Wahhabism

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Wahhabism is a fundamentalist Islamic religious movement founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the 18th century. Today, it is the state religion in Saudi Arabia, also being spread to other areas, in part with the help of oil money from Saudi Arabia.

The term Wahhabi(ism) is often used polemically and adherents commonly reject its use, preferring to be called Salafi or muwahhid. The boundaries of Wahhabism have been called "difficult to pinpoint", but in contemporary usage, the terms Wahhabi and Salafi are often used interchangeably. However, Wahhabism has also been called "a particular orientation within Salafism".

Wahhabism has been accused of being "a source of global terrorism", inspiring the ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and causing disunity in Muslim communities by labeling Muslims who disagreed with the Wahhabi definition of monotheism as apostates and justifying their killing. It has also been criticized for the destruction of historic shrines of saints, mausoleums, and other Muslim and non-Muslim buildings and artifacts.

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Part of this article consists of modified text from Wikipedia, and the article is therefore licensed under GFDL.