NewsRescue
Following several global condemnation for links and support of terror groups across the world, the Saudi Royal family has penned an OpEd article published in the HuffingtonPost to defend itself from its growing reputation as extremism and global terror sponsor.
NewsRescue, BBC, CNN, New York Times and all global editorials have published several articles linking Saudi Arabia to Daesh, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and other global terror networks. Nigeria’s Boko Haram typically stages its meetings in the Saudi Kingdom(TheGuardian), and according to WashingtonPost, is largely funded from Saudi Arabia.
U.S. former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in a government paper described funds for terror from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Gulf States. A December CNN release by the Germany administration recently squarely condemned the Saudi government and its Wahhabi extremist sect for sponsoring extremism across the world.
In the face of the global accusations, Saudi Prince and Ambassador to the United States, Abdullah Al-Saud penned a defense for the Saudi Monarchs, published today:
Excerpt:
Confronting Extremism
Saudi Arabia has been falsely accused by some commentators of promoting extremism. Don’t they realize that extremists are as much or more of a threat to Saudi Arabia than to any other part of the world? If critics took the time to look at the facts, they would see that Saudi Arabia has and will continue to lead all nations in combating the mindset that foments violent extremism. Because as the home of Islam’s two holiest mosques, we have both the responsibility and the authority to prevent Islam from being perverted by evildoers.
The Saudi Prince also attempted to defend Saudi Wahhabi faith from the global reputation as terror harbinger:
Some point to our faith, calling us “Wahhabis” (meaning Saudis), as a convenient group to blame for the global problem of extremism. But the fact is there is no group of people called “Wahhabis.” You will not find a “Wahhabi” anywhere in Saudi Arabia. There is no book of “Wahhabism” or any meeting of “Wahhabists.” It does not exist. “Wahhabism” is an invented term that has become a slur against the Saudi people. The historical reality comes from an 18th century Islamic scholar named Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. He believed and preached that Muslims should adhere to the original sources of their religion, The Holy Qur’an and Sunnah (teachings and attributes of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). Over the centuries, Abd al-Wahhab’s approach became part of one of the major schools of Islamic thought called the Hanbali School. Hanbali is an orthodox and conservative philosophy. But violent or extremist? Absolutely not.
Related: NewsRescue-The Original Najdi/ Wahhabi Movement Was More Extreme In Bloodshed & Takfir Than ISIS
Today, we often hear claims that the “Wahhabis” are exporting extremism and fueling radicalism in religious schools and “madrasahs.” Setting aside the prejudicial overtones of such statements, the very idea is absurd. Saudi Arabia has never had expansionist ambitions. And it is illogical for the Kingdom to promote the very mindset that has threatened Saudi Arabia with deadly attacks against our homes and mosques.
