Reordering Saudi religion: MBS is defanging Wahhabism, not dethroning it

The Saudi reforms launched by Mohammed bin Salman (often referred to in media as MBS) have been underpinned by a fundamental ideological claim: that Saudi Arabia has turned the page on Wahhabi Islam, which having served as state ideology for a limited period of historical time is now over. The government has sought to disseminate the trope of Saudi Arabia entering a “post-Wahhabi era” in Western media and policy circles, utilizing a large network of public relations firms, Gulf-funded think tanks, and even academics...