Muted Modernists
The Struggle over Divine Politics in Saudi Arabia
Published on 2. January 2015
226 pages
978-0-19-061316-7 (ISBN)
Description
Analysis of both official and opposition Saudi divine politics is often monolithic, conjuring images of conservatism, radicalism, misogyny and resistance to democracy. Madawi Al-Rasheed challenges this stereotype as she examines a long tradition of engaging with modernism that gathered momentum with the Arab uprisings and incurred the wrath of both the regime and its Wahhabi supporters. With this nascent modernism, constructions of new divine politics, anchored in a rigorous reinterpretation of foundational Islamic texts and civil society activism are emerging in a context where authoritarian rule prefers its advocates to remain muted. The author challenges scholarly wisdom on Islamism in general and blurs the boundaries between secular and religious politics.
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Oxford University Press
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Content
- Cover
- Half-title
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of Illustrations
- Glossary
- Introduction: Divine Politics in a Profane World
- Mutations of Saudi Islamism
- Islamism Reconsidered
- Post-9/11 Saudi Islamist Mutations
- Methodology
- The Organisation of the Book
- 1. Petitions and Protest on the Eve of the Arab Uprisings
- New Saudi Petitions on the Eve of the Arab Uprisings
- The Establishment of the Umma Party
- Sporadic Protest: Saudi Arabia's Digital 'Day of Rage'
- From Virtual to Real Protest
- Containing Protest
- 2. Civil Society in an Authoritarian State
- Foundation statement
- Local Civil Society Actors
- Demonstrations as Peaceful Jihad
- The Court as Theatrical Performance
- Conclusion
- 3. On Revolution
- On Revolution
- From Euphoria to Mourning
- Conclusion
- 4. Between Force and Choice: Debating Sharia in a Salafi Context
- From Traditional Scholarship to Intellectual Controversies
- Sovereignty of the Umma
- Salafi Resistance to So-called 'Bearded Liberals'
- Assessing the Arab Uprisings
- Renewing Islamic Thought in the Saudi Context
- 5. Deconstructing the Religious Roots of Authoritarianism
- From University to Prison
- The Crisis of Islamic Political Discourse
- Critique of Islamists
- Towards a Liberation Theology
- Conclusion
- 6. Democracy against the Islamisation of Repression
- A Controversial Figure
- The Salafi Wave
- Democracy: Beyond Institutions and Constitutions
- Beyond Classifications
- Conclusion: Islamist Modernism beyond Radical and Moderate Divides
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
