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    Unholy Kingdom

    Religion, Corruption and Violence in Saudi Arabia

    Author Malise Ruthven
    Look inside
    Paperback
    $21.95 US
    | $28.95 CAN
    Verso Books | Verso
    On sale Feb 24, 2026 | 400 Pages | 9781839760112
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    THE FAULT LINES OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONVERGE IN SAUDI ARABIA

    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.
    "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"
    —Jonathan Benthall, Books of the Year, Times Literary Supplement

    "Ruthven is the leading British authority on modern Islam. His books are essential for understanding what is going on in the Middle East today"
    —Robert Irwin, author of The Arabian Nightmare

    "One of today's most perceptive observers and historians of religion"
    —Guardian

    "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."
    —William Dalrymple, author of The Anarchy

    "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."
    —Colin Thubron, author of Shadow of the Silk Road

    "An eye-popping and unsettling read ... meticulous"
    —Justin Marozzi, Times

    "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"
    —Jason Burke, Literary Review

    "****"
    —Rory McCarthy, Telegraph
    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.
    Malise Ruthven View titles by Malise Ruthven
    Map

    1. Murder in Istanbul
    2. The Wahhabi Mission
    3. Ibn Saud Founder of a Kingdom
    4. Petroleum and Patriarchy
    5. Managing the Ulama and Mismanaging the Hajj
    6. Conflicting Currents
    7. A Sectarian Outreach
    8. Arms and Benefits
    9. Family Values
    10. Terraforming Arabia
    Epilogue

    Acknowledgements
    Notes
    Index

    About

    THE FAULT LINES OF THE MIDDLE EAST CONVERGE IN SAUDI ARABIA

    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.

    Reviews

    "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"
    —Jonathan Benthall, Books of the Year, Times Literary Supplement

    "Ruthven is the leading British authority on modern Islam. His books are essential for understanding what is going on in the Middle East today"
    —Robert Irwin, author of The Arabian Nightmare

    "One of today's most perceptive observers and historians of religion"
    —Guardian

    "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."
    —William Dalrymple, author of The Anarchy

    "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."
    —Colin Thubron, author of Shadow of the Silk Road

    "An eye-popping and unsettling read ... meticulous"
    —Justin Marozzi, Times

    "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"
    —Jason Burke, Literary Review

    "****"
    —Rory McCarthy, Telegraph

    Author

    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.
    Malise Ruthven View titles by Malise Ruthven

    Table of Contents

    Map

    1. Murder in Istanbul
    2. The Wahhabi Mission
    3. Ibn Saud Founder of a Kingdom
    4. Petroleum and Patriarchy
    5. Managing the Ulama and Mismanaging the Hajj
    6. Conflicting Currents
    7. A Sectarian Outreach
    8. Arms and Benefits
    9. Family Values
    10. Terraforming Arabia
    Epilogue

    Acknowledgements
    Notes
    Index

    Additional formats

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