Since the September 11
attacks in which 15 of the 19 terrorists hailed from Saudi Arabia, the kingdom and its religious policies have been the focus of Western criticism.
But Saudi Arabia has also clamped down on extremism and been victim of a series of violent terrorist attacks. Foreign observers wonder whether the kingdom, founded on its duty as the guardian of Islam and deeply influenced by Wahhabist thinking, can effectively fight extremism or open the political space without allowing Islamic
radicals to ride on ballot boxes to power as in Algeria or Palestine. In the past three years, Saudi Arabia has undertaken measures to address the extremist challenge, not just by use of force but through a holistic approach. Stability of the kingdom and its role as the principal supplier of energy to the world hangs on the success of the policy experiment underway.
Depending on whom one asks, Wahhabism is either a
puritanical brand of Islam that adheres to a strict interpretation of the Koran and Sunna, the life of the Prophet, or it’s a radical interpretation behind the rise of Islamist militancy and terrorism worldwide.
The
9/11 attacks on the US were a great source of embarrassment for the Saudi leaders, but terrorist attacks inside the kingdom in 2003 made it clear that the kingdom had a serious problem as an incubator for terrorists.
However, radical
clerics continue to issue edicts in support of the insurgency in Iraq and against Shia Muslims. The government must put a stop to these edicts, especially given the rising sectarian tensions that can potentially engulf the region.
It is worth noting that in their “war” on terror, Saudi
authorities distinguished between hardened criminals and those who merely sympathized with the cause, not engaging in actual operations.
Militants who carried out attacks were imprisoned and even executed, but other radicals were given a chance to turn themselves in and receive amnesty. Although the amnesty program offered in 2004 netted few militants, it provided a stark contrast between the government’s conception of Islam and that exhibited by militants whose rhetoric is filled with rage and actions demonstrate no mercy.
Other moderate clerics have reached out in person and through Islamist websites to radicals and militant sympathizers to convince them to renounce violence and embrace moderate, mainstream Islam. The government has also promoted “moderate” Islam through a comprehensive media campaign. Newspapers, television, radio and billboards expose Saudis to firsthand accounts from ex-radicals who described how their ignorance of “true” Islam made them easy prey for militant recruiters. The Saudis also used many prominent clerics to debunk the militants’ religious claims.
More abstracts about the War from the pulpit