Late last week, Saudi Arabia's MBC channel broadcast a program openly insulting Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a prominent figure in the Iraqi resistance. This Saudi channel, while ignoring al-Muhandis’ long history of fighting in the resistance front, shamelessly labeled him a terrorist!
However, this vile insolence did not go unanswered by various segments of Iraq. The Iraqi parliament was quick to call for the immediate closure of the MBC office in Iraq. Following that, the Iraqi parliament's Communications and Information Commission called for the closure of the Saudi MBC office, saying that this Saudi channel has become a platform for insulting and disrespecting Iraqi personalities, and now it has dared to insult a notable resistance fighter.
The Commission went on to describe Martyr al-Muhandis as someone who had sacrificed his life in the fight against Saddam's regime, ISIL terrorists, and occupying forces in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Hassan Salam, a member of the ‘Sadeghun’ parliamentary faction, stressed that the National Communications and Media Commission of Iraq (NCMC) must act against the Saudi-owned MBC by shutting down its channel HQ in Iraq.
He went on to add that MBC was in fact a seditious and takfiri channel and a sponsor of terrorism. “MBC has not given up on supporting terrorism, and by broadcasting its corrupt programs, it seeks to trample on all red lines and insult the reverent status of martyrs. This channel has insulted Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,” he said.
Furthermore, the office of Falih Al-Fayyadh, chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU), announced that it has lodged a complaint against the Saudi channel for insulting the martyr of resistance.
The fact of the matter is that today, MBC has become one of the main arms of Saudi Arabia’s hostile policies. The channel takes overt measures to lead the public opinion towards Riyadh's policies regarding regional countries, from Palestine to Iraq.
However, in this particular case, the Iraqi people responded decisively to MBC’s insolence. They staged massive anti-Saudi protests in Baghdad while carrying pictures of Martyr al-Muhandis, calling for the immediate closure of the channel’s HQ in their country.
There are various reasons and factors behind MBC’s insolence, the most important of which is Riyadh's anger over the recent series of developments in Iraq. The truth is that the formation of a new Iraqi government headed by Mustafa al-Kazemi was not to the liking of the Saudis, prompting them to seek to incite sedition Iraq. Saudi Arabia believes that the formation of the Iraqi government with a Shia majority has blocked its way of causing chaos and insecurity in that country.
On the other hand, Riyadh's top leaders are outraged by PMU’s series of achievements in the fight against ISIL's hidden nuclei in various parts of Iraq. The reality is that in recent weeks, the Popular Mobilization Resistance forces have struck heavy blows against the remaining takfiri elements in Al Anbar, Saladin and Nineveh by carrying out a series of operations codenamed ‘Lions of the Desert’, ‘Lions of the Island’, ‘Ramadan I and II’, and etc.
The realization of such valuable achievements has promoted the Saudi leaders to order their insolent MBC channel to insult Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, which is known as the symbol of resistance in Iraq.
Furthermore, it appears that Saudi Arabia, through such policies, is seeking sedition to undermine the newly-established government in Iraq in a bid to plunge the country into a new phase of turmoil.
As one of the main and fundamental missions facing Mustafa Al-Kadhimi as Iraq's new prime minister is to pave the way for early parliamentary elections, Saudi leaders have been making every effort to disrupt this mission and prevent Iraq from reaching the shores of stability, peace, and ultimate tranquility.
With all that said, it seems that MBC has failed to achieve its goals in Iraq by insulting the symbol of resistance, and the reason for the failure is that only a few days after the insolent remarks, the Iraqi prime minister paid a visit to the PMU’s HQ and wore the forces’ uniform in a highly symbolic gesture. Regarding this, Ahmad Al Kanani, a member of the Fat’h coalition in the Iraqi parliament, said: “those who sought to create division between Al-Kadhimi and Hashd al-Sha'abi (PMU) have failed in their attempt.”
He further added, “some foreign sides sought to cause problems and create division between the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces and Hashd al-Sha'abi, but they made a strategic mistake. Hashd al-Sha'abi, like other security organizations, foiled all attempts to partition Iraq. Accordingly, the seditious attempt by the Saudi-owned MBC channel also faced the same fate.”
By Ramin Hossein Abadian
MNA/4928857
09:17 - 2020/05/20
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