Our Friends The Saudis

The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing European displeasure and frustration with Saudi Arabia. The Germans, in particular, seem to be getting fed up with the Saudi government providing diplomatic cover to radical imams, and the abuse of German law to promote their agendas.

European police and intelligence officials, however, say cooperation has been spotty. Although Saudi Arabia has won high marks in Washington recently for its willingness to cooperate in fighting terrorism, European law-enforcement officials say that they have found teamwork to be minimal. Germany, for example, waited six months before receiving a reply to questions about a Saudi diplomat alleged to have supported extremists. German federal police say cooperation with Saudi counterparts is almost nil, even though Saudi citizens are under investigation in Germany for links to terrorism. "Nothing has changed," says a German police official.

It seems that a Muslim school, initially intended for the children of Arab diplomats, applied to be able to teach German citizens. When the application was turned down, they used a loophole in the law to do so anyway, and now 40% of their students are Germans.

People involved in the school deny that it taught radicalism. Mohammad Hobohm, who retired last year as director of the academy, says: "The school offers much more than just Islam. The school offers the same curriculum offered at any school in Saudi Arabia."

For some reason, this is supposed to be comforting.

If the Germans, French, Dutch, and British really can be moved to take all this more seriously, they may rediscover what we have in common with them. Now, if we can only get them to understand the dangers of the home-grown variety.