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Events
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Islamopedia: Mapping Islamic Thinking Online
November 30, 2009
Jocelyne Cesari of Harvard University will present Islamopedia, a collection of rulings and religious... |
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The Role of Religion in the Public Square of a Pluralist Democracy
December 14, 2009
Clergy Beyond Borders will be holding a conference at American University on the topic of "Human Righ... |
Publications
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Berkley Center Annual Report 2008-2009
October 15, 2009
This report outlines the Berkley Center's major activities during the 2008–09 academic year, includ |
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Luce/SFS Program Annual Report 2008-2009
October 15, 2009
This report provides an overview of the Luce/SFS Program on Religion and International Affairs progr |
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The Future of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy: Recommendations for the Obama Administration
March 10, 2009
Building off three symposia on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the International Religious F |
SAUDI ARABIA
ON THIS PAGE
The Emergence of the Al Saud FamilyThe Establishment and Consolidation of the Kingdom
Recent Developments
Religion in the Saudi Arabian Constitution
MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AND THE CAUCASUS
AlgeriaAzerbaijan
Egypt
Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Saudi Arabia DRAFT
Religious Adherence in Saudi Arabia, % of Population
Cross-National Data: Religion Indexes, Religious Adherents, and Other Data. Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005.
The Emergence of the Al Saud Family
The Saudi state traces its origins to the central Arabian Peninsula, a sparsely populated area east of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. In the 7th century, the Arabian Peninsula witnessed the appearance of Islam. The Prophet Muhammad and his followers established a thriving civilization, and Arab armies eventually conquered as far as Spain and India. However, in the centuries following the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the centers of Muslim power gradually moved away from the peninsula. During the 18th century, religious reformer Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, who was engaged in a struggle against Shi’a Muslims and advocated a strict and austere form of Islam, forged an alliance with Muhammad ibn Saud for the purpose of creating an Islamic state. Endowed with the religious legitimacy of this alliance, Muhammad ibn Saud and his followers engaged in a series of campaigns to rid the region of practices they considered polytheistic. Following the death of Abd-al-Wahhab, Saudi rulers took the title of Imam, formally combining their temporal and religious authority. Since that time, state rulers of the Al Saud family have considered themselves Saudi Arabia’s supreme religious leaders. In 1803, Saudi armies captured Mecca and Medina, which prompted a response by the Ottoman Sultan and his Egyptian client, Muhammad Ali. The Egyptian army marched against the Saudi forces and, in 1818, they razed the Saudi capital and captured Abdullah ibn Saud, the grandson of Muhammad ibn Saud and leader of the family, bringing the First Saudi State to an end.
The Establishment and Consolidation of the Kingdom
Following the defeat of the First Saudi State by Muhammad Ali, the 19th and 20th centuries witnes... >>more
Recent Developments
The ability of the Saudi monarchs to balance their role as rulers of a modern state, religious le... >>more
Religion in the Saudi Arabian Constitution
The Saudi Arabian constitution, officially referred to as the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia, establis... >>more
Article 1: Islamic State
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic state with Islam as its religion; God's B... >>more
Article 2: Public Holidays
The state's public holidays are Id al-Fitr and Id al-Adha. Its calendar is the Hegira calendar. >>more
Article 3: State Flag
The state's flag shall be as follows: (a) It shall be green.
(b) Its width shall be e... >>more
Article 5: System of Government
(a) The system of government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is that of a monarchy. (b) Rule passe... >>more
Article 6: Allegiance to the King
Citizens are to pay allegiance to the King in accordance with the holy Koran and the tradition of... >>more
Article 7: Power of the Government
Government in Saudi Arabia derives power from the Holy Koran and the Prophet's tradition. >>more
Article 8: Government Principles
Government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is based on the premise of justice, consultation, and e... >>more
Article 9: Family
The family is the kernel of Saudi society, and its members shall be brought up on the basis of th... >>more
Article 10: Family Ties, Islamic Values
The state will aspire to strengthen family ties, maintain its Arab and Islamic values and care fo... >>more
Article 11: Basis of Society
Saudi society will be based on the principle of adherence to God's command, on mutual cooperation... >>more
Article 13: Education
Education will aim at instilling the Islamic faith in the younger generation, providing its membe... >>more
Article 17: Islam and the Economy
Property, capital, and labor are essential elements in the Kingdom's economic and social being. T... >>more
Article 23: Islam
The state protects Islam; it implements its Shari'ah; it orders people to do right and shun evil;... >>more
Article 24: Holy Places
The state works to construct and serve the Holy Places; it provides security and care for those w... >>more
Article 25: World Peace
The state strives for the achievement of the hopes of the Arab and Islamic nation for solidarity ... >>more
Article 26: Human Rights
The state protects human rights in accordance with the Islamic Shari'ah. >>more
Article 29: Science, Culture
The state safeguards science, literature and culture; it encourages scientific research; it prote... >>more
Article 33: Armed Forces
The state establishes and equips the Armed Forces for the defence of the Islamic religion, the Tw... >>more
Article 38: Punishment, Nulla Poena
Penalties shall be personal and there shall be no crime or penalty except in accordance with the ... >>more
Article 39: Expression
Information, publication, and all other media shall employ courteous language and the state's reg... >>more
Article 41: Residents' Duties
Residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shall abide by its laws and shall observe the values of ... >>more
Article 45: Fatwa
The source of the deliverance of fatwa in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are God's Book and the Sunn... >>more
Article 46: Judiciary
The judiciary is an independent authority. There is no control over judges in the dispensation of... >>more
Article 48: Application of Shari'ah
The courts will apply the rules of the Islamic Shari'ah in the cases that are brought before them... >>more
Article 55: Duties of the King
The King carries out the policy of the nation, a legitimate policy in accordance with the provisi... >>more
Article 67: Regulatory Authority
The regulatory authority lays down regulations and motions to meet the interests of the state or ... >>more