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Saudi Arabia, true source of rise of terrorism: Pundit

Monday, 10 October 2016 2:11 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 10 October 2016 2:13 PM ]

This file photo shows foreign-backed militants in Syria.

Saudi Arabia is the “true source” of the rise of terrorism which is financing and promoting extremist groups as a way to spread its influence, an academic told Press TV.

“So it [Saudi Arabia] is financing and promoting the spread of Wahhabism in Indonesia, Malaysia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia and trying to replace other more moderate versions of Sunni Islam in that area", said Jamal Wakim, a professor at the Lebanese International University.

The comments came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said there is an inextricable connection between the security situation in Eastern and Western Asia, citing foreign intervention as a main source of insecurity in both sides.

Wakim also noted the United States is using Wahhabism, extremist and terrorists groups to achieve its “geopolitical objectives”.

He went on to say these radical groups have become a tool in the hands of Washington to target powers that are considered “hostile” by the United States.

The academic further argued the Western countries –namely the United States- are not fighting terrorism but they are trying to promote it for their own interests.

He also stated the West is trying to undermine the national security of China, Russia and Iran, the major powers that are standing up to its attempts to impose its hegemony in the upcoming century.

Acts of militancy and terror have been a recurrent theme of daily life in a range of countries in the region, including, but not limited to, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, the academic added.

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