International influence and propagation Wahhabism

1 international influence , propagation

1.1 explanation influence
1.2 funding factor
1.3 militant , political islam

international influence , propagation

explanation influence

khaled abou el fadl attributed appeal of wahhabism muslims stemming from

arab nationalism, followed wahhabi attack on ottoman empire
reformism, followed return salaf (as-salaf aṣ-Ṣāliḥ);
destruction of hejaz khilafa in 1925;
control of mecca , medina, gave wahhabis great influence on muslim culture , thinking;
oil, after 1975 allowed wahhabis promote interpretations of islam using billions oil export revenue.

scholar gilles kepel, agrees tripling in price of oil in mid-1970s , progressive takeover of saudi aramco in 1974–1980 period, provided source of influence of wahhabism in islamic world.

... financial clout of saudi arabia had been amply demonstrated during oil embargo against united states, following arab-israeli war of 1973. show of international power, along nation s astronomical increase in wealth, allowed saudi arabia s puritanical, conservative wahhabite faction attain preeminent position of strength in global expression of islam. saudi arabia s impact on muslims throughout world less visible of khomeini]s iran, effect deeper , more enduring... reorganized religious landscape promoting associations , ulamas followed lead, , then, injecting substantial amounts of money islamic interests of sorts, won on many more converts. above all, saudis raised new standard – virtuous islamic civilization – foil corrupting influence of west.

funding factor

estimates of saudi spending on religious causes abroad include upward of $100 billion ; between $2 , 3 billion per year since 1975 (compared annual soviet propaganda budget of $1 billion/year); , @ least $87 billion 1987–2007.

its largesse funded estimated 90% of expenses of entire faith , throughout muslim world, according journalist dawood al-shirian. extended young , old, children s madrasas high-level scholarship. books, scholarships, fellowships, mosques (for example, more 1,500 mosques built saudi public funds on last 50 years ) paid for. rewarded journalists , academics, followed , built satellite campuses around egypt al azhar, oldest , influential islamic university. yahya birt counts spending on 1,500 mosques, 210 islamic centres , dozens of muslim academies , schools .

this financial aid has done overwhelm less strict local interpretations of islam, according observers dawood al-shirian , lee kuan yew, , has caused saudi interpretation (sometimes called petro-islam ) perceived correct interpretation—or gold standard of islam—in many muslims minds.

militant , political islam

according counter-terrorism scholar thomas f. lynch iii, sunni extremists perpetrated 700 terror attacks killing 7,000 people 1981–2006. connection, if any, there between wahhabism , jihadi salafis such al-qaeda carried out these attacks, disputed.

natana de long-bas, senior research assistant @ prince alwaleed center muslim-christian understanding @ georgetown university, argues:

the militant islam of osama bin laden did not have origins in teachings of ibn abd-al-wahhab , not representative of wahhabi islam practiced in contemporary saudi arabia, yet media came define wahhabi islam during later years of bin laden s lifetime. unrepresentative bin laden s global jihad of islam in general , wahhabi islam in particular, prominence in headline news took wahhabi islam across spectrum revival , reform global jihad.

noah feldman distinguishes between calls conservative wahhabis , calls followers of political islam in 1980s , 1990s, such egyptian islamic jihad , later al-qaeda leader ayman al-zawahiri. while saudi wahhabis largest funders of local muslim brotherhood chapters , other hard-line islamists during time, opposed jihadi resistance muslim governments , assassination of muslim leaders because of belief decision wage jihad lay ruler, not individual believer .

karen armstrong states osama bin laden, extremists, followed ideology of sayyid qutb, not wahhabism .

more self-declared islamic state in iraq , syria headed abu bakr al-baghdadi has been described both more violent al-qaeda , more closely aligned wahhabism.

for guiding principles, leaders of islamic state, known isis or isil, open , clear exclusive commitment wahhabi movement of sunni islam. group circulates images of wahhabi religious textbooks saudi arabia in schools controls. videos group s territory have shown wahhabi texts plastered on sides of official missionary van.

according scholar bernard haykel, al qaeda, violence means ends; isis, end in itself. wahhabism islamic state s closest religious cognate.

the sunni militant groups worldwide associated wahhabi ideology include: al-shabaab, ansar dine, al-qaeda, boko haram, , isis.