Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-176) and index.

Introduction: Unraveling the myths / Mohammed Ayoob and Hasan Kosebalaban -- Wahhabism : religious movement and political ideology -- Wahhabism and the question of religious tolerance / Natana J. DeLong-Bas -- Wahhabism as an ideology of state formation / Khalid S. al-Dakhil -- Contestation and authority in Wahhabi polemics / David Commins -- Wahhabism and the Saudi state -- Wahhabi origins of the contemporary Saudi state / John S. Habib -- The annexation of the Hijaz / William Ochsenwald -- State power, religious privilege, and myths about political reform / Gwenn Okruhlik -- Religious revivalism and its challenge to the Saudi regime / Toby Craig Jones -- Saudi-US relations -- A most improbable alliance : placing interests over ideology / Thomas W. Lippman -- Official Wahhabism and the sanctioning of Saudi-US relations / F. Gregory Gause III -- Conclusion -- The impact of the Wahhabi tradition / John O. Voll.

Ayoob (international relations, Michigan State U.) and Kosebalaban (political science, Lake Forest College) and 10 contributors take issue with what appears to be a commonly-held belief that Wahhabism was the determining factor in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack and other acts of terrorist violence. Wahhabism, an extremely conservative version of Sunni Islam, promotes literal adherence to the Koran. The premise of this well-written and well-researched study contends that Wahhabism may have been a determining factor, but was certainly not the only nor even the primary determining factor. Topics include Wahhabism as a political movement and political ideology, Wahhabism and the contemporary Saudi state, religious revivalism and its challenge to the Saudi regime, and the impact of Wahhabi tradition.

Description based on print version record.