Unholy Kingdom (1757)

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Religion, oil, and war bent to the House of Saud’s will to dominate Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East In recent years the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, the House of Saud, has promoted the oil-rich kingdom as an open, liberalizing nation that has invested in culture, tourism, and social innovation to become a beacon for the region. International political manoeuvring, sports sponsorship, and the Vision 2030 programme with its vast architectural planning declare a bold future. But the murder in October 2018 of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul reveals a darker reality: one of intensifying political and religious repression. This is within the tumultuous context of the war in Yemen, sectarian rivalry with Iran, the crisis in Gaza, and volatile relations with the United States. Malise Ruthven, a leading commentator on Islamic affairs, reconstructs the nation’s history. He shows how the royal house co-opted Wahhabism to consolidate its power and