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Pt|i 2 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE February 16, 197*
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Expert opinion
Iranian repercussions
pose threat to free world
by Yitzhak Sharpl
TEL AVIV (JTA)—The
emergence of Islamic militancy as
a political force in Iran and
possibly other Moslem countries
poses a threat not only to Israel
and the Middle East but ultimately
to American interests and the
entire Western world, according to
a group of Israeli social scientists
and experts on Middle Eastern
affairs at Tel Aviv University.
The current moves to establish
an Islamic republic in Iran and its
repercussions were the subjects of
discussion at a symposium on
current events at the university.
Prof. Shimon Shamir, head of the
department of Middle Eastern and
African history, warned that the
winds of Islamic fanaticism may
blow all the way from Iran to
Morocco.
Islam is not inherently in
conflict with Israel or Judaism
and, in fact, they have much in
common culturally. But the brand
of IslamK militancy that has
emerged in Iran has taken a
decidedly anti-Jewish, anti-Israel
turn, he said.
The discussants attributed these
developments m Iran and other
countries of the region to the shock
of exposure to Western culture by
societies that had remained static
for many centuries and the
attendant shattering of traditional
structures without any new, strong
framework to replace them.
Prof. Haim Shaked of the
university’s Shiloah Institute of
Middle Eastern Affairs noted the
conflict between the traditional
Islamic tribal family that was not
only biological but a working
machine and military unit, and the
smaller modem biological family
common to the West.
The participants in the
symposium agreed that the fields
of science and technology lack
social status in Arab countries.
They maintained that despite the
recent increase of university
students in those countries, they
consume to lag in science and
technology. Countries like oil-rich
Saudi Arabia bring in Western
experts who create friction with
Islamic values, the panelists said.
They agreed that on the political
level, both Communism and
capitalism are perceived by
Moslem Arabs as agents of
Western materialism, opposed to
Islam which offers spiritual as well
as secular guidance. Nevertheless,
the experts outlined one scenario
that would have an Islamic
republic in Iran form a coalition
with the Soviet Union, Iraq and
the Palestine Liberation
Organization.
That alliance would probably
command the support of Syria,
South Yemen, Libya, Ethiopia,
and possibly Somalia and would
threaten not only Israel but the
Hashemite kingdom in Jordan,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Arab
Emirates on the Persian Gulf and
Egypt, and would constitute a major
blow to vital American and West
European interests in the region.
The question remains, the experts
said, if radical Islam can rally the
necessary support and sufficient
momentum to realize its political
aims and impose Islamic law on
every aspect of life in a country like
Iran.
Retired general foresees
‘Hitler in turban’ in Iran
PALM BEACH. FL.—Retired
Lt. Gen. Daniel O. Graham,
former head of the Defense
Intelligence Agency, described the
turmoil in Iran as a disaster for
United States' strategic interests,
adding that he expected to see that
mid-Eastern state “led by a Hitler
in a turban."
Graham, cochairman of the
Coalition for Peace Through
Strength, whose membership
includes 180 congressmen and 17$
retired generals and admirals,
spoke to the national executive
committee of the Anti-Defamation
League of B'nai B’rith in Palm
Beach.
He predicted a second
revolution in Iran within two years
in which a PLO-type organization
will overthrow the rigid secular
regime and further expand the
Soviet ring of steel in the Middle
East which now includes Syria,
Iraq, Ethiopia. Afghanistan,
South Yemen, as well as its Indian
Ocean Fleets. “With the collapse of
Iran, and with Turkey and
Pakistan suffering from serious
internal difficulties," he said, “the
buffer against direct Soviet access
to the area is crumbling."
With the loss of Iran and its
sophisticated weaponry, the
United States, he warned, must
now face the clear reality that its
only stable ally with military clout
in the region is Israel.
“Our interest in Israel is not just
a matter of moral commitment,"
he said, “but is essential to our
security.”
He hoped the Arab states and
Israel would moderate their
animosity toward each other in the
face of a common enemy.
“If the Persian gulf states fall
and the Soviets manipulate the oil-
producing countries," he went on,
“we will face a situation where
Europe and Japan, who receive the
bulk of their oil from this area, will
sell out Israel and will try to
prevent the U.S. from assisting
her.”
He concluded: “If Israel goes
down, the U.S. and the West will
go down. Our destinies are
intertwined."
The Impact of the Arabs
A four-session satellite course of The Atlanta Bureau of Jewish Education
DATE
Feb. 20
Feb. 27
Mar. 6
Mar 13
TIME
DATES
PLACE
FEE ...
COURSE SCHEDULE PRESENTOR
Arab Influence in America Ira Silverman. Director
Special Protects. American Jewish Committee
Editor: “Retro Impact"
The Arab Middle East William A. Qralnick
A Survey of the Principal Arab Nations Southeaatern Regional Director
American Jewish Committee
The Arab Mind, Part 1 Honorable Yuval Ktetser
Israeli Consul lor Public Information
The Arab Mind, Part II a Discussion Group
led by Ms. Gail Evans
Tuesday, 8 - *3# p.ia.
Feb. 26, Feb. 27, Mar. 6, Mar. 13
Atlanta Jewish Community Center—Teen Loage
<f°t all 4 sessions) SI.M (individual session)
A small charge will be made for study materials.
Make checks payable to Brandeis University Women's Committee
Co-Sponsors: The American Jewish Committee— Atlanta Chapter and Brandeis University
National Women's Committee -Atlanta chapter