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13 Islam and Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism strategy

  • Roel Meijer
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Non-Western responses to terrorism
This chapter is in the book Non-Western responses to terrorism

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism strategy of the first decade on the twenty-first century has been widely acclaimed as highly successful and presented as an example for other Muslim countries. The strategy was developed after the bomb attacks of al Qaida on the Arabian peninsula in 2003. The program is, however, deeply religious and is based on the reconversion of terrorists from a jihadi Salafism to a quietist and law-abiding version of Salafism. The chapter goes into the religious terminology of the Saudi counterterrorism programme, which labels terrorism as religious ‘deviation’, and radicals as people who have been led by their ‘passions’, are no longer rational and have diverted form the ‘middle way’. The chapter also shows how prominent religious scholars have become deeply involved in the state counterterrorism programme of ‘intellectual security’.

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism strategy of the first decade on the twenty-first century has been widely acclaimed as highly successful and presented as an example for other Muslim countries. The strategy was developed after the bomb attacks of al Qaida on the Arabian peninsula in 2003. The program is, however, deeply religious and is based on the reconversion of terrorists from a jihadi Salafism to a quietist and law-abiding version of Salafism. The chapter goes into the religious terminology of the Saudi counterterrorism programme, which labels terrorism as religious ‘deviation’, and radicals as people who have been led by their ‘passions’, are no longer rational and have diverted form the ‘middle way’. The chapter also shows how prominent religious scholars have become deeply involved in the state counterterrorism programme of ‘intellectual security’.

Chapters in this book

  1. Front matter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of figures viii
  4. List of tables ix
  5. Notes on contributors x
  6. Foreword xviii
  7. Acknowledgements xx
  8. Introduction 1
  9. PART I: Russia and Central Asia
  10. 1 Russia’s response to terrorism in the twenty-first century 23
  11. PART II: Asia
  12. 2 Xi Jinping, China’s legal reform and counterterrorism 57
  13. 3 Terrorism and counterterrorism in Japan 81
  14. 4 Adapting to the dynamic changes of terrorist threats 103
  15. 5 Political violence and counterterrorism 128
  16. PART III: South Asia
  17. 6 Counterterrorism in India 153
  18. 7 Countering terrorism in Pakistan 184
  19. PART IV: Latin and South America
  20. 8 When the shoe doesn’t fit 221
  21. 9 The changing meaning of ‘terrorism’ in Colombia 246
  22. PART V: Middle East and North Africa
  23. 10 Algeria’s response to violent extremism 273
  24. 11 Extremism in moderation 294
  25. 12 Contending notions of terrorism in Lebanon 323
  26. 13 Islam and Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism strategy 344
  27. 14 The state and terrorism in Iran 364
  28. PART VI: Africa
  29. 15 Counterterrorism in Kenya 387
  30. 16 A vicious cycle 410
  31. 17 Counterterrorism in Museveni’s Uganda 433
  32. 18 Understanding South Africa’s confused and ineffective response to terrorism 449
  33. Conclusion 470
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526157102.00026

Chapters in this book

  1. Front matter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of figures viii
  4. List of tables ix
  5. Notes on contributors x
  6. Foreword xviii
  7. Acknowledgements xx
  8. Introduction 1
  9. PART I: Russia and Central Asia
  10. 1 Russia’s response to terrorism in the twenty-first century 23
  11. PART II: Asia
  12. 2 Xi Jinping, China’s legal reform and counterterrorism 57
  13. 3 Terrorism and counterterrorism in Japan 81
  14. 4 Adapting to the dynamic changes of terrorist threats 103
  15. 5 Political violence and counterterrorism 128
  16. PART III: South Asia
  17. 6 Counterterrorism in India 153
  18. 7 Countering terrorism in Pakistan 184
  19. PART IV: Latin and South America
  20. 8 When the shoe doesn’t fit 221
  21. 9 The changing meaning of ‘terrorism’ in Colombia 246
  22. PART V: Middle East and North Africa
  23. 10 Algeria’s response to violent extremism 273
  24. 11 Extremism in moderation 294
  25. 12 Contending notions of terrorism in Lebanon 323
  26. 13 Islam and Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism strategy 344
  27. 14 The state and terrorism in Iran 364
  28. PART VI: Africa
  29. 15 Counterterrorism in Kenya 387
  30. 16 A vicious cycle 410
  31. 17 Counterterrorism in Museveni’s Uganda 433
  32. 18 Understanding South Africa’s confused and ineffective response to terrorism 449
  33. Conclusion 470
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