“The Saudis’ Secret Agenda”
The other day I linked a surprising piece in The Australian quoting a respected analyst who believes that America’s dedication to winning in Iraq has strengthened our world position. It’s the sort of position that’s too heretical for the mainstream media even to note, but the Australian did a good job summing it up and putting it out there.
Looks like they’ve done it again. Different authors, great piece, summing up a worldwide problem into what looks like around a thousand words. Some of it you probably already knew and suspected, but it’s a story that doesn’t get told enough–sometimes for very understandable, if infuriating, reasons. Anyway, Saudi funding:
The Saudi Government – largely through its embassy – is believed to have funnelled at least $120 million into Australia since the 1970s to propagate hardline Islam, bankroll radical clerics and build mosques, schools and charitable orgnisations.
But the Saudi cash that has flowed into Australia, that also allegedly has paid the allowance of hardline Canberra cleric Mohammed Swaiti, who has publicly praised jihadists, is dwarfed by the $90 billion Riyadh is believed to have pumped into promoting Islamic fundamentalism internationally.
There’s an important distinction to be made here between funding for actual terrorists and funding for Wahhabist mosques and studies generally. Even if you, dear reader, may not see much of a difference there, the world does, and it’s useful to bear that fact in mind as you see where the money comes from and where it goes.*
Of course, there’s also the other PR/goodwill money that goes to often awaits career diplomats whom the Saudis take a shine to**, and which universities are always glad to receive:
In Australia, Griffith academic Mohamad Abdalla has defended his decision to seek the grant, saying the money came with no strings attached. But critics, including the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s national security project director Carl Ungerer, say this is naive and the money is part of a Wahhabist “hearts and minds” campaign being waged by the Saudis in the Muslim world.
US-based Middle East expert and author Daniel Pipes says it is wrong to presume that all academics would follow their donor’s line merely to keep the stream of funds rolling.
“Academics have a distinct point of view and are not about to be bought and change their point of view for any sum of money,” he tells Inquirer. “But they are willing to shape their work and their views. So you can’t buy them but you can rent them. So someone who might have been inclined to ask tough questions will do something else. It’s subtle. It’s not like the Saudis come to town to buy up academics who grovel before them, as was the case with Griffith University.”
Last month, Britain’s MI5 director-general Jonathan Evans reportedly told his Government that the Saudi Government’s multimillion-dollar donations to universities, along with other funds from Muslim organisations in countries such as Pakistan, had led to a “dangerous increase in the spread of extremism in leading university campuses”.
There’s still more crammed in the article, including a deviously clever (though politically intractable and legally impractical) proposal by Steven Emerson to stigmatize academies who suckle too deeply at the Saudi petrodollar teat.
* Remember that one of Al-Qaeda’s goals is to destroy the debauched and un-Islamic royal family. I’m no expert in the intricacies of Saudi politics, but I can see this from the Royals’ perspective: the rulers could sincerely want to walk the line, (which I don’t think exists, but I may be wrong, or the Saudis may be deluding themselves) and try to be anti-al-Qaeda and yet pro-Wahhabism. The latter position perhaps because of conviction but also because they want to cultivate street cred among their populace that they’re authentic Muslims, no matter what Al Qaeda and their other radical detractors say. Kind of the Saudi equivalent of Hillary Clinton’s new prayer-warrior pose.
**To be clear, this aspect isn’t mentioned in the article, but I once heard Daniel Pipes discuss it in a lecture and I thought it was worth a mention.
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{Post by See-Dubya}
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It looks like Jimmy Carter has a lot of company there on the Saudi payroll.
In 1925 the chief export of Saudi Arabia was table salt…now it is oil.
Oil brings these Mohammedans money to propagate Islam by any means necesary throughout the world that they would never have had in the past via pure miltary action.
We were able to put men on the moon, and yet we cannot find a way to remove our dependence on foreign energy sources without going to quasi-Stalinistic (global warming, America the world abuser nonsense rhetoric, etc.) methods and oppression.
I am appalled.
As Mark Steyn has put it, the chief export of Saudi Arabia is Wahhabism*. Oil money is just used to pay for it.
* I think the word translates to “Shedding/Bestowing Grace” — from Allah, of course.
Well, it’s the chickens coming home to roost for our energy policies, laws, regulations, etc. More nuclear plants? No. More refineries? No. More drilling (offshore/anwr)? No. If we just built 2 dozen more nuke plants, we could stop importing oil from Saudi Arabia AND Chavez-uala; the largest single use of our light sweet crude consumption (somewhere around 40%) goes to fuel oil power plants, which are easily replaced by nuclear facilities. Hey, that means there’re TWO nuclear options for dealing with islamofacism!
Well, it has been almost 2 hours since the initial post & 4 responses… I guess folks are shocked by Saudi treachery.
Personally I was left speechless.
Just wait a few months, the left and msm will be screaming that our energy shortage is the fault of big oil, hallaburton, and Bush !!!! Of courts the lefty followers will buy it lock, stock, and barrel. Then they will double their efforts to stop our dependance advacement, and call for higher taxes on oil.
I do not know what is worse … the fact that this is allowed and actually happening, the fact that it seems like it should be a secret but is carried out openly in front of We the People or the fact that the vast majority of Americans are so apathetic about the entire situation?
There is no secret and no deception here. There is a blatant disregard for the American way of life and an amazingly large number of people who just simply do not care.
Q: Do you know the difference between ignorance and apathy?
A: I don’t know and I don’t care!
Sad!
No surprises here. I have said before that all three of our living ex-presidents are on the Saudi payroll, as well as ex-Secretary of State Baker and numerous diplomats. The Bush-Rice Middle East peace initiative sure smells like preparation by these two to board the gravy train after leaving office.
On May 3rd, 2008 at 10:48 pm, WarTip said:
On May 3rd, 2008 at 10:59 pm, nbarry said
I agree with you both
both are the leftie way “die freedom die-me me me me, socialism, socialism the best way of life-me me me me
It will come to guns and rough men who stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.
Saudis don’t stand a chance.
We want to think we are a big strong nation. what if china and russia team up with our socialists???? what chance do we have then???
The collusion of our government and some of its leaders past and present with the perfidious and disingenuous Saudis is appalling! Yes, apathy will prove to be our ultimate undoing and we have no one but ourselves to blame for that.
We have let the radical environmentalists take over the energy independence of this country. We HAVE to take it back while we still have a country!
see-dubya: “There’s an important distinction to be made here between funding for actual terrorists and funding for Wahhabist mosques and studies generally. Even if you, dear reader, may not see much of a difference there, the world does, and it’s useful to bear that fact in mind as you see where the money comes from and where it goes.”
The difference is less than you argue, since funding for Islamic terrorists and funding for radical mosques have the same political objective of carrying out Mohammed’s last command to fight every man until the whole world submits to Islam. Both mosque and terrorists are part of the same jihad, pursued by different means, the soft jihad of mosque-building complementing the hard jihad of terrorism. And it’s worth pointing out that funding for mosques and funding for terrorists are not separate activities, but overlap. Radical mosques are usually the forward support base for terrorists, recruiting them and harboring them and otherwise supporting them.
While our enemies in the House of Saud may be rivals with our enemies in the House of Wahhab, the Saudi royals still support a war of religious imperialism against the world and the ultimate destruction of the Great Satan, America. They oppose Al Qaeda only because Al Qaeda opposes them. The Saudi royals were perfectly willing to fund, support, and conceal Al Qaeda terrorism until it was directed against themselves on Saudi soil.
The Saudis still support an infrastructure of propaganda against the US where hateful religious bigotry is spewed against us in the government-controlled schools, the government-controlled media, and the government-controlled mosques. The Al Qaeda position of war against the world in general, the West in particular, and the USA most of all is derived from the official position of Saudi Arabia and differs little from it.
We should take the Saudi Wahhabi jihad back to their doorsteps rather than grant them sanctuary to make war against us. Most of the $500,000 that funded the Sep 11 attacks came from Saudi Arabia. We should respond to their aggression militarily, politically, economically, intelligence-wise, through the media, and legally here at home. For example, it would be a good idea to pass a law that demands that anyone who accepts Saudi money for any reason must declare it for the public record. That’s the first step in defeating the evil Saudis.
This really isn’t new to me. But, it’s true all the same. There is loosely concerted effort amongst Islamic nations to win dominance of Europe in particular. This goal can and does get offset by regional tensions sometimes, but for the most part, it’s rolling along nicely.
I also think that they are making significant headway in isolated places in Canada, Austrailia, even the USA (Minneapolis).
On May 3rd, 2008 at 11:57 pm, Tantor said:
well said
One can throw money into a project with good intentions, and when there are enough dollars flying around the bad seed will get some of it. I personally don’t trust the Saudis, but literally tons and tons of their money ends up in the hands of extremists, just as US money shipped into Iraq has invariably ended in those hands as well. Lots of money plus no oversight equals…well, you get the picture.
Only a Comment?
“I summon my blue-eyed slaves anytime it pleases me. I command the Americans to send me their bravest soldiers to die for me. Anytime I clap my hands a stupid genie called the American ambassador appears to do my bidding. When the Americans die in my service their bodies are frozen in metal boxes by the US Embassy and American airplanes carry them away, as if they never existed. Truly, America is my favorite slave.”
King Fahd Bin Abdul-Aziz, Jeddeh 1993
With all the gov’t of the world rolling over for these animals it won’t be long. With the sissies we are raising now, i.e. no tag, no dodge ball, no keeping score, I figure we have two generation maybe three. Than all the MUSLIM fanatics will have to do is come in and say YOU must read the KORAN everyday. You Must pray to MECCA 5 times a day. All our new generations will collectively say ALAH AKBAR , ALAH AKBAR. Sad ain’t it???
I believe your right, sad to say is it not.
Hmmm, you could just as easily insert “Global Warming” here. They’re all lining up for more of that grant money (green-taxes).
So, did the Labor party’s recent thrashing in UK elections signal that the native Brits, those that haven’t fled yet, finally decided to say “ENOUGH” to the Dimmitude of Brown and co.?
BTW-Great comments by all…
If I’m not dead of ‘natural’ causes, by then, I’ll certainly be dead from ‘lead poisoning’.
There is no way that I’ll submit fanatical Islam… ever!
I’ve been updating my firearm collection since 9/11… It’s grown considerably… along with a healthy supply of ammo and reloading equipment.
karl and the girls
Every time I see Bush holding hands or kissing one of the Saudis it turns my stomach.
But…but…but…that can’t possibly be right. Everyone knows the Saudi’s are our friends.
They are just supporting and exporting their peaceful religion all over the world. /sarc off.
.