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Wahhabism and Extremism

Wahhabism is an extreme movement within Islam, which has its origins in the eighteenth century. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Wahhibitic and many of the current extreme movements within Islam have their roots in Wahhabism.

Origin of Wahhabism

Wahhabism originated in the eighteenth century, its founder Mohammed Ibn Abdel Wahhab could be seen as the first fundamentalist. He felt that Islam had been corrupted in his time. All ideas and practices that were added after 950 AD were wrong according to Abdel Wahhab, he wanted a return to pure Islam as it was at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). His aversion was mainly aroused by the veneration of saints, sacrifices to saints, etc., things which he saw as a regression back to the time of polytheism.

Doctrines

The most important doctrine within Abdel Wahhab’s teachings is that of Tawhid, the oneness of God. There is absolute monotheism. Abdel Wahhab wanted an Islam based entirely on the Koran and Hadith, with a society in which Islamic laws are applied. When those laws are not applied, a society slides into ‘jahiliyya’. ‘Jahiliyya’ is an important term in Islam, the literal translation is ignorance and it refers to the time before the advent of Islam. According to Abdel Wahhab, many Muslims lived in ignorance, ‘jahillya’ and were therefore not actually true Muslims. Only those who followed the strict rules of Abdel Wahhab were on the right path. This idea, where Muslims who do not live according to Abdel Wahhab’s rules are not real Muslims, has major consequences. It is forbidden for a Muslim to kill another Muslim, but if that Muslim is not seen as a Muslim, this can have far-reaching consequences. This principle also plays a major role among current extremists and terrorists.

For Wahhabis, a reinterpretation of the Quran is impossible. Problems should be solved the way Muslims worked in the first three centuries after the rise of Islam. Later reformist movements from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are therefore of no importance.

Wahhabism and Islamic extremism

Wahhabism is the dominant doctrine on the Arabian Peninsula. In the rest of the Middle East, however, Wahhabism’s influence is quite small. Someone like Osama Bin Laden who grew up with Wahhabism as the prevailing doctrine is obviously influenced by this. Bin Laden’s extremism, however, cannot be entirely traced back to Wahhabism. Unlike Bin Laden, whose emphasis is on jihad, Abdel Wahhab mainly preached monotheism. Abdel Wahhab was looking for a way to live together with people of other faiths, instead of trying to kill them. The oil wealth in the Arabian Peninsula

gave Wahhabism the opportunity to expand further. Billions of dollars were spent to help Wahhabism gain a foothold in the rest of the Muslim world. Mosques and Koranic schools were built, and the message Muslims receive there is that of Wahhabism.