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Saudis Turn Birthplace of Wahhabism Ideology Into Tourist Spot

Photo Visitors at the Diriyah complex, on the outskirts of Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The site will feature parks, restaurants, and a series of museums. Credit Tomas Munita for The New York Times DIRIYAH, Saudi Arabia — More than 250 years ago, in this sunbaked oasis of mud-brick houses and ramparts, the ancestors of the Saudi royal family and an outcast fundamentalist preacher formed an alliance that has shaped this land ever since. In return for political supremacy, the House of Saud endorsed the doctrine of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab and followed it to wage jihad against anyone who rejected their creed, gaining control of much of the Arabian Peninsula. That alliance laid the foundations of the modern Saudi state, which has in more recent times used its oil wealth to make the cleric’s rigid doctrine — widely known as Wahhabism — a major force in the Muslim world. […]

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ISIS Claims Bombing at Saudi Shiite Mosque

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia—Islamic State took responsibility for a Friday suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Saudi Arabia, the second time in one week that the Sunni militant group claimed an attack on the kingdom’s minority Shiites. In a statement posted online, it identified the attacker as Abu Jandal al-Jazrawy. The group’s Baghdad division also claimed midnight car bombings that targeted two of the Iraqi capital’s most exclusive hotels, killing three people and injuring 17, according to reports from an Iraqi official. Earlier reports by the Associated Press put the death toll at 15. Via a statement posted on Twitter and distributed by the SITE Intelligence Group, the extremists, who last claimed two May 3 bombings in the city, said the latest attacks were part of a planned series. Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said at least four people were killed when security forces attempted to stop a suspicious car […]

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Explosion Near Shiite Mosque Kills 4 in Eastern Saudi Arabia

Photo The site of an explosion near a Shiite mosque in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. Credit Agence France-Presse — Getty Images BEIRUT, Lebanon — A suicide bomber dressed in women’s clothing detonated his explosive belt near the entrance to a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday, killing three other people, according to Saudi state media. The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility, as it did just a week ago for a similar attack in the same region. News reports said the bomber, who was dressed in the ample black abaya worn by Saudi women, blew himself up as security officers were approaching him. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had been carried out by “a soldier of the caliphate” named Abu Jandal al-Jazrawi, a nom de guerre. The attack occurred near Al Anoud mosque, in the […]

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Saudi Arabia goes on refinery hiring spree in South Korea

SEOUL/KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia’s state oil firm is on a hiring spree in South Korea, as the world’s top crude exporter seeks engineers to run plants in its soaring refining sector – setting it on course to compete with some Asian countries that are big oil buyers. Technicians from South Korea are an obvious target given parts of its refining sector are struggling and the two countries also have long-established business ties across a range of areas including refining. But Asia has established itself as the world’s biggest refining region and so Saudi moves to become a major refiner are set to increase competition with countries such as India that also refine Saudi crude to supply Europe. Having little prior experience in refining, state oil firm Saudi Aramco is trying to lure experienced engineers and technicians from South Korea with generous expatriate packages. "Working in Aramco has three […]

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Saudi Arabia’s summer oil demand for power generation to climb

SINGAPORE Saudi Arabia’s demand for oil products could increase by up to 20 percent this summer from last year as soaring temperatures stoke demand for power generation, but new refineries will limit the need for imports, traders and analysts said. Requirements for fuel oil, the cheapest form of oil to burn to generate electricity, could climb by up to 20 percent this year, although demand for pricier gasoil is likely to be unchanged from last year. Imports of the middle distillate into the country are expected to hit a record low this year due to new refineries’ ability to meet demand, potentially curbing Asian gasoil margins as this removes a major outlet for barrels, traders said. Saudi Arabia has added 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) of new capacity in its refineries of Yanbu and Jubail over the past two years, reducing its reliance on imports and stalling term talks […]

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Saudi Arabia Sanctions Two Hezbollah Commanders, Alleging Terrorist Activities

Saudi Arabia sanctioned two top Hezbollah commanders allegedly involved in regional terrorist operations, in a sign of the kingdom’s growing coordination with the U.S. Treasury Department. Riyadh on Wednesday blacklisted Khalil Yusif Harb and Muhammad Qabalan for activities the Saudis alleged were designed to destabilize the kingdom’s close strategic allies in Yemen, Egypt and Lebanon. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the same Lebanese men in August 2013. Hezbollah is a militia and political party based in Lebanon. “The Saudi government will continue to combat Hezbollah’s terrorist activities with all available tools and will continue to work with partners around the world to make it clear that Hezbollah’s militant and extremist activities should not be tolerated by any nation,” Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of the Interior said in a statement. The Treasury Department’s top counterterrorism official praised the action as a sign of increased cooperation between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in […]

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Thousands flock to mass funeral for Saudi attack victims

Latest News Buy AP Photo Reprints DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of eastern Saudi Arabia on Monday to attend a mass funeral for victims of last week’s suicide bombing attack at a Shiite mosque that was claimed by the Islamic State group, attendees said. Chanting religious slogans and carrying banners denouncing sectarianism, the mourners made their way with the victims’ bodies along a route to a cemetery in the village of al-Qudeeh, in the oil-rich eastern Qatif region. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack and warned of more "black days" to come for Saudi Shiites. Saudi officials have confirmed the group was behind the blast, which officials said killed 21 people. It was the country’s deadliest terrorist attack since 2004. King Salman has vowed to punish those responsible. Like many ultraconservative Sunnis in Saudi Arabia, the […]

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Saudi Arabia rewrites its oil game with refining might

LONDON Saudi Arabia’s rapid transition into one of the world’s largest oil refiners adds an extra dimension to the oil exporter’s role as the driver of OPEC policy. When it attends OPEC’s next meeting in two weeks, it does so with major new state-of-the-art oil refineries that can profit from cheaper crude and reviving world fuel demand – exactly as international oil firms have over the past six months. The kingdom now has stakes in more than 5 million barrels per day (bpd) of refining capacity, at home and abroard, landing it a place among the global leaders in making oil products. Its own target of 8-10 million bpd of refining firepower would eclipse even ExxonMobil.   "Saudi have moved into the product business in a big way," said Fereidun Fesharaki, chairman of FGE energy. Its oil trading arm, Aramco Trading, could soon find at least two thirds of its […]

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ISIS Claims Responsibility for Bombing at Saudi Mosque

Photo The wreckage of a mosque after a suicide bombing in Al Qudaih, Saudi Arabia. The attack on Shiites took place during midday Friday Prayer. Credit Agence France-Presse — Getty Images RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility Friday for a suicide bombing during midday prayer at a Shiite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Health Ministry said at least 21 people had been killed and more than 120 others injured. It appeared to be the first official claim of an attack inside the kingdom by the Islamic State, which has seized control of much of Syria and Iraq. The group attributed the attack to a new unit, the Najd Province, named for the central region of Saudi Arabia around Riyadh. But it was unclear whether the attack was planned by Islamic State leaders, initiated independently by a Saudi sympathizer, or merely claimed opportunistically […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple