Muslim Brotherhood of Saudi Arabia: Al-Sahwa and Political Reform

Abstract

This article analyzes the formation and development of the Saudi Muslim Brotherhood, which has emerged as the most threatening opposition to the Saudi government, and the changes of the relations between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Saudi government from the 1950s to the present. The first section, ‘The Rising of Muslim Brotherhood as an Important Actor,’ covers the Muslim Brotherhood becoming the core actor of the Islamic Bloc led by Saudi Arabia to counter Nasser’s Pan-Arab Socialist Bloc in 1950s-1960s. The second section, ‘The Muslim Brotherhood Leading Education,’ analyzes the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in playing an important role in the educational system, including universities, since the 1960s. The third section, ‘The Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Sahwa, calling for the Political Reform,’ analyzes the political reform movements which Al-Sahwa has done since Iraq’s invasion of Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. Finally, ‘The Crackdown of Saudi Government on Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Sahwa,’ analyzes the Saudi anti-terrorism law which brands the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.