But what of the Islamic extremists? Saudi Arabia is not our friend
Reader comment on item: Hope for the Middle East

Submitted by Byron Smith (United States), May 21, 2002 at 13:38

What 9/11 and subsequent reporting has revealed is that "unofficial" Saudis, with petrodollars, are keen on an Islamic world takeover. Tactically, they've worked with others, such as Hamas, the PA, Islamic Jihad, the PLFP, etc., to keep trouble stirred up in the middle east. As 9/11 showed, trouble has moved not only to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and probably a number of Asian nations below Russia, along with Indonesia, but also into the heart of the west, including Britain, France, Germany, and the US. In the west, a push for a takeover has been accomplished by immigration of Arabs, and the funding for building and maintaining mosques staffed by virulently anti-western imams. Iran remains a tactical ally, as does the secular middle east regines of Syria and Iraq, but these are only tactical alliances.

History has shown that as prospects for peace advance in the middle east, the tactical approach is to foment violence. When the level of violence becomes morally unacceptable to the west, that tactic is shifted back to a "peace process" to regain the moral high ground and lull the west into a false sense of security.

So long as Saudi petrodollars continue to finance radical Islamicists, not only will there be no peace in the middle east, but additionally, America and the West are at risk. Iraq and Syria are important pieces in the tactical maneuver, by providing bases and safe havens for the groups funded by the Saudis but who are sufficiently removed from the Saudis that the dots can't be connected. And of course, the plan is ultimately for an Islamic takeover of Iraq. In such a case, Syria and Jordan fall into line, and Iran is isolated as a minority shia regime. Egypt is forced to follow. Pakistan would also follow.

Thus, one key to forestalling Saudi ambitions is a secular Islamic Iraqi state, similar to Turkey. These protect Jordan, and put pressure on Syria and Iran, and make it easier to keep Afghanistan and Pakistan out from under militant Islamic control. It removes the bases for training and safe havens, leaving Saudi Arabia on its own. A secular Iraq also frees Egypt to act against radical Islamicists, and consequently Kuwait and Bahrain. This situation in turn reduces the threat of oil instability within Saudi Arabia when the kingdom either is forced to accept radical Islamicists controlling the country, or the monarchy falls and replaced by a radical Islamicist government.

The second key is taking action against the radical Islamic imams staffing the mosques being built in the west. Most immigrants are probably simply trying to build a better life, but the mosques become a focal point for recruiting and raising money. Some sort of monitoring is going to be required, but whether this will happen is unclear.

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