Saudi targeted ‘people pushing extremist agenda’

A Saudi crackdown on prominent citizens was aimed at people who “were pushing an extremist agenda” and took funding from foreign countries, foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir said.

Saudi Arabia this month arrested clerics, academics and businessmen who had been critical of the government. Some of those detained had ties to a brand of political Islam that Saudi rulers have long opposed.

“When we expect others to have zero tolerance for extremism and terrorism and incitement, we ourselves will live by this,” Mr Al Jubeir told Bloomberg Television in New York.

“The individuals who were detained were pushing an extremist agenda. They were inciting people and this was not going to stand.”

Saudi authorities have not named the people detained, but they are believed to include the clerics Salman Al Oudah and Awad Al Qarni, who are independent of the official religious establishment.

Poet Ziad bin Nahit, academic Mustafa Al Hassan and businessman Essam Al Zamil are also reportedly held.

“We found that a number of them were working with foreign countries and receiving funding from foreign countries in order to destabilise Saudi Arabia,” Mr Al Jubeir said.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut economic and diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5 because of its of support for extremism and terrorism and interfering in its neighbours’ internal affairs.

“Qatar has to stop supporting terrorists, stop financing terrorists, and stop providing safe harbour to people implicated and wanted for terrorist financing,” Mr Al Jubeir said.

Qatar has refused to accept the conditions imposed by the four countries to lift their sanctions.