Terror Inc.

[muse]

European Parliament identifies Wahabi and Salafi roots of global terrorism
Murtaza Haider
Published 2013-07-20 15:57:26

It is not merely the faith or oil that flows out of Saudi Arabia. The oil-rich Arab state and its neighbours are busy financing Wahabi and Salafi militants across the globe.

A recent report by the European Parliament reveals how Wahabi and Salafi groups based out of the Middle East are involved in the "support and supply of arms to rebel groups around the world." The report, released in June 2013, was commissioned by European Parliament's Directorate General for External Policies. The report warns about the Wahabi/Salafi organisations and claims that "no country in the Muslim world is safe from their operations ... as they always aim to terrorise their opponents and arouse the admiration of their supporters."

The nexus between Arab charities promoting Wahabi and Salafi traditions and the extremist Islamic movements has emerged as one of the major threats to people and governments across the globe. From Syria, Mali, Afghanistan and Pakistan to Indonesia in the East, a network of charities is funding militancy and mayhem to coerce Muslims of diverse traditions to conform to the Salafi and Wahabi traditions. The same networks have been equally destructive as they branch out of Muslim countries and attack targets in Europe and North America.

Despite the overt threats emerging from the oil-rich Arab states, governments across the globe continue to ignore the security imperative and instead are busy exploiting the oil-, and at time times, blood-soaked riches.

The European Parliament's report though is a rare exception to the rule where in the past the western governments have let the oil executives influence their foreign offices. From the United States to Great Britain, western states have gone to great lengths to ignore the Arab charities financing the radical groups, some of whom have even targeted the West with deadly consequences.

While the recent report by the European Parliament documents the financial details connecting the Arab charities with extremists elsewhere, it is certainly not the first exposition of its kind. A 2006 report by the US Department of State titled, International Narcotics Control Strategy Report - Money Laundering and Financial Crimes, reported that “Saudi donors and unregulated charities have been a major source of financing to extremist and terrorist groups over the past 25 years.” One of the WikiLeaks documents, a cable from the US Consulate in Lahore also stated that “financial support estimated at nearly 100 million USD annually was making its way to Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith clerics in the region from ‘missionary’ and ‘Islamic charitable’ organisations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates ostensibly with the direct support of those governments.”

The European Parliament’s report estimates that Saudi Arabia alone has spent over $10 billion to promote Wahabism through Saudi charitable foundations. The tiny, but very rich, state of Qatar is the new entrant to the game supporting militant franchises from Libya to Syria.

The linkage between Saudi-based charitable organisations and militants began in the late 70s in Pakistan. A network of charitable organisations was setup in Pakistan to provide the front for channeling billions of dollars to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Since then the militant networks have spread globally, emerging as a major threat to international security. Charlie Wilson’s War, a book by George Crile that was made into a movie, details the Saudi-militancy nexus as well as Ahmed Rashid’s Taliban.

While ordinary citizens in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries have suffered the deadly consequences of militancy supported by the Wahabi and Salafi charitable organisations, the Saudi government had remained largely dormant. This changed in 2003 when militants attacked targets in Riyadh. Since then, the Saudi government has kept a close watch on the domestic affairs of charities, making it illegal to sponsor militancy, but the government has done precious little to curtail activities by Saudi charities abroad. In fact, evidence, as per the European Parliament’s report, suggests that Saudi and Qatar-based charities have been actively financing militants in Egypt, Syria, Libya, Mali, and Indonesia.

Pakistan has suffered tremendously over the past three decades from domestic and foreign inspired militancy. The Soviet invasion in Afghanistan and the US-backed Afghan militancy forced Pakistan into a civil war that has continued to date. The faltering Pakistani economy did not help. Successive governments have rushed to Saudi monarchs asking for loans and free oil in times of need. However, Saudi money comes bundled with Saudi propaganda and a license to convert Pakistanis to a more 'puritan', read Wahabi, version of Islam.

In late the 70s, Iranians also intensified their influence in Pakistan. While hardline Sunnis were being radicalised by the Wahabi influences from Saudi Arabia, Iranian influence on Pakistani Shias was also increasing. And whereas Pakistan did not need any further radicalization of its people, the Saudi-Iranian tussle spilled into the streets of Pakistan with devastating consequences for religious minorities and liberal streams of Sunni Islam.

At the same time, the economic collapse in Pakistan forced many to find jobs abroad. Millions of Pakistanis left for the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. While the remittances kept their families and the Pakistani government afloat, the migrant workers returned to Pakistan after being radicalised during their stay in Saudi. They became the brand ambassadors for the Saudi-inspired Wahabi flavours of Islam, thus expediting the pace of radicalisation in Pakistan.

Pakistan was equally vulnerable to foreign influences after the devastating earthquake in 2005 and floods in 2010 and 2011. The European Parliament’s report revealed that these disasters provided Saudi and other Arab charities to channel millions of dollars in aid, of which an unknown amount was used to fund militant organisations who have broadened their reach in Pakistan resulting in over 45,000 violent deaths in the past few years alone.

Pakistanis have a very strong spiritual link with Saudi Arabia. However, they are suffering for the unbound devotion to the oil-rich state, which has done a poor job of curbing the financial support for militancy in Pakistan. Seeing the plight of violence stricken Pakistanis, one hopes that Saudi charities could be more charitable.


Murtaza Haider, Ph.D. is the Associate Dean of research and graduate programs at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto.

 

[PeaceGen]

Current muslim leaderships are much, much more foolish and evil than I previously thought, for imposing their own social rules on other cultures through militancy to this extent.

 

[Hyperion]

Not current. Has been going on for a long long time. Common Muslims are tired of Tyranny imposed upon them in the guise of "modified" Salafist Islam.

The rules of Salafism are/were simple:

1. Spread Islam 2.0 via brain washing in the form of doctored-interpretations of the verses (very very select verses with dual meanings), and if it doesn't work, create/modify/justify/doctor certain "hadees" (sayings of Prophet - pbuh), to attain their vicious goals.

2. If point#1 doesn't bear fruit? Terrify the crappers out of the populace, until they submit to particular version of Islam that suites them.

3. Anyone who questions? Silence them again on the basis of religion (declaring them infidels etc etc), wherein religion in fact had nothing to do with it.

The Islam you have been used to hearing about has got NOTHING to do with the real Islam. It's just a version that best serves certain kingdoms to keep their populations under control and make sure no one questions their legitimacy.

Btw, nice article @muse.

Current muslim leaderships are much, much more foolish and evil than I previously thought, for imposing their own social rules on other cultures through militancy to this extent.

 

[Skies]

The financing thing must be true. Talibans do not work, do job or production, then where they get their money from?

Do the Wahabis finance just for religion, or they have any business purpose?

 

[Hyperion]

Do you think rest of it is cooked up?

Why have I, and @muse been barking up here for so long? Do you think we have some extra time to waste here. It's all "khidmat-e-khalq" - public service, so that the young generation has a heads-up before they are brain-washed and coerced into becoming foot-soldiers of the "Ummah".

The financing thing must be true. Talibans do not work, do job or production, then where they get their money from?

 

[Skies]

The Islam you have been used to hearing about has got NOTHING to do with the real Islam. It's just a version that best serves certain kingdoms to keep their populations under control and make sure no one questions their legitimacy.

Btw, nice article @muse.

Then where would we learn the real Islam from? I thing something is cooking in BD too, I can see many types of Muslim here, also the Wahabi types too. May be we have a bad future ahead.

 

[Sedqal]

Spot on, good article muse. I have been saying for some time Pakistan must encourage local flavors of religion over imported ones. Local varieties of Wahabi, Shia or Brailvi/ Deobandi segments should be encouraged to promote religious discourse confined to a national (Pakistani) level. Secondly any groups which are backed by Iran/ SA/ Afghanistan should be effectively discouraged as a state policy.

Its high time we get out of Arab/ Persian wars. Look towards Asia, Malaysia is a good functional society (with its own shortcomings) but a far better alternative to the mess in ME.

 

[Hyperion]

Well, if your population already got infected by the Wahabi bug, then I'm sorry it's already too late. It's like "necrotizing fasciitis", by the time you know you are infected, you're DEAD.

My sincere condolences.

R.I.P. Bangla-wahabi-desh.

Then where would we learn the real Islam from? I thing something is cooking in BD too, I can see many types of Muslim here, also the Wahabi types too. May be we have a bad future ahead.

 

[muse]

Then where would we learn the real Islam from? I thing something is cooking in BD too, I can see many types of Muslim here, also the Wahabi types too. May be we have a bad future ahead.

Try reading a Quran -- Learn the difference between Religion and the culture of 6th century Arabia - Remember that Quran's social and cultural context is 6th century Arabia, so you have to filter islam from that socio-cultural context -- But wait, how do you do that? try using your brain

Muslims cannot continue to be parasites and they cannot OWN Islam, without filtering the socio-cultural context of 6th century arabia and fit it to their own socio-cultural context TODAY

 

[Skies]

Try reading a Quran -- Learn the difference between Religion and the culture of 6th century Arabia - Remember that Quran's social and cultural context is 6th century Arabia, so you have to filter islam from that socio-cultural context -- But wait, how do you do that? try using your brain

Muslims cannot continue to be parasites and they cannot OWN Islam, without filtering the socio-cultural context of 6th century arabia and fit it to their own socio-cultural context TODAY

Then Wahabi type people are active here may be. I saw some BD Islamic scholars who use all their references from the scholars of Islamic University of al-Madinah, and they are not agreed to filter out any thing, rather want to cling to everything exactly what Muhammad [sws] did in his social-context. Otherwise, they think all other versions are wrong version of Islam.

 

[muse]

Then Wahabi type people are active here may be. I saw some BD Islamic scholars who use all their references from the scholars of Islamic University of al-Madinah, and they are not agreed to filter out any thing, rather want to cling to everything exactly what Muhammad [sws] did in his social-context. Otherwise, they think all other versions are wrong version of Islam.

they endorse these sites:

Brother man, play it whichever way your conscience tell you to play it -- from me, as a well wisher, I would say you have to decide whether you are in 6th century Arabia or whether you live in the present, whether BD is a 6th century Arabian society and whether it OUGHT to be a 6th century Arabian society.

If you wish to be a forward looking progressive Muslim rooted in FAITH in God and in the Present, then you should consider if looking to the culture of the past, is the way to go - either way, wish you the best

 

[Kaniska]

These types of Fundamentalist Islam is propping up in India too...Most of these type of thing is happening in North India...

 

[Silverblaze]

Time for someone serious to step in.

The root of islamic extremism is not in gulf, it is in the power corridors of european capitals and washington.

all these countries have always encouraged extremism to beat every other ideology that was opposed to their hegemony.

they kept quite because the rich arabs gave huge donations to their election campaigns, financial and educational institutions.

A small confession.

 

[Skies]

Brother man, play it whichever way your conscience tell you to play it -- from me, as a well wisher, I would say you have to decide whether you are in 6th century Arabia or whether you live in the present, whether BD is a 6th century Arabian society and whether it OUGHT to be a 6th century Arabian society.

If you wish to be a forward looking progressive Muslim rooted in FAITH in God and in the Present, then you should consider if looking to the culture of the past, is the way to go - either way, wish you the best

But they say, if someone does not comply with them, he will loss his Imaan/Akidaa, and they support their claims with Haadits, which is the confusion for some people.

I agree with you that we need to study Quran more to be able to differentiate the things and perspectives, thank you

 

[muse]

But they say, if someone does not comply with them, he will loss his Imaan/Akidaa, and they support their claims with Haadits, which is the confusion for some people.

I agree with you that we need to study Quran more to be able to differentiate the things and perspectives, thank you

What is Imaan? Faith in English -- Does it mean CONVICTION in the ABSENCE of CONFIRMING CIRCUMSTANCES?? Why do you need somebody like a mullah or Emam telling you that you can lose what is not theirs to grant??? Faith is between you the object of your love - Yes, the Object of your LOVE - and it comes from the source of LOVE, Allah or God, how then can some Mullah and Eman grant or deny you FAITH in God?

You take it easy on yourself