Fred Lapides is intrigued by this BBC report .
Saudi clerics condemn terrorismSounds great! The Saudi clerics are our new allies in the war against terrorism! Well, not exactly. A careful reading of the piece also reveals that
Leading clerics in Saudi Arabia have issued a religious ruling, or fatwa, saying that terror attacks by Islamic extremists are "serious criminal acts".
The Council of Senior Clerics said it fully backed the Saudi authorities in their campaign against those who were carrying out acts of sabotage, bombing and murder in the country.By implication, we should assume that acts of sabotage, bombing and murder outside of Saudi Arabia are okay. Go and re-read my earlier correspondence with a Saudi official and you'll see what I mean.
congrats on your well-deserved SOW...Right you are: Saudis are nothing if not duplicitous and know that they would be finished within one week if the disallowed terrorism from their country to stop elsewhere in the world. There wwas a novel someyears ago and the title best sums up the relationship betweet terror and The Kingdom: Such Good Friends.
Posted by: fred L on August 18, 2003 07:30 AM