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The Saudi royal family has long sold themselves to the West as the only ones who could manage their religious extremists for benefit of the West, while selling themselves domestically as the only true muslims wily enough to hoodwink the infidels into being subverted to eventual islamic rule. They base their right to rule on their upholding the harsh wahabbi interpretation of islam.

Wrong on all accounts. The Saudis aren't selling anything except oil. The "West" has never asked the Saudi Royal Family to manage their religious extremists. The official title of the ruler of Saudi Arabia is Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. As the destination of the Haj, the Saudis are obliged to adhere to the fundamental tenets of Islam. They have millions of visitors annually for the Haj. They are entrusted with the two of the three holiest sites in Islam.

Do have any thoughts on what might make the Saudi royal family truly put an end to covertly exporting their islamist revolution, if they are to remain in power?

I don't accept the premise that they are covertly exporting the Islamic revolution. They openly donate to the construction and maintenance of mosques and Islamic schools around the globe. Any Saudi government would do likewise. They also contribute to US Presidential libraries. The Saudis live in a rough neighborhood. They pay protection money to lots of people.

What is the alternative to regime change, which could end Saudi support of terrorists, extremist missionary activity, and subversion of other societies?

Another phony strawman. The Saudis do whatever they deem is necessary to protect their national interests. Your quarrel is with Islam itself. I agree with that. Islam needs to be reformed and reconcile itself with modernity.

I have lived a total of nine years in three Muslim countries--Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. Each practiced its own version of Islam. The Saudis are the most orthodox and least tolerant of other religions. Indonesia was the most liberal. Iran under the Shah was liberal until Khomeini took over. I was there when it happened and the change was over night.

Currently, Islamic fundamentalism is growing in power including in places like Indonesia and Turkey. These societies are being changed for the worse. We, meaning the modern world, need to confront this threat both ideologically and with force if necessary. So far, they are winning and we are losing. It truly is a clash of civilizations and cultures.

OK, so you don’t think that the West asked Saudi Arabia to manage their religious extremists after 9-11. I guess that everybody missed that 19 out 20 hijackers were Saudis, led by Saudi bin Laden, preaching the Saudi strain of islam. Also, the Holy Land Terrorism Trial results never registered with any Western government, and the whole US judicial system (up to and including the Supreme Court) has been completely misled in allowing the victims of the 9-11 attack in suing the Government of the KSA for damages.

On the Sunni side of islam, there are four main schools of jurisprudence (figh), used to make the legal judgements which define sharia - Hanafi (like the Ottomans), Maliki (like North Africa), Shafi (like Indonesia), and the smallest of them, the Hanbali (centered in the Government of Saudi Arabia).

The extreme Hanbali interpretation of the Wahabbis, also happens to be the exact religious doctrine of ISIS, al Queda and the Muslim Brotherhood.

To hear the Saudis tell it, the islam that they so generously promote, is the the pure authentic version, back to its roots, as founded.

The Hanbali fiqh is not based on that at all - it is entirely based on literal reading of a small select set of writings from long after the death of muhammad, guided by rigid application of arbitrary rules of interpretation, explicitly disallowing any logical analysis or moral judgement.

Significant among the rules of Hanbali “interpretation” is their assumption that any later verse, statement or action supersedes any conflicting earlier verse, statement or action - and that after their scriptures cut off, things can never change again for the rest of history, in any other circumstances. (although they deny any interpretation, insisting that they only read the texts as literally written).

So muhammad’s earlier concilliatory statements when he lacked power and was trying to recruit voluntarily (like “there shall be no compulsion in religion”) are replaced with his later statements while commanding an army of conquest (like “I have been commanded to fight against all people until everyone accepts allah”).

The Saudi royal family, under the extremist wahabbi interpretation, have the religious obligation to continue the fight until all accept allah as god.

...And so they have. See this detailed thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924323/posts