© The Author(s) 2019 53
P. R. Kumaraswamy, Md. M. Quamar, India’s Saudi Policy,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0794-2_4
CHAPTER 4Islamic Dimension
Islam plays a vital role in the national identity, cultures and society of
Saudi Arabia as well as India. While the former was the birthplace of the
faith, at one time, the latter had the largest concentration of the believers.
Far from being an individual’s faith, Islam has a profound influence and
impact upon their citizens. At the same time, as will be discussed, both
the countries have been unable to benefit from this unique commonality
but came to view Islam merely as tactical and incidental and in the process
made it into a strategic liability.
Background
The centrality of Islam in the Saudi national consciousness has been widely
recognized. Religion forms its core national identity, culture, society and,
hence, worldview. Since the early seventh century, the faith has dominated
the Arabian Peninsula, and through proselytization and conquests, it
expanded to different parts of the world, including India. The centrality of
Islam in Arabia was formalized and consecrated through the 1744 agree-
ment between tribal chieftain Mohammed bin Saud and Islamic revivalist
Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. The roots of the third and modern Saudi
state are traced to the conquest of Riyadh (1902), Mecca (1924) and
Medina (1925)—the birth place of Islam—by Ibn Saud from the
Hashemites and his declaration of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd. Lack
of resources forced him to depend upon the British financial and military