Saudi Arabian King Salman's nine-day trip to Indonesia is a worry for Australia
Peter Hartcher
A parallel universe exists just 200 kilometres from Australia's shores. It's otherwise known as Indonesia. A remarkable event that you haven't heard about has just taken place there.
It was the subject of minute-by-minute, wall-to-wall TV coverage in Indonesia and the cause of great excitement, but it was near invisible in Australia's media.
Saudi king calls for Muslim unity
King Salman, on a 12-day state visit to Indonesia, says Muslims need to unite and fight against 'terrorism'.
For the first time in 47 years, the king of Saudi Arabia visited. It was "unparalleled in modern times" according to the South China Morning Post's David Dodwell.
King Salman travelled with seven ministers, 19 princes of the House of Saud, a total retinue of 1500 people and 460 tonnes of gear delivered by 27 cargo planes. It included tonnes of halal food, the most expensive car ever seen in Indonesia and other essentials such as two gold-coloured, portable escalators so the 81-year old monarch could descend effortlessly from his personal jet.
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Indonesia is one of the Islamic world's greatest success stories. To leave its future to the influence of Riyadh would put our biggest neighbour in the hands of one of the Islamic world's most dangerous dead-ends.
Continued: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/saudi-arabian-king-salmans-nineday-trip-to-indonesia-is-a-worry-for-australia-20170313-gux95l.html
Related:
Saudi Arabia Is Redefining Islam for the World's Largest Muslim Nationhttps://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/03/saudi-arabia-salman-visit-indonesia/518310/?yptr=yahoohttp://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,253791.0.html
Could have been staged but King Salman of SA was welcomed like a star in Indonesia but this religion, Salafism, they are exporting is really, a Frankenstein monster. They are trying to make nice now; but is the genie already out of the bottle?
