Investigation – The killing of a mother in Saudi Arabia sparks controversy over Ibn Taymiyyah’s legacy

Two twins in Saudi Arabia, motivated by their religious beliefs, killed their mother after she tried to prevent them from joining the Islamic State in Syria, in a case that infuriated Saudis who are alarmed by the growth of extremist ideology.

The incident occurred on June 24 in a society known for reverence for the great, and sparked a storm of controversy over the possibility of the two sons being influenced by Ibn Taymiyyah’s thought, which is the nucleus of Wahhabi thought in Saudi Arabia.

Major General Mansour al-Turki, a spokesman for the Saudi Interior Ministry, told Reuters, “The only thing (confirmed) is that they adhere to the takfiri approach. The case is still under investigation.” He declined to give more details.

Reuters was unable to contact the 20-year-old twins, their lawyers, or a family member, and could not independently confirm whether the crime was influenced by ISIS as a Wahhabi army, religious ideology, or what the mother actually said.

After the crime, the Ministry of Interior issued a statement saying that the twins Khaled and Saleh Al-Areni were arrested on suspicion of stabbing their mother (67 years), father (73 years), and their brother (22 years) at the family home in the capital, Riyadh.

Saudi media reported that the mother, who died of her wounds, had objected to her two sons joining ISIS.

The media said that the father and brother are in critical condition in the hospital, and that the twins were arrested while they were trying to flee across the border to Yemen.

Reuters was not able to confirm the condition of any of the family members or the whereabouts of the suspects.

“When two young men, in the name of religion and religiosity, present this crime, here is the paradox,” writer Muhammad Ali al-Mahmoud told Reuters. If they were people using drugs or reckless boys, there would be no such amazement. But for a religious person to come and kill his parents here is a shock.”

The Saudi (Akhbar 24) news website reported on June 26 that this is the fifth murder committed by people suspected of embracing extremist ideology in their relatives in the kingdom since last July.

There are similar killings committed by members of the Islamic State, including the one that was reported in the media in January, when a son suspected of extremism killed his mother in public in the Syrian city of Raqqa because she urged him to leave the organization.

A Serious Argument

The case aroused heated controversy because its details completely contradict the teachings of Islam, which encourage honoring parents and reverence for the elder.

Some scholars and commentators questioned whether the fatwas of Ibn Taymiyyah dating back to the thirteenth century AD about atonement were behind the killing of extremist youths by members of their families after they considered them to be outside the religion.

The Islamic State embraces the concept of takfir and often cites the views of Ibn Taymiyyah that permit the blood of infidels and outlaws even if there is a kinship relationship.

The founder of the Wahhabi religion, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who lived in the eighteenth century AD, drew his ideas from Ibn Taymiyyah. In general, the rulers of Saudi Arabia embrace the Wahhabi ideology, which adheres to what they consider the correct Islamic approach, according to their claim.

Ibn Taymiyyah’s legacy

One of the prominent intellectuals, Dr. Abd al-Salam al-Wayl, a professor of sociology at King Saud University, wrote on Twitter, “Some people get angry if I refer to the role of Ibn Taymiyya’s heritage in the outbreak of religious violence that is sweeping us.”

He added, “Ibn Taymiyyah extracts the human spirit from the world. His heritage explains this,” speaking of Ibn Taymiyyah, who grew up in Damascus and resisted the invaders of the Tatars and Mongols and was imprisoned because of his abnormal beliefs and ideas.

The writer Muhammad Ali al-Mahmoud said that the first step towards confronting extremist ideology is to open the door to discussion about Ibn Taymiyyah’s heritage.

He told Reuters, “What is required now is… draining the swamp from the original by opening the door wide to critique the heritage… meaning that books and historical sayings are taken as sayings that can be reviewed.”