Religious extremism: Research on the ideology of the Wahhabi Islamic movement

Abstract

This article is motivated by the existence of the Wahhabi Islamic Movement which has a long and influential history in the Islamic world. However, it is important to remember that the term “Wahhabi” is often used loosely and sometimes refers to various groups that hold conservative or ultra-conservative Islamic views. Apart from that, there are several facts that explain Wahhabism as an ideology which is now clearly emphasized by thinkers on fundamentalism, radicalism and extremism. Wahhabism is an ideology that inspires today's terrorist movements, especially "bridesmaids" who have been brainwashed and are ready to set off "suicide bombs" in several countries. This article tries to analyze the works of Muhammad bin 'Abd al-Wahhab to find out to what extent Wahhabism has inspired contemporary radical Muslim movements and how Wahhabism experienced an ideological journey to Indonesia. To answer this question, researchers used library research with a qualitative descriptive research type. The findings of this article show four things about Wahhabism: First, Wahhabism is an ideology that states monotheism al-uluhiyyah as the foundation of its religious understanding. This understanding was inspired by Ibn Taimiyah. Second, Wahhabism was relatively successful in spreading it, because it was fully supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Wahhabism have the same interests, which has caused Wahhabism to have a strong influence, both within Saudi Arabia and internationally. Third, Wahhabism has a doctrine of jihad which is interpreted as war against the enemy. Historically, jihad as understood by Muhammad bin 'Abd al-Wahhab was not used against infidels, but was only used against the Ottoman Dynasty, which was essentially an Islamic dynasty. Fourth, along the way Wahhabism metamorphosed into Neo-Wahhabism which has a Salafi-jihadi ideology, namely an ideology that combines Wahhabism, Salafism and Jihad. The combination of these three ideologies has given birth to "brides" who are ready to commit suicide in a number of countries, both the Western and Islamic worlds. Lastly, Wahhabism as an ideology of hatred can only be overcome with a similar ideology of hatred, not with a militaristic approach.