The common image of Saudi Arabia portrays a country where religious rules dictate every detail of daily life: where women may t drive; where unrelated men and women may t interact; where the latter veil their faces; and where banks, restaurants and cafes have dual facilities: one for families, ather for men. Yet life in the kingdom, contrary to perception, is t so clear cut as simply obeying dogma. David Commins challenges the stereotype of a country immune to change by highlighting the ways that urbanization, education, consumerism, global communications and techlogical invation have exerted pressure against rules issued by the religious establishment. He places the Wahhabi movement in the wider context of Islamic history, showing how state-appointed clerics built on dynastic backing to fashion a model society of Sharia observance and moral virtue. But beneath a surface appearance of obedience to Islamic authority he detects currents that reflect Arabia's heritage of diversity (where Shi'i and Sufi tendencies survive in the face of discrimination) and the effects of its exposure to Western mores.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd., I.B.Tauris
ISBN-10
1848858019
ISBN-13
9781848858015
eBay Product ID (ePID)
208683201
Product Key Features
Author
David Dean Commins
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Subject
Non-Christian Religions
Type
Textbook
Dimensions
Height
216mm
Width
134mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
London
Series Title
Islam in Series
Content Note
4 Bw Integrated Illustrations
Author Biography
David Commins is Professor of History at Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. A specialist in modern Islamic thought, his publications include The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia, The Gulf States: A Modern History (both published by I.B.Tauris) and Islamic Reform: Politics and Social Change in Late Ottoman Syria.
Date of Publication
28/02/2015
Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Genre
Non-Christian Religions
Best Selling in Textbooks
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Textbooks