August 7, 2025: The Press Club of India in New Delhi became the center of attention for a cinematic occasion of great importance: the debut of “Crimson Crescent – The Last Quarter.” This innovative documentary has Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as the figure who might become the “Gorbachev of the Islamic world,” hence the $1.5 trillion NEOM project is presented as a potential turning point in the history of the initiative to stop the forever export of the Wahhabi ideology.
The film is primarily about the character of MBS and his visionary projects, which could become a sort of “cultural or ideological” phenomenon similar to the demolition of the Berlin Wall; therefore, the protagonists could be seen as a new and different story of change that comes from the antithetical hotspot of the world.
A Four-Decade Legacy of Wahhabism
“Crimson Crescent” is the film, depicting historic events of the last forty years, during those years Saudi Arabia spent money at the tune of more than $ 100 billion to spread the doctrine of Wahhabism all over the globe. This gigantic amount has been used to establish mosques and teaching institutions not only in the countries of South Asia, Indonesia, but also in Africa. The documentary meticulously explores how this extensive financial backing has fueled radicalization, sectarian conflict, and terrorism, with profound societal impacts felt particularly in nations like India.
Alarming Findings on Radicalization
Based on the research that was done by the organizations, which include the Combating Terrorism Center and the International Crisis Group, and in particular, the film “Crimson Crescent,” gives statistical evidence for extremism in madrasas. These data are collected from a survey that shows a very high percentage, 91% of students in some Indonesian madrasas, who have stated that they support using violent means against non-Muslims. Also, in places where the students are supposed to be more just, a number of 35% of students have said that they have the same opinions. These are just a few examples of the problem that lies in India, which counts its madrasas with a number of 500,000, and thus the issue that emerges is the influence/extension of the ideology that will be the issue of the new era.
Connecting Ideology to Indigenous Violence
The documentary asserts that the ideological radicalization in the film is responsible for the acts of violence on Indian soil. The filmmakers specifically point out the 2024 Ganesh Visarjan attacks as a reference to their claim. The incidents were not a single attack but 17 coordinated attacks. The documentary depicts this as the deep-rooted perpetrators of foreign funds’ local extremist ideologies acting in the country.
Moreover, the “Crimson Crescent” tilts no torch at any issue. Particularly, FGM becomes the highlight of the film as it presents the problem as a pain point in the education sector infrastructure. These networks are only a part of the film’s focus. They then go further to highlight this phenomenon called “love jihad,” exposing how radical groups allegedly pull money strings with entities such as the Popular Front of India (PFI), and through this, they are totally off the mark in their war on the use of cultural vulnerabilities to convert non-Muslim women.
The Staggering Economic Cost and Call for Reparations
The film makes clear that the human cost of these activities is only a part of the big picture. The economic consequences of such extremism in India are also explored. The documentary cites leading organizations’ data to claim that the financial disaster caused by the 26/11 Mumbai attacks was tantamount to approximately $100 billion, along with the disappearance of foreign investment. This raises an immense question: what corrective measures, if any, will be implemented to compensate for the grave financial and social harm experienced owing to radicalization over these years?
Insights from the Field
Director Mayank Jain’s team undertook extensive field reporting, engaging directly with madrasa communities in challenging regions like Mewat and Sunder Nagri.The movie reveals these encounters in a very candid way, a few Traces of tension notwithstanding, they reveal fascinating insights into the minds of the people and the confusing nature of belief and extremism on the ground.
A Critical Juncture for the Islamic World
As “Crimson Crescent – The Last Quarter” comes to an end, it still a question in the fans’ minds as to whether MBS’s dream for NEOM and the internal changes going on in Saudi society can really break the global networks of radicalization which are deeply rooted there. The film indicates various changes occurring in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, such as more rights for women and the younger generation who are more and more going global. In the end, the documentary pushes the audience to think whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has the special power to start a big and important change in the Islamic world, similar to Mikhail Gorbachev’s influence, which was so great during the collapse of the Soviet Union.