What was the Muslim response to release of the United Nation’s report on the civil war in Syria condemning it as the greatest human tragedy in decades? A deafening silence! The displacement of 6 million people, the creation of 2 million refugees and the deaths of 200,000 civilians in the space of 3 years did not rate a mention.

This flagrant hypocrisy does not relate solely to Syria’s heinous crimes but also to the whole of the Middle East. What has been the Arab response to the genocidal actions of the ISIS forces against the Iraqi Yazidi Sect. In fact why has Adam Habib, a vocal support of the Palestinian cause, not issued a sharp rebuke to Abu Bakr al-Bagdahi’s forces for the mayhem, death & destruction caused by their forces against a peace-loving Sunni sect. It was left to the “hated imperialist” American air force to prevent the ultimate slaughter of the Yazidis in their mountain fastnesses.

The double standards pervade not only the lack of concern at the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, but all of the Muslim countries in the Levant have the doubtful distinction of being the least compliant as regards human rights and especially woman’s rights.

Even such supposedly “benign” regimes such as Saudi Arabia with their repressive antiquated Wahhabi sect, severely restrict the rights of females. This oppression extends so far as not allowing females to drive without a male relation in attendance. In fact, a 3 year old male has more rights than an adult female.

Why do both the West and the Muslim world display such selective morality?

The reasons are diametrically opposed.

In the West it is the reliance on Middle Eastern oil which tempers their response especially as regards human rights violations. An egregious offender such as Saudi Arabia is regarded as a friend of America and a stabilising influence in the Arab world. I contend that this viewpoint is fatally flawed. To appease the oppressed populace of the Arabian Peninsular the Saudi family has entered into a Faustian Bargain with the Wahhabi sect: allow us to govern unhindered and likewise we will allow you to govern according to Sharia Law with unfettered powers conferred on the Religious Police. Furthermore to placate the religious authorities, vast sums of money are poured into the building of mosques throughout the world.

This policy of generosity to a fault has raised the spectre of the instilling and inflaming violent anti-Western cadre within such societies as has been witnessed in Britain.

Secondly the “West” is not unified block and in this instance is not even a correct geographic description as it includes both China and Russia; hence the misnomer in classification. When was unity of purpose most required by the “West”? When Syria used poison gas against its own civilians. How did this incongruous bunch react? Typically both China and Russia restrained the West from taking not only precipitate action let alone any reprisals at all. It became a damp squib and rapidly exited the agenda.

What was the Arab and Muslim response to Israel’s invasion of Palestine after severe provocation? An utter cacophony of abuse and vituperative invective! In what way was this (provoked) action any viler than the actions of the ISIS forces against the Yazidi Sect in Iraq or the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians by Bashar al-Assad’s forces?

NONE whatsoever. But a deathly silence prevails.

In fact I would contend that in reality they were hundreds of order of magnitude worse and as the UN has now classified Syria’s Civil War as the greatest humanitarian tragedy in decades such hypocrisy and double standards are exposed for what they are.

That leaves me with only one conclusion. Their response to the Palestine issue is no more than a smokescreen for if they truly cared for the sanctity of human life and the prevention of human suffering, would they not also remonstrate against ISIS or the Syrian government with equal passion?