BANDAR BUSH & CO.

I don't read Christian Broadcasting News often. But one article about the home country of Bandar Bush, supposed ally of the United States, deserves notice.

The cradle of violent Islamic fundamentalism and one of the largest funders of hate-centered madrassas, Saudi Arabia would rather launch a public relations campaign in 19 U.S. cities rather than actually address the problems they helped cause. (Remember: Fifteen of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks were Saudis.)

There is, of course, no mention of the findings of the Sept. 11 commission that "Saudi Arabia is a problematic ally in combating Islamic terrorism," says the BBC.

The CBN article states:

Journalist and author Stephen Schwartz echoes that, saying, "They are lying to everybody." He says the Saudis believe they can continue fooling the Christian West into thinking they have changed.

Schwartz says,"You know what the Wahhabis say? The Wahhabis say, "The Jews are as clever as Satan, but the Christians are just stupid. They continue to use Wahhabism as a control device, as a control ideology, to indoctrinate and control their people, while whispering in our ears that they're our best friends."

For instance, in a June 15th press release, the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar said, "Senior religious scholars in Saudi Arabia have continually and unequivocally condemned terrorism. In our war against terrorism, these condemnations are a powerful weapon."

But just two weeks before, a Muslim professor on Saudi State TV, Sheik Dr. Ahmad Abd Al-Latif, said, "Cursing the oppressing Jews and the oppressing and plundering Christians, and the prayer that Allah will annihilate them, is permitted."

That sounds a little like radical religious right-wing fanatic rhetoric.