FRONTLINE: Bitter Rivals: Iran And Saudi Arabia

Exceptionally well researched, so much so I assigned it to my university students. Both sides are well represented and able to speak for themselves. This documentary should be required viewing for anyone who cares about world affairs.

Very informative historical background , without bias, and presented in a manner that informs but does not judge or prejudice.

Absolutely informative!!

I saw the Frontline special when it aired on my local PBS station (in two parts) and it was very illuminating. After having visited Egypt 3 times in the last 5 years, I got interested in the Islamic world and how it worked, and how Islam shapes this pivotal region. It's a fascinating culture and civilization, and has a rich history, also stunningly beautiful art and literature. The Islamic world led the European world for hundreds of years in medicine and technology. We in the West owe a huge debt to them, and the interplay of the European culture and the Islamic culture during the Crusader period enriched both worlds. But very few people in the United States know this. I cared enough to look into the ancient rivalry between Shia and Sunni branches of Islam and how it started, and how both branches have developed over time. The intense hatred there can be, the one for the other, is actually a fairly new thing, not an old thing. It has been farmed and exploited by some truly selfish and self-centered people, from many lands, for a long time now. Iran and Saudi Arabia look at one another with fear and suspicion, because the rulers of both countries know that they are in fact not legitimate representatives of the wishes of their peoples, and they both represent poles of opposites in the interpretation of Islam. In their individual ways, the ruling factions of both countries are stoking the fires of extremism, in the false belief that they will keep themselves safe from the tide of freedom, brotherhood, peace and abundance, that both populations deeply wish for. Saudi Arabia looks at Iran and believes it could be looking at its own future-- the Ayatollah's force them out and take over the wealth of their country, and retrograde any development for their people. Iran looks at Saudi Arabia and sees a puppet controlled by the West, completely in bed with Zionist Israel, and who holds a stranglehold on the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. It is incumbent on every Muslim to visit Mecca on religious pilgrimage, if he is able, at least once in his life. If people in the West think of this at all, they might in a context of the hundreds of years of religious wars that were fought in Europe, Catholicism vs. Protestantism. It is said, whomever holds the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven controls the hearts and minds of men, and in some ways, this is what we're seeing here. But it's more complex than that, because Islam doesn't have the equivalent of a Vatican or hierarchy of priests, that have international reach. There isn't a St. Peter. and the Prophet Mohammed is not considered to be divine. One would think that a flat organizational structure would provide some hedge against apostasy and schism, but clearly it hasn't. What is clear, at least one of the things I learned from this program, is that Islam itself has nothing to do with this regional conflict. It's being used as an excuse. And keeping people desperate, impoverished, continually in fear of their lives and/or eternal damnation, is keeping the populations of both regions in a perpetual nightmare. And the West is complicit in this, for their own reasons. It has to stop.

Here is an American journalist who produces yet another educational and informative documentary covering Islam and its leaders as well as other leaders in the western world but when you listen to Ahmed Rashid at exactly one hour and twenty-seven minutes into the documentary one needs to ask, did we really deserve to get Bush after that worth**** Carter…It is understanding why humans have used religion for centuries to manipulate and control many, especially in Middle East but after all, it is not like we the citizens of this country have no access to technology unlike those deprived souls in Middle East so where are the brains of this society… watch this documentary to learn a thing or two about humanity and politics. It will help you to spot FAKEs in the FAKE NEWS.

Well done... I am ashamed to watch and admit how totally unknown this very important issue IS AND WAS and how totally we in the west do not really comprehend the deadly islamic agenda and how decisions made over here devastate and perpetuate the continued evil.

Can’t watch it in Australia so highly disappointing