Anthony Cartalucci wrote to Payman Yazdani of Mehr News International Service in an email interview about the recent and second letter by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to youth in Europe and the US, where he said the letter contributed to an environment which would make public alert, who otherwise would only watch passively their fellow governments’ nebulous acts in sponsoring terrorism. Cartalucci also believed that the West had shifted the blame to Islam and Islamic countries, since they saw clearly the backlash of their own act in arming atrocious terrorists in Islamic lands:
In his second letter to western youth, Ayatollah Khamenei has talked about the terrorism and its roots. What is the significance of this issue?
To solve any problem, one must first understand it fully. The problem of terrorism has long been poorly understood by the majority of the Western public, and even policymakers. Their inability to grasp the true roots of terrorism have allowed it to flourish indefinitely.
For most in the West, the reality that special interests in their own governments have created and perpetuated terrorism intentionally as a geopolitical tool is incomprehensible. Unfortunately, it is also the truth and until they grasp that, those behind the terrorism will have a carte blanche to continue using it both at home and abroad, as a proxy force of violence, and as a tool to create fear and coercion.
The wars, instability, growing domestic police states, distrust among nations, and even within nations, among citizens, refugee crises, and others all are wrought from the use of terrorism as a geopolitical tool. Thus, it is at work within the heart of some of the most pressing issues of our time.
The Leader has emphasized in his message that Islam is the religion of peace; why do some try to introduce Islam as the religion of violence?
The majority who claim Islam is a religion of violence are merely repeating witlessly propaganda they themselves heard. The source of this propaganda are the same interests which themselves are driving the violence - particularly the state sponsors of terrorism, the United States, their Persian Gulf allies, NATO, and others.
By blaming Islam and appealing to both ignorance and bigotry which are still deeply rooted in Western culture, these very interests feeding the violence can deflect blame onto others - in this case, Muslim nations and peoples. By appealing to ideology, rationality, history, geopolitics, and critical thinking can be side-stepped and emotional responses can easily be elicited.
Why would some try to make connections between Islam and terrorism after any terrorist act happening around the world?
Again, it is a matter of deflecting responsibility by those who are actually driving terrorism. The recent attacks in Paris were carried out by terrorists the United States and its closest regional allies have been arming, training, funding, and harboring for years now. All of the attackers were well known to Western intelligence agencies. By all indications, this attack should have been easily foiled by Western security agencies, but it was not.
Conveniently, it was carried out on the eve of the Vienna talks on Syria, and just as the West's agenda in Syria began unraveling in the face of a joint Syrian-Russian-Iranian alliance. Some would say this was a little "too convenient." Blaming the attacks on Islam is the best way to appeal to people's emotions directly, and hopefully overwhelm their ability to critically think and ask just who really benefited from the conveniently-timed attacks and why, again, Western security agencies knew of the attackers beforehand but made no attempts to stop them from carrying out their horrific acts of violence.
What is the importance of this letter at this juncture?
The importance of this letter is that it adds to a growing body of evidence and voices around the world speaking up and confronting state sponsors of global terrorism. The constant efforts of those who know the truth to inform those who yet do not, is having a gradual effect on the special interests driving global terrorism. No longer are they able to act with impunity. No longer are their attacks carried out without many, if not a majority, suspecting the governments in the West at least as equally as shadowy terrorist organizations.
It is important for this process, this dialogue to continue, to speak to the truth with every opportunity and in every format, so that as people begin to see the truth for themselves, they can also take note of who has been saying it all along.
Interview: Payman Yazdani