Saudi's New Direction Towards an Open Global Islamic Authority

It is no longer a secret that Saudi Arabia is undergoing a massive economic transformation. This transformation is so essential to Saudi Arabia?s security and stability, that it is taking every measure possible to make sure that it succeeds. What is not yet known, however, is that Saudi Arabia is also taking a new approach in its relentless efforts to combat strains of extremism that are continuously threatening both local, regional, and global stability. What makes this approach novel is that it confronts extremism to where it really matters: the ideological and intellectual battlefield. By examining the issue closely, and based on several reports, at the forefront of this effort appears to be a key figure, an up and coming star, in the Saudi religious establishment who is the current Secretary General of the Muslim World League and a member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars: Dr. Mohammed Al-Eissa. He also oversees the day-to-day operations of the Ideological Warfare Center (IWC), which aims to confront the roots of extremism and promote the true understanding of Islam.