Just a short post to point out an interesting article on The American Spectator. It compares the 'heresy' of Wahabi Islam with various heretical movements in Christendom -- the Catharis, early Anabaptists and the like. He also does a service by pointing up the true danger in the Middle East now that Saddam is gone -- Saudi Arabia, and her funding of radical Islam. He makes an interesting distinction between Fundamentalist Islam and the Wahabists, a nuance often lost upon commentators eager to lump both Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims into one box labeled "Dangerous Extremists."
I'm not convinced that the distinction is entirely significant, given the body count and expansion-by-sword of pre-Wahabist Islam. Nevertheless. Give it a read.
Posted by Discoshaman at mai 19, 2004 10:51 PM | TrackBack
I would say that Saudi Arabia has always been the true danger in the mid-east, if by danger we mean danger to folks in the U.S., or danger to Christians. The most regrettable aspect of Iraq is that it has caused us to ignore our real enemy for another two years.
Posted by: Rob Huffstedtler at mai 21, 2004 09:28 PMRob-
Respectfully, I have to disagree.
I don't think we've ignored it. Bush has put genuine pressure on the Saudis in a way that hasn't been done on the past. While imperfectly, they HAVE defrocked militant imams and closed down "charities". While they have a long way to go, the Saudis have come a long, long way since 9/11. I really don't see what one thing has to do with another. Our tiptoeing around the Saudis has everything to do with oil dependence and well predates Iraq.
If anything, the Iraq war will do just the opposite of protecting the Saudis. The lifting of sanctions, and the eventual return of Iraq to full production will provide us with a source of oil that rivals even the Saudis' vast reserves.
Posted by: Discoshaman at mai 21, 2004 10:36 PM