Mindful of how that whole send-jihadists-to-fight-the-Soviets-in-Afghanistan thing turned out (enter: Osama bin Laden, security vacuum in Afghanistan, militant networks in Pakistan, al-Qaeda in general, militants turning against the Saudis... need I go on?), Saudi is trying to stop its citizens from joining the rebel fighters and what some see as holy war in Syria.
The United States wasn't the only country to experience blowback after helping the Afghans fight the Soviets. Saudi too faced blowback as its returning fighters, emboldened by experience in the field, driven by strong religiosity and angry at the excesses and willingness of its own government to work with the infidels, turned its ire against the Kingdom.
Saudis are furious at the news reports and images leaking out of Syria of decimation of streets and villages, deaths, and disrespect for religious symbols, as rebel forces fight those loyal to Bashir al-Assad. The country's Wahhabism is further stoking the fire. The ultra-puritanical strain of Islam sees Shi'ites, of which al-Assad's Alawite sect is an offshoot, as heretics.
A video entitled "A message from a Saudi fighter with his Syrian brothers" showing a Saudi with rebels, armed to the teeth, posted on YouTube in August, has been seen more than 121,000 times.
"I ask God to unite us in heaven and say to my brothers in the Arabian peninsula to fight in the name of God as your brothers in the Levant need fighters of strong faith and chivalry," said the unidentified Saudi.
The Saudi government is putting pressure on the al-Assad regime publicly calling on the international community to "enable" Syrians to protect themselves amid reports the Saudis, along with the Qataris and Turks, are funneling cash and arms to the Free Syrian Army. But they are drawing the line there.
"It's illegal to go abroad and get involved in any...military actions or fighting," Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Turki said. "This is known to all Saudis and many have been prosecuted. If we have evidence that somebody is leaving Saudi Arabia for the purpose of joining militants, he will be stopped and investigated for that."
Clerics have joined the government in pushing back against jihad.
"Families must watch over sons who can be lured into hot spots in this world," said cleric Siraj al-Zahrani.
"They don't want to repeat the same mistake they made in Afghanistan," said a Saudi who fought the Soviets there. "Young men went there and learned to fight with many groups of jihadists. Some of those groups accused Islamic countries of being infidels and the young people were influenced by that and went back to their countries and caused problems."
Whether or not the government has influence over the estranged youth is questionable.
"The youth of jihad don't listen to the Council of Senior Clerics," said an Saudi who fought in Afghanistan.
The government's official line is also being ridiculed in online jihadist forums.
"Abdullah, call for jihad against this Syrian tyrant and his aides and you will find, God willing, strong men who have a faith in God to lift the banner of Islam," said one user on a prominent site al-Waseem. "Enough weakness."
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