Rethinking the ‘Other’, ‘Otherness’ and Tolerance in Contemporary Islamic Thought: The Wahhabi Case

Wahhabi Islam, whose doctrines inspired Osama bin Laden, will be explored by this year’s Greenberg Middle East Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Muhammed al-Atawneh, Professor from Israel’s Ben-Gurion University.

Saudi Arabia found itself under an unflattering spotlight in the wake of the events of 9/11, perhaps more than any other country in the Middle East. The fact that 15 of the 19 suicide skyjackers were Saudi citizens provoked an avalanche of criticism against Saudi religious beliefs, rulers, social customs and education in the West, as well as in some parts of the Islamic and Arab world, including Saudi Arabia itself.  Numerous books and articles focused on Wahhabi Islam have been published in the last few years, mainly regarding the extent to which extremism and violence are associated with its doctrines.

The lecture maintains this line of scholarship, providing an additional perspective. Al-Atawneh examines contemporary Saudi religio-political discourse on the relationship with other cultures and nations, both Muslim and non-Muslim, domestic and foreign. He argues that post-9/11 Wahhabi Islam acknowledges the problematic nature of its traditional perception of the ‘other’ and, therefore, is making significant and unprecedented efforts to reformulate and redefine religious doctrines, such as jihad, tolerance, interfaith dialogue and so forth.