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Japan

Saudi National Breaks Buddhist Statues in Japan

Saudi National Breaks Buddhist Statues in Japan
The Saudi Embassy in Tokyo is closely following the case of a Saudi citizen studying in the country, recently arrested for breaking four 300 year-old Buddha statues at a temple in the capital. The embassy has reportedly condemned the statues’ destruction as "contrary to the principles of Islam," and has reached out to the temple's director.
The head of Saudi Arabia's department of information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly condemned the student's act on Twitter. In an effort to promote a national image of tolerance, he retweeted one prominent Saudi professor’s praise of the embassy’s response: “A tribute to our embassy in Japan for its good actions and its efforts to protect the image of Islam and preserve its name.”

والتحية لس�ارتنا �ي اليابان وحسن تصر�ها كي تحمي صورة الإسلام وتحصن اسمه @kalsuhail@aziizturk@OsamaNugali

— عبدالله الغذامي (@ghathami) June 16, 2014

In the meantime, a Japanese student tweeted an angry message along with an image of a broken statue:

@tbuddhaproverbs RT the Japanese never forgive a Saudi Graduate student who destroyed four Buddha statues pic.twitter.com/d3OklpeDwC

— 在日外国人ã‚"日本ã�‹ã‚‰å¾¹åº•æŽ"除ã�—よã�† (@Laune_Katze) June 13, 2014

Saudi Arabia’s ruling family follows a Wahhabi version of Islam, in which images or statues are thought as idolatrous or blasphemous. Wahhabism was born in the 18th century as a religious revival movement, focused on a return to the scriptures and on the strictest interpretation of monotheism and the absolute uniqueness of God.
The founder of this radical branch of Islam particularly forbade the construction of statues — even for Muslim religious figures — out of fear that Muslims would forget that the statues only represented divine figures and were not, in themselves, objects of worship. “Associating partners to God” is a serious transgression, described in Arabic as shirk.
Photo: Screenshot from ANN Japan TV showing the destroyed Buddha statues in Tokyo.

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Geopolitics

How Iran's Supreme Leader Is Short-Circuiting Diplomacy To Forge Alliances In Arab World

Iran's Supreme leader Ali Khamenei recently sent out a special envoy to ease tensions with wealthy Arab neighbors. He's hoping to end the country's international isolation and dismal economic conditions that contributed to last year's mass protests.

Image of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei smiling, a portrait of himself behind him.

Ayatollah Khamenei on March 21st, 2023, delivering his annual speech in the Imam Reza's (pbuh) shrine, on the first day of 1402 Persian New Year.

Kayhan-London

-Analysis-

Needing to revive its diplomatic options and financial ties with the Middle East, Iran's embattled regime recently sent a senior security official and former defense minister — instead of members of the diplomatic corps — to talk business with regional powers that have been keeping Iran at arm's length.

After a surprise deal in mid-March to restore diplomatic ties with the Saudi monarchy, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, traveled to the United Arab Emirates, meeting with officials including the federation's head, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zaid Al Nahyan. His meetings are expected to ease the flow of regional money into Iran's economy, which is practically on pause after years of international sanctions. After Abu Dhabi, Shamkhani went to Baghdad.

Shamkhani was effectively acting as an envoy of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and supplanting the country's diplomatic apparatus. This wasn't the first time an Iranian foreign minister has been sidelined in crucial international affairs.

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