In an unprecedented shift, Saudi Arabia’s top Islamic law cleric declared that it is wrong to fight Israel and called Hamas a terrorist organization.
The mufti’s comments are the latest in a wave of historic changes in Saudi Arabia triggered by President Donald Trump’s bold foreign policy offensive focused on the destruction of radical Islamic terrorism.
Israel was quick to notice the mufti’s groundbreaking statement. Israeli Communications Minister Ayoub Kara took to Twitter to praise the mufti and invited him to visit Israel.
“I invite the mufti to visit Israel and be received with honors.”
Kara also praised the mufti for declaring Hamas a terrorist organization.
In October, the mufti praised the creation of the King Salman Complex for the Prophet’s Hadith in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Culture and Information Ministry said the center aims to “eliminate fake and extremist texts and any texts that contradict the teachings of Islam and justify the committing of crimes, murders, and terrorist acts.”
These changes are among a multitude of others led by Saudi Arabia and initiated by Trump. The importance of Saudi Arabia to Trump’s foreign policy cannot be overstated. Trump scheduled the first state visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year and brought nearly his entire cabinet on the trip.
Trump’s speech during the visit was addressed to leaders of the Arab nations and focused almost entirely on the global crisis of radical Islamic terrorism. Trump gave the leaders present and those listening remotely a clear-cut choice: continue on the current path, or choose to work with the United States to exterminate radical Islamic terrorism and the ideologies that allow it to thrive.
Saudi Arabia’s willingness to work with Trump was already apparent during the state visit. After Trump’s speech, he attended the opening of the aptly named Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.
The listing would tie the Saudi oil business profits to the dollar, likely ensuring stability for the country’s economy for decades. And given all the steps that Saudi Arabia took following Trump’s state visit in May, the invitation to the NYSE could be Trump’s way of fulfilling his part of the deal.
Friends Read Free