A clear link to terrorism

The Henry Jackson Society, a think tank has asked for a public enquiry into the funding of Islamist extremism by Gulf states in Britain. The organisation has noted that there is a clear link between overseas money, primarily from Saudi Arabia, and the recent wave of terrorist activities in the UK and Europe. The kingdom's 60-year campaign to export hard-line Wahhabi Islam has led to support for mosques and Islamic institutions that appears to have links to extremist organisations.

The report

The report further says that a number of Gulf states including Iran are providing financial support to mosques and Islamic educational institutions. These institutes have hosted extremist preachers who have often disseminated extremist material.

Analysis

Prime Minister Theresa May, who visited Saudi Arabia earlier in 2017 has been accused of "kowtowing" to the kingdom by "suppressing" a report into the funding of extremist groups in the UK. An inquiry was ordered in 2015 but reports have suggested the findings may never be published because of the sensitivity of the investigation's information regarding Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi embassy in London pointed out that, “the country has itself been subjected to numerous attacks by al-Qaeda and so-called Islamic State. We do not and will not condone the actions or ideology of violent extremism and we will not rest until these deviants and their organizations are destroyed."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for the immediate suspension of UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia because of its human rights record and involvement in military action inYemen.

Assessment

Our assessment is that, many states in the Middle East have exported Wahabi & Salafi ideologies to quell disturbances in their own country. Most of these countries are ruled by authoritarian regimes who may find it difficult to retain power if there are free elections. It is important that proper investigation and remedial measures are urgently taken to stop the flow of both extremist ideologies & unaccounted money anywhere in the world.