Pan-Islamism vs. Wahhabism

Pan-Islamism stands for the idea that Muslims of different types (sects, orientations) should cooperate together – on a pollical level – to oppose liberalism, secularism, and Western/Zionist colonialism, which are the greatest threats to the continued existence of Islamic civilization.

Modern Pan-Islamism was pioneered by the late Ottoman empire. Today Sunni forms of Pan-Islamism are associated with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

However, the Brotherhood is simply one organization associated with Sunni Pan-Islamism. Others are Hamas, Saudi Sahwa, AKP in Turkiye, Jamaat-i-Islami in Pakistan, Hizb al-Tahrir, and Partai Islam Se-Malaysia.

There are also Shia forms of Pan-Islamism. These include Hezbollah, Houthis, Iran, and Iraq’s Da’wa Party.

The UK, US, and Israel have traditionally seen Sunni Pan-Islamism as more dangerous than Shia Pan-Islamism. So first they focused on destroying Sunni Pan-Islamism (e.g., Ottomans, Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas). Now that this process is largely complete, they are more focused on destroying Shia Pan-Islamism.

Wahhabism can take a Pan-Islamist form. Thus, Wahhabism mixed with Muslim Brotherhood produced Sahwi Saudi Pan-Islamism.

However, standard forms of Wahhabism are intensely hostile to Pan-Islamism.

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Wahhabis hold that it is a grave crime for Muslims of different types to cooperate together – on a pollical level – to oppose liberalism, secularism, and Western/Zionist colonialism.

According to Wahhabis, proper Islam requires categorical political opposition to all Muslims with a “deviant” aqida (i.e., non-Wahhabi Muslims). The only way to preserve proper aqida is to politically oppose Muslims with deviant aqida. Indeed, for Wahhabis, non-Wahhabi Muslims are typically seen as worse than idol-worshipping pagans (this is the exact view of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab).

On these grounds Wahhabis cooperated with the British to destroy the Pan-Islamist Sunni Ottoman empire.

They are also committed to destroying more recent Pan-Islamist Sunni groups like Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, with the help of the US and Israel. This in the 2020 fatwa from Hay’a Kibar al-Ulama against the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

Wahhabis are also committed to destroying Shia pan-Islamist movements.

Contrary to what is commonly thought, Wahhabis are not primarily concerned with destroying traditional Shia organizations, which are non-political. Rather they focus on destroying Shia pan-Islamist movements. These are opposed primarily because they are pan-Islamist rather than because they are Shia. Once again, Wahhabis hate all Pan-Islamism.

Throughout the 20th century, the UK, US, and Israel have protected Wahhabism and worked to spread it across the globe. The reason for this is that they see it as an effective tool to destroy Pan-Islamist movements – and hence Muslim political cooperation against liberalism, secularism, and Western/Zionist colonialism.

Intelligence agencies usually accomplish their goals by using two groups of Wahhabis to destroy Pan-Islamic movements. These are Madkhalis and ISIS-type groups. Madkhalis preach that Pan-Islamists are deviant kharijis and should be killed by governments. Madkhalis also tell Muslims that true Islam is focused on aqida and rituals, rather than politics.

ISIS-type groups are dispatched for different purposes. Sometimes they are used to directly attack groups with Pan-Islamist tendencies (e.g., in Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Hezbollah).

ISIS type groups also carry out random terrorist attacks in Muslim and non-Muslim countries to provide secular governments with justification for repressing conservative Muslims – who are those most likely to be affiliated with Pan-Islamist groups). Notice that terrorist attacks, especially those which harm Muslim interests, are always carried out by Wahhabi groups run by intelligence agencies.