Arabs and Persians: endless struggle

Almost every week, we hear heated statements between Arab leaders and their Iranian counterparts. For those who are not from the region or do not specialize in Middle Eastern politics, this will seem to be a simple political contest between neighbors over natural resources, boundaries, or national interests. But it is not, it is old strife, competition, and hatred that is ingrained in these countries' consciences. Both ethnicities see the other as lower-status and less civilized, and this hatred is deep-seated and old, as shown by their literature and school curriculum. The Persians see the Arabs as nothing more than desert tribes who are inferior to them and a backward people with no culture or history who did not contribute to the historic Persian civilization. On the other hand, the Arabs see the Persians as inferior to them since they have no roots, and they are proud of their overthrow of the Persian Empire.

Obviously, the Arabs had a special relationship with the Persians, and It contains important events that we cannot mention all today; however, to fully understand this relationship, we must go back in time to examine its origins.

Pre-Islam

We start with the Kingdom of Lakhmid which was founded in the third century AD, with Al-Hira as its capital in Iraq. it was one of the oldest Arabs kingdoms, This Arab kingdom was ruled by the Persians, who selected and removed its kings. The purpose of this kingdom was to rule in the Persians' name and carry out his instructions, whether by repressing Arab tribes' rebellions or by waging proxy wars on their behalf especially wars against the Lakhmid's historical conflict with the Ghassanids kingdom in the Levant who is backed by the Romans. The Romans and Persians were battling one other using Arab kingdoms and warriors, and this condition lasted for a long time.

The first conflict between the Kingdom of Lakhmid and the Persian Empire happened in the sixth century AD when Khosrow II requested one of the King of Lakhmid's daughters to marry him. The Arabs, even if it was Khosrow II himself, were offended by this proposal and refused to marry off their women to the Persian king. The Arabic King, King Al-Nu'man III, rejected the request and handed his riches and daughters to one of his friends in the Arab desert. He then proceeded to see Khosrow II, who executed him on the spot for rejecting instructions. Later, Khosrow II despatched his army to Nu'man's daughters, only to be shocked by the Arab tribes' union and the overwhelming defeat of his army in the epic Battle of Dhi Qar, the first time the Arabs beat the Persians in history.

It's worthy to note that Persian intervention in Arab affairs extended to Yamen, where the Persian Empire ruled Yemen and managed it directly in the same era.

Post-Islam

One of the most famous events in Islam history, perhaps this incident reflects Persian feelings against Arabs in general. In 628, the Prophet Muhammad sent Khosrow II a letter inviting him to Islam. "Write this to me, and he is one of my slaves!!" screamed the Persian king, who was furious after he ripped the letter.

Following the Prophet Muhammad's death, the Persians took advantage of the emerging Islamic state's instability and decided to interfere with the support of rebel and separatist groups. This led to an armed conflict between the Arab and Persian forces, which ended in the downfall of the Persian empire in 636, under the leadership of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph. who was assassinated in what is said to be the first racist murder in Islamic history, when he was stabbed by a Persian called Abu Lu'lu'a (Firuz) in his back inside the mosque then he committed suicide with the same dagger he used in the murder of the second caliph. In addition, an annual memorial of Abu Lu'lu'a and his assassination is conducted in Iran.

During the next Islamic eras, the Persians played an important role in planting sedition and provocation amongst groups and ethnicities, particularly during periods of internal conflict. Also, they were promoting the Persians as the greatest and best among the other races that comprise the Islamic state, and that the Persians were credited with the Islamic state's progress and prosperity. One of the major events is that the shift of the Persian state from the Sunni sect to the Shi'ite sect during the Safavid period in the sixteenth century AD was the most significant development that contributed to molding the character of the relationship and causing an increase in conflicts between the Persians and the Arabs.

Modern Days

Modern Iran, regardless of the reigning government in Tehran, does not vary much, particularly in terms of regional ambitions and its attitude toward Arabs, and its support for influence and control over Arab countries. Iran captured Emirati islands during the Shah's rule and has refused to return them to this day. The Shah of Iran was seen as the region's policeman and an agent of Western powers, and Iran's meddling in Arab affairs was extensive throughout his reign.?

Following the 1979 Iranian revolution and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, Iran continued its aggressive policies toward its Arab neighbors, and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, called for the Islamic revolution to be exported abroad, specifically to neighboring countries, particularly Iraq, which was historically Iranian aspiration, resulting in the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war.?

An Iranian minister from Ahmadinejad's government said that Iran controls four Arab capitals, and this is true today, Iran has succeeded in influencing and entering Arab nations, establishing powerful organizations in these countries that are doctrinally, financially, and militarily connected with it, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. And there's the Houthi group in Yemen and?The Popular Mobilization Forces?in Iraq, not to mention their backing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and their efforts to save him from revolution. Iran also maintains a close relationship with the Gaza-based Hamas movement.

Furthermore, internally Iran represses all nationalities, particularly the Arab element reflected in the natural resource-rich Ahwaz Arab provinces.

At the End

We've covered some of the historical phases of the Arab-Persian struggle, which dates back thousands of years and continues to this day. From the outside, this battle may seem to be a sectarian war inside one Islamic faith, similar to the historical fight in Europe between Catholics and Protestants, or any other religious dispute.?

However, this is not the case. I believe it is more an ethnic battle between Persians and Arabs, with evidence that it predates Islam and has persisted to this day and will most certainly continue in the future