Saudi campaign against Ibadhis

From a source:  "There is an escalation in the Saudi religious establishment's campaign against Ibadhis. The current debate seems to have started in 2009, when the Saudi mufti Bin Baz declared the Ibadhis to be مبدعين (innovators) who, like the Shi'a, have deviated from the true faith and will end up in hell. Oman's mufti, Ahmed Al Khalili, went to Mecca and challenged him to a public and televised debate in the Al Haraam mosque in Mecca, which Bin Baz allegedly refused angrily, saying it was further innovation (Khalili's version here http://bit.ly/Nl92ho). More recently, the Saudi cleric Abdul Rahman Al Areifi (who competes with Queen Rania for the title of the Arab with the most twitter followers at 2m+) brought it up again recently (here: https://p.twimg.com/Aw9vUkICMAA1yGh.jpg:large), stoking controversy which led to the hashtag #العريفي_ومفتي_عمان (here: http://bit.ly/MdCS6Y). Other clerics such as Sa'ad Al Durayhem followed by saying Ibadhis are among the 73 sects destined to go to hell and that "only the people of Najd and their followers" will be saved (here: http://bit.ly/MdErSB), which again went viral, with a lot of mockery from Saudis. I have little doubt that the escalation has to do with Oman's refusal to join the [larger version of the] GCC. Part of the campaign is to delegitimize Ibadhis and paint them and the Omani government as oppressing Oman's Sunnis. According to this Omani cleric (http://bit.ly/OsFfV4), Al Areifi has been inciting some of his followers in Oman, calling them the "front line" in spreading the Wahhabi ideology in Oman. What many Wahhabis don't realise is that it was the Saudi regime that provided shelter for as well as the headquarters of the exile government of Oman's Ibadhi Imammate several decades ago, in opposition to the Al Bu Sa'id regime in Muscat. Ibadhis seemed to be good Muslims when they were perceived to serve Saudi interests and ambitions in Oman. What is certain is that the few Omanis who supported the Gulf union or were unsure about it have changed their minds after the anti Omani campaigns started. Omanis tend to take their sectarian harmony for granted - they haven't known sectarianism. Seeing their neighbours however, many have really started to appreciate and cherish it. Look at this (http://bit.ly/PdiNUO) video, for example. It is most likely a reaction to regional sectarianism and a concern that it may reach Oman.

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