Sahwa movement


Sahwa Movement or Al–Sahwa Al-Islamiyya is a faction of Saudi Qutbism, an extremist jihadist Islamist ideology developed by Sayyid Qutb, the figurehead of the Muslim Brotherhood. In Saudi Arabia, the Sahwa Movement has been involved in peaceful political reform. Safar Al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda are representatives of this trend. Because of being active on social media they have earned some support amongst the more educated youth.
This group opposed the presence of US troops on the Arabian peninsula.

Origin

members arrived in Saudi Arabia in the 1950s and 60s seeking refuge from persecution of Egyptian Socialist regime. They always had disputes with Wahhabism. Wahhabism and the Brotherhood influenced each other and this cross-pollination resulted in the birth of a hybrid movement of religious-political dissent known as the Sahwa movement. It reached a peak in the 1990s before being repressed by the Saudi establishment.

Activities

Sahwa members write public petitions and circulate sermons on audio cassettes. Sahwa leaders demand a bigger role for clergy in governing, curbs on the royal family’s privileges, greater transparency for public funds, and a more Islamically conservative society as a defense against Western cultural influences.

Views

They oppose the presence of US troops on the Muslim land. In 1991, al-Hawali delivered a sermon stating: "What is happening in the Gulf is part of a larger Western design to dominate the whole Arab and Muslim world." The opponent groups, such as Madkhalis derogatorily label this group as Qutbis.