Jihad in Saudi Arabia Bombers target Medina, and Islam’s second-holiest site.

Posted By on July 6th, 2016

http://www.wsj.com/articles/jihad-in-saudi-arabia-1467748604

Global jihad extended its streak of near-daily attacks on Monday with a trio of bombings in Saudi Arabia. The attack on the Kingdom can hardly be thought of as incidental. Islamic State and other jihadist groups would like nothing more than to destroy the pro-American House of Saud and seize Islam’s holiest cities for themselves.

The attacks claimed fewer victims than recent atrocities in Orlando, Istanbul, Dhaka and Baghdad, though the potential for carnage was great. A bomber at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina killed four security guards, while another one at the U.S. consulate in Jeddah only managed to blow himself up. A third attack, on a Shiite mosque in the eastern city of Qatif, also killed only the bombers.

No group had claimed responsibility for the attacks as we went to print, though the choice of targets suggests Islamic State; al Qaeda generally frowns on indiscriminate attacks on Muslims, including Shiites. Most alarming is the attack on the Prophet’s Mosque, which is said to be the place where Muhammad is buried. Saudi legitimacy rests on securing Islam’s holy sites, and a successful bombing could call Saudi competence into question and prompt a backlash against its modernizing Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, who is trying to moderate the role of religion in everyday life. CONTINUE AT SITE
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