In 2016, Muslim twin brothers in Saudi Arabia murdered their mother because she opposed the Islamic State and tried to stop her sons from joining the group in Syria. Now, after they spent nearly seven years in jail, the twins were just executed by Saudi Arabia. Over the weekend, news emerged that Saudi Arabia executed 81 people for “terrorism” and other crimes, including “deviant beliefs.” The twins were among that group.
Although it would appear that Saudi Arabia is cracking down on jihad terror, the country gives mixed signals.
First of all, the twin brothers were certainly inspired to join the Islamic State from somewhere. That “somewhere” is Saudi Arabia itself, the same country that ultimately executed them. So were they executed for their actual crime, or was it possibly for the publicity they received, embarrassing Saudi Arabia on the world front? Saudi Arabia is said repeatedly to be ‘reforming’. One should take into consideration that only two years prior to this murder, a poll revealed that a whopping 92% of Saudis believed that the Islamic State “conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law.” These brothers received their full Islamic indoctrination in Saudi Arabia. Years ago, a leading Saudi cleric said that the Islamic State and Saudi Arabia “follow the same thought.”
Saudi Arabia now grapples with an image issue. Its historic identity is Wahhabism, while on the other side is its marketing face, which it presents to the rest of a world, given the realities of globalization and world economics.
Reasons for ongoing concern: Saudi Arabia is still officially a Wahhabi country, and still exports its ideology globally, although less so than it did before. But is the scale-back due to depleted finances or a genuine movement to reform? In 2016, sex slaves of the Islamic State were being auctioned off in Saudi Arabia. The deplorable treatment and imprisonment of women’s rights activists is ongoing. Last year it was discovered that an animated video for children in Saudi Arabia depicted a Qur’anic story about Allah turning Jews into apes.
The biggest step for Saudi Arabia would be to renounce Wahhabism as its official state ideology, but that is an unlikely move.
“Two Saudis executed for killing mother who tried to stop them from joining Daesh,” Gulf News, March 13, 2022:
Dubai: Two Saudi brothers were executed after almost seven years in jail for murdering their mother who tried to stop them from joining Daesh in Syria, local media reported.
The duo were among 81 people put to death on Saturday in kingdom’s largest mass execution. Most were individuals convicted of terrorism and capital crimes, including members of Daesh and Al Qaida, the Saudi Press Agency said yesterday quoting a ministry of interior statement.
The ministry said the death sentence was handed down to several others who were convicted of crimes such as murder and rape. “These individuals, totaling 81, were convicted of various crimes including murdering innocent men, women and children.”
The brothers’ crime dates back to July 2016. Driven by radical beliefs, they allegedly killed their mother after she tried to stop them from joining Daesh in Syria in a case that outraged Saudi society.
“The only thing (we have established) is that they (the twins) follow Takfiri ideology,” the ministry said, using a phrase which Saudi authorities use to refer to Islamist militancy. “The case is still under investigation,” said the spokesman, who declined to give further details…
PMK says
It’s a safe bet that the twins were executed because they posed a threat to the regime, not because they murdered their mother. Killing her gave the government a reason to kill them. Their ‘deviant beliefs’ posed a threat to the legitimacy of the House of Saud.
gravenimage says
Absolutely agree, PMK. Muslim regimes only crack down on terrorism when it directly threatens them, not because they oppose Jihad terror.
Infidel says
While they are reforming, they do have an existing population that was raised on all those years of jihadist indoctrination. That’s not going away overnight. While the newer generation of students can be reached and taught normal stuff, the ones who’ve already graduated have to be dealt w/ – like these twins. Yeah, they were Saudis, but it was the KSA of Kings Fahd and Abdullah who created them, and it’s the KSA of King Salman and MbS that’s getting rid of them
gravenimage says
Infidel, I know you have bought the idea that MbS is actually “reforming Islam”–but with all respect, there is no real indication of this. This is more his eliminating his enemies–what is more Islamic?
Note that MbS has vowed to further crack down on “Haraba,” or “waging war against God and society”–this is *anything* but reforming Islam and Shari’ah.
Saudi Arabia is also largely targeting Shias–this is more about Sunni suprematism than anything else. This is nt reform–this is doubling down on Islamic savagery.
bill says
With no respect, you do not know what you are talking about, which is not unusual with your comments, SA has women in higher education and many graduate from university, a little more than men in fact. Unfortunately they then have a problem finding jobs, due to the restrictions on women in the work place. In sharp contrast to a country like Afghanistan where females hardly get education at all, SA has an excellent education system. Progress in SA is slow that is true, but that is as much due to the conservative nature of their culture as much as anything.
john smith says
bill, your an extremely rude person.
gravenimage says
bill wrote:
With no respect, you do not know what you are talking about, which is not unusual with your comments, SA has women in higher education and many graduate from university, a little more than men in fact.
…………………………
Women in university in most schools in in Saudi Arabia can only watch male lecturers by monitor and ask questions via telephone–the system is almost completely segregated. The first coed college was opened there barely over ten years ago.
There *are* more Saudi women than men in College–but the catch is that most of them are *studying abroad*, The largest number are studying in the US, followed by Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Most Saudi women teaching at the university level are doing so abroad, as well–again, especially here in the States.
Women in Saudi Arabia have only been able to study without the approval of a male guardian for the past *four years*.
More:
Unfortunately they then have a problem finding jobs, due to the restrictions on women in the work place.
…………………………
And why would this be, if Saudi Arabia is supposedly now a bastion of gender equality?
More:
In sharp contrast to a country like Afghanistan where females hardly get education at all, SA has an excellent education system. Progress in SA is slow that is true, but that is as much due to the conservative nature of their culture as much as anything.
…………………………
You *do* realize that comparing Saudi Arabia–or anywhere–favorably to *Afghanistan* is necessarily damning with faint praise, I hope?
Then, Saudi Arabia is “conservative” because of the prevalence of Islam there.
It seems you have no respect for me because I dare to point out that none of this “reforms” Islam. Islam itself does not change, and the more influence it has in a society the worse things are for women–and for freedoms of all kinds.
Oddly, you yourself been critical of this window dressing in Saudi Arabia before, writing this just today:
“For all their apparent sophistication, rich robes, palaces and ostentatious wealth. They are the same bedouin tribesmen that Lawrence of Arabia lead to victory over the Ottoman Empire. I wonder what he would think of them if he wasstill alive.”
https://jihadwatch.org/2022/03/saudi-arabia-crown-prince-justifies-mass-executions-by-saying-death-penalty-is-clear-teaching-in-the-quran#comment-2410348
Not sure why you are so upset about any criticism of Islam here…
gravenimage says
Thank you, John.
Infidel says
Graven
For the record, I’ve never claimed that MbS is reforming islam: I’ve claimed that he’s reforming Saudi Arabia. Pretty different
Of course, time will tell whether he succeeds
gravenimage says
Thank you Infidel–you are right, there is a difference. I still have yet to see that he is even doing much of the latter.
I want you to know that this is a case where I would love to be wrong, though.