Soleimani: Neither hero nor martyr

I have read professor Randy David’s piece, “Trump’s foolish move against Iran,” (1/5/20). Although I agree with some points in the article like US President Donald Trump putting America’s security at high risk, and that Trump should have consulted Congress first, I have to disagree with the point that the assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani cannot be compared with those of Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

I hope you have considered knowing the profile of Soleimani, his Quds Force and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) first. The IRGC is Iran’s special forces aimed at protecting the legacy of the “Islamic Revolution”; its Quds Force is its arm responsible for foreign interventions as in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Soleimani protected the tyrant Assad of Syria and helped him in killing civilians; he also interfered in Iraqi politics. IRGC forces were also involved in killing protesters in Iran last November, and its ally militias like the Popular Mobilization Forces have done the same against Iraqi demonstrators. IRGC was also accused of an assassination plot in Afghanistan in 2012, had bombed India the same year, and had its plot in Albania in 2018 foiled. France blamed Iran for another terror plot in Paris in the same year (and this proves IRGC or the Iranian regime as a threat to the West).

Due to IRGC’s influence and Iran’s interference in the politics of other countries like in Lebanon (via Hezbollah), Syria and Iraq, protests have rocked these nations as well as Iran itself; the people are fed up with repression, corruption and poverty. With the presence of Iranian imperialism through IRGC, I think it’s hypocritical to condemn American imperialism while being mum on the Iranian one.

I never rejoice over the deaths of terrorists and other criminals, but celebrations were held in Syria, Iraq and Iran, because they felt somehow relieved after Soleimani’s demise. I hope you understand their plight, too, and how Soleimani ruined their lives.

With his actions against innocent civilians and global security, Soleimani does not deserve to be seen as a hero or a martyr. I agree that war is not the solution to conflict, but since the people of Iran and its neighbors are rising up, I believe it’s best to express tangible support for and full solidarity with them; they are actually now able to topple their nations’ corrupt systems. Moreover, this can bring genuinely sustainable peace in the region and freedom for the oppressed.

KIOLO L. BELSONDA
Alumnus
University of the Philippines Los Baños
klbelsonda@up.edu.ph