Unholy Kingdom (religion, Corruption And Violence In Saudi Arabia)

By (author) Ruthven Malise
Short description/annotation:
THE FAULT LINES OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONVERGE IN SAUDI ARABIA
Description:
In recent years, the de facto head of the House of Saud, Mohammed bin Salman, has promoted the oil-rich kingdom as an open, liberalizing nation that has invested in culture, tourism, and social innovation to become a beacon for the region. Malise Ruthven, a leading commentator on Islamic affairs, reveals the historical currents beneath these changes: how the royal house co-opted Wahhabism to consolidate its power and enforce authoritarianism in collusion with Western businesses and governments.
Review quote:
Ruthven''s unblushing polemic treats Jamal Khashoggi''s gruesome murder in Istanbul and its cover-up as representative of the Saudi kingdom''s recent policies rather than, as their defenders claim, a regrettable aberration
Review quote:
Ruthven is the leading British authority on modern Islam. His books are essential for understanding what is going on in the Middle East today
Review quote:
One of today''s most perceptive observers and historians of religion
Review quote:
One of our most consistently sophisticated and stimulating writers on contemporary religion in
general and Islam in particular. In a crowded field Ruthven remains way ahead of the pack.
Review quote:
A shocking exposé of ruthlessness and folly. Ruthven gives a timely study of Saudi Arabia in its historical context and biting insight into its politics in an unravelling Middle East.
Review quote:
An eye-popping and unsettling read ... meticulous
Review quote:
Informed and insightful ... Ruthven has won a deserved reputation as one of the most informed and acute writers on the Islamic world, eschewing angry pontification or clever instant commentary. This book ... deserves to be read by anyone seriously interested in Saudi Arabia and its growing influence in the world ... excellent
Review quote:
****
Biographical note:
Malise Ruthven worked as an editor with the BBC Arabic Service and World Service in London before teaching Islamic studies and comparative religion at universities on both sides of the Atlantic. He is the author of several books on Islamic affairs as well as fundamentalism and religion in America. In 2004, London''s Prospect Magazine ranked Ruthven among the 100 top public intellectuals in the UK. His blog on the New York Review of Books, Revolution by Latrine, won an award from the Overseas Press Club of America in 2011. He contributes regularly to the Guardian, Independent, The Financial Times, New York Review of Books, and the London Review of Books.
Promotional headline:
THE FAULT LINES OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONVERGE IN SAUDI ARABIA
Feature:
Essential introduction to the origins and future of Saudi Arabia: how religion, oil, and war have dominated the Middle East.
Feature:
Explores the current power struggles within the House of Saud, and the rise of crown prince MBS.
Feature:
Insights into one of the most misunderstood nations in the world by a leading expert on Islamic world.
Feature:
Wide media interest expected as author is well connected leading authority on the subject.