Not sure why you're singling out the US and UK considering Saudi Arabia has many allies.
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Saudi Arabia soccer team doesn't line up for London terror minute of silence
- Thread starter Mimosa97
- Start date
Not sure why you're singling out the US and UK considering Saudi Arabia has many allies.
Clockwork5
Member
This was in Australia.
Oil is not the reason anymore, the West genuinely believes that the SA government is safer to deal with than the SA people.
See Meca attack and Arab spring as events that, in the eyes of governments, support this logic.
andythinkpad
Member
They probably personally send checks to ISIS.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
BLAUcopter
Gold Member
Hmmm but we live in the west, It's not that hard to understand.
People were outraged about this in Saudi Arabia, but since the discussion took a turn and became an us vs. them scenario by western media everyone just forgot about it because we sort of currently have bigger more important things happening around us. Anyway those players are just paid stooges that did as they were told. It's not haram or foreign to our culture it's just that some stupid hardliner islamist asshole higher up did what assholes usually do.
RustyNails
Member
Who do you think takes over if House of Saud falls?
Rewinding a little bit, Saudi Arabia has always been US' ally since breaking away from Ottoman Empire, and it was a dirt poor, extremely conservative, tribal nation ruled by clans and legacy of Abdul Wahhab was always a big force. For the uninitiated, Abdul Wahhab was a renegade preacher who rebelled against Ottoman empire in the 1700s, and was jailed/exiled multiple times by the authorities. The Ibn Sauds saw him as a lightning rod that can be used to polarize and gain support against the Ottomans, which they did. A rebellion that led to the first Saudi State and later on the second Saudi State which were both subsequently crushed by the Turks. Long story short, The Ibn Sauds used Abdul Wahhab in the past to gain support among the deeply conservative society in the past, and today they do the same with As-Sheikh family (Grand Mufti of Mecca). They do this in order to form cohesion and support among the conservative elements of the citizenry.
These conservative elements have tried to take down the Saud dynasty in the past, with the most dramatic fashion during the 1979 Siege of Grand Mosque led by the firebrand Juhaiman Al Othaibi. Al Othaibi and his renegades actually occupied the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killed pilgrims and demanded the Sauds step down because they were too liberal (being very generous overall here, as the renegades had more demands). This is what we face with if the House of Saud falls. The alternative is extremely worrisome.
We allied with the Sauds further during the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanisthan. After the Oil boom, some people (who were still religiously conservative) became overnight millionaires and billionaires - such as the Bin Ladens. Many Saudis including the government sent millions of dollars to Afghanistan to prop the Mujahideen to fight the Soviets and of course US was heavily supportive and involved in the effort. Many Saudis themselves went to fight Jihad against the Soviets including a very well known person. This was the beginning of "export" of wahhabism. The money funneled went to the Mujahideen first and after the Soviets were defeated, to the neighboring parts as well so Afghanistan could establish itself. Sadly the money went to waste and towards local warlords like Mullah Omar in order to establish an Afghanisthan state. Mullah Omar goes on to establish the rule of Taliban whereas Osama Bin Laden (who was still supported by many in the kingdom for defeating the Soviets) turned his attention towards USA. We know the history from there.
There are extremely dangerous people who can take over Saudi Arabia if House of Saud falls. The government now is experiencing the blowback from all these elements - classic case of chickens coming home to roost. ISIS now would like to take down the Kingdom, and their supporters are in numbers inside the Kingdom, which has been engaged in battles with them (and Al Qaida before them) for almost 15 years now, beginning with the attack on US Embassy in Jeddah back in 2004 I believe. The question leads to "Is the government of KSA supporting ISIS" and the answer is that they did during the uprising against Bashar al-Assad but ever since ISIS established themselves as a "Caliphate", they no longer did. Which is not surprising, as US also supported every rebel group allied against Al-Assad. Currently, US and KSA share secrets and their intel communities work together on battling ISIS.
I may have missed quite a few things but this is as brief of an explanation possible into why US supports KSA.
What hooligans and at what national team stadia? I'm thinking there's only one country gets a hostile response at hampden. Can't speak for other countries but.
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