Reclaiming Saudi Salafism

The Saudi Religious Circles and the Threat of Isis

Dados Bibliográficos

ID16908577
AutoresRaihan Ismail (Schlumberger (Ireland), autor correspondente)
Ano2019
Volume9
Fascículo2
Páginas164-181
Data de publicação2019-07-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Arabian Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2153-4764 • E-ISSN: 2153-4780
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21534764.2019.1756038
OpenAlexW3037793989
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas12

The Syrian civil war prompted a new wave of religious discourse in Saudi Arabia as the Saudi government and its clerics expressed support for the Sunni protesters in Syria. The issues of jihad and Sunni groups fighting in Syria received significant clerical attention; the Saudi ʿulamāʾ of various political persuasions, including “activists” and “quietists”, commented on the events in Syria. Following the rise of ISIS as the war progressed, the ʿulamāʾ became themselves the subject of scrutiny for allegedly providing the foundations for extremism in Syria. Both the rhetoric of the clerics, as well as Saudi Salafi religious traditions more broadly, came under immense attack domestically and internationally. This article examines how the Saudi clerics dealt with these criticisms. It analyses the rhetoric and actions of the clerics in relation to ISIS’s brand of Salafism, both theologically and politically. It finds that the Saudi ʿulamāʾ of various political persuasions are contesting claims to Salafism, resulting in heated debates and attempts to reconstruct Saudi religious traditions

Archaeology · Islam · Political rhetoric · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · Scrutiny · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Theology · Gender Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Philosophy · Socioeconomic Development in MENA