Islamic scholars promote Sharia as an alternative to extremism

Yet, the conference itself highlighted the contradiction at the heart of the Saudi effort: Amid worthwhile talk of outreach to youth and fighting corruption, there was almost no mention of the Saudi monarchy’s decades-long role in aggressively spreading its strictly conservative religious ideology — a creed that itself has provided inspiration for leaders of the Islamic State, the militant group often referred to as ISIS, ISIL or by the Arabic acronym Daesh.

Arab leaders have vigorously condemned the Islamic State and some, like Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, have reacted by vowing to restore moderation to religious discourse and thought. But the denunciations by the region’s autocrats and monarchs have rarely been accompanied by deeper self-criticism about the role played by state policies in fueling radicalism, according to analysts.

Saudi Arabia provided just one of the region’s discredited yet resilient models, “a weird mix of authoritarian repression and religious legitimation that reinforces groups like the Islamic State,” said Omar Ashour, a senior lecturer in security studies at the University of Exeter and a fellow at Chatham House, both in Britain.