Islamic discourse on social media in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This thesis seeks to add to the contemporary debate concerning how clerics employ social media to influence young people and their religious perception of online Islamic doctrine discourse. It identifies neglected elements that have impeded the adoption of the internet and social media, considers the changing coalition of influential political and religious elites since 2011 and explains how social media has had an impact on the direction of Islamic discourse in Saudi Arabia. The research employs a mixed approach, using both a quantitative method (applied to the questionnaire responses of 248 participants) and a qualitative method (with interviews from two clerics and 25 university students who were recruited through quota sampling). In addition, discourse analysis of three clerics' Twitter accounts sheds light on how clerics have embraced the internet, by sharing controversial posts and debating with their followers, to gain an enormous youthful audience. While some young people have a negative perception of clerics who seek to engage in online controversy, other young people enjoy the greater acquaintance and sense of familiarity that arises through two-way communication on social media. The fact that many young people choose to engage with, and tweet responses to, clerics’ teaching in real-time illustrates how widely accepted social media has become an educational tool for sharing Islam while providing a new platform for clerics, especially non-official ones, to amass followers. The research is limited by its size (having been based on a small sample drawn from the university population and interviews with only two clerics), its data collection approach (which could not extend to individuals in remote locations) and the way in which government control of media influences respondents' opinions. Future research should embrace a larger population and investigate a wider range of social media platforms. The implication is that moderate clerics can now gain a better insight into how to disseminate religious teachings gauging from young individuals' responses and reduce Islam's stereotypical terrorism association.