Saudi clerics and Shi'a Islam / Raihan Ismail.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-291) and index.

Introduction -- 1. The Saudi 'Ulamā' -- 2. The Sunni-Shī'a divide: a historical overview -- 3. The theological convictions of the Saudi 'Ulamā' toward Shī'īsm -- 4. The Saudi 'Ulamā' and the internal Shī'a threat -- 5. The Saudi 'Ulamā' and the external Shī'a threat: the case of Iran -- 6. The Saudi 'Ulamā' and the external Shī'a threat: the case of Bahrain, Iraq, and Yemen -- Conclusion. Shī'a theology: the foundation of animosity.

"The Saudi "ulamā" are known for their strong opposition to Shīʻa theology, Shīʻa communities in Saudi Arabia, and external Shīʻa influences such as Iran and Hezbollah. Their potent hostility, combined with the influence of the 'ulamā' within the Saudi state and the Muslim world, has led some commentators to blame the Saudi 'ulamā' for what they see as growing sectarian conflict in the Middle East. However, there is very little understanding of what reasoning lies behind the positions of the 'ulamā' and there is a significant gap in the literature dealing with the polemics directed at the Shīʻa by the Saudi religious establishment. In Saudi Clerics and Shīʻa Islam, Raihan Ismail looks at the discourse of the Saudi 'ulamā' regarding Shiism and Shīʻa communities, analysing their sermons, lectures, publications and religious rulings. The book finds that the attitudes of the 'ulamā' are not only governed by their theological convictions regarding Shiism, but are motivated by political events involving the Shīʻa within the Saudi state and abroad. It also discovers that political events affect the intensity and frequency of the rhetoric of the ulamā at any given time."--Publisher description.