(Washington Post) Jim Hoagland - One royal family member, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, urged Saudis last week to abandon "stupid conspiracy theories" blaming Israel's Mossad or the CIA for all the ills that befall the Arabs. The kingdom has yet to ask itself honestly why 15 of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001, were Saudis, he said bluntly. The graduates of al Qaeda's training camps initially directed their attacks against global targets and Western nations, not their own homelands of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Algeria. Their goals were to renew Islam's westward march of conquest and establish a global caliphate rather than pursue nationalist struggles. However, the jihadists are now either compelled or tempted to make their stand more on their home turf - and to target their Sunni co-religionists and fellow Arabs more directly.
2003-11-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive