Wahabism a West-backed Cold War product: MBS

Saudi ruler Mohd bin Salman says since Western allies were trying to defend the market economy from Communism spreading like wildfire, they used radical Islam as a shield.

New Delhi, Dec 22: Most of the world has seen how treacherous Wahabi ideology is for peace and stability and how some countries have been sponsoring it. However, in an interesting development, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, popularly known as MBS, has said that the Western countries were fuelling it for their vested interest.

In an interview, the Saudi ruler admitted that to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the Western countries funded and fuelled the perilous religio-political ideology. He also said that since the Western allies were trying to defend the market economy from Communism spreading like wildfire, they used radical Islam as a defence shield. In their efforts, the Western countries, especially the US, bankrolled the construction of mosques and madrassas all over the world.

Wahabism a tool to counter socialism

Although the recent investments to spread Wahabism are no doubt coming from Saudi Arabia and other countries from the Middle-East region, the Saudi Crown Prince further admitted that investments in mosques and madrassas overseas were rooted in the Cold War. According to him, when allies asked his country to use its resources to prevent inroads in Muslim countries by the USSR, they were equally the partner in the mission.

Pakistan the largest beneficiary

Those were the peak days of the Cold War. India and Pakistan fought a war earlier in 1965 and then again in 1971. Pakistan was split into two pieces, its economy was in doldrums and it was willing to do anything for money. This was the time when Saudi Arabia and the Western allies started funding Wahabi activities in Pakistan.

It was Saudi Arabia which gave a loan of $20 million to Pakistan in 1971 to further the agenda of Wahabism. The country became a willing partner to the 'Islamic nuclear bomb' of Pakistan, better known as 'dirty bomb', for which then Pakistani PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was working tirelessly. In 1974, Pakistan hosted the second ­summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). From then onwards, Pakistan started receiving huge funds for its madrasas and universities.

Massive influx of Pak workers in Saudi

Saudi-Pakistani partnership in the name of 'Umma', i.e. Islamic brotherhood, was not limited to funding madrassas alone. Saudi Arabia opened up the country for Pakistanis with a liberal visa policy. It helped newly rich Saudi Arabia get cheap labour and at the same time spread Wahabism. Now, Saudi-funded Deobandi madrasas have become breeding ground for Islamic fundamentalists that were once used to fight the erstwhile USSR and Communism.