Wahhabism

Wahhabism is a movement within Sunni Islam that was founded in the eighteenth century by Muhammad al-Wahhab who established a form of Muslim literalism that flourishes today in Saudi Arabia. He and his followers attempted to purify Islam and return it to its Muslim roots and pursue the literal interpretation of the Qur’an. Wahhab aggressively fought for purity within Islam by burning books, destroying Muslim holy places, and killing Muslims who disagreed with him.

In the book, A Biblical Point of View on Islam, the author documents the influence of Wahhabism on Saudi Arabia. All of the 9/11 hijackers, for example, were Wahhabi Muslims. Wahhabis also control Islam’s two most holy cities: Mecca and Medina. This provides them with a strong religious platform because of the annual pilgrimages to Mecca each year.
The oil money of Saudi Arabia provides the financial platform. Wahhabism became the “official, state-enforced doctrine of one of the most influential governments in all Islam.” The Saudi oil money helped to fund Wahhabi propagation of their views at home and abroad.
How influential is Wahhabism? It was the primary influence on Osama bin Laden and all of the 9/11 hijackers. Wahhabism was also influential in the theology of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Bernard Lewis uses this analogy to illustrate the influence of Wahhabism. He says, imagine that the Ku Klux Klan or a similar group took control of Texas and its oil. Then imagine what they could do with this money to propagate their version of “Christianity” through heavily endowed schools and colleges.
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