The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Wahhabism has been generating controversy since it first emerged in Arabia in the 18th century. In the wake of September 11th instant theories have emerged that try to root Osama Bin Laden's attacks on Wahhabism. Muslim critics have dismissed this conservative interpretation of Islam that is the official creed of Saudi Arabia as an unorthodox innovation that manipulated a suggestible people to gain political influence. David Commins' book questions this assumption. He examines the debate on the nature of Wahhabism, and offers original findings on its ascendance in Saudi Arabia and spread throughout other parts of the Muslim world such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. He also assesses the challenge that radical militants within Saudi Arabia pose to the region, and draws conclusions which will concern all those who follow events in the Kingdom. "The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia" is an essential reading for anyone interested in the Middle East and Islamic radicalism today.

Reviews

""The history of the Wahhabis' close, loyal alliance with the ancestors of the present Saudi royal family has been recounted in fascinating, and persuasive detail by David Commins. His conclusion is no less startling as it is important, that Wahhabi hegemony over regional religious culture is in jeopardy; its credibility debased, possibly no longer able to buttress the Saudi dynasty's legitimacy. Whatever their future, the story of the Wahhabis has been told with authority and clarity by Commins in this absorbing book."" -- David Waines, Professor of Islamic Studies, Lancaster University

""David Commins' careful, comprehensive and erudite account of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia could not have come at a more opportune time. After so many tendentious and uninformed treatments of the subject in recent years, it is a pleasure to read a real historian's account, based upon original Arabic sources. Everyone involved in the public debate about Saudi Arabia's role in the Muslim world should read this book."" -- F. Gregory Gause, University of Vermont

""David Commins' work makes major contributions toward understanding the historical development of Wahhabism, particularly in the 19th century. His analysis of 19th century Wahhabi thought demonstrates the interplay between religion and politics during this critical time, setting the stage for the 20th century founding of the contemporary Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."" --Natana J. Delong-Bas, Goergetown University, Author of Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad (I.B.Tauris)

Author Bio

David Commins is Professor of History at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania. He was a visiting scholar at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. He is the author of 'Islamic Reform: Politics and Change in Late Ottoman Syria' ( 1990) and 'Historical Dictionary of Syria' (2004).