1
Saudi Arabia
© Cayce Smith, 2006
Saudi Arabia is a Middle-Eastern nation founded by King Abdel-Aziz al-Saud in 1932.1
The Saud family’s conservative interpretation of Sunni Islam—Wahhabism—is reflected in the
country’s political structure and ideology; the monarchy serves as legislature as well as
executive, and law is maintained through sharia—Islamic rule. King Abdullah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz
Al Saud is the current ruling monarch and acts as prime minister. Saudi Arabia plays an
enormous role in the global economy as the world’s top oil producer with 10.37 million barrels
yielded per day in 2004.2 As of June 2006, Saudi Arabia was the second largest importer of
crude oil and products to the United States.3 While Saudi Arabia is considered an Arab ally by
the United States4, its radical Islamic conservatism, which denies free speech, freedom of the
press, and a number of civil rights (notably those for women), proves a volatile breeding ground
for terrorism.5 The Saudi Arabian monarchy’s wealth and power should not prevent the world’s
criticisms and scrutiny of its policies concerning human and civil rights that foster the creation of
Islamic totalitarians such as Osama bin Laden. Fifteen of the September 11th hijackers were
Saudi Arabian citizens.6
2
Since its establishment, the Saudi Arabian monarchy has kept its citizens under close
scrutiny by enforcing stringent laws on their personal and public lives, allowing religious police
to monitor clothing and behavior, practicing capital punishment in the form of public beheadings
and amputations in the name of Islam. While subjecting citizens to archaic practices, the
monarchy itself turns a friendly face to the Western world, basking in its luxuries, and reaping
the benefits. “…a conservative interpretation of Sunni Islam, and the support of the clerics are
cornerstones of the Al Saud family’s legitimacy. Oil wealth has transformed the country’s
economy, although its politics and society remain highly conservative.”7 The Saudi monarchy
has acquiesced to the needs of and profited exceedingly from the West while suppressing its own
people under radical Islamic rule that condemns western values and perpetuates bigotry and
extremism. “Saudi Arabia forbids the public practice of religions other than Islam. The
government also frequently violates its claim that people are free to practice their religions
privately in their homes.”8 Such practices foster and encourage a form of militant Islam by
Saudi nationals “…to which the [formerly] ruling Taliban in Afghanistan and Usama bin Ladin
both belong.”9 “The Saudis have been hedging their bets, playing both the Wahhabi card and the
U.S. card. Even while seeking to Wahhabize the Muslim World they have continued to maintain
3
good relations with rich and powerful Americans…”10 “The ambition of the arch-conservative
Saudi monarchy to sustain a medieval-style Islamic society and government has resulted in a
policy of uniquely Saudi Islamic imperialism...They have also tried to prevent Saudi students
living in America from discovering that there are other interpretations of Islam, some of which
are tolerant, advocate free thinking, and hold that Islam and democracy are compatible. The
Saudis' attempt to protect Wahhabism and the continuity of their regime by reconstructing the
rest of the Islamic world in their own image has contributed to the growth of intolerance and
bigotry among Muslims.”11
The Saudi government systematically subjects its people to Islamic extremist propaganda
that promotes and encourages anti-Western ideology and practices. Approximately thirty-five
percent of school studies are devoted to compulsory religious education.12 In an interview with
PBS, Ali al-Ahmed, a Shi’a Muslim who grew up in Saudi Arabia revealed that “[t]he religious
curriculum in Saudi Arabia teaches you that people are basically two sides: Salafis [Wahhabis],
who are the winners, the chosen ones, who will go to heaven, and the rest. The rest are Muslims
and Christians and Jews and others...all of these people are supposed to be hated, to be
persecuted, even killed.”13 He went on to explain a hadeeth in a ninth grade book for 14-year-
4
olds which purported that “[t]he day of judgment will not arrive until Muslims fight Jews, and
Muslim will kill Jews.”14 Muslims of sects other than that of Wahhabi are subjected to prejudice
and condemnation. “…Even today many local schools continue to teach Shiite children that
their sect is an apostasy from Islam, and even part of a Jewish plot to sabotage the Muslim
nation…they must damn themselves as infidels in the answers they give to questions.”15
Government-paid Islamic clerics often support and encourage terrorism. A Saudi cleric Aed AlQarni claimed, “I pray to Allah that…He will destroy the Jews and their helpers from among the
Christians and the Communists, and that He will turn them into the Muslims’ spoils. I praise the
Jihad…against the occupiers in Iraq.”16 After Islamic terrorist attacks on an oil refinery in Saudi
Arabia that killed five ex-pat employees of a Swiss engineering company and a Saudi policeman,
Crown Prince Abdullah charged that, “[w]e all know who is behind it all. Zionism is behind
it.”17 It is no surprise that “[a]lmost half of al Saudis said in a poll conducted...[in May 2003] that
they have a favorable view of Osama bin Laden’s sermons and rhetoric...[t]hey like what he said
about what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or about America and the Zionist conspiracy.”18
Saudi Arabia constantly denies its citizens the right to freedom of religion and speech,
enforcing the practice of orthodox Islam in both public and private life. “In one of several recent
5
instances, the religious police on March 29 razed a Hindu temple in a private home and arrested
several persons; they were subsequently deported...A high school chemistry teacher…was
accused of “mocking Islam” for discussing the subjects of Jews, the Bible, and terrorism with
students in his classroom; he was sentenced in November 2005 to three years in prison and 750
lashes.”19 Muslims of different sects cannot celebrate their own holidays. “…Shiites in Qatif
were strafed by helicopter gunships during Ashura, which they had definitely decided to ark in
public for the first time. Many were killed and injured. Meanwhile, hundreds of Shiite religious
leaders were jailed, while many more went into self-imposed exile.”20 Furthermore, “[p]olitical
dissent is not permitted by the House of Saud. The ban on political parties and protest is
defended on the religious grounds that politics is a violation of the Koranic injunction against
divisive sects. Throughout its history, the House of Saud has used Islam to justify its policies
and legitimize its rule.”21 Saudi religious police, the mattawa, “…ensure that conservative
standards of conduct are observed, [and] have accosted or arrested foreigners, including U.S.
citizens, for improper dress or other alleged infractions...the potential exists for an individual to
be physically harmed or deported.”22 As the government’s watchdog, “[t]he matawain literally
keep watch over the public’s morals…”23
6
Saudi Arabia consistently violates basic human rights. It continues to practice public
executions and amputations, often for acts that, in the United States, are either not considered a
crime at all, or not a crime punishable by death. For example, “…three Filipinos were
beheaded…the speculation being that they were sexually involved with some member of the
royal family.”24 Two Pakistanis accused of smuggling heroin into the country were sentenced to
death. “The executioner stepped back, raised the sword, and…managed to sever half of the
man’s head from his body…as the blood was hosed down with a powerful jet of water by the
local fire brigade, the loudspeakers were already urging the crowd to disperse, to the inevitable
chants of “Allau Akbar (God is Greatest).”25 Most often, the Saudi government denies its large
migrant worker population rights. “The Greater Shari’a Court of Dammam sentenced Puthan
Veettil ‘Abd ul-Latif Noushad, an Indian citizen, to be punished by having his right eye gouged
out in retribution for his role in a brawl in which a Saudi citizen was injured…The judge
reportedly said that non-Saudis were barred from testifying in cases involving Saudis.”26
Women who do not conform to orthodox Islamic practices face abuse, imprisonment, or death.
There have been reported cases of “…women who were victims of forced confinement
and…rape…[there is also] information about women…found in a prison in Riyadh who were
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serving sentences for ‘illegal pregnancies’.”27 In an interview with London Arabic Daily, Saudi
Ambassador to London Ghazi Al-Qusaibi stated that, “…according to the Western view,
flogging is illogical. Execution is unacceptable, and the same goes for amputating hands and
stoning. These are things that in Muslim eyes are at the core of the Islamic faith.”28
The Saudi monarchy enjoys tremendous wealth and funds certain movements that
promote and support terrorism. “The royal family derives most of its wealth through oil, which
represents 45% of the country’s $340 billion GDP.”29 No separation exists between religion and
state to deter state-supported Islamic extremism. “The religious hierarchy is a governmental
institution. Their role is to justify anything the government wants to do, using religious
authentication...The religious institution in Saudi Arabia is paid and hired and chosen by the
government.”30 Two Saudi men and Haroun Fazul, from the Comoros Islands off East Africa,
blew up the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Fazul attended a religious school “on the Comoros
Islands—a Wahhabi madrassa funded with Saudi money.”31 The Saudi government continues to
fund terrorism around the globe. “…[A]n official Saudi government report [58]… extensively
detailed Saudi financial support to Palestinians, including families of suicide bombers…noting at
the time of the report that 986 families had received funds from the account.”32 A report by
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CNN ten years ago in 1996 stated, “[w]ealthy individuals in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf
countries are involved in financing terrorists who attack Americans and Israelis.”33 The United
States knew about the Saudi government’s support of terrorism before 9/11, and did not take
action to stop it. The time has come to end the United States foreign policy of apathy towards
the Saudi Arabian monarchy’s promotion of terrorism.
Saudi Arabia’s government enforces extremist culture and ideology that has caused
several attacks on Westerners throughout the kingdom since 9/11. Attacks include instances in
which “[g]unmen attack[ed] the offices of Houston-based company ABB Lummus Global Inc in
the port of Yanbu, killing six Westerners…Islamic militants beheaded US citizen Paul Johnson
…[and] three gunmen [killed] a Briton in a Riyadh shopping centre. The Saudi wing of Al
Qaeda [claimed] responsibility.”34 Sheik Mosa al-Garni—who receives a government salary
urges young Saudis to go to Iraq to participate in terrorism. The Saudi government
acknowledges that he has not been reprimanded. “If you are physically capable, don’t hesitate.
Go with God’s blessings,” 35 he says. After the beheading of American Paul Johnson, an issue of
Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad) that is identified with Al-Qa’ida, published an article entitled “A
Letter to the Wife of the Slain Pagan Paul Johnson from the Wife of One of the Martyrs.” The
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letter is supposedly written by a wife of one of the terrorists killed by the Saudi Security forces
and was published in Saudi Arabia. “We are just getting started and the corpse of your husband
shall be followed by mountains of corpses of his countrymen, until they leave the country of our
Prophet…”36 “[T]he leadership’s refusal to tolerate any kind of opposition may have encouraged
the growth of dissident groups such as Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda.”37 Al Qaeda groups are
rampant throughout Saudi. A report by BBC shows that in November of 2003, “[p]olice
clash[ed] with suspected al-Qaeda supporters in Mecca...and uncover[ed] [a] large cache of
weapons.”38 Numerous attacks against Westerners indicate that Al Qaeda and other terrorist
organizations within the kingdom thrive on beliefs instilled by Saudi culture.
The ideology that the Saudi government advocates produces terrorism and was formative
in creating notorious Islamic totalitarian Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden continues to recruit and
organize terrorists who assemble in order to carry out violet attacks against the West. Saudi
Arabia is “the birthplace of Osama Bin Laden and 15 of the 11 September hijackers - a nation
accused of fomenting terrorism, yet itself haunted by the menace of Bin Laden's al-Qaeda
movement and attacks such as the recent bombings in the capital, Riyadh, that killed Saudis and
foreigners alike.”39 In an interview with PBS, Ali al-Ahmed, a Shi’a that grew up in Saudi
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Arabia pointed out that “…princes…condemned bin Laden. They did not condemn that
message. They condemned bin Laden…Bin Laden learned this in Saudi Arabia. He didn’t learn
it in the moon. That message that Bin Laden received, it still is taught in Saudi Arabia. And if…
this policy or curriculum stays, we will have other bin Ladens.”40 In an interview with Osama
bin Laden’s brother-in-law, Gamal Khalefa stated that Islamic militants "…are carrying a
thought, not only that the West are an enemy, but that all the Muslim Arab states are an enemy...
not in a political way... in a religious way... that they are not implementing Islam. The way they
understand it, you are a disbeliever and they have the right to kill you."41 Besides using his
personal wealth to establish Al-Qaeda and recruiting volunteers to fight in Afghanistan, Bin
Laden formed the Advice and Reform Committee (the ARC) that “…has become an umbrella
organization for radical Islamist groups that include Saudis and others (Fandy 1999).”42
Furthermore, the Saudi monarchy has paid the bin Laden family for a number of significant
projects including a four billion dollar contract for the expansion of the Mecca Holy Places.43
The Saudi monarchy’s relationship with the bin Ladens can best be described as “…quite
exceptional in that it [is] not simply one of business ties, it is also a relationship of trust, of
friendship and of shared secrets.”44
11
The Saudi monarchy continues to benefit from oil profits and relations with the West
while suppressing its citizens under a severe interpretation of Islam that foments religious
extremism. It also consistently denies its citizens the right to freedom of religion and speech,
enforcing the practice of orthodox Islam in both public and private life. It continues to perpetrate
transgressions against basic human rights, and commit crimes against citizens and migrant
workers. The Saudi monarchy enjoys tremendous wealth and funds institutions that foment
terrorism. The leadership contributes to enforce rampant extremist culture and ideology that has
caused several attacks on Westerners within the kingdom since 9/11. The religious dogma that
the Saudi government advocates produces radicals and created notorious terrorist Osama bin
Laden, who continues to recruit and organize terrorists. It is evident that the kingdom has
publicly condemned acts of terrorism while privately praising violence and malevolence towards
the West that continue to threaten the security of the United States. Hostile economic actions
against the United States in a fragile relationship with Saudi Arabia will always be possible. Acts
of violence by its citizen have occurred and remain evident.
The United States must take political and economic action against the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia and plan to protect itself against continued terrorist attacks. Saudi Arabia exported 4.7
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million barrels to the United States in September of 2006.45 The United States must prepare to
sever dependency on Saudi oil and invest in alternative fuel methods. The United States must
also begin an intensive global campaign to end the transgressions of Saudi Arabia against human
rights and enforcement of totalitarian Islam that continues to foment a significant population of
terrorists. “The public message says, ‘Terrorism is bad.’ The private message says, ‘Terrorism is
bad only when it’s against us.’ When it’s against the infidels or other people, its OK and even
celebrated.”46 The United States will take action to protect itself from continued terrorist attacks
by Saudi nationals. Steps will be taken at the borders to prevent the entry of Saudi terrorists into
the country, and the United States military will continue special operations in Saudi Arabia and
work with Saudi police to uncover and terminate terrorist activity.
The United States must not remain dependent on Saudi oil. The Saudi government uses
its royalties from oil exports to support Islamic extremism abroad by funding Wahhabi
madrassas (religious schools)47, and by giving aid to Palestinian families of martyrs.48 This
funding is unacceptable, and the United States can no longer afford to ignore it. An increase in
budget for alternative fuel research is proposed. Furthermore, the United States will cut its
import of Saudi oil by 70% of the current amount over a ten-month timeline. To make up for the
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shortage, there will be an immediate increase in oil importation from Canada, which is already
the United States’ top supplier of oil with an import of 67.8 million barrels per month.49 The
United States cannot financially support the Saudi government because it explicitly funds
terrorism.
The United States will lead a global initiative to counter Saudi Arabia’s support of
Islamic extremism. Its countless violations of human rights and support of violence in the name
of religion must be kept in check through political pressure. It is vital that the United States
maintain friendly relations with Saudi Arabia, because the threat of terrorists attempting to gain
governmental control remains a possibility. In a tape in which bin Laden praised the bombing of
the U.S. consulate in Jeddah on December 6th, he also voiced criticisms against the Saudi
government. “Al Qaeda expert Paul Eedle, who said the voice on the tape appears to be that of
bin Laden, said the main message of the recording is a call for the overthrow of the Saudi royal
family.”50 A delicate balance must be maintained with the Saudi government. However the
United States can aid progress by funding moderate reform movements. Saudi Arabia must allow
its citizens basic rights over a reasonable amount of time, though it is not rational to expect
radical changes even within one year. The United States will also provide funding for schools
14
(elementary through university) that do not include a religious doctrine, teach liberal arts
courses, offer scholarships, and are affordable for a large majority of the population. Saudi
nationals will run these schools privately, but the United States will retain the right to withdraw
funding and implement changes if the quality of curriculum and staff do not remain acceptable.
Since the United States has pledged democracy to the Middle East, it must exhibit a strong
dedication to the cause that includes a more fair and balanced education. The United States will
not continue to ignore unjust practices of the Saudi monarchy.
The United States must prepare for attacks by Saudi nationals and tighten security at its
borders. The military will always be prepared for full-scale attacks. Terrorists are a more
tedious concern and require heightened homeland security. An overwhelming majority of the
hijackers of 911 were Saudi nationals.51 Furthermore, as many as “80 percent…of the detainees
taken from Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay are Saudis.”52 All Saudi men entering the United
States ages 18-45 will have a thorough background check completed before entrance is allowed.
Saudi nationals and immigrants already within the United States that practice or teach Islamic
militancy will be questioned and deported. The Saudi government and the United States will
work together to keep a joint record of any suspicious activities that those individuals continue to
15
make. The United States will aid the Saudi government in intelligence gathering and operations
in order to end terrorist activities within the kingdom. These steps will ensure that Saudi
nationals do not enter the United States and spread Islamic totalitarianism. It will also guarantee
that belligerents are monitored and kept under close watch once deported.
The United States cannot continue to ignore Saudi Arabian policy that fosters the creation
of Islamic militants such as Osama bin Laden. The Saudi government continues to violate
human rights and indoctrinate citizens with extremist ideology in the name of Islam that supports
a totalitarian belief system. The United States must encourage and financially support reform in
the kingdom while maintaining friendly relations with the government. It is necessary that the
United States cut dependence on Saudi oil to ensure that it does not financially support a
government that funds terrorism within its own kingdom and around the globe. In order to
tighten security, the United States must tighten entrance of Saudi nations at its borders, and work
jointly with the Saudi government in order to track and end terrorist activity. For too long the
United States has ignored the incredibly obvious effects of Saudi’s Wahhabi ideology. Now is
the time for the United States to take action and persist in its efforts to moderate the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
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1
“Factsheet: Saudi Arabia,” The Economist, 2006, Available from
http://www.economist.com/countries/SaudiArabia/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-FactSheet,
Internet, (Accessed 6 September 2006).
2
“Top World Oil Producers, 2004,” The Energy Information Association, 2004,
Available from http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/topworldtables1_2.html, Internet, (Accessed
6 September 2006).
3
“US Imports by Country of Origin,” The Energy Information Association, 2006,
Available from
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm, Internet,
(Accessed 6 September 2006).
4
“Reform Beckons for Reluctant Saudis,” BBC, July 15, 2004, Available from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3887339.stm, Internet, (Accessed 7
September 2006).
17
5
“Human Rights Watch memorandum to the Government of Saudi Arabia on Human
Rights Priorities in the Kingdom,” Human Rights Watch, 2006, Available from
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/02/07/saudia12622.htm; Internet, (Accessed 7 September,
2006).
6
“Reform Beckons for Reluctant Saudis,” BBC, July 15, 2004, Available from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3887339.stm, Internet, (Accessed 7
September 2006).
7
“Factsheet: Saudi Arabia,” The Economist, 2006, Available from
http://www.economist.com/countries/SaudiArabia/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-FactSheet;
Internet, (Accessed 6 September 2006).
8
“Human Rights Watch Memorandum to the Government of Saudi Arabia on Human
Rights Priorities in the Kingdom,” Human Rights Watch, NY, NY, 2006, Available from
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/02/07/saudia12622.htm; Internet, (Accessed 7 September
2006).
9
Daniel Pipes, “Is ‘Middle Eastern’ Profiling Ever Justified?: Fighting Militant Islam,
Without Bias,” City Journal, (Manhattan Institute, November 2001).
18
10
Maqtedar Khan, “Saudi Arabian-U.S. Relations at Crossroads,” FPIF, 2003. Available
from http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2003/0308saud_body.html; Internet, (Accessed 4 October
2006).
11
Maqtedar Khan, “Saudi Arabian-U.S. Relations at Crossroads,” FPIF, 2003. Available
from http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2003/0308saud_body.html; Internet, (Accessed 4 October
2006).
12
Saudi Time Bomb?: Interview: Ali Al-Ahmed,” PBS Frontline, 2005, Available from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/interviews/ahmed.html; Internet,
(Accessed 25 November 2006).
13
“Saudi Time Bomb?: Interview: Ali Al-Ahmed,” PBS Frontline, 2005, Available from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/interviews/ahmed.html; Internet,
(Accessed 25 November 2006).
14
“Saudi Time Bomb?: Interview: Ali Al-Ahmed,” PBS Frontline, 2005, Available from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/interviews/ahmed.html; Internet,
(Accessed 25 November 2006).
15
81.
John R. Bradley, Saudi Arabia Exposed, (United States: Palgrave MacMililian, 2005),
19
16
The Middle East Media Research Institute, “Saudi Cleric ‘Aed Al-Qarni: Throats must
be slit and skulls must be shattered,” Memritv.org, December 2004, Available from
http://memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=445; Internet, (Accessed 25 November 2006).
17
“Insight: Saudi Arabia Battles Terrorism,” CNN, May 5, 2004, Available from
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0405/05/i_ins.00.html; Internet, (Accessed 6
December 2006).
18
“Poll of Saudis shows wide support for bin Laden’s views,” CNN, June 2004,
Available from http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/08/poll.binladen/index.html;
Internet, (Accessed 25 November 2006).
19
“Human Rights Watch Memorandum to the Government of Saudi Arabia on Human
Rights Priorities in the Kingdom,” Human Rights Watch, 2006, Available from
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/02/07/saudia12622.htm; Internet, (Accessed 7 September
2006).
20
John R. Bradley. Saudi Arabia Exposed, (United States: Palgrave MacMililian, 2005),
21
Sandra Mackey, The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom, (United States, NY, NY:
81-82.
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002), 234-235.
20
22
United States of America, “Travel Warning: Saudi Arabia,” United States Department
of State: Bureau of Consular Affairs, Washington, DC, November 2006, Available from
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1012.html; Internet, (Accessed 25 November,
2006).
23
Sandra Mackey, The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom, (United States, NY, NY:
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002), 71.
24
Sandra Mackey, The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom, (United States, NY, NY:
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002), 155.
25
John R. Bradley, Saudi Arabia Exposed, (United States: Palgrave MacMililian, 2005),
26
“Saudi Arabia: Court Orders Eye to Be Gouged Out,” Human Rights Watch, December
137.
2005, Available from http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/12/09/saudia12199.htm; Internet,
(Accessed 24 November 2006).
27
“Saudi Arabia: Foreign Workers Abused: Torture, Unfair Trials and Forced
Confinement Pervasive,” Human Rights Watch, July 2004, Available from
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/15/saudia9061.html; Internet, (Accessed 24 November
2006).
21
28
The Middle East Media Research Institute, “Saudi Ambassador to London: ‘I want
Peace with Israel; I Long to Die as a Martyr; Stoning and Amputating Hands Are at the Core of
Every Muslim’s Belief,” memri.org, June 2002, Available from
http://memri.org/bin/articles/cgi?Page=countries&Area=saudiarabia&ID=SP38902; Internet,
(Accessed 25 November, 2006).
29
“ Fortunes of Kings, Queens, and Dictators,” Forbes, May 2003, Available from
http://www.forbes.com/2006/05/03/cz_forbes_0522_royals_slide.html?thisSpeed=35000;
Internet, (Accessed 26 October 2006).
30
“Saudi Time Bomb?: Interview: Ali Al-Ahmed,” PBS Frontline, 2005, Available from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/interviews/ahmed.html; Internet,
(Accessed 25 November 2006).
31
“Saudi Time Bomb?: The Journey of Haroun Fazul,” PBS Frontline, 2005, Available
from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/fazul; Internet, (Accessed 25
November 2006).
32
The Middle East Media Research Institute, “Saudi Royal Family's Financial Support to
the Palestinians 1998-2003: More than 15 Billion Riyals ($4 Billion U.S.) Given to 'Mujahideen
Fighters' and 'Families of Martyrs'”, Memri.org, July 2003, Available from
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Area=sr&ID=SR1703; Internet, (Accessed 26 November
2006).
22
33
“Source: Persian Gulf Wealth Backing Terrorists,” CNN World News, August 1996,
Available from http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/14/terrorism.funding/index.html; Internet,
(Accessed 26 November 2006).
34
“Timeline: Saudi Attacks,” United Kingdom: BBC 2006, Available from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3760099; Internet, (Accessed 25 November 2006).
35
Lisa Myers, NBC Investigative Unit, “Saudi Clerics Still Encouraging Jihad,” NBC,
March 2005, Available from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7347417/print/1/displaymode/1098/;
Internet, (Accessed 25 November 2006).
36
The Middle East Media Research Institute, “A Letter by an Alleged Wife of a Martyr
to the Wife of Paul Johnson,” Memri.org, August 2004, Available from
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=countries&Area=saudiarabia&ID=SP75804; Internet,
(Accessed 24 November 2006).
37
“Country Profile: Saudi Arabia,” United Kingdom: BBC 2006, Available from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/791936.stm; Internet, (Accessed 25
November 2006).
38
“Timeline: Saudi Attacks,” United Kingdom: BBC 2006, Available from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3760099; Internet, (Accessed 25 November 2006).
23
39
“Reform Beckons for Reluctant Saudis,” United Kingdom: BBC, 2004, Available from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3887339.stm; Internet, (Accessed 7
September 2006).
40
“ Saudi Time Bomb?: Interview: Ali Al-Ahmed,” PBS Frontline, 2005, Available from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/interviews/ahmed.html; Internet,
(Accessed 25 November 2006).
41
“Reform Beckons for Reluctant Saudis,” United Kingdom: BBC, 2004. Available from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/3887339.stm; Internet, (Accessed 7
September 2006).
42
Madawi Al-Rasheed, A History of Saudi Arabia, (United Kingdom: University Press,
Cambridge, 2002), 183.
43
“About the Bin Laden Family,” PBS Frontline, 2006, Available from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/family/html; Internet, (Accessed
25 November 2006).
44
“About the Bin Laden Family,” PBS Frontline, 2006, Available from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/family/html; Internet, (Accessed
25 November 2006).
24
45
“US Imports by Country of Origin”. The Energy Information Administration, 2006.
Available from
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm; Internet,
(Accessed 6 September 2006).
46
Myers, Lisa, NBC Investigative Unit, “Saudi Clerics Still Encouraging Jihad,” NBC,
March 2005, Available from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7347417/print/1/displaymode/1098/;
Internet, (Accessed 25 November 2006).
47
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48
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52
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