Saudis want jihad in Iraq, not in Saudi

(UPI) Support for Islamic jihad or uprising in Iraq is popular among Saudis, but they don’t want one fought in their own country, the New York Times said Friday. Outrage remains high in Riyadh following the Wednesday suicide bombing of a Saudi police building that killed five. The bombing was in protest of the alliance Saudi Arabia has with the United States. “When people see Israeli operations in Palestine and the American cruelty in Iraq, they feel angry and frustrated,” said Abdullah Bejad al-Oteibi, a former fundamentalist now working as a legal researcher. “They cannot control their anger … so that is why many people volunteer for jihad. But when there are operations here, people feel angry and betrayed.” Abdel Rahem al-Lahem, a lawyer and specialist in militant groups, also questioned the Saudi attack. “You should never initiate fighting without a reason — you undertake jihad when you are ‘defending’ an Islamic nation, like the situation in Iraq or Palestine,” he said.