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Saudi to destroy extremist ideology and return to moderate Islam

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We will destroy them today and immediately, says Crown Prince

In a major development in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pledged to destroy “extremist ideologies” and return to a moderate Islam that is open to all religions. He was speaking at a conference attended by foreign investors in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Salman was appointed as Crown Prince in June 2015. He has presented his Vision 2030, a plan to reduce dependence on oil, diversify economy, develop public service sectors, increase non-oil industry trade between countries and rise in military spending.

He played instrumental role in inviting US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia in May this year: his maiden foreign visit after occupying White House. More than 50 heads of Muslim states were brought in Riyadh on the occasion.

While addressing Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference Salman said, “We are returning to what we were before — a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world.” The conference was attended by an audience of thousands of global investors and dignitaries.

The FII is an international event at which Saudi Arabia seeks investment into the kingdom from around the world.

The Crown Prince also announced Saudi Arabia will “eradicate promoters of extremist thoughts” saying the country was not like this in the past. “Seventy percent of the Saudi population is under the age of 30. In all honesty, we will not spend 30 years of our lives dealing with extremist ideologies. We will destroy them today and immediately,” bin Salman said.

He continued, “Saudi was not like this before ’79. Saudi Arabia and the entire region went through a revival after ’79. … All we’re doing is going back to what we were: a moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world and to all traditions and people. We want to live a normal life.”

“We are returning to what we were before – a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world,” the 32-year-old heir to the throne said.

1979 was a historical year in the region. Pro-US King Reza Shah Pehlavi was overthrown in Iran by Islamic revolutionists while fundamentalist Sunnis had seized Grand mosque in Mecca and country’s Shia minority had staged deadly revolt in Al-Hasa province.

Reacting to the situation, Saudi monarchy built ties with Wahabi religious establishment for restoring many hard-line stances. They even closed down the movie theatres in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is home to the extremist Wahabism, propounded by Mohammed bin Abd al-Wahab, rejecting all other Islamic schools of thoughts, including Sunnis who offer prayers at the grave of Prophet Mohammed and visit the graves of other Islamic personalities or the Sufis and also the Shias, who reject first three Caliph and believe Ali and his family heirs as successors of the Prophet.

Crown Prince Salman’s remarks came a month after Saudi Arabia made a “landmark decision” to allow women to legally drive vehicles from June 2018. The move was criticised by conservative voices in the country but welcomed by right activists. The Kingdom is the only country on earth where women are not allowed to drive.

The present government in Saudi Arabia had recently allowed the first music concerts in decades, cracked down on religious incitement and granted womena growing list of rights, including driving vehicles.

In September, twenty prominent religious figures, intellectuals and activists, considered to be the dissidents were arrested in the kingdom. Amnesty International’s Samah Hadid was quoted saying, “In recent years, we cannot recall a week in which so many prominent Saudi Arabian figures have been targeted in such a short space of time.”

The organization said the rights situation in the country had “deteriorated markedly” since Prince Mohammed bin Salman took over as Crown Prince and heir to the throne on June 21.

The US based Human Rights Watch also suggested that the arrests could be connected to Crown Prince’s efforts to consolidate power.

Among those detained last month included prominent Islamic preachers Salman al Awdah and Awad al-Qarni, who opposed the presence of US troops in the kingdom in 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait. Both are accused of having links with Muslim Brotherhood, which has been blacklisted as terror group.

Most of the present day terror groups including Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Daesh (IS), Al-Shabab (in African continent), Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Haqqani network are considered to be the influenced by Wahabi extremist ideology. A senior cabinet minister had acknowledged movement of thousands of Saudi youth to Iraq after 2003 war.

Saeed Naqvi, a veteran journalist in one of his recent articles published by APN Live, had revealed Saudi connection to the extremist elements in Rakhine province of Myanmar. He said that in 2012, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, former Saudi ambassador to US had invited a Rohingya named Hafiz Taha to his office in Riyadh and assigned to develop “Islamic sleeper cells” in Rakhine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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