I

have seen the tragedy in Paris and I have heard the speeches given by you and European leaders following the horrific crime.

I write this letter to support your call for the destruction of the Islamic State (IS) group.

To eliminate IS and its ideology from the world, we must understand the roots of IS and its ideology.

First, who supports IS and how are they supported?

The philosophy of IS is based on and is completely in line with radicalism managed and promulgated by Saudi religious councils. Saudi religious leaders cannot honestly object to IS'€™s ideology because they themselves spread and support the same kind of fundamentalism.

Second, who arms IS with weaponry and finance? Who are key culprits and suppliers?

Just about all of the arms at IS'€™s disposal are of US origin. Why have we allowed IS to stockpile arms for several years? Why were we unaware of the transfer of arms from Iraqi and Syrian militias to IS? While I applaud your careful arms supply policy to Syrian rebels, I suggest that we stop the supply of arms to extremist groups.

In regards to finance, IS has been financially supported most prominently by the Saudis and the Gulf regimes. I suspect that hard-line Wahabis are still providing financial support to IS.

Finally, how do we destroy IS completely?

If we want to eliminate the menace of IS, we must stop the spread of Wahabi philosophy and we must isolate its primary supporter '€” Saudi Arabia. Moderate Muslim nations who depend on Saudi money cannot openly oppose the Saudis but they will support the elimination of IS. Turkey will support the fight against IS but they will focus on the Kurds first. Only the Iranian regime will support our efforts completely. It'€™s ironic, but the Russians are also a good partner in this endeavor. Let'€™s work with them.

Any delay or failure will continue to threaten our security. As you pointed out in your speech in Turkey, the goal must be to defeat IS and its supporters and not to wage war on the religion of Islam or Muslim nations. I hope we will make the right choice.

Oostur Raza
California, US