WikiLeaks Documents Reveal Saudi Effort to Undermine Iran
Thousands of Saudi documents recently released by WikiLeaks detail an extensive government apparatus dedicated in recent years to undermining Shiite Iran while spreading Saudi Arabia’s strict version of Sunni Islam.
Nicolas Raymond / CC BY 2.0
Thousands of Saudi documents recently released by WikiLeaks detail an extensive government apparatus dedicated in recent years to undermining Shiite Iran while spreading Saudi Arabia’s strict version of Sunni Islam.
While the documents show no Saudi support for militant activity, critics say the kingdom’s campaign against Shiites and promotion of a strict form of Islam has diminished pluralism in the Muslim world and swelled tensions that are fueling conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.
The New York Times reports:
The documents from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry illustrate a near obsession with Iran, with diplomats in Africa, Asia and Europe monitoring Iranian activities in minute detail and top government agencies plotting moves to limit the spread of Shiite Islam.
The scope of this global oil-funded operation helps explain the kingdom’s alarm at the deal reached on Tuesday between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program. Saudi leaders worry that relief from sanctions will give Iran more money to strengthen its militant proxies. But the documents reveal a depth of competition that is far more comprehensive, with deep roots in the religious ideologies that underpin the two nations. …
Recent initiatives have included putting foreign preachers on the Saudi payroll; building mosques, schools and study centers; and undermining foreign officials and news media deemed threatening to the kingdom’s agenda. …
The Saudi government has made no secret of its international religious mission, nor of its enmity toward Iran. But it has found the leaks deeply embarrassing and has told its citizens that spreading them is a crime.
Read more here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
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