Wahhabi movement Wahhabism (Arabic: ﺔﻴﺑﺎﻫﻭ, Wahhābiyyah) is a radical religious movement or offshoot branch of [1][2]Islam variously described as orthodox, [3]ultraconservative, austere, [4] [5]fundamentalist, puritanical (or puritan), an Islamic reform movement to restore pure [6]monotheistic worship, or an extremist [7]movement. It aspires to return to the earliest fundamental Islamic sources of the Quran and Hadith with different interpretation from mainstream Islam, inspired by the teachings of medieval theologian Ibn Taymiyyah and early [8]jurist Ahmad ibn Hanbal. The majority of the worlds Wahhabis are from [9]Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. 22.9% of all [9]Saudis are Wahhabis (concentrated in Najd). [9]46.87% of Qataris and 44.8% of Emiratis are [9]Wahhabis. 5.7% of Bahrainis are Wahhabis and [9]2.17% of Kuwaitis are Wahhabis. Wahhabism is the official version of Islam in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, [10]Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. A number of terrorist organizations adhering to the Wahhabi movement include al-Qaeda, the [11]Taliban, and, more recently, ISIS. The radical takfiri beliefs of Wahhabism enables its followers to label non-Wahhabi and mainstream Muslims as apostates along with non-Muslims, thus paving the [12][13]way for their bloodshed. In July 2013, European Parliament identified the Wahhabi movement as the source of global terrorism and a threat to traditional and diverse Muslim cultures of [14]the whole world. Many buildings associated with early Islam, including mazaars, mausoleums, and other artifacts, have been destroyed in Saudi Arabia by Wahhabis from the early 19th century [15][16]through the present day. Initially, Wahhabism was a revivalist movement instigated by an eighteenth century theologian, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792) from [17]Najd, Saudi Arabia, who was opposed by his own father and brother for his non-traditional [18]interpretation of Islam. He attacked a perceived moral decline and political weakness in the Arabian Peninsula and condemned what he perceived as idolatry, the popular cult of saints, [19]and shrine and tomb visitation, advocating a purging of the widespread practices by Muslims that he considered impurities and innovations in [1]Islam. He eventually convinced the local Amir, Uthman ibn Muammar, to help him in his struggle. [20]The movement gained unchallenged precedence in most of the Arabian Peninsula through an alliance between Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and the House of Muhammad ibn Saud, which provided political and financial power for the religious revival represented by Ibn Abd al- Wahhab. The alliance created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where Mohammed bin Abd Al-Wahhabs teachings are state-sponsored and the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. The terms Wahhabi and Salafi and ahl al-hadith (people of hadith) are often used interchangeably, [21]but Wahhabism has also been called a [1]particular orientation within Salafism, considered ultra-conservative and which rejects traditional Islamic legal scholarship as unnecessary [22][23]innovation. Salafism, on the other hand, has been termed as the hybridation between the teachings of Ibn Abdul-Wahhab and others which have taken place since the 1960s.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 13:41:22 +0000
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