THE CASE OF WAHHABISM IN SAUDI ARABIA Afshin Shahi

267 Pages·2017·2.83 MB·English

Durham E-Theses
THE POLITICS OF TRUTH MANAGEMENT: THE
CASE OF WAHHABISM IN SAUDI ARABIA
SHAHI, AFSHIN
How to cite:
SHAHI, AFSHIN (2012) THE POLITICS OF TRUTH MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF WAHHABISM
IN SAUDI ARABIA, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online:
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2
ABSTRACT

This study is about the management of ‘truth’ in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It aims to
investigate the ways in which the official ‘truth’ is constructed and institutionalised in the
country. It attempts to critically analyse some of the ways in which the official ‘truth’ is
tailored to rationalise the prevailing model of the distribution of power in Saudi Arabia.
This study argues that truth is not born in a power vacuum and often its construction and
institutionalisation signify domination in one way or another. Hence, what the management
of truth means is, in principle, the management of power, and the quest for truth is the quest
for power.

The main focus of this study is Wahhabism, which functions as the official ‘truth’ of the
state in Saudi Arabia. Wahhabism, which is the product of an eighteenth century revivalist
movement, is portrayed as the most ‘authentic’ reading of Islam, which provides the raison
d'être for the prevailing political mechanism in the country. This thesis puts forward an
argument that there are two interrelated notions which articulate the ways in which ‘truth’
is conceptualised in Islam. One, at macro level, constitutes the trans-historical foundational
principles of the religion, a set of engrained beliefs, which establish the ‘finality’, and
‘oneness’ of Islam in relation to other competing narratives, and the other at the micro level
takes place internally to find ‘truth’ within the ‘truth’. Unlike Islamic truth at the macro
level, which is entrenched, the Islamic truth at the micro level refers to the various attempts
by different agencies to claim to have found the ‘truth’ within the ‘truth’. Wahhabism is
introduced as an example of truth management at the micro level. This study underlines
four factors of narrative construction, leadership, socialisation and violence, which are
instrumental in the management of truth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
THE POLITICS OF TRUTH
MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF
WAHHABISM IN SAUDI
ARABIA

Afshin Shahi

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Durham University
The School of Government and International Affairs
2012
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ................................................................................................. 1
Focus of the Thesis ............................................................................................... 3
Methodology and Structure .................................................................................. 8
Chapter 1 .................................................................................................... 13
Conceptual Framework .......................................................................................... 13
Social Constructionism ....................................................................................... 14
Truth Management .............................................................................................. 20
Islamic Truth at the Macro Level ....................................................................... 24
Truth Management at the Micro Level ............................................................... 29
Leadership ........................................................................................................... 32
Narrative Construction ........................................................................................ 35
Socialisation ........................................................................................................ 36
Violence .............................................................................................................. 38
Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 44
Chapter 2 .................................................................................................... 47
Narrative construction and Leadership ............................................................... 47
The Genealogy of Wahhabism ........................................................................... 48
Embryonic Construction of Wahhabi Narratives ............................................... 56
Socio-Political Conditions in Najd before Wahhabism ..................................... 64
The Saudi Leadership and the Expansion of Wahhabism .................................. 69
Towards Formation of the Modern Saudi State ................................................. 74
Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 79
Chapter 3 .................................................................................................... 82
Towards Socialisation ............................................................................................. 82
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 82
Trans-Tribal Saudi-Wahhabi Order: Towards Construction of the Nation-State85
Towards Institution-Building .............................................................................. 93
Oil: A Determining Factor for Institution-Building ........................................... 97
Dar Al-Ifta ........................................................................................................... 99
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs: An Agent of Religious Clientelism ............. 106
Symbolic Capital: The Guardianship of the Holy Sites ................................... 113
Ulama ................................................................................................................ 118
Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 121
Chapter 4 .................................................................................................. 125
Education ............................................................................................................... 125
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 125
On Education ..................................................................................................... 127
Education in Saudi Arabia: An Overview ........................................................ 135
Religious Studies: The Wheel of Truth Management in the Education System149
Rewriting History: Contextualising the ‘Truth’ .............................................. 163
Higher Education: the Continuation of Wahhabisation ................................... 174
Paradoxes of Reform and Dilemmas of the ‘New’ Educational Direction ..... 178
Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 185
Chapter 5 .................................................................................................. 188
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On Violence ............................................................................................................ 188
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 188
State and Violence: An overview ..................................................................... 191
The Use of Violence and the Saudi-Wahhabi Alliance ................................... 194
Violence: The Historic Foundation of the Modern Saudi State ....................... 198
Mutawwi‘in: The Violent Guardians of Morality ............................................ 213
Sexual Segregation ............................................................................................ 221
Violence and Political Control .......................................................................... 229
Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 233
Conclusion ................................................................................................ 235
Appendix 1: Map of Saudi Arabia .................................................................... 240
Appendix 2: Map of Najd ................................................................................. 241
REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 243

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LIST OF TABLES & FIGURES

Table 1: Education Budget .................................................................................................. 148
Table 2: Male and Female Student Enrolments .................................................................. 148
Table 3: Elementary Education For Boys ........................................................................... 153
Table 4: Intermediate Education For Boys ......................................................................... 154
Table 5: General Secondary Education For Boys ............................................................... 155

Figure 1: Recorded Adult Per Capita Consumption ........................................................... 219

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the material in this thesis has not been previously submitted for a degree in this or any
other university. I further declare that this thesis is solely based on my own research.

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Afshin Shahi

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STATEMENT OF COPYRIGHT

The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior
written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It is a great pleasure to thank everyone who helped me write my thesis successfully. First
and foremost, I owe sincere and earnest thankfulness to my supervisor professor James
Piscatori who never hesitated supporting me to complete this project. I would like to show
my gratitude to Centre for Advanced Studies of the Arab World (CASAW) for providing
me with a generous founding to complete this project. I am particularly thankful to Dr.
Lorraine Holmes the coordinator of the CASAW programme at Durham University who
always provided me with support and care. I am also grateful to Dr. Susan Frenk the
principle of my college, St. Aidan’s who never hesitated to provide support and assistance.
Last but not least, I would like to thank Ms. Jane Mack for kindly taking the time to read
my work and offering me useful suggestions on my writing.
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