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A Layman's Guide to World War III
- Wahhabism
By Kevin Filan
Religions:
Christianity
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Judaism
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Hinduism
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Shi'a Islam
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Sufism
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Wahhabism
Muhammad Ibn Abd'al Wahhab (1703-92) was a hardliner's hardliner.
His austere and uncompromising interpretations of Shahariah,
Quranic law, forbade smoking, the wearing of silks or rich
fabrics, and decoration of mosques with minarets. Veneration
of saints and pilgrimage to their tombs was seen as idolatry
and polytheism - and Wahhab advocated violence against the
"infidels" whose views of Islam differed from his
own. The local leadership in several communities invited Wahhab
to pursue preaching opportunities elsewhere, until he captured
the hearts and military muscle of the Saud family. By 1806
the Sauds had captured Mecca; to this day Wahhabism retains
its influence on Saudi Arabia and on the Royal House of Saud.
As with everything else in this part of the world, oil and
money have played an enormous role in the spread of Wahhabi
doctrines. The Saudis have pumped enormous amounts of money
into aid to other struggling Moslems; this has included support
for Islamic education. These Wahhabi ideas have taken particularly
tenacious root in Central Asia's Fergana Valley, a wild and
lawless stretch of terrain claimed at various points by Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. They have also gained a wide and
sympathetic following in Pakistan, particularly in the regions
bordering Afghanistan.
For many "Wahhabi" has become synonymous with "terrorist."
Some see this as cause for condemnation, while others see
this as a feature rather than a bug. It has provided an example
for radical Islamic movements in India, Sumatra and North
Africa and is one of the fastest-growing sects of Islam in
much of the Middle East. This has turned the entire area into
a very large powder keg: the Wahhabi are quick to attack "heretic"
Moslems as well as unbelievers. The Taliban destroyed the
Bamiyan Buddhas largely to punish the Hazaras, a Mongol tribe
whose ancestors built the massive statues and whose Shi'a
Islam was seen by the Wahhabi-trained Taliban as polytheism
and devil-worship.
http://radiobergen.org/terrorism/wahhabism_01.htm
Wahhabism article
http://www.islamicweb.com/beliefs/creed/wahhab.htm
Article on ibn Abd'al Wahhab
Kevin Filan is a freelance contributor to hybrid based in
New York. Last month, Kevin wrote a piece entitled The
Thermonuclear Men's Club.
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