Arabs Growing Concerned for Iraq’s Survival

After a week of heavy bombing by U.S. and coalition warplanes, the survival of Iraq has begun to replace the liberation of Kuwait as the focus of Arab reaction--and growing anger.

While word of 15,000 allied sorties plays well in U.S. and European nations, the specter of a relentless blitzkrieg on Iraqi cities is galvanizing increasing anti-Americanism and threatening to undermine governments, including some members of the 31-nation coalition.

“The fate of Iraq is becoming an increasingly emotional issue, even among people who don’t support (Iraqi President) Saddam (Hussein),” a U.S. official conceded.

“The nature of the attack is now making Iraq more visible than Saddam as the issue in these countries. People are becoming as concerned about saving Iraq as liberating Kuwait,” said Clovis Maksoud, former Arab League representative to the United Nations and the United States.

Anti-Americanism was strong in the region before the Persian Gulf crisis, and the Bush Administration had always assumed that a military conflict would intensify that feeling. Indeed, U.S. officials were openly surprised by the absence of Arab reaction during the war’s first days.

But the surge of alarm and anger is stirring new concern about the long-term consequences of the war and the U.S.-orchestrated coalition.

Rep. Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East, warned Thursday that the U.S. bombardment is polarizing the Arab world and fueling Muslim fundamentalism.

“Many Arabs apparently see us as crusaders and as acting for Israel. They do not see us implementing U.N. resolutions but exercising American power to protect American interests,” he said.

Over the last three days, prominent Muslim clerics from both the Sunni and Shiite worlds, including some long opposed to Iraq’s secular rule and its harsh treatment of its majority Shiite community, have called for a jihad, or holy war, against the U.S.-orchestrated coalition.

Since the Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait, Hussein has repeatedly tried to mobilize devout Muslims but with virtually no success until this week. Throughout his secular 12-year rule, Hussein has been notoriously ruthless with Iraqi fundamentalists, particularly among Iraq’s Shiite majority, which has fueled a deep distrust. Moreover, his war with Iran was aimed largely at stemming the Muslim tide.

But the bombardment of Iraq appears to be turning former foes into de facto allies.

In Lebanon, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, spiritual mentor of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, this week called for support of a holy war against allied forces. The move marked a major change for a Muslim leader who had condemned Baghdad for the execution or persecution of his former Shiite instructors and colleagues in Iraq, where Fadlallah trained.

The mufti of Jerusalem, Sheik Saadeddin Alami, also called for a jihad, specifically against the United States, which he described as the “No. 1 enemy” of Islam and Muslims. He then urged a boycott of all U.S.-made goods.

In Algeria, Sheik Ali Bel Haj of the Islamic Salvation Front, which last year swept regional and municipal elections, also demanded a holy war and the formation of camps for volunteers to fight in Iraq. At least 40,000 have turned out for two mass Salvation Front demonstrations this week.

“Throughout North Africa, public opinion has been openly pro-Iraqi,” said a U.S. government analyst. “Morocco has banned demonstrations, but the press is very pro-Iraqi for a country with troops deployed with the coalition.”

In Egypt, leftists and Muslim fundamentalists have this week called for their country to withdraw its troops from the Persian Gulf.

In Jordan, Sheik Assad Bayoud Tamimi, spiritual leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, issued a fatwa , or religious edict, for a holy war. It called for suicide attacks against countries participating in the multinational force, including Western nations and Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria. The sheik declared that fatal attacks would begin in “the next few days.”