TEHRAN – An Irish professor of political sociology says Saudi Arabia’s support for terrorism in the Middle East and the larger world is unquestionable.

“Saudi Arabia is clearly a sponsor of terrorism in the region and globally,” Andy Storey tells the Tehran Times.

He says, “Saudi role in the formation of al- Qaeda is well established and its sponsorship of Wahhabi extremism an open secret.”

Wahhabism derives its name from its founder Mohammed Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and is a strict form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia.

Prof. Storey blames the Saudi-inspired Wahhabi ideology and foreign military intervention as the main drivers of terrorism in the Middle East and other regions.

Professor of political sociology blames Saudi-inspired Wahhabi ideology and Western military interventions as main drivers of terrorism.

“Many forces are at work, but as well as the key Saudi role, long-standing foreign intervention has been a principal factor, especially repeated bombings and invasions by Western powers.”

According to a new poll, an overwhelming majority of the British people agree with Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn that British involvement in foreign wars has put the public at greater risk of terrorism. The exclusive ORB survey for The Independent found 75 percent of people believe interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have made atrocities on UK soil more likely.

To put an end to terrorism, Prof. Storey suggests, it is necessary to halt military interventions in the Middle East and stop support for despotic regimes which sponsor terrorism.

“From a Western point of view, the key change would be to stop bombing/invading the Middle East and wider region, and to end support for repressive sponsors of terrorism, especially Saudi Arabia,” the professor of political sociology maintains.

According to metro.co.uk, the violent message of terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS can be linked directly to Wahhabism, according to Princeton University Professor Bernard Haykel.

“The Islamic State’s religious genealogy comes from ‘Jihadi Salafism’, a theological current that is very old in Islam that is quite literalist,” he tells the BBC.

“[Followers are] extremely rigorous, and condemn other Muslims who don’t share their theology. That gives them the hard edge when it comes to violence because they can justify it theologically,” Haykel says.

According to the Huffington Post, Abd al-Wahhab himself is referred to in ISIS publications.

PA/PA