Assad urges fight against Saudi religious ideology

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on Monday called for a battle against Wahhabism, the political and religious ideology embraced by the Saudi Government, a key backer of the uprising against his regime.

The comments came amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, which are fiercely opposed to each other.

“President Assad said that extremist and Wahhabi thought distort the real Islam, which is tolerant,” state news agency SANA said.

“He underlined the role of men of religion in fighting against Wahhabi thought, which is foreign to our societies,” the agency said.

Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative Muslim tradition, which is predominant in Saudi Arabia and applied to both religious and political life.