The human rights Essay

Unaffected by their place of residence, sex, faith, language, or ethnicity, among other characteristics, all citizens of the world have the privilege of exercising their human rights. Every citizen of the world has the right to equitable protection from all forms of discrimination. The human rights are all interconnected, intertwined, and indivisible. Notably, the law further protects and expresses universal human rights through a variety of accords, overarching guidelines, and common international law. The goal of the international human rights legislation is to position the various states' duties so as to protect the fundamental liberties. A number of international human rights treaties, declarations, and resolutions are thought to have their roots in the 1948 Declaration on Human Rights. The drafting of the Declaration involved representatives from different parts of the world and clearly sets out the rights to be preserved internationally. Since its drafting, the Declaration has been translated into over five hundred languages. Notably, various religious groups, including the Islam, have a well-established understanding of human rights. Despite the global appreciation of human rights for many decades, the Shiite Muslims have continually suffered from different atrocities committed against them by the western states and other Islamic sects.

Before assessing the various atrocities committed against the Shiite Muslims, it is important to understand how the Muslims understand human rights based on the teachings of Holy Quran and Hadith. Hadith presents the various accounts and reports describing the habits of Prophet Muhammad. The Muslims use it as a reference point, especially when faced with questions relating to their faith and other daily challenges. Therefore, Hadith is viewed by Muslims as second to the teachings found in the Holy Quran. In Islam, human rights are understood as God-granted. Therefore, human rights cannot be established by a legislative body or any king. The main argument is that the rights which are established by the earthly kings and legislative bodies are easy to establish or withdraw. The rights established by dictators, for example, are openly violated based on their wishes and the prevailing circumstances. However, since in Islam all the human rights are associated with God, the earthly governments do not have any right to instigate their amendment. The God-granted rights are deeply rooted in the Islam faith, and all the Muslims are taught to abide by them in their relationship with others. As a result, the various Muslim leaders are expected to enforce, recognize, and accept the God-granted rights. The verdict of the Holy Quran is very clear on the administrators who deny, violate, or change the human rights - ‘they are the wrong-doers’ (5:45). The human rights established by God are eternal, continuous, permanent, and are not subject to changes.

Basic Human Rights in Islam

This section of the paper will evaluate briefly the main basic rights appreciated in Islam based on teachings from Hadith and Quran. The religion has laid down various rights of a man as a human being regardless of his faith or even country of origin. The basic rights in Islam include the right to a good standard of life, respect of women’s chastity, the safety of life, individual freedom and ultimately the right to life.

Right to Life

In Islam, the right to life is viewed as the topmost right which must be heavily guarded and protected. Therefore, whoever kills a human being without any legitimate reason is seen to have destroyed the entire society (5:32). Hadith teachings indicate that right to life has two phases – spiritual and physical. The physical right is violated through killing, while the spiritual one is by misleading others. Losing the spiritual life is equated to losing eternal happiness or heaven. Therefore, the Hadith condemns atheism and emphasizes on a good spiritual life.

The legally established states have the responsibility of ensuring that an organizational structure is established to ensure the social survival of all the citizens. The organization structure should be based on a well-founded judicial system, a robust security system, and adequate administrative control. A competent court of law is allowed to handle the questions relating to killing in retaliation to murder. Also, it is only a competent government, that has right to declare war on another enemy country. Hence, no person has the right to take away life or cause mischief. Notably, the first cases to be decided during the day of resurrection will be those involving bloodshed (Mu'adh ibn Jabal).

Additionally, the Hadith prohibits the killing of a man under a covenant, as the one who kills such a man will never get close to heaven. It is the personal and universal responsibility of the Muslims, based on their faith, to defend the human virtues of the children of Adam. Defending the rights of others is, therefore, a religious responsibility of every Muslim who believes that oppression is against God’s will. The Hadith teaches that God created the entire mankind equally, and no single individual has the right to superiority or discriminating against others. Also, it urges the Muslims not to become disbelievers by cutting the necks of others (AbuBakrah).

Right to the Safety of Life

In Islam, there are different ways of saving a man from death. It is upon all the believers to help the people who they know are suffering including the ill and starving irrespective of their gender, race, or nationality. The Holy Quran highlights that a person who saves a life can only be compared to the savior of mankind (5:32). An individual who looks after a poor person or a window is believed to be like a Mujahid (worrior) fighting for Alla’s course here on earth. The actions of such a person are equated to one who fasts all day and prays all night. Whatever is given to the poor, even a mouthful of food, will be regarded as sadaqa (tithe) to Allah (Abdullah Ibn Abbas). Therefore, it is upon all the Muslims to ensure that they share food with the hungry, attend to the sick and clothe the naked in the society.

Respecting the Chastity of Women

Based on the charter of human rights in Islam, under no circumstances is the chastity of a woman supposed to be violated. All women notwithstanding their religion, race, and background enjoy this right, and all Muslims are to obey it strictly. Whoever is capable should marry as it assists in guarding their modesty and minimizing their gaze on women. All immoral relationships are highly forbidden. The Quran clearly prohibits the Muslims from engaging in adultery. Heavy punishment is prescribed for the rapists both here on earth and the world after death (17:32).

Individual Right to Freedom and Basic Standard of Life

In Islam, the capturing of a free man as a slave is highly forbidden. The Islam teachings clearly emphasize on the gravity of enslaving free people and the kind of punishment that awaits those who enslave others. Additionally, the Holy Quran shows that the needy and destitute have a right to the wealth of the Muslims (51:19). Therefore, it is a spiritual duty for all the Muslims to assist the deprived people, who ask for assistance, as they have a right to share in the wealth of the Muslims. The Muslims believe that God is the provider of all the wealth, and giving to the poor should be a duty for all.

Difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims

Before evaluating the various injustices committed against the Shiites, it is important to assess the group’s origins and history. For many years, there have been tensions in Asia between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The tensions in the region are as a result of the battle between Sunni and Shia, regarding which group holds the most political power. Nonetheless, what most global citizens fail to understand is that the hostility has its roots between the Sunni and the Shia Islamic groups that date back to more than one thousand years ago. Iran acts as the home to the highest population of the Shia Muslims, while Saudi Arabia has the largest number of the Sunni Muslims. The rivalry between the two groups is traced back to the period after the death of Prophet Muhammad, and the successor struggles that emerged. Both the groups agreed that, Allah was the true God and Muhammad was his messenger. However, the Shiites insisted that Muhammad’s successor had to be selected from his bloodline. On the other hand, the Sunnis argued that any individual ready to follow Muhammad’s customs was appropriate to be the leader of Muslims. The divide was not primarily over religious doctrines and methodologies, but over political leadership of Islam.

The faith structure of the two groups is very similar as they read the Quran and abide by the prophets teachings. The two groups also observe the major principles in Islam including fasting strictly during Ramadan, making the pilgrimage to Mecca and observing the ritual prayers. Further, the prayer rituals of the two groups are almost indistinguishable, with only slight variations. For instance, the Sunnis place their hands on the belly while the Shiites place their hands at their sides while they stand. In regards to their population, the Sunnis make up over eighty-five percent of the Muslim population while the Shiite makes the remaining fifteen percent.

Notably, the right to practice religion is viewed as universal and widely protected by different governments across the world. Nonetheless, in Pakistan, the right to practice religion is commonly violated, as the different religious minorities, specifically the Shia Muslims, continue facing political, economic, and social relegation. The enforcement of ancient sacrilege and punitive laws gives the state freedom of persecution. Therefore, the various events that have led to massive conflicts in the country’s religious environment are increasing revealed through violence. Despite its intimidating population, the Pakistan’s Shia group is the main target of the different violent attacks.

Hatred towards Shia Muslims

After the Iranian revolution in 1979, the violence and hatred towards the Shia group increased across the Middle East. Further, the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the American government and the recent 2010 Arab spring are seen to have increased the violence. After the Iranian Revolution, a strong Shia nation was established; therefore influencing the other Shia groups across the Middle East. In Iraq for example, a Shia political party called the State of Law Coalition took power in the face of Sunni military and political power. The Shia party also won a majority of the parliamentary seats in the country. Further, the 2010 Arab Spring amplified the conflicts between the two groups especially in countries like Bahrain, Saudi, and Syria. The various victories reinforced the Shia crescent between Shia group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran, Syria and Iraq. Additionally, the victories highlighted the presence of the Shia minorities in countries like Yemen, India, Kuwait, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, Iran’s mounting political influence and the Shia Crescent, endangered Saudi’s standing as the regional powerhouse. The mounting threat has led to the increased religious attacks in Saudi and in other countries where Shia are the minority like Pakistan.

Shia Killings in Pakistan

Pakistan is home to approximately thirty million Shias and has the second largest concentration of groups’ population after Iran. Most of the Shias in the country live in the traditional villages, but over the years have been faced with systematic discrimination, especially after the establishment of Pakistan. Pakistan has become famous with violent and militant groups, with the Shias becoming victims of the gravest religious violence and attacks, especially in Sindh and Punjab. Between 2012 and 2015, it is estimated that over 2000 Shiites were killed in different violent attacks by the anti-Shia militants. The Shias are the second largest group in the country after the Sunnis and created a significant part of the country’s social fabric. As a result, they play active roles in different areas within the public domain and normally enjoy power positions. For instance, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founding father, was from the Shia group. The sources of intolerance in the country are attributed to the Wahhabi projects, takfir doctrine, militant madrassahs and the influence of Saudi. The various militant groups in the country have contributed towards major security concerns, placing it on top of the states suffering from social hostilities linked to religion.

Perpetrators

Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP)

In 1985, the various anti-Shia extremists including Haq Nawaz Jhangv and Deobandi clerics assisted in the establishment of SSP. From its inception, the group received massive support from the state and resources from the Saudi funding. The support from the state and Saudi funding were as a result of the mounting political activism by the Shia group. In the city of Jhang, a Shia aristocracy had dominated the political scene traditionally, and this led to hatred against the Shias as well. The SSP started its violent campaign by pursuing the famous Shia activists, killing civilians and attacking Shia congregations.

The SSP was propelled by the ideology of having the government declare the country as an explicitly Sunni state. Also, the groups’ ideology pushed for the exclusive implementation of the Sharia law based on the Sunni school's teachings. The vision of the SSP was highly shared with different militant groups that had the Deobandi background. The ideology also demanded that the Shias be acknowledged as non-Muslims, which would allow for the easier undermining of their civil rights and institutionalization of their persecution.

Nonetheless, the Pakistani government banned SSP in 2002, although it continued operating under a different faction named Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASW). Today the group continues to enjoy support as it controls a majority of the different Deobandi seminaries in the country, and receives funding from the Gulf Arabian countries. Although the relationship between SSP and the authorities is not very clear, the various steps launched by the government to curb its activities have not been successful. The groups increasing power has been attributed to the ever increasing sectarian assaults against the Shia Muslims. The influential backing base in the Punjab, with the potential of delivering bloc votes, is a leading factor why politicians refuse to condemn the SSP. The supporters of the group also rally behind it mainly as a technique of buying security, and not necessarily because of its use of violence.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (Lej)

After the SSP had evolved to a political party in the early 1990s, a group of its leading activists led by Riaz Basra left the organization terming its amplified sense of subjugation. As a result, a more militant group was established in 1996, which was argued to represent the vision of Haq Jhangvi, the former SSP leader. Therefore LeJ, also known as the Army of Jhangvi, branched from the SSP and even expanded the scope of its targets.

Currently, the LeJ is viewed as the most active Sunni militant group, and with the most following in Pakistan. The group has taken responsibility for hundreds of violent attacks against the Shia group, which have occurred throughout the country. The group targets Shia lawyers, civil servants, traders and regular worshippers. Although the group was termed illegal by the government in 2001 and followed closely by the killing of its leader in 2002 by the police, its operations have intensely increased over the years. The increased group operations have been linked to the imprisonment of Malik Ishaq in 1997. Malik played an active role in the running of the organization even behind bars, and upon his release in 2011, promised to continue the group’s operations. The following overview evaluates the different ways in which the killings are carried out.

Attacks on the Religious Processions

The Shias are famous in observing the festival of Ashura. The festival takes place in the Islamic month of Muharram. During the peaceful times, the occasion was also marked by people from various religious groups commemorating together. However, the festival has become a yearly climax of the anti-Shia violence, marked by terrorist attacks orchestrated with frightening predictability and regularity. The high incidents of violence during the month of Muharram have seen the government suspend mobile phone services in an attempt to curb the violence.

Attacks on Pilgrims

Over the years, the various anti- Shia militant groups in Pakistan have been targeting the bands of Shia Pilgrims on their way back from Iran. For instance, in January 2015, twenty-two Shia pilgrims were killed in Baluchistan in a bomb attack that targeted their bus. There have also been incidents where Shia pilgrims are forced out of the buses, identified through the use of identity cards, and instantly shot dead.

Attack on Shia Schools and Target Killings

The schools in the neighborhoods populated by Shias are regularly under threat of militant attacks. In 2015, a teenager named Aitzaz Hasan died while thwarting a suicide bomber from detonating an entire school. The incidents of suicide bombers in schools are common in Pakistan, and 2012 over one hundred bomb attacks in different schools were reported. Further, to destabilize and undermine the Shia community, regular and systematic killings targeting the eminent Shia members have been orchestrated by the militants. The most prominent people killed include doctors, government officials, and lawyers. The targeted attacks have been on the rise especially in Karachi, Quetta, and Lahore.

Harassment and Forced Migration

The Shia Muslims in the country have continually faced constant psychological attacks over the years. Before the beginning of the Ashura festival in 2012, mysterious text messages were sent to thousands of Shia Muslims threatening of the ensuing violence- “Kill, kill Shia.” In the past, the hostile rhetoric has helped in controlling persecution mood. As a result of regular threats, the Shia Muslims have sought to relocate to foreign countries or the areas with a high concentration of Shia Muslims including Lahore and Karachi. Nonetheless, mass migration is not the ideal solution to the situation since most have nowhere to go.

Madrassahs across the Middle East

The madrassa network in different countries in the Middle East has been a major vehicle for hardening the sectarian identities that regularly attack the Shia members, especially in the countries where they are the minority. The proliferation of madrassahs has continued in countries like Pakistan due to the Saudi support and the country’s changing socio-political landscape. The teaching of the firm religious discourse that is intolerant of religious difference influences the societal attitudes through the students. The rise of unregistered madrassas which are known to be heavily armed in Pakistan threatens the existence of the Shia community. Various documented hate speech instances and incitement of violence against the Shia Muslims have also been encouraged by the madrassahs. The Shia communities have been the main targets of the various attacks reported in the Middle East over the years. Dozens of the group members are killed every month in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria.

Discrimination in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi, the Shia group is the marginal group accounting for less than fifteen percent of the entire population. Similar to the situation in Pakistan, the relationship of the minority Shia’s and the majority Sunni’s has been characterized by skirmishes. The highest population of the Shia group in the country is concentrated in the Eastern Province especially in Al-Awamiya town. Although Al-Awamiya is based in the oil-rich eastern region of the country, it is characterized by blatant poverty and isolation from the rest of the country.

Al-Awamiya is also the birthplace of Nimr al-Nimr, the leader of the Shia community who was executed by the government officials in January 2016. The execution of the Shia increased the rift between the two religious groups. Compared to other Sunni-dominated cities where there are massive skyscrapers, well-maintained roads, and other social facilities, the Al-Awamiya town has some unpaved roads, the heavy presence of security officers and several security checkpoints. Since the early 1980s, the Shia group has regularly been attacked for their religious expression and limited from political participation and enjoying their civil liberties.

Saudi Discriminative Domestic Policy

Various limitations have been imposed on the Shias by the Sunni government. Firstly, it is very tough for the Shia’s to acquire a license for establishing a Shia mosque. The barriers established in the process of acquiring a license to operate a Shia mosque is viewed as a form of religious discrimination. The Ministry of the Islamic affairs in the country also neglects the Shia clerics in the country by denying them funding meant for facilitating the various religious activities. The lack of funding has seen the Shia group struggle in setting up adequate mosques for the whole community.

Secondly, the Shias in the country are normally underrepresented in the major government agencies including the police, public universities, the judiciary and the different state industries. A barrier for the Shia Muslims exists in every industry in the country.

Further, an analysis conducted on the various textbooks supplied by the Ministry of Education to the various schools in the country showed incitement texts. The textbooks used to teach secondary and elementary students contained some texts promoting hatred towards the people who fail to pledge to the Wahhabi sect of Islam. The Wahhabi sect lays the foundation of Saudis social and political ideology. However, the Saudi government denies all the above allegations claiming that the teaching curriculum is not intolerant towards groups of different faith. Ironically, the Saudi government is normally at the forefront in calling for the international community to criminalize the discrimination of the Muslims.

Denial of Hajj Pilgrimage

Despite both the Shia and Sunni communities sharing the basic five pillars of Islam, the Saudi government forbids the Shia group from engaging in the religious Hajj pilgrimage. The Shia members who wish to participate in the religious event have been forced to complete an application form where they are to indicate which group they hail from. The individuals who fail to indicate their religious group are disqualified immediately from attending the religious event. Following the tensions between Saudi and Iran, the two states have not come up with a settlement on the subject of Iranian Shias visiting Hajj in Mecca. Notably, the tensions between the two groups are regarded to contribute to the politicization of the Islam holy cities. In 2016, the pilgrimage was targeted by a suicide bomber leading to an attack that killed four security officers. Before the attack at the Pilgrimage, there were other two attacks in Saudi – outside a Shia mosque and near a US embassy. Further, in January 2016 there was a major attack that targeted an Al-Ahsa Shia mosque. A militant group against the Shia Muslims (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks and continued to attack the other Shia communities across the entire region.

Killings by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

The heavy presence of ISIL in Syria and Iraq over the years has led to the increased number of attacks on the Shia community. Although the Shia group makes the most of the Iraq population, it has continued to be the main target of the attacks organized by the ISIL group. The Camp Speicher massacre which took place in 2014 saw the killing of over 1,500 Shia soldiers in Iraq. The ISIL has also been targeting the prisoners in Iraq. After the militants had taken control of Mosul, they separated the Shia from the Sunni prisoners. Over six hundred Shia prisoners were executed after the separations. The militants also asked the Sunni prisoners different questions related to their family background or recite certain prayers to establish their identity.

Various organizations have held the ISIL liable for ethnic cleansing where it targets the Shia Muslims. The fall of Mosul in 2014 saw most of the Shia properties and other areas labeled with letter “R” for Rafidah. Rafidah is an offensive term which is mainly applied to refer to the Shia Muslims. The houses and shop seized by the ISIL were given to the foreign fighters and the groups’ local supporters. Thousands of Shia members the Turkmens and Shabaks left the city in search of safe havens. The ISIL group views the Shia Muslims as heretics and polytheists. As a result, the militant group has on several occasions destroyed the mosques and Shia shrines.

The anti-Shia sentiments have amplified in the different parts of the Middle East. Over fifty percent of the Muslims in countries like Egypt and Morocco believe that the Shiites are not Muslims. Also, in other countries like Tunisia, Palestine, and Jordan the percentage of resistance against the Shiite is very high. The human rights reports from groups like Amnesty International show the persecution of Shiites in various Muslim countries, especially where they are the minority. The Bahrain government has been famous for discriminating against the Shiite population in the country by barring them from joining the military and police. The government has also been accused of destroying the Shiite mosques and tortured hundreds of the Shiite political prisoners.

Sadam Hussein and the Fight against Shia Group

Saddam Hussein is a significant individual in the discussion of the atrocities committed against the Shiite Muslims especially in Iran and Iraq. Saddam is viewed as a significant person because he acted as the main gateway of the western influenced atrocities committed against the Shiite community. Saddam rose to power in the 1970s when the nationalistic and revolutionary wave was sweeping the Middle East. The period was marked by turmoil as the political elites lost power to a new generation. The feudal elites had strong allies with the European colonial powers. For instance, the young Abdel Nasser from Egypt revolted against the country’s king who received a lot of support from Britain.

In Iraq, Saddam controlled the seizure of the country’s oil wells from the foreign companies in the 1970s just as the prices were starting to rise. The seizure of the oil assets was followed by nationalizing of the industry which saw Saddam use the profits to modernize the Iraq’s countryside. The land was distributed to farmers, and the oil profits were used in mechanizing the agricultural sector. Saddam also started a campaign in the country to develop the education, healthcare, and creation of industries, as well as the development of highways across the country. After several years, the country was viewed as the most developed country in the region.

Nonetheless, Hussein ruthlessly suppressed any resistance, especially from the neighboring Iran. Iran is known for its high population of the Shiite Muslims and Saddam as a Sunni was against the neighboring country’s’ influence. Further, under Saddam’s rule, thousands of Shiite Iraqis were executed by the Sunni minority.

Support from Europe and the United States

For the greater part of Saddam’s regime, he got a lot of backing from Europe, U.S. and even other governments in the Middle East. Most of the support was witnessed after Hussein attacked Iran. The Saddam administration was afraid that the Iran’s leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, would encourage the Shiite bulk in Iraq to oppose Saddam's Baathist rule. As a result, Saddam decided to attack Iran with the backing of the U.S and other Western powers allied to his regime, in a war that lasted for approximately eight years. The allied Western powers, as well as the U.S government, supplied Saddam with military intelligence and weapons that directly contributed to the prolonging of the war. Saddam used poisonous gas as well as various biological weapons which brought Iran to its knees.

Further, many European and American companies assisted the Saddam regime in making weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons and rockets. The support from the various companies was in addition to the aid received from the governments. France was among the leading western countries in providing Iraq with antitank missiles, the high-performance jet fighters as well as helicopters. In 1983 the Iraq government was already using the chemical weapons against Iran, which the U.S government was well aware of.

Ironically, based on the 1925 Geneva Protocol which the U. S sanctioned in 1975, states are not to use chemical weapons and are to stop other states from using such weapons. During the eight-year war with Iran, Saddam used thousands of chemical munitions openly supplied by U.S. Further, after the Shiite-led Iranian government filed a United Nations plea to condemn the actions of Iraq, the U.S campaigned against the plea. The U.S influenced its allies to vote for a “no decision” on the UN resolution. In 1988, a couple of years after Iran’s’ plea was overruled; the Saddam administration used the same chemical weapons against the Shiite Muslims in Iraq. The chemical attack killed over five thousand citizens in the heavily populated Shiite town of Halabja. Unfortunately, in an effort to protect its global image, the Regan administration falsely accused Iran of being responsible for the Halabja attack. Notably, Iran had never developed chemical weapons at the time or used them during the war with Iraq.

Furthermore, during the war with Iran, the U. S military was responsible for bombing Iran’s oil platforms in 1987 and the shooting down of the Iranian civilian aircraft in their territory in 1988. The western countries only turned against Saddam rule after he attacked Kuwait in 1990. Although Saddam lost during the 1991 Gulf War led by the U.S., he clung to power for more than ten years until the 2003 US invasion. Saddam was sentenced to death in 2006 by an Iraqi court. The hanging of Saddam was seen by the Sunnis to have been instigated by the Shiites and created a new schism in their relations. The execution was also heavily encouraged by the U.S and cemented the status of Saddam as the Sunni nationalist martyr.

Conclusion

To sum up, human rights is a major topic of discussion in the contemporary world. The global human rights are assured by international law established mainly through various treaties. The international law on human rights obligates every country to ensure that the rights of its citizens are adequately protected. Nonetheless, despite the many years that the international community has acknowledged human rights, the Shiite Muslims have continually been denied their rights. The Shiite Muslims account for approximately fifteen percent of the world’s Muslim population. The low population forces them to live as a minority group in the Middle East. The Islam is among the various religions in the world that uphold human rights strongly. Ironically, the Sunni Muslims have continually committed various injustices against the Shiite Muslims, especially in countries where the latter are the minority. In countries like Saudi Arabia, where the Sunnis are the majority, the government has established various barriers to discriminate against the Shiite Muslims, especially about employment. Also, the Shiite Muslims in Pakistan have continually been discriminated economically and politically by the Sunni majority. Notably, Saddam Hussein is a significant figure when it comes to the discussion of the injustices against the Shiite Muslims. The eight-year long war which he initiated against Iran was propelled by the simple idea that its Shiite leader would influence the Shiite’s in Iraq. The Saddam’s government received immense support, in form of military and financial aid from the western allies, enabling it to defeat Iran easily. Saddam ordered the killing of thousands of Iranians using lethal chemical weapons supplied by Iraq’s allies. The chemical attacks took place in the full knowledge of the western allies