Join Louis Blin as he discusses his recent research within the Robert Schuman Centre Seminar Series
A powerful current of Muslim revivalism has gone largely unnoticed by Westerners, mostly focused on Islamism, Salafism and Jihadism. Although deeply rooted as far as the Muslim Nahda (Renaissance) of the 19th Century, it surfaced after their failure and the fall of the Islamic State in 2019. This development incidentally coincided with the coming to power in Saudi Arabia of a new constituency, whose main task has since been to de-wahhabize the country. The path had been previously paved by the United Arab Emirates.
Adapting religion to modernity and no longer the reverse, is one of the basic principles of the economic and social restructuring undertaken under the reign of King Salman. Economic efficiency is the new frame of reference, instead of religion.
The new authoritarianism in the Arab Gulf states targets Salafism, as well as political Islam and Jihadism. The Arab Gulf states’ ongoing endeavour looks forward to repairing the damage caused by these three trends to Islam in general, as well as to Muslim societies, and to their image in the West, through promoting a humanist Islam.
The religious side of the major political change happening in Saudi Arabia falls within a broader post-Salafi trend, whereby sharia is not the priority anymore, the quest for universalism has replaced the quest for authenticity, and politics are secularised.