Lessons in History: Saudi- Pashganistan

Spanish born philosopher and poet George Santayana is famous for saying, “He who ignores history is doomed to repeat it.” For politicians, military leaders, and many so-called experts, ignorance of the history of the Middle East and the subcontinent of India have created much of the chaos in those regions today.

The Ka'baa, Mecca

Let’s start with Saudi Arabia, which with the aid of its vast oil wealth has spread religious hatred and intolerance around the world. Saudi Arabia was conquered by the “House of Saud” in the early years of the 20th century. Their success was only possible with the assistance of the Wahhabi tribe of the Bedouin. The Wahhabi adhered to a brand of Islam that originated in the 7th Century and was based on old desert tribal traditions. Unfortunately, in return for the support of the tribe, the House of Saud agreed to adhere to the Wahhabi’s fundamental version of Islam. This created few problems until the 70’s when the Royal Family made some attempts to modernize the Kingdom. In retaliation in 1979, the Wahabbi’s and other fundamentalists seized the City of Mecca. This was devastating to the Royal Family. Mecca is the ultimate city to Muslims. It is Jerusalem, Vatican City, and Varanasi all rolled into one. It is also a major source of revenue, as Muslim beliefs dictate that all believers should visit the City at least once in their lifetime. The Saudi Royal Family could not rely on the support of their military, as many seemed to side with the rebels. Thus, the Saudi Royal Family had to call in French Commandos to re-seize Mecca. Those Frenchmen were of course rapidly sworn in as Muslims, as no unbelievers are allowed in the Holy City.

Since that time, the House of Saud, which consists of over 40,000 individuals, has attempted a balancing act. Royal Family members ski in Switzerland, gamble in Mexico, have their yachts in the Mediterranean, and party and debauch around the world. In return, they have handed education, the courts, the mosques, much of the total revenues, and all religious enforcement to the Wahhabbi’s. Entertainment, music, and literature outside of the Koran are discouraged. Today 40% of all education in Saudi Arabia is according to the rules of Wahabbi Islam. They also fund the majority of all the world’s mosques, which now often preach the same hateful Islamic rhetoric, where the killing of an Apostate [unbeliever] is considered no sin. Life for women in Saudi Arabia is bleak. They cannot drive, they are stoned to death for adultery, and are often whipped for promiscuous behavior after being raped. Change of faith is punished by death. The Royal Family maintains its own small army to protect themselves from the population.

The Hindu Kush Mountains, near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan

Afghanistan has always been a hard country to subjugate. The major and controlling tribe is the Pashtun or Pashto. They are divided into many clans, but all comprise the main tribe. Their tribal lands extend into Northwest Pakistan, and they do not recognize the border. Pakistan since its foundation in 1948 has always been a failed state. The Presidency has consisted only of corrupted officials or military dictatorships. They have never had control over the Pashtun lands. The Pashtun have always been renowned as fearful warriors in this very rugged area. This landscape is a guerrilla army’s dream. In 1842, the Pashtun totally destroyed a British Army of 60,000 with only one survivor. In 1978, the Russians invaded Afghanistan, with again their major opponents being the Pashtun. They too were forced to withdraw in 1989, after their casualties grew too great to bear. The Russians won every battle, but could not defeat a guerrilla army in such wild territory.

During the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the US and Saudi Arabia started to supply arms and support to the Pashtun on a 50/50 basis. They were assisted by the Pakistan intelligence service known as the I.SS. This was in the short term successful, and antitank and anti-aircraft weapons undoubtedly aided the resistance. It was, however, the Saudi role that has led to most of the difficulties since. Prior to Saudi involvement, the Pashtun were Muslim, but not fanatics. Once the Saudis were established in Northwest Pakistan, from where the arms were taken over the border into Afghanistan, they set up Muslim Schools or Madrassas in this very poor region. These Madrassas taught only the fundamental Wahabbi version of Islam. Any literary skills picked up by the students were only as a by-product of the repetition of Koranic verses.

It is from these Madrassas that the Taliban were born. Their version of Islam is that of their Muslim brethren in Saudi Arabia–hateful, intolerant, with barbaric consequences to all whose views differ from theirs. Saudi Arabia continues to be a main funder of the Taliban, and the funding is generous. A Taliban fighter earns 3 times that of an Afghani soldier. Afghanistan is full of poppy fields, and many think this is the main source of the Taliban revenue. It should, however, be realized that the poppy fields have been there since the time of Alexander the Great, and I suspect that most of the revenues still go to the families who have always received them.

In order to be successful in this part of the world, the first step must be to cut out Saudi Arabia. That country supplies 20% of the world’s oil, and even more of the world’s terrorism. As alternate energy sources are developed, that tap must be closed. As we have seen recently, Pakistan and India have become violently destabilized by the poisonous fundamental Muslim rhetoric spreading out from this chaos. Both of these countries have atomic weapons and long-range delivery systems which are a threat to the stability of the entire world. The consequences are too high for the rest of the world to be ignorant to this complex ethnic, religious, and cultural history. We must strive to learn from this history and to not let it repeat itself.

[Note. The history of the area is very complex, and some generalizations have been made, i.e., not all Taliban are Pashtun, but the vast majority are. The Afghan President Mohammad Kharzi is himself a Pashtun.]