Dissent in Saudi Arabia

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, King Fahd, fearing that Saddam Hussein would also attack Saudi Arabia, decreed a fatwa that made it possible for a Muslim state to seek help from a non-Muslim one: America. This decision caused outrage among the conservative Wahhabi clergy, who saw, and continue to see, America's presence on Saudi soil as sacrilegious and exploitative.

Unrest has also been bred by a weakening economic order, maintained by royal resistance to economic reform. Ordinary Saudis suffer while the rulers enjoy lavish lifestyles paid for by foreign investment. This gulf has bred a religious extremism that fuels support for Osama bin Laden.

The Economist Newspaper, Oct 12th 2001