John R. Bradley

Is Mohammad bin Salman a friend to the West?

Amid the avalanche of news coming from Saudi Arabia, the most important has been overlooked. A few weeks ago Riyadh ceded control of the Grand Mosque in Brussels, leased to the Saudis in 1969 and since then instrumental in promoting Islamic supremacy, anti-Christian and anti-Semitic hatred in the heart of Europe. The deal had given Saudi-funded imams control of the religious education received by the Muslim immigrant community in Belgium, in return for cheaper oil. It was a pact with the Wahhabi devil then typical of European governments. And we are still paying the price. When Islamic States called for Muslims to launch jihadist slaughter throughout the European continent, the most radicalised sections of the local Muslim populations were ready. The most spectacular attacks killed 130 in Paris in 2015 and 32 in the Belgian capital in 2016. Both had been planned in Brussels.

Will Belgium’s decision to kick out the Saudi imams usher in a new era when EU governments break with an historic unwillingness to risk undermining commercial and security ties by standing up to the Wahhabi menace? If so, they may find an unlikely partner in Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader who is about to embark on an official visit to London. On his return, he is expected to inherit the throne from his ailing father, King Salman, in a country in the midst of unprecedented political, economic and cultural upheaval. At home, the crown prince has generated euphoria and stifled dissent. Not everyone will be welcoming him with open arms abroad, either. Protests and negative media coverage are expected, especially over the horrific Saudi-led war in Yemen.

However, that the Saudis quietly accepted the agreement to abandon the Grand Mosque in Brussels should give pause for thought even among the most entrenched Saudi haters.

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