Saudi Arabia still investing in terrorism

TEHRAN,Nov.13(MNA)--Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Afghanistan and its support for extremism in the country date back to the years of the Soviet occupation. Backed by the United States, the Saudis played a significant role at that time in mobilizing extremists and fundamentalists against communism and the Soviet occupation, a move which later gave birth to notorious terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Today, the Saudis have again increased their intervention in Afghanistan, using the pretext of building mosques, seminaries, and universities in the country to promote extremist ideas among Afghan citizens. Saudi Arabia’s promotion of Wahhabism and extremism has proven more successful in poor countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan than other Islamic countries, such as Bosnia. In fact, the wealthy Saudi government is taking advantage of the poverty in Afghanistan and Pakistan to foment sectarian disputes and expand the domain of terror and intimidation. Building mosques and universities is the best way to reach this end since the poor and illiterate citizens of these countries urgently need such places to perform their religious duties and have their children educated. The preachers and speakers in the mosques, who have a great degree of influence over the people, are paid and supported by the Saudi government and its agents to promote Wahhabism among the people. The World Assembly of Muslim Youth, which receives its major funding and ideological cues from Saudi Arabia, is one of the main organizations tasked with proselytizing Wahhabism. The International Islamic Relief Organization is an even more dangerous outfit, in which the Saudi government invests huge sums of money to directly influence the minds of young Muslims in countries like Afghanistan. Riyadh’s investment in such activities is regarded as one of the driving factors behind the intensification of sectarian disputes in Muslim countries and consequently the expansion of terrorism and extremism in the region. Afghanistan’s neighbors Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have also been affected by this sectarian strife. Even Iran is not completely immune from the spillover of sectarian strife and violence from Afghanistan, which could even jeopardize the entire Central Asia region. Sabah Zanganeh is a political analyst based in Tehran. (Sabah Zanganeh)