Peace in the Gulf Conference (1990)
Following Saddam Hussein’s Invasion of Kuwait, Iraq was firmly in the crosshairs of the United Statess military. Whilst Ustadh Salem Azzam had stood against the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq War and in regard to the Halabja Massacre in 1988, he had firmly believed in Islamic Unity. Therefore, Ustadh Salem Azzam took a firm stance against the division of Muslim nations in the Gulf and the use of the Arabian Peninsula as an American Imperialist base wherefrom attacks against Muslim nations could be launched.
Sections
Introduction
Ustadh Salem Azzam had been consistently concerned about the unity of the Muslim Ummah and when Iran and Iraq fell into war, he suggested a conference be held in Mecca and even travelled to Saudi Arabia meeting with King Fahd. The King was reluctant citing the Ulama as an obstruction to siding with Iran and thus Ustadh Salem Azzam met with Sheikh Abd Al Aziz Bin Baz the late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia about this war. On the other side of the spectrum the Iranians refused to attend any conference without the expressed apology of the Iraqis. Imam Khomeini would later reportedly lament the fact they had not heard the advice of Ustadh Salem just two weeks prior.
Therefore, when the flames of war were ignited again and this time meant an onslaught on the Muslim nation of Iraq, Ustadh Salem was deeply troubled especially due to the fact that it was with the backing of the United States whom he deemed to be an enemy to the interests of the Muslim Ummah. Thus, 1990 a conference was convened in Amman, Jordan with the belief that disagreements between brotherly Muslim nations should be resolved via peaceful means instead of conflict which could be exploited by the enemies of Islam for their own sinister ends.
The conference was to be opened the King of Jordan, Husain bin Talal and was attended by a plethora of speakers from across the Islamic world. These included former President of Algeria, Ahmed Ben Bella, former Prime Minister of Turkey Necmettin Erbakan, Afghan Mujahid Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood al Murshid Muhammad Hamid Abul Nasr, Sheikh Rached Al Ghannouchi, Sheikh Hassan al Turabi of Sudan, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) as well as others.
Whilst Ustadh Salem Azzam had resigned from being Ambassador for Saudi Arabia some 10 years prior in 1980 due to his desire to serve the Dawah more independently and disagreeing with the regime politically he had relations with the Saudi Royal family. This was both through his Islamic and Diplomatic career but also due to the fact that Muhammad Al Faisal (son of the late King Faisal who supported the Islamic Council) had married into the Azzam family. Ustadh Salem Azzam wrote three times to the late King Fahd imploring him not to allow Saudi Arabia to become a base from which a fellow Muslim country would be attacked by the Americans and also telephoned him personally about this. He further wrote to his personal friend then prince Salman (who would later become the current King Salman) likewise attempting to influence a change in policy.
This episode highlights profoundly the proactive nature of Ustadh Salem Azzam as well as his deep and sincere concern for the unity of the Muslim Ummah.
