Khashoggi’s Death Is Highlighting the Ottoman-Saudi Islamic Rift

Source: Foreign Policy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit at the Istanbul Congress Center on April 14, 2016. (Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit at the Istanbul Congress Center on April 14, 2016. (Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)

The apparent abduction, and probable murder, of the prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 unmasked the ugly despotism behind the reformist image of the kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Less noticed, however, is the way this scandal revealed a long-running rivalry between the two countries that directly butted heads at the outset: Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The foundation of the rift lies in the countries’ distinct versions of Sunni Islam—versions that have evolved within very different historical trajectories and that have produced contrasting visions about the contemporary Middle East. If the present crisis forces the non-Muslim world to choose sides between these religious models, the decision should be easy.

If the present crisis forces the non-Muslim world to choose sides between these religious models, the decision should be easy.

Both are flawed, but based on their past actions and ideas for the future, only one of them deserves international support.

3 replies

  1. The fruit of hate teaching for decades toward Christian, Shiah, Ahmadiyya etc is coming to the frution— what you reap what you sow, God knows and sees well what people do every second.

    No one can hide his bad deed or good deed from the eyes of God. Soon of later God will open to the public what ever you hide it.

    Last time, 9/11 KSA could say; “we have no thing to do with 9/11” Rafiq believe strongly

    This time can KSA say the same thing? Rafiq

    Wait and see—- what does God plan
    All love ❤️

    • I do not see any hint of religious extremism in criminal murder. Even on the published transcript of the ‘murder tape’ no religious terminology was used. The only thing the murderer said was that ‘I always put on the music when I do this’ (how many times did he ‘put on the music’ already for ‘this’?)

    • 9/11 – we discussed already. You have your opinion and I have mine. What we agree on is that Tower Nr. 7 collapsed because it felt lonely without his two big brothers, right?

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