Wahhabism
Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative reform movement within Sunni Islam, founded in 18th-century Arabia by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, that rejects all religious practice not found in the Quran and early Islamic texts and regards the veneration of saints, Sufi traditions, and Shia Islam as heretical innovation. Saudi Arabia adopted it as its state religion in 1744, and since the oil boom it has exported it globally, creating both stability within Saudi Arabia and extremism beyond its borders.
In 1744, the religious reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance with Muhammad bin Saud, the founder of the Saudi dynasty. The deal was explicit: Wahhabism would be the official religion of the Saudi state, and the Wahhabis would provide the dynasty with religious legitimacy. This pact, mosque and throne bound together, has governed Saudi Arabia ever since, making it unusual among Muslim-majority states in having an official state religious doctrine.
Wahhabism regards mainstream Islam as corrupted by centuries of innovation. Practices Wahhabis consider forbidden include celebrating the Prophet's birthday, visiting shrines of saints, and much of Sufi devotional practice. The Shia tradition, with its theology of the Imams, veneration of Ali and Hussein, and pilgrimage to Karbala, is viewed by strict Wahhabis as close to polytheism. This makes the Saudi-Iran theological rivalry not simply political but genuinely existential: each regards the other's religion as a heresy.
The oil boom created a dangerous combination: vast wealth in the hands of a state committed to exporting this theology. Saudi Arabia has spent hundreds of billions of dollars since the 1970s funding Wahhabi madrasas, mosques, and Islamic centers worldwide, from Indonesia to Nigeria to the United States. Al-Qaeda's Osama bin Laden was a Saudi citizen whose ideology was thoroughly Wahhabi. The Taliban's theological roots trace to Wahhabi-funded Pakistani madrasas. Saudi Arabia's attempt to manage Wahhabi extremism by exporting it created the global jihadist movement.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Wahhabism? ＋
Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative Sunni Islamic reform movement that rejects all practices not found in the Quran and early Islamic texts, considering Sufi traditions, saint veneration, and Shia theology as heresy. Founded in 18th-century Arabia, it became Saudi Arabia's state religion in 1744 and has been globally exported with Saudi oil wealth since the 1970s.
How did Wahhabism create terrorism? ＋
By creating a generation of ideologically trained militants without enough legitimate outlets. Saudi Arabia funded thousands of Wahhabi madrasas globally to export its religion and manage domestic extremists. But the theology they taught, non-Wahhabi Muslims as heretics deserving of death, Western culture as corruption, provided the framework for organizations like al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden was a Saudi citizen shaped by this tradition.