Application of Islam
In the land of the Prophet Muhammad's birth, Sunni Islam is the state religion. All Saudi citizens are Muslims. There is a Shia minority. The Saudi government has repeatedly stated that it protects the right of individuals to practice another religion in private. There are an estimated 450,000 Hindus and nearly one million Christians in Saudi Arabia. Non-Muslim proselytizing is prohibited.
The king is the guardian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia has regained control over the issuance of visas for the pilgrimage to Mecca. From now on, pilgrims must register on a digital platform and the result is subject to a lottery. If the visa for the hajj or the omra (small pilgrimage) is free, the stays are charged between 6,200 € and 9,900 € for about 3 weeks on site.
Wahhabism
Since the arrival in power of Salman and Mohammed Ben Salman, Saudi Arabia has distanced itself from the Wahhabi doctrine. It is a current of Sunnism faithful to the "Tradition of the Prophet", his religious teaching, his deeds, his actions and his sayings. Founded by Mohammed ben Abdelwahhad in the eighteenth century, the current advocates "a return to the practices in force in the Muslim community of the Prophet Muhammad and his first successors or caliphs. After studying in Basra (Iraq) and traveling to Isfahan (Iran), Mohammed ben Abdelwahhad returned to his village in Najd. He professed a strict application of Islam and was expelled from his village for having wanted to stone an adulterous woman. He took refuge in the oasis of Dariya where he met Mohammed ibn Saoud, the father of the Saudi nation. This clan leader then tried to submit and unify the Arab tribes. In 1744, he concluded a pact with the preacher and gave him one of his daughters in marriage. Ibn Saoud undertakes to propagate the Wahhabi doctrine while Abdelwahhad supports the emir in his fight by granting him "glory and power". This politico-religious alliance will forge the destiny of Saudi Arabia. The Saud will continue their political fight until the creation of the state in 1932, without ever denying their membership in Wahhabism. In the 1960s, Wahhabism and Salafism, two rigorous currents of Islam, merged, and the two terms are often understood as synonymous. The doctrines flourished on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan against Russia, where many men from Saudi Arabia joined the front, including Osama bin Laden. The Russian aggression against the Afghan brothers is perceived and interpreted as a religious war. The "defensive" jihad was encouraged in a fatwa pronounced by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, the highest religious dignitary in the country. Gradually, the offensive jihad is established, with the creation of Al Qaeda. The terrorist cell committed its first attack at the Mövenpick Hotel in Aden in 1992. The following year, a bomb exploded in the basement of the World Trade Center. The United States then became the preferred target of Islamic fundamentalist attacks. After several attacks on American military and diplomatic targets, Al Qaeda became the absolute figure of international terrorism with the attacks of September 11, 2001. Saudi Arabia found itself caught between the religious doctrine distorted by Osama Bin Laden and the political pact concluded with the United States in 1945. Abdelaziz ibn Saud had then guaranteed his oil against American military protection.
Twenty years after the attacks and as the Islamic State has supplanted Al Qaeda, Saudi Arabia has distanced itself from Wahhabi doctrine. In particular, the young Crown Prince Mohammad Ben Salman has allowed Saudi women to drive, ignoring the recommendations of Wahhabi doctors who argued that it would expose them to the devil or could affect their ovaries. Similarly, women can now start a business.
