Mention of Pakistan doesn't raise too many eyebrows; while it doesn't get a lot of media attention, everyone knows Pakistan is shaky and unstable -- and has nuclear weapons.
My mention of Saudi Arabia, though, surprises people. Click here for an article in The New York Times by the editorial board, entitled "The World Reaps What the Saudis Sow."
The article discusses Saudi government support for the radical Wahabi sect that is spreading hatred and intolerance throughout the Middle East -- including within Saudi Arabia itself. The article concentrates on Saudi-funded Wahabi interference in tiny Kosovo (population 1.8 million), which has always been known for its moderate version of Islam.
Some quotes:
Ostensibly a critical ally, sheltered from its enemies by American arms and aid, the kingdom has spent untold millions promoting Wahhabism, the radical form of Sunni Islam that inspired the 9/11 hijackers and that now inflames the Islamic State.And:
Kosovo, rescued from Serbian oppression after months of NATO bombing in 1999, has been known as a tolerant society. For centuries, the Muslim majority has followed the liberal Hanafi version of Islam, which is accepting of others. Since the war, that tradition has been threatened by Saudi-trained imams, their costs paid by Saudi-sponsored charities, preaching the primacy of Shariah law and fostering violent jihad and takfirism, which authorizes the killing of Muslims viewed as heretics.And:
The Sunni Arab states still do not seem to understand the extent to which extreme versions of Islam imperil them as well. Although the Saudi royal family relies on the Wahhabi clerics for their political legitimacy, the Islamic State accuses the monarchy of corrupting the faith to preserve its power. Since 2014, there have been 20 terrorist attacks in the kingdom, many staged by ISIS.
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