Originally published: 2006. Reprinted with a new preface by the author.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-269) and index.

Islam began as a stranger and will return as a stranger -- Holding fast against idolatry -- Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud and the taming of Wahhabi zeal -- Wahhabism in a modern state -- The Wahhabi mission and Islamic Revivalism -- Challenges to Wahhabi hegemony.

Wahhabism has been generating controversy since it first emerged in Arabia in the 18th century. In the wake of September 11th many commentators rooted Osama Bin Laden's actions in this conservative interpretation of Islam. Muslim critics have dismissed it an unorthodox innovation manipulated by the House of Saud for political purposes. Its increasing popularity in South Asia, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan, is widely touted as a cause for grave concern. This book takes a look at what Wahhabism really is. Based on new material, the author Commins offers an original account of its ascendance in Saudi Arabia. He assesses the challenge that radical militants within Saudi Arabia pose to the region, and draws conclusions which will concern all those who follow events in the kingdom.

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