Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah's Moderate Beheadings

When 'moderate' is a euphemism for 'friendly to U.S. interests'


Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.
White House

From The New York Times' obit for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who just died at age 90:

Still, Abdullah became, in some ways, a force of moderation. He contested Al Qaeda's militant interpretations of the faith as justifying, even compelling, terrorist acts. He ordered that textbooks be purged of their most extreme language and sent 900 imams to re-education sessions. He had hundreds of militants arrested and some beheaded.

It's supposed to be "moderate" because he was doing it to "militants," I guess.