Unholy Kingdom

Religion, Corruption and Violence in Saudi Arabia

Malise Ruthven

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Hardback

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English

Verso
01 June 2025

History; Middle Eastern history; Geopolitics

Reveals a riveting portrait of a nation mired in complexities. In recent years Saudi Arabia has promoted itself as an open country: oil-rich but investing in culture, tourism, social innovation, and establishing itself as a beacon in the Middle East mired in violence. But the murder in October 2018

of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Istanbul embassy reveals a darker reality: the intensification of the repression of religious and political criticism and protest driven by the war in Yemen, sectarian rivalry with Iran, and volatile relations with the United States during the Trump administration.

In XXX Malise Ruthven a leading commentator on Islamic affairs , reconstructs the history of the nation and shows how its attempts to modernise itself

have produced repression, corruption, and war across the region fuelled by themassive arms purchases paid for by the oil exports that contribute to global warming. In particular he shows how the royal House of Saud has co-opted Wahhabism to consolidate its power and enforce a strict authoritarian regime over its people in collusion with Western businesses and governments.

The book looks to Saudi's future in the hands of crown prince MBS who, on one hand, isdriving the country’s liberalisation, while on the other, is imposing his autocratic will upon the region through cyber-manipulation, economics

and war.

By: Malise Ruthven
Imprint: Verso
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 544g
ISBN: 9781839760105
ISBN 10: 1839760109
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 01 June 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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.

Reviews for Unholy Kingdom: Religion, Corruption and Violence in Saudi Arabia

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 *