SHARI'A IN THE POLITICS OF SAUDI ARABIA

Frank E. Vogel

The Review of Faith & International Affairs, 2012, vol. 10, issue 4, 18-27

Abstract: Shari'a holds a unique position in Saudi Arabia. It is the constitution of the state, the sole formal source of political legitimacy, and the law of the land, or common law. It is avowed as the solitary source of binding norms for the civil and private spheres, shaping and justifying social, communal, and family mores as well as individual morality. Most fundamentally, it is the central conception of the religion to which every Saudi citizen formally belongs, laying down the intricate rules of ritual practices, among them pilgrimage to the holy places which the Kingdom administers. So when we consider shari'a politics in Saudi Arabia, we engage a more comprehensive set of questions than we do for most countries. In Saudi Arabia "shari'a politics" is not only one strand or subject within politics; shari'a is implicated in all politics.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1080/15570274.2012.739892

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