Totalitarian regimes always have corruption somewhere, just because they select some people to take their wrath out on does not mean they have absolute control. There are generally those who are big (wealthy opposition, group opposition) or obvious opposition (facebook posters from Saudi Arabia itself) When you are outside of those two categories, even the Saudis cannot catch you. What a lot of people don’t realize is that a similar set of groups in the form of secret societies existed in Europe for the purposes of protecting each other from the wrath of the despotic European governments, they got together with special signs, passwords, etc. and didn’t publish out in the open to discuss material that the European rulers would either not approve, or material that was in the “iffy” territory. At the end of the day, those that aren’t shown to be obvious in their affiliation/beliefs or don’t show much of a following, are not high on the priorities for TPTB to bust.
I hear what you’re saying. But we aren’t talking about a European opposition or a ‘secret society’. Also, countries like saudi arabia aren’t just totalitarian. They are hardcore *Islamic* dictatorships/gov’ts, where their internal practices of islam matches their islamic title, obviously with the blessing of the king. They also fund islamic teachings specifically wahhabi ones outside saudi arabia.
Equally, islamic terrorist grps are not simply some facebook posters or bloggers. Usernames/passwords are tip of the iceberg. They operate as networks (especially in the M.E., north africa & generally the islamic world) and often are very well connected to the upper echelons of the gov’t(s). There are hardly ‘strangers’ among them; more part of same or affiliated clans & tribes with much face to face contact. Does a saudi royal or gov’t official know each & every one of them or have “absolute control over those they know”? Naturally, no. But they’re well connected. BTW, am not solely referring to OBL or 9/11 hijackers.
Saudi Arabia is one of the worst culprits in propagating & funding islam around the world. No less because they’ve billions of $$$ along with their gulf states buddies to finance as they do.
Opposition that saudi gov’t cares about consists of 1) those who object to islamic/sharia practices there & want more freedom, and 2) those inside or outside saudi arabia who become too threatening, too close for comfort & make moves to overthrow the current islamic regime to institute their own version of islam. IOW, current saudi regime only cares about saving themselves - the latter is the saudi ‘double policy’ i mentioned earlier in this thread.