King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah... Fifth out of 37 sons of King Abdulaziz to ascend to the throne. He is, after his half-brothers Bandar and Musa'id, the third eldest of the living sons of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Abdullah's mother is from the Rashid clan, longtime rivals of the Saud. He has 6 sons and 15 daughters and about $20 billion. His youngest son is just seven years old...
on Sunday sharply criticised religious bully boys, vowing not to let "a handful of terrorists... terrify Moslems", in a speech marking the start of the Moslem holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Islam is "religion of unity, fraternity and mutual support" but some people "lured in by false calls... are confusing reform with terrorism", the monarch said, in comments carried by state news agency SPA.
"Their goal is to sow discord among Moslems," he said in an apparent reference to snuffies from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original...
(ISIL).
The powerful jihadist group has spearheaded an offensive by Sunni turbans in Iraq since June 9, wresting control of northern cities and capturing vast swathes of territory.ISIL operates in both Syria and Iraq and aims to establish an Islamic state straddling the border of those two countries, but their lightning advance in Iraq also poses a threat to Jordan and Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
The ultra-conservative Sunni Gulf kingdom -- home to Mecca and Medina, Islam's holiest sites -- shares an 814-kilometre (505-mile) border with Iraq.
"We will not allow a handful of terrorists, using Islam for personal aims, to terrify Moslems or undermine our country and its inhabitants," Abdullah said.
"We are continuing, with God's help, to face and tackle this scourge," he said.
The Saudi monarch also wished Moslems "security, prosperity and stability" over Ramadan, which began in most countries on Sunday.