ISIS, Saudi Arabia and the Risks of Using Religion in Politics

Let me get back to داعش. You say I told you people interpret your writings to mean that Saudi Arabia is operating in Iraq to counter Iran, and so on.

In other words, this leads us to say that داعش is a creation, a creation of Saudi intelligence or a Saudi creation.

All that is possible because politics is a game, and everyone uses the cards they hold in this game.

I swear, if I found داعش useful today, I might use it, and I have the right, as a state, to do so. But what I always say is to warn of the consequences afterward. For example, when we cite an example, we cite Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, al-Qaeda. Who created it in the beginning? Al-Qaeda's ideology.

Osama bin Laden. Who created him in the beginning? The United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, quite simply.

Why? Because it was the Cold War at that time.

The Soviet Union was there. So there were political cards in play.

The question is not whether you have the right or not to play the political card, but You must think about what comes after playing this card.

The religion card is a powerful political card, but it is a double-edged sword. You can use it, and it can be used against you, so you must think about getting out before getting in. That makes sense.