Saudi Arabia, the golden egg of the snake (II)

Antonio Maestre
Tide

The usual position of Western governments is to look elsewhere and prioritize economic interests rather than face the preponderant contribution of Wahhabi countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the spread of the Salafist hate speech


Second part of the series of articles dedicated 'The money of Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in Spain'.


"Belgium has given the keys of Islam to Saudi Arabia for the great mosque. He has allowed Salafism to be financed. I have said that Salafism is not a problem in itself if it were not because it does nothing to undermine the terrain of radical groups. " These are words of Corinne Torrekens, professor of the Free University of Brussels, explaining a pattern in Belgium that occurs in all the countries that have the Saudi country as a priority business partner. A multidud opinion shared by analysts and experts such as General Jonathan Shaw, Britain's former chief of defense, said Saudi Arabia and Qatar had activated "a ticking time bomb by funding the worldwide spread of Islam radical".

The Western governments' usual stance is to look elsewhere and prioritize economic interests rather than confront the preponderant contribution of Wahhabi countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the spread of the Salafist hate speech and its importance in legitimizing the Violence as a method to impose his rigorist vision of Islam. Spain is one of the countries where the integration of the Wahhabi fundamentalist discourse has penetrated more strongly in the cult centers financed by the Saudi dictatorship.

The terrorist group ISIS or Daesh long worried public opinion about its expansion and for having managed to create its own state. But to observe how a repressive Islamic state is established that applies sharia with cruelty and manages an army, it is enough to put the eyes in Saudi Arabia. Algerian writer Kamel Daoud calls the land of satraps Saud "White Daesh" [White ISIS], and warns of its ability to impose its radical vision of Islam in many countries with its television channels, newspapers, publishing industry and Clergy trained and indoctrinated in what is known as Fatwa Valley. "Daesh has a mother: the invasion of Iraq. But it also has a father: Saudi Arabia and its religious industrial complex, "concludes the author of The Mersault Investigation in his article in The New York Times.

An example that graphically shows this direct relationship was recently exposed in the United States Congress by Republican Ted Poe, who last July denounced the use of ISIS textbooks in Saudi Arabia in 2015, when not yet They had the ability to edit their own. The congressman's denunciation was already exposed in 2014 in an article in The New York Times written by David Kirkpatrick and extensively discussed in the documentary work of James Jones Saudi Arabia Undercovered.

The main objective is the business. But the Western countries need an alibi to defend their commercial, business and political relations with the public with the dictatorship of the Saud. For this reason, his petromonarchy strives to project the idea that he is fighting against terrorism in a sincere and effective way and even makes visits for journalists to the Al-Ha'ir maximum security jail where inmates are crowded Terrorists.

Despite its influence on the spread of global terrorism, Saudi Arabia has paradoxically become a target of the poison it promotes, since Salafist terrorists would want the state hosting Mecca to be even more rigorous in terms of Which concerns its religious postulates. In this sense, they have included this country and some of its members among the objectives of its actions. Even so, the truth is that most of the terrorist attacks target the Shiite population. [1] [2]

The excuse of Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorist struggle serves the West to hide its acceptance of the hate speech it spreads through the financing of mosques, the purchase and shipping of Qur'anic material, the supply of magnets to all parts of the world, and collaboration with Terrorist organizations in Syria.

The Spanish Royal House has always been helpful and cooperative in facilitating channels of dialogue that culminate in sumptuous trade agreements with the Saudi regime. King Juan Carlos, an intimate friend of the late King Abdullah, collaborated in the communication campaign that the satrap organized in Madrid in 2008 to improve the image of the Saud family, which had been very deteriorated after the attacks of September 11 .
  
That year, the Spanish monarch inaugurated next to Abdullah of Arabia the International Conference for interreligious dialogue that was organized by the World Islamic League, the Wahhabi organization based in Mecca that manages the M-30 Mosque. The conference hosted by Saudi Arabia sought to foster dialogue between religions. However, in its territory it prohibits any religious practice other than Islam.

Support to Spanish companies that invest Saudi Arabia

The ICEX is, according to its own definition, "a national public business entity whose mission is to promote the internationalization of Spanish companies". Under the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, its mission is to facilitate and give recommendations to Spanish companies that want to invest abroad. In the Saudi case, it provides information on labor law and business opportunities in the region.

"If one does not do it, others will do it," said Economy Minister Luis De Guindos, when asked about Spain's trade agreements with Saudi Arabia. In this way, he was sincere in showing the importance that the Government of Spain attaches to human rights in business matters.

"The Labor Code does not recognize workers in Saudi Arabia the right to collective bargaining or the right to strike. Nor is it permissible to form unions or to make public statements. This is strictly enforced by the authorities. " It is a literal phrase of the guide published by the Spanish Government through the ICEX and shows the advantages that entrepreneurs can find when investing in the country ruled by hand of iron by the Saudi dynasty.

The recommendations and advice reach almost every area, including the clothing that women working in the country have to wear: "Women workers must wear Islamic or uniform clothing of the employer who will be conservative, covering and non-transparent [sic] ". It is only a brief description that reflects how companies wishing to work in Saudi Arabia should lack respect for women's rights. This condition is not the only and the most striking Islamic rule that companies meet to do business with the Saudi dictatorship. The financial services and banking they have to attend also follow the strict Wahhabi precepts.

Accept sharia for doing business

Alinma Bank is one of Saudi Arabia's leading financial institutions. All the services of this institution and its products are subject to sharia (Islamic law). There are several authorities, such as The Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the clergy (the ulemas), who play an occasional but decisive role in banking, as they are called upon to decide whether certain instruments contravene The Islamic law and thus prohibit them.

Spanish companies established in Saudi Arabia are many and different sectors. It is well known the business emporium dedicated to large constructions and infrastructures such as the UTE in charge of the construction of the AVE from Medina to Mecca or the Riyadh subway. The most important companies operating in Saudi Arabia are ACS, Dragados, Repsol, Amadeus or Indra, but there are many other companies operating in the Arab country in a much more unknown way.

Inditex Group of Amancio Ortega operates in Saudi Arabia through agreements with Al Hokair, the most important fashion company in this country. Owned by Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair, he is in charge of managing the Zara group in the Wahhabi country through 34 shops, to which must be added 60 other brands that also belong to the Galician emporium.

Técnicas Reunidas Gulf is the company with which operates in Saudi Arabia the Spanish corporation of the same name, owned by the illustrious Catalan family Lladó. The current president, José Lladó Fernández, was Minister of Commerce and Transport with Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, and son of Juan Lladó Sánchez, who presided over Banco Urquijo. The president of Técnicas Reunidas is the patron of the Princesa de Asturias Foundation, a member of the circle of businessmen close to the Royal House and frequent to many of the commercial trips that the Spanish monarchy heads.

Técnicas Reunidas has obtained significant concessions in the Arab country, such as the construction of the Fadhili gas plant. Businesses in the region generate significant benefits. Very different is the assessment of the labor conditions of the labor force, whether local, foreign or Spanish. Spanish employees hired as tuberos for works in Saudi Arabia already denounced in 2014 the semi-slavery regime in which they worked for the company of the Lladó.

The lack of importance that the businessmen doing business in Saudi Arabia give to the internal political situation of the dictatorship contrasts with the stance that these same business men and women sometimes maintain in the face of domestic Spanish politics. A good example is Alberto Palatchi, founder of Pronovias and majority owner of the company until a few days ago.
Paltachi is an intimate friend of Jorge Moragas - director of the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Government of Spain - and a man close to the PP. His son, Alberto Palatchi Gallardo, was appointed by Xavier García Albiol, Policy Coordinator for Innovation, Technology and Enterprise in the PP executive of Catalonia. Pronovias maintains important businesses in the Saud dictatorship thanks to its alliance with Al Daha Group, the local partner, who also has agreements with Mango.

No statements of Palatchi or any communication of his company on the political situation of the Saudi country in which they do business are known. Nevertheless, on the occasion of the Catalan independence process, the entrepreneur has declared on several occasions of his intention to leave Catalonia if the independentismo accomplishes its purposes. In an internal communiqué before the regional elections of 2015, he warned his employees of the possibility of leaving the region if he overcame the sovereign choice.


The double yardstick with respect to the Saudi dictatorship can be exemplified by a revealing anecdote of a public figure who fiercely criticizes Islamic fundamentalism and who posits as an advocate of democratic values. The eminent communicator Pilar Rahola is very belligerent with the financing of mosques financed by Saudi Arabia in Spain. However, this does not prevent her from being a member of the board of directors of the Rosa Oriol Foundation, promoted by the Tous family. The jewelery company owned by Alba Tous, an intimate friend of Rahola, is the parent company of Tamkeen, a company based in Jeddah, one of Saudi Arabia's main trading towns.

"Saudi Arabia is the metaphor of our miserable weakness: we need its venom to guarantee our model of society, knowing that that poison is the one that tries to destroy us. It is a fierce tyranny that promotes totalitarian ideas. But it is a powerfully rich tyranny, and when that adverb and that adjective finish the sentence, the noun no longer matters, "said Pilar Rahola in an article in La Vanguardia last July 7. Irrebatible.

Source: http://www.lamarea.com/2017/08/23/arabia-saudi-el-huevo-dorado-de-la-serpiente-parte-2/