Despite the claims of the Bush Administration that Saudi Arabia is an ally in the War on Terror, one expert is warning that Saudi Arabia continues to fund terrorism, and does so with the assistance of American gas and oil purchases and with radical Islamic networks the Saudi Kingdom nurtures in the U.S.

Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of “Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed—And How to Stop It,” warns that the Saudi government still promotes Wahhabism, which she describes as the “most radical , virulent form of Islam.”

The West, including American citizens, purchase oil and gasoline from Saudi Arabia and the profit is then used to fund terrorism and the spread of Wahhabism, including the construction of madrasses (religious schools) around the world that promote radical Islam, often using textbooks that call for the destruction of the West. The Saudis also fund organizations in the U.S. to promote their agenda, according to Ehrenfeld.

“We are really cutting our throats by doing business with the Saudis…It is time to stop lying to ourselves,” she said.

More drilling for oil and the development of alternative energy sources is one solution Ehrenfeld argues can be used to combat this problem. Another idea she favors is passing legislation banning contributions to any organization in the U.S. from countries that do not have religious freedom. This would effectively cut off Saudi funding to organizations based in the United States.

A similar idea was recently pushed by Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC), the founder of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus, when she released her “Wake Up America” agenda in April 2008. Her list included ten actions the U.S. government should take to combat terrorism. Among these were “restricting religious visas for imams from countries that do not allow reciprocal visits by non-Muslim clergy,” and canceling the student visa program with Saudi Arabia until their education system was reformed.

by Ryan Mauro