Fighting for the Soul of Islam: A Battle of the Paymasters (James M. Dorsey, RSIS)

A gathering of prominent Sunni Muslim leaders in the Chechen capital of Grozny that appeared to have effectively excommunicated Saudi-backed ultra-conservatism potentially opens not only a theological but also a geopolitical rift in the Muslim world. The conference, sponsored and attended by some of Saudi Arabia’s closest allies, suggests that Saudi funding of ultra-conservative worldviews may be meeting its match in more liberal interpretations of Islam backed by the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/co16241-fighting-for-the-soul-of-islam-a-battle-of-the-paymasters/#.V-4uy4iLTIU