Unification of the
Arabian peoples is a key Shi’i Arab interest because of the
moral imperative to liberate the Shi’i Arabs of al-Hasa
along with Islamic holy cities. This can only be achieved if
patriotic and pro-democratic Shi’i and Sunni Arabs join
hands against neighbouring totalitarian regimes and must be
done in a manner that is consistent with and sensitive to
Shi’i Arab interests. A Jordanian-Iraqi merger consistent
with democratic interests would be the first step in such a
process. Israel has in the past handed over control of al-Aqsa
mosque to the government of Jordan and would have no problem
doing so once more.
The most appropriate way to resolve this issue is through
Arabic-language federalism on the model of federal Germany.
This means that Shi’i federal subjects would run their own
affairs in most matters. The federal government under the
guidance of King Abdullah II would intervene in the event of
serious attempts to impose Taliban-style forms of regional
government and this would protect the interests of Shi'is
and others. The status quo for the Shi’is of Iraq would
essentially be retained as far as self-determination is
concerned and the process of democratization would be
continued. This model means that comprehensive
democratization would first happen on the level of federal
subjects and later on the federal level.
Druze, Alawi and Shi’i regions would need to have more
autonomy than other federal subjects. Such regional
governments should even have the right to limit migration
into their federal subjects on the basis of the Åland model.
Gulf emirates could opt for confederation with this
unified state on a purely voluntary basis. The Maronite
region would not be part of the Arabian state as its
national heritage language is Aramaic and Lebanon would
be consensually reduced to its original proportions. It is
true that Jordanian authorities have in the past made
unhelpful comments regarding Shi’i Arabs and dialogue
between denominations and religions would be an important
dimension of Arabian unification. Linguistic states and
federalism are interests shared by Kurds (many of whom are
Shi'is) and Arabs along with other peoples of the region.
The liberation of Arabistan (Khuzestan) and other Arab
regions on the northern coast of the Arabian
(Persian) Gulf is an achievable key Arab interest.
http://democraticinterests.blog.com/2329478/
