The Saudi Terror Connection

Saudi Arabia is called an ally.  It is just is not true.  The ruling House of Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim family, and Sunni Islam is the state religion.  

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud.  King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud ascended the throne in 2015 following the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah.  Sunni Muslims comprise the vast majority of Muslims in Saudi Arabia, while Shiite Muslims make up a minority.

Sunnis chose Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s Prophet to become the first successor of Muhammad.  Shiites chose Muhammad’s Cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib.  Shiites claim the bloodline.  They have warred over this basic difference for centuries as each sees the other as false believers.  Islam is the Religion preached by Muhammad.  Muslim is a person who follows Islam.

Please note that all religions are subject to personal, emotional, instinctive and intuitive interpretation.  “Some” Christians will kill over abortion and believe gays should be stoned into submission or be killed.  “Many” Sharia believe beheading non-believers is fine and gouging eyes and amputation is a “just” punishment.    (Note the “Some” and the “Many” in the preceding sentences – This distinction is because they have evolved separately with different progressive adjustments) Most Christians and Muslims believe in none of this.  They believe only in the wholesome and good side of the teachings that are a path to heaven.  The problematic distinction is of course that much of Islam has not evolved away from the barbarity that is seen in violence by Christians.  Entire Islamic Countries sublimate and harshly punish and abuse women and routinely torture kill and main those that fail in the teachings.  Though the teachings are similarly violent, Christians rightfully, over time have come to view violence as evil, barbaric and contrary to the goals of humanity.  The ultimate aim and course should be to discredit and dishonor violence, and a massive international, intellectual effort at ending violence in teachings.  Ultimate condemnation of violence on every level should permeate the future.         

Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia and its law requires that all citizens be Muslims. The government does not legally protect the freedom of religion. Any overseas national attempting to acquire Saudi nationality must convert to Islam.

A Madrassa is an Islamic religious school.  Calling it a school is beyond me when the ultimate teaching since the 1980s has been death to all that to do not believe in Sharia.  (They interpret Sharia literally).  As such the Madrassa belief is wildly maniacal with highly convicted belief in such things as beheadings, stoning and amputating for minor sexual reasons, for anyone with dissimilar beliefs, or many reasons trivial to others.  (This is taught to children)  These are the beliefs of Wahhabism.  Wahhabism is the puritanical adherence to the Koran, violence and all.  Saudi Arabia is the key sponsor of Madrassas and the key purveyor of Wahhabism.  They are responsible for financing the spreading of these schools throughout countries in the Middle East and beyond.  Without them there would likely be no Taliban, Al- Qaeda or ISIS.  Many in these groups were educated in Saudi-financed Madrassas in Pakistan.  Al-Qaeda was born as the result of Saudi Arabian Madrassas and Madrassas they financed from North Africa and the Middle East to Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore and many more.  Saudi Religious wealth (financed mainly by us buying oil) and charities contributed to an explosive growth of Madrassas during the Afghan Jihad against the Soviets.  During that war (1979-1989), a new kind of Saudi sponsored Madrassa emerged in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region — not so much concerned about scholarship as making war on infidels or non believers.  From this Saudi operation came this fountain of International Evil destroying much of the Middle East and gravely disrupting many countries.  

What you have is akin to the rise of Saudi financed Islamic West Points or Islamic Military Camps, which mix Sharia and Wahhabism Islam with a lot of military training.  From this comes evil that flies planes into buildings killing 5000 people.   Then they also train a new generation of Mosque leaders and clerics who go open their own Madrassas or go populate Mosques in country after country”.  

It is not just that America lacks leadership, “we do”, it is the degree of our leaderless process that is beyond belief.  We entered the Gulf War and the second Persian Gulf War with no understanding of this hornets nest.  An interesting parallel exists between the U.S. and the Saudis with completely different distinctions.  In both counties the Government is not the controlling power.  Religion is their true power and Corporations and wealth are ours.  The true powers serve themselves.  They both fail the people.  Leadership in Saudi Arabia is Political and religious, with Religion being the dominant authority.  Fifteen of the nineteen September 11 Hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia.  We cozy up to the King and the political system intentionally ignoring that the true “Religious” Government is among our top few enemies in history.  The “threat” the real Religious rule in Saudi Arabia embraces, is the removal of civil society as we know it from the face of the earth.  

In America, moneyed interests are the true power.  And again the true power serves itself failing the people.  In the last two generations wealth has evolved exponentially and has bought so much Government power that well-being of the people or even the Human Race is subservient to greed.  One percent has half the wealth.  No one is working on systems to adjust the pursuit of wealth in keeping with environment and human beings.  The buck stops nowhere, no one feels responsible, the Government is bought and danger to wholesome safe life is gravely threatened. 

As if things are not bad enough, with America, China, Russia, North Korea and the Middle East absent compatible international pursuits the likelihood of nuclear war is very close.  Remember the likes of 9-11 sounded far off and vague until the horrible morning we woke with our brothers and sisters in flames jumping from those buildings.  Denial is our most disturbing enemy on several fronts.  We need to recognize horror and its high potential to become reality, to meaningfully react.   We are not motivated until we are in flames.  A bit late in a nuclear scenario.   

With wealth being dominant in our power structure, we completely ignore these vital Saudi accurate truths, because the goal of wealth in every way is money to the top, not good, not public welfare, not even the right war matters.  You have a campaign for the highest office on the planet underway.  You have the largest media groups on earth that lead the world in influence and never once have you heard these truths.  Never once has anyone said that these Madrasas must stop to halt this influence.  Before most of the Muslim word is turned.  Otherwise you could kill every crazy today and the next graduating class would fill the void.  Until this is addressed terrorism is like a well fed waterfall.  It just does not stop no matter how much water falls.  And terror will not stop until you defeat its origin, either culturally, financially or through major war that conquers and controls land for at least a generation.   

But first, yes first you have to start thinking about it in a meaningful way.  You must admit that your Saudi ally, powered by Religious zealotry has been able to foster and maintain and increase fanatic influences throughout the world.  Without firing a shot or losing life in their land, the land of origin, they have maintained continuity and growth of this human horror.  And as long as we coddle Saudi Arabia they will continue to churn out ISIS replacements.  They are as responsible for the heads no longer attached to their bodies as the poisoned humans that wield the swords. 

I have been writing this Column for 30 years.  I have written at least a hundred columns on the intrusion of pay for play money in the American story.  Trust these words.  Citizens United merely cemented and made easy what was already in place.  Removing it is nice but will do nothing but waste time.  To excise this evil, the effort must be “Encompassing”.  Until “All” money is removed and “Public Financing” is adopted from City Councilors through the Presidency, and political bribery is treated as a crime, the tragic decline of mankind will continue.  From protecting Corporate Interests in Saudi Arabia, to Climate change, to Nuclear Negotiations, to Corporate Billing Regulation, to the Supreme Court, to Infrastructure, and with few exceptions everything in between.  (You have become puppetry to massive regulation designed by and for the Corporate Structure regardless of harm to you)  The complete removal of bribery is the only one way to achieve the best that humans can be in Government.  This one fault is THE “Mustard Seed”.  Public Financing is the answer.  (I am 70 – Save this, pass it on.  Send it to your Senator and Congressman – If you’re an enthusiast and want to contribute send it to all 535 of them) – It is the obvious unattended answer… “Absent this poison you will attract greatness instead of greed and self-adoration”.  The pursuit of the “INTENT” of our founders will resume.  The American Beacon will go back “ON”.

Bill McClellan