Wahhabi Control Over Egypt?

[TheNordicBrit]

Hey Guys,

With 'news' (and I use that word very cautiously) that a minority within Egypt wish for the Great Pyramids to be destroyed or covered in wax, I was wondering how this could be achieved historically, post-1945.

Is there any opportunity post-WWII for the Egyptians to either fall to the Wahhabi sect - the ultra-conservative Islamic sect that has historically led the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan and, more recently, is leading the devastation of many pre-Islamic monuments within Timbuktu - or for a civil war to kick off where the Wahhabi sect controls the area around the Great Pyramids and so during this occupation time destroy the Pyramids and/or sphinx?

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

First, this is the wrong forum.
Second, I really doubt that the Egyptians would allow a religious sect to rule which wants to destroy and eradicate the Egyptian heritage. The Egyptians are to proud of their past to allow that.

[Alex Richards]

Also that's not a minority within Egypt, it's some bloke in Bahrain.

[Iori]

It's basically almost impossible for any country that's not Saudi Arabia or ther Souther Gulf states to become Wahhabi before the mid-20th century, since it's only in recent history it's become influential, and alot of the othr schools don't exactly all view it very positively.

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

And the Wahabi would not gotten so influencial in Arabia if the Saudi ahd not allied themsleves with them to gain the control over Arabia and the holy sites.

[Iori]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

And the Wahabi would not gotten so influencial in Arabia if the Saudi ahd not allied themsleves with them to gain the control over Arabia and the holy sites.

The Saudi'a were Wahhabi in the first place, so it'd be more it would'nt become influential if the Rashidi's had managed to gain control over Southern Arabia, rather than the Saudi's gaining control of Northern Arabia and later Western Arabia.

[Alex Richards]

Originally Posted by Iori

The Saudi'a were Wahhabi in the first place, so it would'nt become influential if the Rashidi's had managed to gain control over Southern Arabia, rather than the Saudi's gaining control of Northern Arabia and later Western Arabia.

Which considering that the Current Saudi Arabia was the third attempt by the House of Saud to establish a lasting state in the peninsular is not that unlikely.

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Iori

The Saudi'a were Wahhabi in the first place, so it'd be more it would'nt become influential if the Rashidi's had managed to gain control over Southern Arabia, rather than the Saudi's gaining control of Northern Arabia and later Western Arabia.

If I remember correctly the Saudi joined the Wahabi because they saw them as the berst way to to unite Arabia under their rule. The House of Saud is older than Wahabism.

[Thande]

Most Muslims do not consider the Pyramids and other Ancient Egyptian artefacts to be 'pagan idols' as such because they identify (some of) them with the granaries and accompanying buildings that were built in Egypt when Joseph (Yusuf) was viceroy in the seven years of famine described in Genesis--you're not much of a Muslim if you go around destroying things that might have been built by one of the prohets, are you?

[Simreeve]

Originally Posted by Iori

It's basically almost impossible for any country that's not Saudi Arabia or the southern Gulf states to become Wahhabi

Afghanistan, under the Taliban.

[Iori]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

If I remember correctly the Saudi joined the Wahabi because they saw them as the berst way to to unite Arabia under their rule. The House of Saud is older than Wahabism.

The House of Saud has only existed since 1744.
Wahhabism came into being in the 1730's.

The founder of the House of Saud invited Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (the founder of Wahhabism) to live in his territory in 1740.

The House of Saud and Wahhabism have been closely linked since both of their foundings.

[Iori]

Originally Posted by Simreeve

Afghanistan, under the Taliban.

Read the rest of the post.

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

But the Wahabi are slightly different. It is known that in the last ten, twenty they destroyed several ancient (muslim) tombs in Mekka. If some one has no regards for his own history, then it is very likely that they also have no regards for the history of others.

[Simreeve]

Originally Posted by Iori

Read the rest of the post.

Oops! Missed the chronological limitation...

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

Originally Posted by Iori

The House of Saud has only existed since 1744.
Wahhabism came into being in the 1730's.

The founder of the House of Saud invited Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (the founder of Wahhabism) in 1740.

The House of Saud and Wahhabism have been closely linked since both of their foundings.

The founder of the House of Saud was Mani al-Muraidi who was enfeoffed with two villages and founded Diriyah in 1446. This makes the House of Saud nearly three hundred years older than Wahabism.

[Iori]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

The founder of the House of Saud was Mani al-Muraidi who was enfeoffed with two villages and founded Diriyah in 1446. This makes the House of Saud nearly three hundred years older than Wahabism.

Muraidi is only the oldest known ancestor of the House of Saud, he was not the founder of a Dynasty or Royal house.

[XanXar]

Originally Posted by Thande

Most Muslims do not consider the Pyramids and other Ancient Egyptian artefacts to be 'pagan idols' as such because they identify (some of) them with the granaries and accompanying buildings that were built in Egypt when Joseph (Yusuf) was viceroy in the seven years of famine described in Genesis--you're not much of a Muslim if you go around destroying things that might have been built by one of the prohets, are you?

The Wahbabi sect can really push past those kind of limits, especially when dealing with opposition. The Wahbabis destroyed the tomb of Aisha, wife of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, when dealing with Shi'ite tribes of Yemen and south Arabia. IIRC they even threatened to destroy the grave of the prophet himself at one point.

[Rich Rostrom]

Originally Posted by TheNordicBrit

Is there any opportunity post-WWII for the Egyptians to either fall to the Wahhabi sect ...

No. Wahhabism used to be called "the trouble out of Nejd". It was viewed as the demented fanaticism of some back-country hicks.

That changed somewhat after ibn Saud captured Mecca and Medina, but not much.

It changed dramatically after the 1970s oil boom; since then those Wahhabis have been the richest people in the Moslem world, and have become the chief financial patrons of institutional Sunni Islam.

After thirty years of that, Wahhabism/Salafism has taken serious hold outside Saudi Arabia, but is still not dominant.

[Barbarossa Rotbart]

I believe that if they could most Arabians would want to live in a country not ruled by Wahabi or Salafists.

[Iori]

Originally Posted by Barbarossa Rotbart

I believe that if they could most Arabians would want to live in a country not ruled by Wahabi or Salafists.

It's a good thing then that most Arabians don't...unless by Arabians you mean Saudis.