Khashoggi -- Casualty of Islamic Politics

Khashoggi was a believer in political Islamic.  His idea idea was to spread Islam by secular means.  He felt that the Muslim Brotherhood had the right idea.  Depending on whom he spoke to, Khashoggi would express admiration for the Muslim Brotherhood.  He had been a member.  However there were people with whom he'd speak and where he'd distance himself from the Muslim Brotherhood.

Khashoggi's views were unambiguous as to Turkey which he much admired.  They were equally unambiguous as to El-Sisi of Egypt who Khashoggi strongly disliked.  He was a Saudi citizen but felt strongly that Saudi Arabia should not involve itself in the ongoing struggle in Yemen.  This more than anything else, marked him as an enemy of Saudi Arabia and a supporter of Iran.

The brutal fighting in Yemen results from Iran trying to gain a foothold in that sorry state.  They supply the Houthis rebels with all sorts of weapons, starting with assault rifles and going up to rockets which have been fired against Saudi cities, as well as against an oil tanker passing through the Bar el Mandeb Strait, that separates Yemen from Africa. It is this strait that Iran seeks to control.

If Yemen were located in some other part of the world; say, somewhere in Africa, far from the  Strait,  it is unlikely the Iranians would give it a second thought.

Arab politics is no bean bag affair.  Think for a moment how Hamas and Arafat dealt with one another.  Think of how the Muslim Brotherhood was about to take over Egypt before el-Sisi and the Egyptian military entered the fray.  In a showdown between Khashoggi and Mohammad bin Salman, Khashoggi never stood a chance.  And from the American point of view that's a very good thing.  The last thing America needs is for Iran to control the Bar el Mandeb Strait.

Regrettably, the manner in which the Saudi ruler disposed of Khashaggi has left America, and, more specifically, President Trump, with a problem.  The Saudi ruler eliminated Khashoggi in such an amateurish way that it has become a public relation disaster for Trump.  If Mohammad bin Salman wants to bump off his enemies, he's got to begin taking lessons from Turkey's Erdogan, or Russia's Putin, or China's Xi, or even North Korea's  Kim Jong-Un.

As to Khashoggi being a reporter:  So too was Kim Philby, who was placed in Beirut as a reporter for several British papers by British Intelligence.  Russian intelligence is well known for its use of reporters to gather information.  But, of course, American reporters would never allow themselves to be used in that way.  Then again, Khashoggi wasn't an American.