Saudi Arabia’s religious pruning: Will there be an Islamic hegemon anymore?
While most of its foreign and domestic policy has been undergirded by the desire to maintain regime continuation, Saudi Arabia has adopted a religious veneer to lend credibility to its ruling family, Mohammed Sinah Siyech argues in his article for the
Observer Research Foundation. Saudi Arabia used its oil money to spread its brand of Islam across the world while simultaneously attempting to besmirch Shi’ite Islam, centred on Iran, as a deviant source of Islam. With its wealth and advantage of hosting the
Hajj for millions of Muslims across the world, Saudi Arabia has been successful in thwarting threats to its religious standing. Tehran’s recent engagement with Riyadh to mend their relations has removed one major source of political anxiety for Saudi Arabia, giving it confidence to dilute its Islamic credentials.
https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/saudi-arabias-religious-pruning/
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