In 1157 Hijri (1744 CE) in the town
of Diriyah, north of the Saudi capital Riyadh, Mohammed bin Saud, founder of
the first Saudi state, and cleric Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab concluded a
political and religious alliance. Under this alliance, the two shared power and
Bin Saud provided protection and political and military support for the radical
religious Wahhabi dawah (call to faith), while Abdul Wahhab and his followers provided
religious and cultural support to the Saudi state.
This alliance allowed Wahhabism and
Saudi politics to feed off each other for more than 250 years, even after the
fall of the first Saudi state in 1818 and the emergence of the second and third
Saudi states. However, the alliance saw a major change when Mohammed bin
Salman, also known as MBS, was appointed crown prince of Saudi Arabia in 2017.
He retained the religious right to rule and put Wahhabism aside as a religious
and intellectual framework for the country.
Emergence
of religious extremism
Abdul Wahhab first emerged as a
religious extremist in 1740 in the city of Haremela following the death of his
father, who was also a clergyman. However, the people of the city rejected his
dawah, so he moved backed to his hometown of Uyaynah. By this time, his dawah
had moved from words to action in which he and his followers demolished domes
erected on graves and shrines, cut down trees that were blessed by the local
residents, and considered as infidel anyone who sanctified the graves of the
saints and righteous. As a result, he was kicked out of Uyaynah and moved to
Diriyah, where he met Bin Saud.
After the alliance had been struck
between the two men, their followers began to invade and take control of cities
and villages. The invasion of Karbala in Iraq was particularly bloody. Most of
the residents were killed, and their property and belongings were seized under
the pretext that they were polytheists who were not entitled to any rights. A
similar approach was taken in other areas until Mecca and Medina, now two of
Islam’s holiest cities, were annexed to the Saudi state in 1805.
What
is Wahhabism?
Wahhabism is an austere form of
Sunni Islam that insists on a literal interpretation of the Koran. Adherents believe
that Wahhabism will purify Islam of customs and habits confused with polytheism
and atheism. This was explained by Abdul Aziz bin Baz, former mufti of Saudi
Arabia and one of the leaders of Wahhabism, who declared that Wahhabism calls
for the oneness of God and denies attachment to graves, the dead, idols,
believing in priests and astrologers, and the worship of trees and stones.
Moreover, Wahhabism is known for its
strict obedience to the rulers and heads of states and prohibits opposition to
them, defection or attempts to remove them from power. For decades, the House
of Saud used Wahhabism to support for their rule. Wahhabism also played a major
role in religious militancy within the kingdom, culminating in the
establishment of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prohibition
of Vice, which worked for many years to fight and prevent manifestations of art
and music, placed restrictions on women by denying them many rights and imposed
guardianship on them, among other signs of religious orthodoxy.
The doctrine was also used to
attract millions of followers in the Muslim world, known as Salafists, and
establish mosques that spread this ideology in different countries. A
significant amount of money was lavished on this strategy – notably air tickets
to bring mujahideen from around the world to participate in jihad in
Afghanistan as well as humanitarian aid for the country. MBS referred to this
in an interview with The Washington Post in which he said, “Investment
in schools and mosques around the world is linked to the Cold War, when allied
countries asked Saudi Arabia to use its money to prevent the progress of the
Soviet Union in the countries of the Islamic world.”
Besides the war in Afghanistan, the
kingdom has supported many religious groups in Arab countries and contributed
to the establishment of Wahhabi associations, mosques and schools, which had a
major impact on the region following the Arab Spring uprisings in late 2010,
when hardline religious groups gained a political foothold. This was most
evident in Syria, where thousands of mujahideen and religious hardliners formed
anti-regime militias, massacring citizens and imposing violent and repressive
and religious systems in the areas they controlled. However, numerous countries
in the Middle East and North Africa experienced bombings and other terrorist
operations, adversely affecting the democratic transition in the region and
prompting the world to turn a blind eye to dictatorial regimes in exchange for
help fighting these groups.
First
step towards disengagement
From 2015, as MBS gained more
political influence, the kingdom took a more open approach to religious tenets,
especially when it came to individual freedoms and the arts. For example,
significant limitations were placed on the Commission for the Promotion of
Virtue and the Prohibition of Vice. Women were also permitted to drive for the
first time, and the General Authority for Entertainment was established to
sponsor the dissemination of art and music.
Moreover, radical clerics have been
subject to restrictions and even harassment, prompting most of them to back
down from hardline views and support MBS’ purportedly more progressive vision.
For example, Abdallah al-Mani, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and
advisor to the Royal Court, described Wahhabism as fake and having nothing to
do with reality. He added that associating Saudi Arabia with Wahhabism is political
fabrication intended to harm the country’s image.
MBS’ clampdown on religious
militancy has been described as the first step towards disengagement between
the Saudi regime and Wahhabism, which have been intertwined for centuries.
However, political freedoms have not been affected by this change and remain
restricted. In recent years, the regime has arrested dozens of political
opponents, social media activists and those who express opinions contrary to
the crown prince.
Source:
https://fanack.com/saudi-arabia/history-past-to-present/saudi-arabia-disengage-from-wahhabism/#.XmqZjnMBfJw.whatsapp
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