Investigating the impact of the revolutionary discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood in challenging the religious discourse of traditional Arab kingdoms; A case study of the "al-Sahwah al-Islamiyya" movement of Saudi Arabia in the early 90s

A movement known as "Al-Sahwa Al-Islamiyya" progressively emerged in Saudi Arabia with the entry of Muslim brothers in the 1960s and 1970s. Sahwa's theoretical foundations combined Wahabi views with the political Islam of Muslim brothers. It was able to broaden its membership in the 1970s and 1980s. Nevertheless, an examination of its activities from the time of its founding until the 1990s shows that it never formed a collective action to challenge the Saudi regime—rather, its activities were restricted to the cultural, social, and educational spheres. This essay aims to provide an answer to the issue of what conditions or elements contributed to its development until it emerged in the political arena and began to undermine the Saudi Kingdom's religious and political legitimacy. The core argument of this study is that Sahwa's emergence cannot be attributed solely to US forces' presence during the Gulf War; rather, several factors, including the war itself as the most important one, allowed Sahwa to mobilize its forces and eventually transform into a social movement. Thus, using seven variables, an examination of the intricate complex of internal and external elements contributing to Sahwa's growth was conducted. From the standpoint of political sociology, in fact, a complex of these factors caused the distinct religious and political spheres as well as two different social groups, namely Sahwi ulema and intelligentsia, through forming a fragile coalition, to mobilize social forces against the Saudi regime and express their demands through several petitions to inform Malek Fahd.