Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Revival

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Abstract
The seizure of the grand mosque of Mecca on 1 Muharram 1400/20 November 1979 by a group of Muslim fundamentalists protesting alleged religious laxity in Saudi Arabia raised the issue of Islamic revival in the very birthplace of the Islamic faith. This dramatic action and the ensuing battle for control of the holiest site in Islam, the Kaaba, caused concern and anxiety among hundreds of millions of Muslims. It turned the minds of many to the phenomenon of religious revival. The attack on the Meccan Haram also showed that the revival of Islam was an issue for all Muslim countries, for Saudi Arabia was already one of the most publicly devout and religious nations in the world. If the Saudi government could be seriously accused of a lack of religious fervor, even though the accusers in Mecca were few in number and ultimately unsuccessful in their military action, then other Muslim states might well be liable to even more severe challenges.

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