Maybe they disagreed with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar’s controversial finish, but Al Qaeda really hated the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) published a bulletin that was, in turn, picked up by the London news organization, The Independent. This—for lack of a better word—pamphlet condemned the Saudi Arabian crowned prince for allowing WWE to bring its “sinful product” to their part of the world claiming it would lead to “opening the door wide for corruption and moral degradation.”
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While not mentioning the Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by name, their references are hard to misinterpret.
“[Foreign] disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women,” it read.
Mohammad bin Salman, the Saudi prince in question, has made a concerted effort to shed the country’s antiquated customs. This new wave of progression, as you can see, has angered conservative groups in the region. Women can drive, movie theaters are legal, and now, so are elbow drops. For any Saudi looking to passively stick it to Al Qaeda, just have your wife or daughter drive you to a showing of the Oliver Platt classic, Ready to Rumble.
WWE’s presence in Saudi Arabia presented a slew of cultural conflicts. Ranging from US-based outrage against the banning of women’s wrestling to Aryia Davari getting death threats for playing an Iranian heel.
Given the amount of contention—and now threats from an infamous terror organization—you’d think WWE may steer clear of Saudi Arabia for a while. But Vince McMahon is a well-documented lunatic and there are already plans for WWE to return to Saudi Arabia late this year.
This story is developing…
[H/T ProWrestlingSheet]
