If oil had not been discovered, Saudi Arabia would be just another Third World nation, known for its desert sands, famed for its nomadic Bedouins, condemned for beheadings and the enslavement of women.

When a quarter of the world's oil reserves were found under the Saudi Arabian desert, the petrol guzzling world made its rulers filthy rich.

If this oil had not been found, we would not discuss their most reviled export, the Saudi petrodollars. One condition is forced on recipients. They must promote Wahabhi extremism.

Today, power-hungry leaders, including our own, are eager for Saudi "donations". Arms manufacturers are desperate to sell to Saudi Arabia. Religious fanatics fantasise about starting their own fiefdoms. These groups prostitute themselves for Saudi petrodollars.

The ruling elite of Saudi Arabia is rich, but you could never say that Saudi Arabia is a First World nation. Its people are dirt poor. Its women are downtrodden. The country imports migrant workers from the Indian subcontinent to labour in the construction industry. Their hospitals, shopping malls, homes and hotels are staffed by people from the Philippines and Indonesia. The House of Saud fiercely resists reforms. The country is trapped in the culture of the middle ages.

Saudi Arabia may be the birthplace of Islam, but the extremist version of Islam that the Saudis export, alongside their petrodollars, is destroying moderate Muslim nations around the world, like Malaysia and Indonesia.

The extreme authoritarianism and injustice promoted by Saudi Arabia is a destabilising influence in the Arab world. Today, it also threatens the stability of our part of the world.

For decades, Wahabhi extremism was imported into Malaysia by stealth. Some of us spoke against it, but we were silenced. Today, more daring voices can be heard...