Saudi Arabia: Problems with Using Jihad in Syria

A senior Saudi religious scholar and member of the kingdom's supreme religious body issued a fatwa, or Islamic ruling, June 7 prohibiting Saudis from waging jihad in Syria without the government's permission. In a statement to Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Sheikh Ali al-Hikmi of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars warned against heeding calls on online social networks for jihad in Syria, saying, "The support for the Syrian people should be in harmony with the country's policy. Everything is linked to a system and to the country's policies, and no person should be allowed to disobey the guardian and call for jihad." al-Hikmi said.

Saudi Arabia recognizes the dangers that stem from its support for an armed overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime. In particular, Riyadh is trying to ensure that al Qaeda-type transnational jihadism does not gain ground in the Levant as an unintended consequence of its efforts to use Salafist-jihadist forces against the regime. However, the Saudis are unlikely to succeed in preventing such repercussions.