Islamic Studies

Ordinary Wahhabism
Alexander Ignatenko

After the acts of terrorism that were performed in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, the world will never be the same. But terror and pain, anguish and dismay will give place to clarity - not only in respect to the question of who committed the crime, but also to whence the people who committed this crime against humanity sprung.

It is naive to reduce the motives to financial reasons (large sums of money were said to have been promised to suicide bombers' relatives). All these people must have had a powerful common motivation that couldn't have spontaneously developed in two dozen different perpetrators who directly participated in the acts, nor in the number of those who helped organize them.

It isn't strange that Islamic extremists immediately fell under suspicion of being connected with these terrorist acts. Experts in Islamic studies know that Islamic extremists have cherished the idea of a terrorist act involving an airliner for a long time. They tried to realize their dream in France in December of 1994 when they hijacked an airliner in Algeria in order to aim it at some object in Paris like the Eiffel Tower. But French special services managed to suppress the attempt.

Meanwhile, at the very time of the attacks on New York and Washington, Moscow and Russia still mourned for the victims of the terrorist acts on residential buildings in the capital two years ago. And in France, as well as in Russia, it was known that the above-mentioned acts of terrorism, as well as many others, were performed by Wahhabis.

Judicial inquiry will likely isolate who directed the airliners at the targets in America. But judging, at least, from the preliminary data of Sept. 13 and 14, Wahhabis certainly have something to do with it. Note that Osama bin Laden, allegedly connected with those terrorists already identified by the FBI, is a Wahhabi.

So what does the Wahhabi teaching consist of? It is impossible to answer this question without an excursus into religious history. Moreover, because the Wahhabi expansion is at the same time well-protected and controversial, with explanations ranging from statements that there is no Wahhabism at all to claims that Wahhabism is merely true Islam.

What Is Wahhabism?

The word Wahhabism most often denotes religious and political extremism related to Islam. In its narrowest and most precise sense Wahhabism is a teaching that was formulated in the 18th century by Arabic religious reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. This teaching later became and still remains an official ideology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Wahhabis are either supporters of the ideas, constituting the teaching of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, or members of organizations that are guided by this teaching. In 1999 the Badr publishing house, registered and located in Moscow, issued the third edition (5 thousand copies) of The Book of Monotheism by M.S.Tamimi (Muhammad ibn Suleyman at-Tamimi), a student and follower of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

Why Do Wahhabis Not Want to Be Called Wahhabis?

And yet, followers of Wahhabi principles abstain from relating the word Wahhabism to the religious teaching of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, as well as to the official doctrine of the modern Saudi Arabia and to the ideology of movements and groups that accept and disseminate Wahhabi ideas and implement Wahhabi principles throughout the world, Russia included.

The main reason why Wahhabis don't want to be called Wahhabis is that otherwise they would implicitly acknowledge the accusations that many Muslims bring against them. These are claims that Wahhabis are Islamic heretics (mubtadi'ah), or people who follow a specific religious teaching that was developed by a particular man (Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab) at a particular time (18th century), a teaching that hadn't existed before in this form. The Arabic word heresy (bid'ah) is derived from bada'ah (to introduce something new) and means a condemned and rejected innovation.

That's why Wahhabis don't call themselves Wahhabis but rather refer to themselves as just Muslims (Muslimun), monotheists (Mowahhidoon) or Salafi, "followers of the pious forefathers" (Salafiyyun).

Is It Admissible to Call Wahhabis Wahhabis?

According to Islamic tradition, particular branches of Islam that existed in the past or exist at present (schools of jurisprudence, branches of theological thought, Sufi Tariqat orders, sects, etc.) can be named after their founders, regardless of what theological, religious and juridical views those branches convey. There are numerous examples. The eponym of the Hanbali school of jurisprudence is Ahmad ibn Hanbal; of the Qadiri Sufi Tariqat, Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani; of the Asharis theological school, Abu'l-Hasan al-Ashari, etc. So there is nothing disparaging or depreciating in the word Wahhabi itself.

Members of the Saudi clergy also call followers of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, including themselves, Wahhabis (Wahhabiyyun). When asked if it is admissible to refer to past and present followers of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab as Wahhabis, Saudi Arabia's Religious Affairs Minister Abdallah at-Turki said, "It is really a great honor for Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its ulama, when one who acts according to the Scripture and Sunnah and exhorts to [follow] them is characterized as one who follows the practice and path that Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab kept and called to and that imams of the House of Saud upheld" (Al-Muslimun, November 7, 1997).

However ornate the language is, one can see that it is admissible to call Wahhabis Wahhabis. Or consider a fatwa of the late Saudi mufti Abd al-Aziz bin Baza, who didn't hesitate to use the word Wahhabis: "Wahhabis are not heretics; they are those who follow the path of the pious forefathers" (Al-Muslimun, January 17, 1997). Note that this fatwa is the mufti's answer to the claims of Muslims that Wahhabis disseminate condemned innovations, i.e. heretic views.

Wahhabism as Wahhabis See It

So much has been written about Wahhabis and so much controversial material exists that it's high time to come to know how Wahhabis themselves understand Wahhabi teaching, considering that they continually strive to propagate their ideas among Russian readers. It is worth noting that the Wahhabi books published in Russian are among the millions that have been distributed in Arabic countries, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Southeast Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, and North America, including the United States.

Let us consider a number of Wahhabi texts, including the books and booklets in Russian distributed on the territory of Russia and among Russians in Saudi Arabia (for example, during the hajj) by Saudi authorities and public institutions. This will help us, first, to find out how these sources set out Wahhabi teaching and, second, to check on the accuracy of the widespread explanation of Wahhabi ideas.

Wahhabism is the result of the selection and adaptation of the Quran and Sunni postulates to Wahhabi views and ideas. Here is what a Wahhabi author writes about a typically Wahhabi approach to the Quran and the Sunnah. "In this book I gave answers to all questions relating to postulates of Islam and, as far as it was possible (!), backed my answers with quotations from the Quran and the authentic Hadith to convince readers of the truth of my words." (Muhammad ibn Jamil Zinu. Islamic Akida - Belief, Conviction, Outlook - as Stated in the Holy Quran and the Authentic Sunnah. Moscow: Badr, 1998, p.4).

In fact, the great majority of works written by Wahhabi authors are based on the following principle. A postulate is stated followed by a quotation from the Quran or the Sunnah that proves the postulate. If the authors cannot find an appropriate quotation, they do without citing the Quran or the Sunnah.

Although this method produces the illusion that the stated postulates agree with the Quran and the Sunnah, it violates the traditional Islamic belief that the Quran and the Sunnah are recorded divine revelation. The goal of Islamic ulama (learned people) is to understand what Allah chose to impart upon people in the Quran and the Sunnah, given to the divine envoy Muhammad - and not to use quotations from the Holy Scripture as a confirmation of their own ideas. Moreover, even when quotations from the Quran or the Sunnah are used, the meaning of Wahhabi postulates often partially or completely diverges from what the quotations really imply.

The postulates of the Quran and Sunnah that don't agree with the ideas given in Wahhabi literature are just ignored as if they don't exist. As a result, Wahhabi teaching attributes great importance to the concept of infidelity, Jews and Christians being reckoned among the infidels (more about this later). But none of the Russian translations of Wahhabi texts that ground the infidelity of Jews and Christians include the following quotation from the Quran: "Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve" (The Quran, 2:62).

Here is one more example. Wahhabi teaching attributes great significance to jihad. No attention, however, is paid to the words of the Prophet about the greater and the lesser jihad. On return from the battle of Badr (year 624), in which Muslims defeated polytheists, Muhammad said, "We are finished with the lesser jihad; now we are starting the greater jihad." But these words are traditionally interpreted in Islam as follows: armed fight is the lesser jihad, whereas peaceful, constructive labor is the main, greater jihad.

Thus, Wahhabism is the result of the selection of a few applicable Islamic postulates. One who has set to analyze and evaluate this doctrine should, on the one hand, not regard the Islamic postulates not included in Wahhabi literature as Wahhabi, and on the other hand, keep oneself from referring to the ideas that are conveyed in Wahhabi texts as truly Islamic.

Who "Infidels" Are

Proclaiming strict monotheism, Wahhabis use the absolute meaning of the concepts of infidelity (Arab. kufr) and polytheism (Arab. shirk). This is the main postulate of Wahhabism, and the followers of this teaching call themselves accordingly - monotheists. In the history of Islam as a monotheistic religion, within the framework of jurisprudence (fiqh), theology (kalam), philosophy (falsafah) and theoretical Sufism (tasawwuf), there developed a maximally complete and adequate understanding of the idea of monotheism, as it is described in the Quran and Sunnah. Wahhabis, however, deny the possibility of theological and philosophical interpretation of the texts of the Quran and Sunnah. They define the idea of monotheism from the contrary, by defining what is not monotheism. Consider, for example, the main Wahhabi book, The Book of Monotheism by Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, as well as contemporary Wahhabi writings (see S.W.Fawzan. The Book of Monotheism, Makhachkala, Badr, 1997; M.A.Bashamil. What We Understand by Monotheism, Makhachkala, Badr, 1997). Eight to nine tenths of these books deal with what polytheism is and what infidelity as a denial of monotheism or deviation from it is. So what, in the opinion of Wahhabis, is polytheism and infidelity, and who are polytheists and infidels?

Jews and Christians are regarded as infidels in Wahhabi literature (see Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. A joint edition of the Saudi Arabia's Ministry for Islamic Affairs, Waqfs, Levy and Orientation, and the Russian Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim fund. Moscow, 1999. Section Hadiths and Terms). Ibn Abd al-Wahhab confirms this postulate in his Book of Monotheism by selected sayings of the prophet Muhammad: "When one of their (Christians'. - A.I.) righteous men or righteous slaves of Allah dies, they build a temple on his grave and draw his images inside it. These (i.e. Christians. - A.I.) are the worst of Allah's creatures!" "May Allah damn Jews and Christians, who turned the graves of their prophets into temples!" (Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The Book of Monotheism). The infidelity and polytheism of Jews and Christians is the commonplace of Wahhabi writings. Jews and Christians are polytheists because they "chose the graves of their prophets to say their prayers on them" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Foundations of the Islamic Teaching). People who build temples on the graves of their holy men and decorate them with icons "are reckoned among the worst creatures in the face of Allah" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Hadiths and Terms).

Infidels are also the Muslims who, in the opinion of Wahhabis, deviated from monotheism ("apostasy"). Actually, the whole Book of Monotheism by Ibn Abd al-Wahhab is devoted to such deviations. Among these are glorification of the righteous, worship of Allah at the graves of the righteous (wali), worship of deceased righteous men, worship of idols; sorcery, astrology and any kind of prediction, wearing of amulets or any other things that are believed to protect from harm, worship of monuments and statues, glorification of a certain person, and many other deeds and actions (see also: S.W.Fawsan, The Book of Monotheism; M.A.Bashamil, What We Understand by Monotheism). Infidels are also the Muslims who "introduce any innovations in religion" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Hadiths and Terms). Particularly, Sufis are rated among such infidels.

It is a trait inherent in Wahhabism to regard as infidels the Muslims who deviate from monotheism. According to Islamic tradition, the believer who performs what is considered infidelity by Wahhabis (like wearing an amulet, laying flowers to a monument, performing a ziyarat to the grave of the righteous-wali) remains a believer if this action is not a deviation from the symbol of Islamic faith - "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is his messenger". Wahhabis, however, say that any deviation from monotheism turns a Muslim into an infidel. Thus, he becomes an apostate, and the punishment for apostasy in Islam is death.

Wahhabis assert that neither pronouncing the formula "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is his messenger", which, in Islam, signifies conversion into a Muslim, nor strict adherence to postulates of Islam can guarantee that a Muslim who deviated from monotheism by act of "infidelity" will remain a Muslim (see Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The Book of Monotheism). Moreover, Wahhabis declare that a Muslim ceases to be a Muslim if he deviates from monotheism even in the least degree. In this case, his life and property are no longer immune; therefore he may be killed and deprived of his property. "Pronouncement alone does not ensure immunity of life and property, nor does the understanding of the meaning of the evidence ("There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is his messenger." - A.I.), nor the pronouncing and acknowledgement of it, nor appealing in namazes (prayers. - A.I.) to the one and only Allah, who has no companions. The property and life of a man are immune only when everything mentioned above is complemented by a complete rejection of all objects of worship except Allah. Any doubt or hesitation deprives a man of immunity of his property and his life" (Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The Book of Monotheism).

The so-called "hypocrites" constitute a separate group of infidels. A hypocrite is a Muslim who "demonstrates adherence to Islam and conceals his infidelity" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Foundations of the Islamic Teaching). In other words, Wahhabis can proclaim any Muslim a hypocrite and infidel. "…The one who deviates (from monotheism, as understood by Wahhabis. - A.I.), openly or secretly (sic!), must know that he becomes an infidel and expect a possibility of being killed or confined." (Ben Baz. The Necessity of Obeying the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and Declaring Those Who Repudiate It Infidels. Riyadh, Waquf Ministry's General Print Board, 2000).

Wahhabis also regard as infidels followers of all ideological movements without exception. Thus, "adherence to atheistic movements, such as communism, secularism, democracy, capitalism and other such movements of infidels is an apostasy from the Islamic religion (S.W.Fawsan. The Book of Monotheism). The list of these ideological movements also includes "Marxist socialism and atheistic masonry" (Zinu. Islamic Akida). Communism is, obviously, an infidelity as well. Naturally, no exception was made for "Judaism, which stands behind everyone and every destructive doctrine subversive of morality and spiritual values", to which also belong "masonry, world Zionism and babuwism". I have no wish to guess what the last word ("babuwism") means.

According to Wahhabis, infidelity is also implementation of any formula of socio-political organization that is not based completely and exceptionally on the Sharia, or Islamic rule, as Wahhabis understand it. Infidelity is "the ruling and judging not in accord with what Allah sent down" (S.W.Fawsan, The Book of Monotheism). Wahhabis regard any legislative human activity as infidelity. Infidelity is "any pretense on the right to ordain laws, to allow and to forbid." Wahhabis call infidel everyone who is involved in the system of social relations, providing for delegation of authority and redistribution of public resources, including exchange of values and services. A polytheist and infidel is also one "who makes appeals to a prophet, king, ruler or anyone else, or asks someone, besides Allah, for help…" (Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The Book of Monotheism).

Predestined Salvation (The "Saved Group")

Wahhabis claim the Wahhabi movement to be totally impeccable where questions of monotheism are concerned, and usurp the right to judge and penalize "infidels", "polytheists" and "hypocrites." But one thing Wahhabis usually avoid discussing is who or what gave them the right, which in Islam belongs to God and no one else, to take a final judgement on whether a man is a true monotheist (especially in the cases of the so-called "concealed" or "secret" infidelity, i.e. "hypocrisy"), and enforce the penalty for infidelity (including death)? Nobody and nothing in Islam could give them such right.

Wahhabis, however, can't ignore this problem, as their Muslim adversaries always remind them of it. They try to solve this problem in three ways.

First, they allege that they follow true monotheism. They also call themselves Salafi, i.e. those who follow what the Prophet and the first three generations of Muslims followed. Apart from that, they call themselves the "saved group" - this is how one of the Prophet's Hadiths calls the group that will evade the infernal flame on Judgement Day (Zinu. Islamic Akida).

Secondly, to prove this, Wahhabis search out further evidence of their selectness. They claim that the "saved group" "presents a minority" in the umma - community of Muslims (Zinu. Islamic Akida). By the way, this statement proves the minority status of Wahhabis and the sectarian character of their movement.

Wahhabis claim the ethnic character of their movement as another supporting piece of evidence. And they specify what group comprises the true monotheists. In their opinion, these are Arabs. "Arabs are missionaries of Islam… Having brought Islam into life, they will become the best ones on Earth" (Zinu. Islamic Akida). This idea is not backed with a quotation from the Quran or Sunnah; Wahhabis wouldn't be able to do it. From the very beginning Islam was a supranational religion, denying supremacy of one national group over the other. Besides Arabs, initially among the "missionaries of Islam" were also Ethiopians, Persians, Jews, Berbers…

But it is important for Wahhabis to claim it in order to characterize more precisely the group that knows, even before Judgement Day, that it is the "saved" one. Wahhabis describe their own movement as Arabic.

Hate as a Religious Requirement

According to Wahhabis, only complete obedience to the Wahhabi group and active hostility (including killing) towards everyone who doesn't belong to it can prove the man to be a monotheist.

How can the man protect himself from being proclaimed an infidel and thus avoid punishment for his infidelity? There is only one way - he must reject every kind of infidelity and polytheism (see above) and, after repenting his infidelity, adhere to monotheism as Wahhabis understand it. But this cannot spare this man of accusations of hesitation, doubt and hypocrisy, i.e. concealed infidelity, so he can be subjected to takfir, which deprives his life and property of immunity, and be punished (maybe even killed).

If the man is a Muslim in the first place, the decisive argument for his faithfulness to Allah, or the condition by which he can avoid being proclaimed an infidel, is his loyalty to Wahhabis and hostility to every non-Wahhabi. "The only way it can be achieved is by love to those who practice tauhid of Allah (i.e. to monotheists; this is how Wahhabis call themselves. - A.I.), devotion to them, rendering them every kind of help, as well as by hate and hostility to infidels and mushriks (polytheists. - A.I.)". (Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, The Book of Monotheism.)

What marks a member of Wahhabi group is a number of characteristics: particular appearance (men, for example, shave mustaches and don't shave beards) and particular clothes (short trousers, cut up the ankle, etc.). Remarkably enough, even here Wahhabis act from the contrary, implementing the principle of "inadmissibility of the imitation of infidels" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Hadiths and Terms).

But the most important characteristic is that the Muslim who adopts Wahhabism must confirm his monotheism by "hate and hostility." The true monotheist, according to Wahhabis, must hate all those whom Wahhabis regard as infidels, polytheists, and hypocrites. Hate, however, is an emotion that is not easy to control. Wahhabis pay special attention to visible behavior of the man. Visible manifestation of hate is what can preserve the Muslim from accusations in infidelity; otherwise his life and property are deprived of immunity. This hate must be always openly manifested as hostility to infidels. In order to be a Muslim, the man must "be hostile to polytheists and infidels. There are so many Muslims who are pure and free from paganism (polytheism. - A.I.) but are not hostile to pagans (polytheists. - A.I.)! In this case the man can't be a Muslim… Every true Muslim must be hostile to pagans and hate them" (Zinu. Islamic Akida). It is forbidden to have any positive attitude to infidels and do them any good. "Friendliness to infidels and rendering them help are not allowed."

The main Wahhabi punishment for infidelity is death. If the man doesn't obey the Sharia, as understood by Wahhabis, he becomes an infidel. According to Wahhabis, "The Most High said, "The one who let it be like this is an infidel, who should be killed," if he doesn't get back to the Law of Allah and His Messenger" (M.A.-L. Ibrahim. Instituting the Laws of Allah. Makhachkala, Badr, 1997). The killing of infidels according to Wahhabi doctrine must be systematic and orderly, in the form of jihad against infidels.

Armed Struggle Is the Main Form of Jihad as Understood by Wahhabis

According to Wahhabis, jihad as an armed struggle is required for the purpose of spreading their teaching. Jihad is a war against infidels, polytheists and hypocrites. Wahhabis specify various kinds of jihad. Here is an example: "There are four kinds of jihad. 1. Jihad against shaitan. 2. Jihad against the soul. 3. Jihad against infidels. 4. Jihad against hypocrites" (Zinu. Islamic Akida). However, Wahhabi books that were translated into Russian don't specify "jihad against shaitan" and jihad against the soul". All Wahhabi postulates concerning jihad relate to jihad against infidels, polytheists and hypocrites, or rather against those whom Wahhabis call so.

Jihad is defined as an "armed struggle from the position of Islam" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Life of the Prophet), "an armed way of defending the interests of Allah" (Ben Baz. The Necessity of Obeying the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah…). Since Wahhabis understand jihad as an armed struggle, it becomes clear why their texts lack postulates concerning, for example, "jihad against the soul" (that is, moral self-improvement). Arguments for an "armed struggle" of the man against his own vices would look strange.

For Wahhabis, jihad is obligatory. "Jihad is the ultimate manifestation of Islam, as the Messenger said (the words attributed to the Prophet Muhammad are not cited, however. - A.I.). It is a furnace in which Muslims are melted out and which allows the separation of the bad [Muslim] from the good one. It is also a pass to the Eden," and "the Eden is in the shade of swords" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Life of the Prophet). It would be appropriate to note (however obvious it is) that an "armed struggle" means the use of arms with the purpose to kill the enemy. "Muslims come victorious out of an armed struggle in both cases, whether they killed or were killed."

The aims of jihad as an armed struggle are the following (the order of the items varies in Wahhabi literature). Firstly, the aim of jihad is to lead an armed struggle against everyone who hinders the spreading of Wahhabi teaching and its exclusive predominance. "1. An armed struggle for the sake of raising the word of Allah above everything and devoting the whole religion to Allah only" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Life of the Prophet). Or, in other words, "2. Removal of all obstacles to the spreading of the call to Allah. 3. Protection of religious doctrines and Islamic akida of any threats overhanging them" (Zinu. Islamic Akida).

Secondly, the aim of Wahhabi jihad, understood as an armed struggle, is a fight against all infidels, polytheists and hypocrites: "1. A struggle against paganism and pagans, as Allah strictly forbids attaching anyone else to Him" (Zinu. Islamic Akida). "5. An armed struggle against hypocrites" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Life of the Prophet). Infidels, however, can escape killing if they adopt Islam and recognize the authority of Wahhabis. "When the leader of Muslims meets infidels, he urges them to adopt Islam. If they refuse, they must pay capitation, otherwise an armed struggle follows" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Life of the Prophet). But, strictly speaking, this will not save them from death. Wahhabis can accuse these people of hypocrisy at any moment.

And finally, the third aim of jihad as an armed struggle is: "4. Protection of Muslims and their native land" (Zinu. Islamic Akida). The important point is that Wahhabis call to arms to protect Islam, Muslims and their native land against the potential enemy as well, i.e. against those whose intents can be regarded as hostile. "2. Armed struggle against the enemy, fighting or intending to fight with Muslims" (Programs of Studying Sharia Sciences. Section Life of the Prophet).

If Wahhabism had remained inside Saudi Arabia, I think there would be no serious problems. But in the early 1970's, Wahhabis began deliberately and actively spreading their principles outside the peninsula. Meanwhile, the United States, while trying to find a counterbalance to the Soviet Union and communism in the countries of Near and Middle East during the Cold War, actively encouraged Wahhabi pervasion into different countries. Over a period of three decades, Wahhabism spread in three directions:

70's - early 80's - Arabic countries (Egypt, Syria, Algeria and other regions of the Middle East).

80's - Afghanistan.

90's - the territory of the former Soviet Union (Russia, Central Asia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, etc.), South East Asia, Western Europe, both Americas, Australia, Africa.

Wahhabism first began to manifest as an ideology among antigovernment extremist groups in Arabic countries during the 70's and 80's. Thus, Islamic extremism in the form of terrorist groups and illegal armed formations in Egypt, Algeria and other Arabic countries took form as a result of Wahhabi pervasion into the Muslim environment of these states.

The logic of Wahhabi takfir and jihad fully manifested itself in Algeria (however complex and contradictory were the events of the civil war, which claimed 100 thousand lives and ultimately destroyed the society and the state). According to the fundamentalist ideas of Algerian Wahhabi groups, all rulers who deviated from Islam were subject to death, as were all those who executed their rulers' orders. Nor did Wahhabi doctrine spare those who merely made no resistance to such rulers, nor those who did not agree with Wahhabis. Naturally, they didn't call themselves Wahhabis, but instead rather referred to themselves as Salafi or Muslims.

Ultimately, a complex network of Wahhabi groups, outposts, footholds, training camps, educational institutions and coordinating centers had been created worldwide. There is hardly a country in the world today that is not a host (whether it knows this or not) to one of this network's cells - consider Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Algeria, Germany, Nigeria, Switzerland, the United States, Palestine, Uruguay, the Philippines...

Wahhabism also became the main ideology of the Arabic task groups during the war in Afghanistan, in which they fought not only against the Soviet "infidels" but also against Afghan Muslims, who were proclaimed "infidels" as well. Today, Wahhabism is also rampant among the so-called "Afghans of the second generation" - extremists of various nationalities currently being trained in Wahhabi camps on the territory of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban, an ally of the Wahhabi movement. The new "Arabic Afghans" have spread around the world.

In the 90's Wahhabis launched a series of attacks against Russia, a nation that, the Wahhabis felt, kept Chechnya from becoming an Islamic state. The most dramatic manifestation of armed Wahhabi aggression was the invasion of Dagestan by Chechen and Arabic Wahhabis from the territory of Chechnya in 1999. Prior to this, they had invaded Chechnya - officially Russian territory - and committed a massacre in the Yarysh-Mardy ravine in April 1995. At that time, a column of the 245th vehicular regiment was annihilated (there are video recordings of the fighting and the summing-up scene, confirming that it was Arabic Wahhabis who laid the ambush and made the onslaught). Before this, there were also fights between the newly converted Dagestan Wahhabis and traditionalist Muslims in Chabanmakhi (May 1997).

Armed aggression was combined with ideological aggression - the spreading of Wahhabi ideas, which started even earlier and resulted (and still results) in the creation of Wahhabi units and footholds on the territory of Russia.

The spreading of Wahhabism, judging from the experience of its 30-year worldwide expansion, has always had negative results, as far as social stability and national security are concerned. These results include:

- active armed struggle or performance of terrorist acts against "infidels."

According to judicial inquiry and court proceedings, 1999's acts of terrorism in Moscow (where a block of residential buildings exploded), Buinaksk and Volgodonsk were performed by Wahhabi extremist groups. While in Chechnya Wahhabis kill imams, sheikhs and any Muslims who don't accept Wahhabism, many Russian towns were also swept by a wave of Wahhabi terror. Behind every act of violence, every incident in which weapons are involved, and every terrorist act, there are particular purposes and motives. It is the Wahhabi preaching of jihad, understood as obligatory armed fighting against "infidels," whom Wahhabis call "the worst of Allah's creatures" and whom "Allah hates," that has lifted the common Islamic ban on killing innocents.

Western civilization hasn't fully understood what has happened. The historic challenge that humankind has had to face in the last quarter of the previous century was interpreted as a clash of civilizations. From the point view of liberal humanism, the enemy was regarded as an equal (a civilization was thought to come into collision with another civilization). Moreover, Wahhabi teaching and Wahhabi ways were incorrectly interpreted as a manifestation of Islam.

But to put it realistically, world civilization (including its important Islamic constituent) has collided with barbarity. It has clashed with a new totalitarianism, which is trying to bring down all humankind - whether in Kabul and Grozny, New York and Moscow, Jerusalem and Djakarta, Algiers and Paris - and rule over people in accordance with the principles developed to suit only the aims of the 18th-century Arabic tribal aristocracy.

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