Saudi Muslims Venting Radical Beliefs on Facebook

A growing number of Wahhabi Muslims in Saudi Arabia are now expressing their radical views on social media sites like Facebook, according to a new study.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies scanned about 40,000 Arabic and English posts on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, message boards, and similar sites from January to June 2011.

Wahhabi Muslim clerics are using Facebook and other sites to push extreme anti-Western views.

“A staggering 75 percent of the Arabic-language posts we saw reflected xenophobic beliefs, or hostility toward the United States, the West, and non-Muslim cultures,” FDD Vice President for Research Jonathan Schanzer said.

The “Facebook Fatwa” findings counter claims from the Saudi government that leaders are working to counter radical Wahhabi beliefs.

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