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THE SAUDI ROLE IN TERRORISM
By Reed Irvine and Cliff Kincaid
In testimony before Congress last February, CIA director George Tenet got something right. He described Osama bin Laden and his network as "the most immediate and serious threat" to the United States. He said that "Islamic militancy is expanding, and the worldwide pool of potential recruits for terrorist networks is growing…" But Tenet didn’t say that our ally, Saudi Arabia, was financing this network This is a shock because we expected to see evidence that the terrorists were financed or inspired by Iraq, Iran or Syria. However, since the terrorist attacks on September 11th, media attention has been focused on the fact that bin Laden, the Taliban and the Saudis represent a brand of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism. It is the state religion in Saudi Arabia. It is an ultra-puritanical form of Islam that has large numbers of adherents in 20 countries. Bin Laden is reported to have cells in 50-60 countries. Ed Bradley on the CBS 60 Minutes show noted, "At the core of Wahhabism is Saudi Arabia, which spends hundreds of millions of dollars promoting this ideology, which forbids any form of music, dance or movies. Those who drink alcohol can be flogged and anyone who commits adultery can face execution." Saudi Arabia has been promoting this fanatical religious ideology by investing in religious schools and educational institutions around the world. An expert on Islam said this movement is prone to violence, even terrorism, because of its extreme nature. It just so happens that some of these religious schools are on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Bradley noted that "young Muslims from around the world go to be indoctrinated in the strict tenets of Wahhabism." This is where the Taliban was created. Bradley interviewed one graduate of a seminary, an American Muslim leader, who learned urban warfare and the "ultimate sacrifice" – giving your life for God to further Islam. Bradley said 60 Minutes wanted to talk to the Saudi government about this "but its embassy in Washington did not respond to our requests." Bradley noted that the Saudis poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the Taliban regime until 1999 "when the Saudi government feared that bin Laden and the Taliban were out of control." But the Saudis didn’t break diplomatic relations with the Taliban until after the September 11th terrorist attacks on America. An excellent article by Stephen Schwartz on this subject appears in the London Spectator under the title, "Ground Zero and the Saudi connection." He says the Saudis have played a "double game" for years, pretending to be allies with the West in a common struggle while spreading Wahhabi ideology everywhere Muslims are to be found. Schwartz adds, "One major question is never asked in American discussions of Arab terrorism: what is the role of Saudi Arabia? The question cannot be asked because American companies depend too much on the continued flow of Saudi oil, while American politicians have become too cozy with the Saudi rulers." Schwartz also cites an estimate that 80 percent of the mosques in America are under the control of Imams or Muslims leaders committed to Wahhabism.
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