The Spread of Wahhabism and the West’s Responsibility to the World

Colonial arrangements, business deals and support of authoritarian leaders have contributed to the instability of the Middle East, argues author Karen Armstrong for the NewStatesman. She is among the many analysts who key in on Saudi Arabia, using oil wealth to proselytize a fundamentalist form of Islam around the globe: “Wahhabism originated in the Arabian peninsula during the 18th century as an attempt to return to the pristine Islam of the Prophet Muhammad. Hence, Wahhabis came to denounce all later developments – such as Sufism and Shia Islam – as heretical innovations. Yet this represented a radical departure from the Quran, which insists emphatically that there must be ‘no coercion in matters of faith’ (2:256) and that religious pluralism is God’s will (5:48).” Religious fundamentalism, poverty and limited education allow extremism to flourish. Saudi Arabia has done itself no favors as groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda aim to overthrow the ruling regime. Likewise, many more Muslims suffer from such extremism than non-Muslims. Armstrong concludes that only long hard process of integration, not military strikes, can end the violent patterns. – YaleGlobal