which is unlike any other in the Muslim world) and blame Islam for it.

I have never heard about Iranians based in the GCC complain about how Islam is applied there.

If you notice Tajiks (Sunni Muslim Persian speakers) - whether in Tajikistan (where religion at times is oppressed due to the current dictatorship there and USSR/communist legacy) or Afghanistan do not have this relationship with Islam. They are also less influenced by Arabs next door to the degree that their Persian has fewer Arabic loanwords. However I never see any hatred towards Arabs or Islam from them.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


I think it was a great mistake for the Safavids to convert Iran from Sunni Islam (Iran flourished intellectually when it was majority Sunni Muslim - all the most famous Iranian scholars were Sunni Muslims) to Shia Islam for geopolitical reasons. This occurred very bloodily btw. Some of the Sunni Persians (achomis) had to escape to Eastern Arabia from the massacres because they did not agree.



BTW it is not up to me what Iranians should believe it but it is a reality that for the majorityof Iran's existence as a state (2500 years roughly), Islam has been the main religion. This is also the main religion of all of its neighbors outside of tiny Armenia.

Therefore in my view it would be a geopolitical mistake for a future Iran to act hostile towards Islam and Muslims out of spite for their experience with the Mullah regime. Especially as a very large component of Iranians are still Muslim to various degrees, not to mention the Sunni Iranians who are way larger in numbers than officially reported given the much greater fertility rates of Baloch, Kurds, Arabs (many Arabs are also Shia, I know), Sunni Persians in the South etc.

Anyway I am only mentioning this because it would be interesting to hear an anti-Iranian regime Iranians opinion about some of the topics that I have raised in regards to Islam and religion.

Also because as future partners and allies that will hopefully move the region forward, as you wrote, we should try to understand each other and see how we view things and what our visions are. Of course none of us are monoliths - every person has his and her opinions.
 
Last edited:
No hard feelings. I have known you here for many years and you seem reasonable. To be honest there are many trolls here who do cause us to react sensitively sometimes.

About the other points you made, Id like to say that we should first focus on the downfall of the mullah regime. I want to kindly remind you: this is not an Iranian regime. It is a vile, sectarian, backward, nonIranian regime that is hellbent on imposing its ideology on the entire world, not only on Iran.


Normal Iranians dont export terror. Normal Iranians are educated people who would never chant 'death to' this or that.
The regime lost the support of the people a long time ago. Its only support inside Iran comes from a few million people (at most 5 out of 95 million). Many of them are older, uneducated, disabled, or living paycheck to paycheck, and some are just mercenaries.


Most of its support, however, comes from Shia supporters outside Iran, especially in South Asian countries such as Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. So please be mindful that most of the attacks on Arab countries (which many Iranians support for their modern vision) mainly come from the usual 'Khan' from Pakistan.


Its a regime that is more popular among non-Iranians than among Iranians.


We Iranians hope that whatever happens in the future, the entire region can grow hand in hand not that we end up in another war again in a few years, which has sadly become the norm in our region (also fueled by outsiders).


We need to break this backward mentality and surpass the West in a few decades, which I believe will happen at some point. The biggest obstacle to this is the Nazi regime occupying Iran (However, the wannabe sultan, Erdogan is also a problem. and a few other Arab countries such as Oman and Qatar) which needs to go before any peace can happen.
Did you seriously try to slip in a blame of Iran's intrigues against other Muslim countries on Pakistans 'Khans'? Iran has not been shy about claiming its victories against other muslim countries. Pakistan has at most 20 percent Shia, and do not lump them together with the Iranis. As much as they have a difference of opinion and frictions with the majority, they have never done anything to harm other muslim countries. They are our citizens and we will protect them from slander. I keep saying it, the Iranis need to take responsibility for their intrigues without trying to entrap the Pakistanis in it.

Pakistan has been involved in protecting many muslim states in the world.

1970 September uprising in Jordan
1970 Dhofar Rebllion in Oman
1973 was Egyptian air support
1979 Grand mosque SSG deployment
2011 uprising in Bahrain retired personal deployment as security
Azerbaijan more recently
Much of UAEs military leadership has been trained by Pakistan - the current naval chief is trained in Karachi.

The list can go on.
 
@Sarhang

I also once believed that it was only a small minority of Iranians that actually wholehearted supported their regime but it seems that this is not the ground reality entirely. You know Iran better than I do but as an outsider it seems very unlikely for me that a regime would be able to survive for almost 50 years if it had so few supporters. I am afraid that almost 50 years of brainwashing Iranians, regular hardship, imposed wars and conflicts, have had a big effect. The Iranian diaspora is an entirely different matter. Most left after 1979 or after the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988). Vast majority of them are anti-regime indeed.

Also foreign attacks tends to gather people together even if they are not supportive of the regime.

Honestly, as I wrote in this thread already, it is not for me to decide who and what regime should be ruling Iran (ideally that is a decision that only Iranians should make), but my firm belief is that if the Iranian regime had acted in a more rational manner and did not try to spread its revolution, Wilayat al-Faqih ideology, create numerous proxies, engage in opportunistic meddling in war torn/unstable regional countries, as well as if they had found a better balance in terms of the application of Shia Islam (their version of it) and in general been way more competent, many more Iranians, let alone the region, would be less hostile or negative towards them.

I don't know if you are a Muslim, I suspect not, but the Iranian regime has actually destroyed much of Islam within Iran. Many of their practices have very little to do with Islam. Their version of Shia Islam is almost more worried and obsessed about various historical events, "infallible" Imams, crying over events 1400 years ago, Husayniyyas etc. while they often miss the core of Islam which is monotheism and worship of Allah (swt) without any partners. They have taken the spirituality out of the religion and replaced it with cheap populism, politics etc.

There is a Sunni Persian based in the UK (EbnHussein1424) who exposes this in great detail. I believe the hatred that many Iranians have for Islam is rooted in the Mullah regime since 1979. Because even the Shah was a Muslim (just look at his name or his visits to KSA for Hajj and Umrah or the fact that he chose to be buried in Cairo) and Iran pre-1979 had a far healthier relationship with Islam and religion as a whole.

Many Iranians are very hostile towards Islam and religion as a whole which in my view is a big mistake because they are applying their personal experience with the Mullah regime (which is unlike any other in the Muslim world) and blame Islam for it.

I have never heard about Iranians based in the GCC complain about how Islam is applied there.

If you notice Tajiks (Sunni Muslim Persian speakers) - whether in Tajikistan (where religion at times is oppressed due to the current dictatorship there and USSR/communist legacy) or Afghanistan do not have this relationship with Islam. They are also less influenced by Arabs next door to the degree that their Persian has fewer Arabic loanwords. However I never see any hatred towards Arabs or Islam from them.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


I think it was a great mistake for the Safavids to convert Iran from Sunni Islam (Iran flourished intellectually when it was majority Sunni Muslim - all the most famous Iranian scholars were Sunni Muslims) to Shia Islam for geopolitical reasons. This occurred very bloodily btw. Some of the Sunni Persians (achomis) had to escape to Eastern Arabia from the massacres because they did not agree.



BTW it is not up to me what Iranians should believe it but it is a reality that for the majorityof Iran's existence as a state (2500 years roughly), Islam has been the main religion. This is also the main religion of all of its neighbors outside of tiny Armenia.

Therefore in my view it would be a geopolitical mistake for a future Iran to act hostile towards Islam and Muslims out of spite for their experience with the Mullah regime. Especially as a very large component of Iranians are still Muslim to various degrees, not to mention the Sunni Iranians who are way larger in numbers than officially reported given the much greater fertility rates of Baloch, Kurds, Arabs (many Arabs are also Shia, I know), Sunni Persians in the South etc.

Anyway I am only mentioning this because it would be interesting to hear an anti-Iranian regime Iranians opinion about some of the topics that I have raised in regards to Islam and religion.

Also because as future partners and allies that will hopefully move the region forward, as you wrote, we should try to understand each other and see how we view things and what our visions are. Of course none of us are monoliths - every person has his and her opinions.

Friend,
You touch on some important points. I think we have discussed this before but I want to clarify a bit further so you understand our POV better.


The struggle of the average Iranian today is not with Islam. Its with a fascist regime, a cult occupying an entire nation and justifying everything it does in the name of Islam.


You write against them? Then you are a mohareb according to the cult, and you deserve execution. You complain about something trivial in the country? Then you are a mohareb again..still punishable by death in their logic.
So when you hear anti Islam remarks from Iranians nowadays, its usually directed at the occupying mullah regime not Islam itself.


Iranians also dont even know what a genuinely normal Islamic governance would look like because what they have lived under for decades is a politicized, weaponized version of religion.

Under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, people practiced religion in a different atmosphere more freely and more peacefully. Many people felt they could be Muslims without fear, and society functioned with more normalcy. Later, people called for Islamic rule and ended up with Khomeini’s system. Now, after almost 50 years under this cult like rule, some people have become so angry and alienated that they resort to extreme actions like burning mosques or Qurans.


What does that tell you?


Its not complicated: hatred toward religion is being manufactured. Its created by an illegitimate regime that has justified every crime under the name of Islam.


I suspect that once this regime is gone, many people will regain their faith or at least stop associating Islam with oppression.


Regarding support for the mullah regime: Iran has never had real freedom to protest or freedom of assembly under this system. They only allow demonstrations when it supports them. Despite the fact that protesting is effectively illegal and despite the real risk of imprisonment, being shot at, torture, and other horrific inhumane abuses people still show up in huge numbers across the country.


If tomorrow they announced that protests were truly free tens of millions would come out and demand the immediate removal of this criminal regime.


And honestly, I was being generous when I said 5 million are pro mullah. I believe the real number is closer to 1–2 million at most, mainly consisting of the regime itself, their families, and close supporters (not ordinary religious people who are not affiliated with the regime.)


I suspect you dont speak Persian but if you watch Persian language videos about MBS/Saudi Arabia, you will see many Iranians expressing support for Saudi Arabia and the young Crown Prince. This is the kind of modernization and forward looking development many Iranians envision for Iran as well. We were on the right track decades ago, and then the country was hijacked.


This isnt a joke. It can happen to any country, and it can devastate a nation as you are witnessing.

To conclude: no we are not against Islam. We just dont want a distorted version of religion imposed on us. A tolerant version of religion like many people remember from the late Shahs era is what we can live with and what is supposed to be like.


The Islamic Republic is extremely unpopular among Iranians and much of its ideological support comes from foreigners.
 
Did you seriously try to slip in a blame of Iran's intrigues against other Muslim countries on Pakistans 'Khans'? Iran has not been shy about claiming its victories against other muslim countries. Pakistan has at most 20 percent Shia, and do not lump them together with the Iranis. As much as they have a difference of opinion and frictions with the majority, they have never done anything to harm other muslim countries. They are our citizens and we will protect them from slander. I keep saying it, the Iranis need to take responsibility for their intrigues without trying to entrap the Pakistanis in it.

Pakistan has been involved in protecting many muslim states in the world.

1970 September uprising in Jordan
1970 Dhofar Rebllion in Oman
1973 was Egyptian air support
1979 Grand mosque SSG deployment
2011 uprising in Bahrain retired personal deployment as security
Azerbaijan more recently
Much of UAEs military leadership has been trained by Pakistan - the current naval chief is trained in Karachi.

The list can go on.
Then do a better job of protecting your citizens from being used as cannon fodder or mercenaries for regimes like the mullahs. Many Pakistani Shias have been used by the mullah regime and Pakistan did not do much about it.

What steps has the Pakistani state taken to bring back those who were used in mercenary armies? And what steps has it taken to prevent this from happening again?

Other than this issue i have no interest in talking about Pakistan. Just prevent your people from enrolling in the mullahs forces or becoming propaganda assets for them.
 
Then do a better job of protecting your citizens from being used as cannon fodder or mercenaries for regimes like the mullahs. Many Pakistani Shias have been used by the mullah regime and Pakistan did not do much about it.

What steps has the Pakistani state taken to bring back those who were used in mercenary armies? And what steps has it taken to prevent this from happening again?

Other than this issue i have no interest in talking about Pakistan. Just prevent your people from enrolling in the mullahs forces or becoming propaganda assets for them.
I have to agree with you about one thing. There are a lot of Pakistanis here, especially based in the West, UK primarily, from what I have seen, who are really hateful and ignorant about events not only in the Arab world but also Iran. Many of the insults derive from those people indeed. However we should not brush an entire population of over 200 million people with this overall small minority - but it is indeed very annoying behavior.
Friend,
You touch on some important points. I think we have discussed this before but I want to clarify a bit further so you understand our POV better.


The struggle of the average Iranian today is not with Islam. Its with a fascist regime, a cult occupying an entire nation and justifying everything it does in the name of Islam.


You write against them? Then you are a mohareb according to the cult, and you deserve execution. You complain about something trivial in the country? Then you are a mohareb again..still punishable by death in their logic.
So when you hear anti Islam remarks from Iranians nowadays, its usually directed at the occupying mullah regime not Islam itself.


Iranians also dont even know what a genuinely normal Islamic governance would look like because what they have lived under for decades is a politicized, weaponized version of religion.

Under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, people practiced religion in a different atmosphere more freely and more peacefully. Many people felt they could be Muslims without fear, and society functioned with more normalcy. Later, people called for Islamic rule and ended up with Khomeini’s system. Now, after almost 50 years under this cult like rule, some people have become so angry and alienated that they resort to extreme actions like burning mosques or Qurans.


What does that tell you?


Its not complicated: hatred toward religion is being manufactured. Its created by an illegitimate regime that has justified every crime under the name of Islam.


I suspect that once this regime is gone, many people will regain their faith or at least stop associating Islam with oppression.


Regarding support for the mullah regime: Iran has never had real freedom to protest or freedom of assembly under this system. They only allow demonstrations when it supports them. Despite the fact that protesting is effectively illegal and despite the real risk of imprisonment, being shot at, torture, and other horrific inhumane abuses people still show up in huge numbers across the country.


If tomorrow they announced that protests were truly free tens of millions would come out and demand the immediate removal of this criminal regime.


And honestly, I was being generous when I said 5 million are pro mullah. I believe the real number is closer to 1–2 million at most, mainly consisting of the regime itself, their families, and close supporters (not ordinary religious people who are not affiliated with the regime.)


I suspect you dont speak Persian but if you watch Persian language videos about MBS/Saudi Arabia, you will see many Iranians expressing support for Saudi Arabia and the young Crown Prince. This is the kind of modernization and forward looking development many Iranians envision for Iran as well. We were on the right track decades ago, and then the country was hijacked.


This isnt a joke. It can happen to any country, and it can devastate a nation as you are witnessing.

To conclude: no we are not against Islam. We just dont want a distorted version of religion imposed on us. A tolerant version of religion like many people remember from the late Shahs era is what we can live with and what is supposed to be like.


The Islamic Republic is extremely unpopular among Iranians and much of its ideological support comes from foreigners.
I agree with most of what you have written, and I also believe that it corresponds to the reality on the ground in Iran. You also seem to agree with many of my points.

However it would be interesting to hear your views about the forceful and bloody Safavid conversion from Sunni to Shia Islam in Iran.


Based on Islamic history it seems obvious to me that Sunni Islam fitted more with the Persian soul and core beliefs than what latter followed.

I have even seen Zoroastrian historians and Sunni Persian scholars and historians talk about this. I think that even numerous books have been written about this topic by Iranians.

It is interesting to think about because I believe that the entire dynamic in the region and history would have been drastically different.

Anyway I admire the Iranian Sunnis greatly and I am interested in them. Also because we tend to have close relations with them - modern day as well as historical.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


PERSIAN SUNNI DA'WAH, SHI'ISM & IRAN

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: THE HISTORY OF ISMAIL SAFAVI BY DR. KHONJI​

11/04/2024 ADMIN
Dr. Amir Hussein Khonji, may Allah have mercy upon him.

‘The History of Ismail Safavi – The Bringers of Shiism’ (Persian: تاریخ شاه اسماعیل صفوی – ارمغان آوران تشیع) is a scholarly work authored by historian Dr. Hussein Khonji, hailing from Hormozgan, Iran, from the town on Khonj. This comprehensive piece delves into the history of the anti-Sunni Iranian Safavid dynasty (16th – 18th CE), shedding light on their nefarious deeds and numerous atrocities perpetrated against Iranians, particularly Persian Sunnis who bore the brunt of the Safavid regime’s oppression.

Providing primary historical accounts, the book stands as a vital piece of literature. Unfortunately, the book has not been translated into English (here is an alternative book in English); however, an Arabic version exists.

Original Persian version:


Arabic translation:


This is an in-depth historical study of the life and actions of the first Safavid king, Ismail I, as well as the consequences of Safavid rule in Iran. The author’s aim is to thoroughly examine the impact of Ismail’s ideas and actions, as well as those of his associates, on Iran’s historical path and to analyse their outcomes. To achieve this objective, the author places particular emphasis on the psychological aspects of the individuals involved.

Dr. Khonji’s book on the Safavids should be made primary literature in every advanced Islamic course and university in the Muslim world since the crimes of Shiism against Sunnis in Iran are too often brushed under the carpet by Shia clerics and Iranian nationalists (who interestingly are both united in their veneration of Ismail I) alike.

This is why most Iranians are not even aware of the crimes of the Safavids, as they are exposed to whitewashed and glorified narratives about the Safavids. While Shia clerics in Iran venerate Ismail I for his championing of Shiism (ruthless suppression of Sunnism), and Iranian nationalists applaud him for his perceived ‘unification’ of Iran, Dr. Khonji offers a more nuanced and critical perspective on this tumultuous period in Iranian history and leaves no room for doubt about the heretical and criminal nature of the Safavid dynasty, primarily Ismail I.

Khonji’s book stands as a pinnacle in unveiling the gruesome saga of the Safavid state’s rise to power, illustrating its ruthless tactics in converting Sunni Iran into a blood-soaked Safavid domain, where the massacre and annihilation of (one million innocent Sunnis) stain its history! Within its pages lie irrefutable evidence and meticulously verified historical accounts!

It is for that reason why it is easier to get hold of Reza Khan or his sons’ biography in Iran, where they are portrayed favorably, than the book by Dr. Khonji. Dr. Khonji’s work simply exposes the truth, unveiling those who forcibly converted much of Iran to Shiism and their ideological heirs, the Shia clergy who have been ruining Iran since the dawn of the Safavids.


This is old history but this event is indirectly what put the current Mullah's in power and indirectly fueled the widespread influence the Mullah's and Shia clergy in Iran have enjoyed since this Safavid policy.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 

Attachments

  • 1772630877573.png
    1772630877573.png
    616.2 KB · Views: 2
  • 1772630912132.png
    1772630912132.png
    205.2 KB · Views: 2
Last edited:
Then do a better job of protecting your citizens from being used as cannon fodder or mercenaries for regimes like the mullahs. Many Pakistani Shias have been used by the mullah regime and Pakistan did not do much about it.

What steps has the Pakistani state taken to bring back those who were used in mercenary armies? And what steps has it taken to prevent this from happening again?

Other than this issue i have no interest in talking about Pakistan. Just prevent your people from enrolling in the mullahs forces or becoming propaganda assets for them.
Again, sentimental people are not the same as militants. If you think labeling people who simply disagree with your opinion are militants it explains a lot about the current state of Iran. You can continue to try and misrepresent things for your agenda if you like. We all know the proxies all come from Iran.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top