Skip to main content
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "Saudi Crackdown Encourages Iraq Jihad, Clerics Say
Sun August 31, 2003 12:58 PM ET
By Andrew Hammond
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi militants, facing a clampdown at home long demanded by Washington, are heading to Iraq for a holy war against the American 'Satan,' clerics and analysts say.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said last week that some of those attacking U.S. forces in Iraq are coming into the country from neighboring Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria."
>>
"Some clerics in the kingdom said a security crackdown by Saudi authorities on Muslim militants after deadly suicide bombings in Riyadh in May -- leading to bloody clashes and arrests -- was pushing militants to head to Iraq.

"Most youth think the only safe road is to go to Iraq. They are trapped between the international campaign against terrorism and this campaign at home. The only safe haven for them is to go to Iraq," said leading cleric Mohsen al-Awajy.

"We are hearing stories of families who get mobile phone messages from their sons saying they're going to Iraq."

Awajy said thousands of Saudi veterans of the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, who at that time were supported by the government, were now being targeted.

Riyadh woke up to the problem of homegrown militancy after the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities, blamed on Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group and carried out by mostly Saudi hijackers.

The crackdown intensified after the May bombings, which killed 35 people, including nine Americans. Authorities have arrested more than 200 militants believed linked to al Qaeda.

"In the Saudi street, people are not happy with the mass operation against former mujahideen, who were encouraged by the Saudi government. Without U.S. pressure, our own government would not be as harsh against their own people," Awajy said.

A Western diplomat said unlike with Afghanistan the Saudi authorities would do everything to stop wide-eyed young radicals from heading to Iraq.

"One thing is for sure, they won't encourage or export problems that they wouldn't want at home. Never again," he said, noting that prominent clerics have either discouraged jihad (holy war) in Iraq or kept silent on the matter."

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insulin Resistance- cause of ADD, diabetes, narcolepsy, etc etc

Insulin Resistance Insulin Resistance Have you been diagnosed with clinical depression? Heart disease? Type II, or adult, diabetes? Narcolepsy? Are you, or do you think you might be, an alcoholic? Do you gain weight around your middle in spite of faithfully dieting? Are you unable to lose weight? Does your child have ADHD? If you have any one of these symptoms, I wrote this article for you. Believe it or not, the same thing can cause all of the above symptoms. I am not a medical professional. I am not a nutritionist. The conclusions I have drawn from my own experience and observations are not rocket science. A diagnosis of clinical depression is as ordinary as the common cold today. Prescriptions for Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, etc., are written every day. Genuine clinical depression is a very serious condition caused by serotonin levels in the brain. I am not certain, however, that every diagnosis of depression is the real thing. My guess is that about 10 percent of the people taking ...
5 comments
Read more

Could Narcolepsy be caused by gluten? :: Kitchen Table Hypothesis

Kitchen Table Hypothesis from www.zombieinstitute.net - Heidi's new site It's commonly known that a severe allergy to peanuts can cause death within minutes. What if there were an allergy that were delayed for hours and caused people to fall asleep instead? That is what I believe is happening in people with Narcolepsy. Celiac disease is an allergy to gliadin, a specific gluten protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. In celiac disease the IgA antigliadin antibody is produced after ingestion of gluten. It attacks the gluten, but also mistakenly binds to and creates an immune reaction in the cells of the small intestine causing severe damage. There is another form of gluten intolerance, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, in which the IgA antigliadin bind to proteins in the skin, causing blisters, itching and pain. This can occur without any signs of intestinal damage. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a similar autoimmune reaction to gliadin, however it usually involves the...
19 comments
Read more

Blue-blocking Glasses To Improve Sleep And ADHD Symptoms Developed

Blue-blocking Glasses To Improve Sleep And ADHD Symptoms Developed Scientists at John Carroll University, working in its Lighting Innovations Institute, have developed an affordable accessory that appears to reduce the symptoms of ADHD. Their discovery also has also been shown to improve sleep patterns among people who have difficulty falling asleep. The John Carroll researchers have created glasses designed to block blue light, therefore altering a person's circadian rhythm, which leads to improvement in ADHD symptoms and sleep disorders. […] How the Glasses Work The individual puts on the glasses a couple of hours ahead of bedtime, advancing the circadian rhythm. The special glasses block the blue rays that cause a delay in the start of the flow of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Normally, melatonin flow doesn't begin until after the individual goes into darkness. Studies indicate that promoting the earlier release of melatonin results in a marked decline of ADHD symptoms. Bett...
Post a Comment
Read more