Wahhabism, terrorism and the 'confessions' of a Saudi prince

During the Cold War, Saudi Arabia spread Wahhabism to meet the demands of its Western allies to counter the Soviets. Successive Saudi governments continued this error. The kingdom does not finance terrorism, but money does come from Saudi private sources. A young Muslim offers his thoughts.

Paris (AsiaNews) – The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, made a surprising confession, un unexpected admission, recently. He acknowledged his country’s evil role in the spread of religious extremism in the world.

Currently in the United States where he began a visit on Saturday, Riyadh’s strongman said that the kingdom began spreading the germ of Wahhabism on Western orders during the Cold War.

Saudi Arabia’s Western allies wanted to counter the Soviet Union at the time to prevent it from penetrating or gaining influence in the Muslim world.

Cited in an article published on Sunday by The Washington Post, Mohammed bin Salman went further.

In addition to spreading Wahhabism, which is the basis of international terrorism, the Crown Prince also acknowledged that Saudi governments lost heir way, and that things have to go “back to normal”.

He tried to clear his country from charges that it is directly funding terrorism, saying that the money is coming from private sources, not the government.

I wonder how people can be convinced that they got it wrong, that what was instilled in them was false and contrary to the Islam of the Quran after their minds were polluted by hate and terrorism?

Such doubts are legitimate, especially after the controversy that broke out last week in Algeria when one of the representatives of this movement, Mohamed Ali Ferkous, made a dangerous and serious claim about "Sunnism".

According to him, only Salafism is part of the sunnah* whilst "other currents are not". Unfortunately, these extremists are tolerated and encouraged in Algeria.

* Literally, the habitual practice, it is the body of traditional social and legal customs and practices associated with the prophet and his companions.

• saudi arabia
• wahhabism
• sunnism
• religious extremism
• united states
• mohammed bin salman