Saudi Arabia & Qatar:
Two Different Takes on Wahhabism
Saudi Arabia and Qatar are both independent, Middle Eastern nations located on the Arabian Gulf peninsula. They share the same religion, same ruling style and same ruling religion. They are both Islamic monarchies where Wahhabism—a fundamentalist sect of Islam—is the primary faith among their people and the faith of their ruling families. Their economies follow nearly identical paths, as oil wealth is the primary sector of both of their Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) and largely controlled by the government. Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar are economically oil-driven Wahabist kingdoms; however, Qatar 's lack of reliance on Wahhabism coupled with its acceptance of its own ephemerality has
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Qatari women have much more freedom than Saudi Arabian women because Qatar does not rely on a restrictive type Wahhabism and instead follows a style of Wahhabism that is more progressive and forward looking than the Saudi Arabian version. Wahhabism is a fundamentalist branch of Sunni Islam founded in the eighteenth century and named after Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. Wahhabism attempts to return to the core roots of Islam, eliminating impurities in Islam like idol worship. First and foremost, Qatar has not developed an indigenous Wahhabist ulama, so Wahhabism does not have the same absolute control over the government and political system that it does in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism dictates law: Sha’ria law is the basis of almost all secular law. In Qatar, however, the political system is actually rather secular, practicing “Wahhabism of the sea” rather than Saudi Arabia’s “Wahhabism of the land.” Further, Qatar’s “Wahhabism of the sea” is free flowing like …show more content…
Qatar’s culture is progressive neither because it is Western nor because it is fundamentally Islamic but because it manages to use soft diplomacy to lie in the middle of the two, on the front edge of both cultures. Qatar practices soft diplomacy because it allows them the luxury of gaining a variety of allies who would hopefully provide support to them if they were to need it. So, Qatar’s progressive media and culture are based on Qatar’s soft diplomacy that stems from its less fundamental Wahhabism and its efforts to gain
Firstly, gender discrimination is not an exclusive feature of Saudi Arabia, but it is a more outwardly visible problem there. Gender discrimination and male superiority are most visible in Saudi Arabian culture because “inhabitants of the region where the Arabic language predominates are, despite their diversity, bound into a singular cultural unit with a particular gender system” (Tucker VII). If one group of Arabic individuals hold misogynistic views, or thinks that males are the superior gender, it is very likely that other Arabic individuals will as well. Individuals of the Arabic culture, regardless of their location share a particularly conservative and traditional set of moral beliefs the same way Christians from America may share similar beliefs with Christians from Europe. One belief most Saudi’s have in common is their “conservative view toward women” (Al-Mannai 82). Middle Eastern individuals know what behaviors to expect from each gender, and what each gender should and should not do. An effect of holding such a belief is that a man’s role in Saudi Arabia tends to be one of dominance and power; the male is the ruler ...
Islam is the baby of all religions, but that most definitely does not put a damper on the incredibly large impact that Islam has had on the world. The DBQ, or document based question, is an assignment where our class digs deeper into a certain subject by carefully inspecting and dissecting primary sources from the time in which the events occurred. Then we are given a question and we must present an answer and support this claim with evidence from the sources provided. The question I have chosen is as follows: Did Islam’s most lasting and important impacts come about through trade and peaceful interaction, or did they come mainly through war in conquest? I believe and will argue that although some impacts may have been influenced by war and
Women’s rights in the Middle East are being restricted, therefore there are many different reactions. Some people were in favor of women having equal rights while there are some who are against women to have the same rights. Since before times, many countries in the Middle East have been taking women for granted and minimized their rights by telling them they can't do something or selling them as if they were prized. When women were treated as prizes it was a practice in Afghanistan called Ba’ad that used women as the compensation, for example a story of a girl named Sakina. She was a consolation prize so that her brother could marry a woman and the Jirga system told her she had to marry a 80 year old guy when she was like 18. This tells me
They increase the spending on connectivity and human resources (Saudi Arabia Emergence Innovation Kingdom, 2014). Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East and the richest Arab country. The economy of Saudi Arabia is entirely based on oil (Smetoolkit.org, 2014). Saudi Arabia is the 19th largest exporter and the 20th largest import market in the world (Saudiembassy.net, 2014). Exports now in the kingdom include all economic sectors.
The place of women in Saudi society is determined by a deeply conservative culture, vindicated by a narrow interpretation of religion, and enforced by law. That place it would appear is at home, subservient to and legally dependant on their male guardian. Saudi society suffers from pervasive segregation along gender lines and women's freedom of movement is impeded, forcing them to rely on male chaperons.
A community is a social unit who share something in common like norms, value and identity that is situated in a given area such as – village, city, and neighborhoods. “Every human is a part of the community, they have maintained different community’s norms and values which are goal oriented”. That means, they set of their goal to what community’s they belong to? I am an inhabitance of Muslim community where I maintain community’s rules, regulation, norms, and values for better life. Now the question is what is Muslim community? “The Muslim community is based on sincerity of human feelings and fulfillment of right and needs to, every member” (Islamweb.net- “The Ideal Muslim in the Community”).
The Bahrainis had a tension between traditional and modern beliefs, values and lifestyles towards women. It was not just only by men but also by women who were afraid to alter views they understand and with which they have been brought up all their lives as this example: one of the women in the office changed the way of dressing after getting married although her husband did not request.
The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.
...gely by religious values: Conservative dress, conservative literature, and conservative behavior. Freedom of political and religious expression is not allowed, and diversions like dancing, or movies, activities are almost nonexistence in Saudi Arabia. As it has been for centuries, the cultural and political life of Saudi Arabia continues to be expressed in terms of Islamic principles.
Both countries have nearly identical scores in the dimension of masculinity. This exhibits the driving cultural forces of competition and achievement, with success held in high regard over other values. With Uncertainty Avoidance, the country is once again polarized. With the USA's relatively low score, the culture exhibits acceptance for new ideas with an emphasis on innovation and toleration. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Saudi Arabia maintains rigidity in belief systems and acceptable behaviors and ideas, valuing security over uncertainty.
September 11, 2001 forever changed the landscape of the generalized view of the Muslim community in the United States; these acts created a defining stereotypical image that all Muslim’s are extreme terrorists, or condone such behavior. Although this view of the Muslim community was not necessarily new, it was not widely acknowledged in America until the events of September 11th as it was continually thrust upon the public by print and news media. This study will discuss the dichotomy between representations of the Muslim community held by many in the Western culture as well as the psychological cause and effect of such depictions. The sociological “norms” as determined by popular American culture, the development of “terrorist” stereotypes through modern media, and the cause and effect postcolonial literature has had on the subject are all topics that will be evaluated. The objective of this research is to provide enhanced comprehension of the situational attitudes held by Muslims and Americans alike. Also, this will offer an educated understanding of the gap between what is believed and what is factual, in hopes of creating emphasis for the need of a new approach in creating a discrimination free partnership with the Muslim community while maintaining awareness and security.
In summary, Saudi Arabia is a conservative country and the debate about should women drive has shown us that people are at the edge of changing. Women have every right to drive and the government should take some serious steps to make that happen. It should allow them to drive while satisfying both sides because each side has valid points, and the only way this is going to work is new laws that assure women can safely drive.
Being Saudi Arabian is to be faithful and authentic to one important religious symbol of Islam which is being believer of Allah but no one else and being the believer that Mohammed is the prophet of Allah, which is considered very essential aspect of the culture. Saudi Arabians are the people who have strong affiliation and loyalty to the authentic, generous, wise Arab tribes who settled in the Arabian Peninsula many years ago. In addition, being Saudi Arabian represents being loyal to the country that fully contributed to providing free healthcare, education, and public services for the citizens. Saudi Arabians are the people who care and help others when they face life-threatening disasters. Saudi Arabia has many symbols that represent them.
Islam today is a prominent religion, with over 600 million followers, delcared and established by it's prophet Muhamad. It is not only a religion, but an entire way of life, which accounts all aspects. Sharia literally translates to, “the path to the water hole,” meaning that muslims have to follow this path to appease Allah and have a virtuous life. It is not prominent in all Islamic countries, but in others it dominates and rules government and society, from daily routine to weighing heavily in personal status law and in criminal law. The female population receives the harsher conditions of Sharia, versus men who utilize it for empowerment. Some elements of Sharia are similar to the common practices of other popular religions such as Christianity or Judaism, in terms of austerity, though other methods employed by fundamentalist Muslims, have cultivated bad judgement from outsiders, and apprehension towards the religion.
Alexander Riedl Prof. Jeremy Land HIS 2110 15 November 2017 “Islamophobia in the United States” Why does Islamophobia even exist in the U.S? When talking about a concept such as “Islamophobia,” you must understand the meaning of the term. “Islamophobia” is bias and or victimization of Muslims based on their religious, national, or ethnic personal connection with Islam. Like anti-Semitism, prejudice and homophobia, Islamophobia portrays attitudes and unreliable views that disparage a whole class of individuals backed by pre-conceived notions and fear.