Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism Since 1979 »

Saudi Arabia, homeland of Osama bin Laden and many 9/11 hijackers, is widely considered to be the heartland of radical Islamism. For decades, the conservative and oil-rich kingdom contributed recruits, ideologues and money to jihadi groups worldwide. Yet Islamism within Saudi Arabia itself remains poorly understood. Why has Saudi Arabia produced so many militants? Has the Saudi government supported violent groups? How strong is al-Qaida's foothold in the kingdom and does it threaten the regime? Why did Bin Laden not launch a campaign there until 2003? This book presents the first ever history of Saudi jihadism based on extensive fieldwork in the kingdom and primary sources in Arabic. It offers a powerful explanation for the rise of Islamist militancy in Saudi Arabia and sheds crucial new light on the history of the global jihadist movement.

1 The politics of pan-Islamism 16

2 The classical jihadists 38

3 Recruitment to the early jihad fronts 59

4 Opportunities for global jihad 70

5 Al-Qaida and Saudi Arabia 99

6 Recruitment to al-Qaida 130

7 Post-9/11 Saudi Arabia 143

8 The mujahadin on the Arabian Peninsula 161

9 Recruitment to the QAP 186

10 The failure of the jihad in Arabia 199

Conclusion 227

App. 1 Socio-economic data on Saudi militants 239

App. 2 Chronology of Islamist violence in Saudi Arabia, 1979-2009 244

Bibliography 250

Index 277