Saudi Academic Prof. Abdullah Al-Ghathami: Western Governments Are To Blame For Allowing Islamist Extremism, Terrorism To Flourish Domestically

Professor Abdullah Al-Ghathami, a Saudi academic, said in a November 13, 2020 interview on Diwan Al-Mulla Online TV (Kuwait) that Western governments are to blame for allowing Islamic extremism and terrorism to flourish and spread in their own countries. For example, he said that since France has economic ties with Turkey and Qatar, these countries are able to fund and direct the extreme Islamist organizations in Europe. He added that this extremism is in turn "exported" to the Middle East, and that freedom of speech comes with a price.

Prof. Abdullah Al-Ghathami: "Imagine a mosque in one of the cities in Britain. I do not want to say which city, because there are just a few mosques there. If I said which city, people would know which mosque I mean. There's no need for me to say which mosque. When I went to a Friday sermon there, the preacher said that singing is haram, that watching television is haram... I couldn't believe that I was in Britain? Even in Saudi Arabia you don't hear such sermons. Was I even in Britain? Are people listening to this, especially the young generation? How can you do that to them?

"In a different city [in Britain], three or four years later, I went to a mosque and I was surprised to hear [the preacher] talking as if the people in that mosque... It was a big mosque with about 1,000 people... [He spoke] as if the people in the mosque are in prison and all the people around them are infidels, atheists, criminals, sinners, and people with other horrible attributes. The paradox is that this mosque used to be a church. It was a church that was abandoned, so the city council decided to loan it to the Muslims. They gave the church to the Muslims, and even gave them some financial aid in order to make the interior design of the structure suitable for a mosque. My brother, you are in a structure that used to be a church, and you are in a country, which you immigrated to... Who cultivates these preachers' discourse? The cultivation of the [Islamist] discourse – this is the first question. The second question is about the sources of funding.

"Now, they have started talking in France. I completely reject Macron's conduct, but let's see the other side in order to understand. These days, in France, they have started talking about [Islamic] organizations and say that their funding is coming from this and that... Why do you blame Islam? Blame yourselves. You are the ones who allowed these organizations [to operate]. – That's right. – You allowed them [to operate]. And you are the ones who have contracts and agreements with those who fund them and export their [ideas]. How many French weapons factories are there in Turkey? How many agreements and economic ties are there between France and Qatar? Now, they are saying that the funds [for the Islamic organizations] are coming from [Qatar] and the directives are coming from Turkey. It is said that there are 150 Turkish imams [in France], or something like that. I do not blame them or the organizations. But it is you, France, that is blaming them today. How did you allow this to happen? If you are really telling the truth...

"If you are telling the truth, you are the ones to blame, not Islam. You are the ones who allowed these conditions to develop and continue until 'terrorism' became homegrown European terrorism. This terrorism is produced over there, flourishes there, takes shape there, and then sends terrorists to Raqqa, to Syria, and to other places. How many of them came to Syria from the West? How much of that extremist discourse is exported from [the West], under the title of 'freedom of speech'? Very well. If you want freedom of speech, be ready to pay its price."