Saudi Arabia’s «Mosque Diplomacy»: is there a Room for Religion in XXI Century?

Abstract

The article analyzes the role of religion in the Saudi Arabia foreign policy discourse, the use of religious tools to achieve the goals and realize the national interests of the country, increase its role and significance in the international area. Religion is seen as a tool of Saudi Arabia's soft power, allowing the formation of a certain image of the state. The author draws attention to the existing educational projects and their religiosity. At the same time, the activities of the Saudi government – in particular, the construction of mosques - are considered by a number of states as support for terrorism, which forces them to look for new ways to spread religious teachings. The author draws attention to the fact that the policy of the Saudis is bearing fruit and allows us to talk about the homogenization of Islam and a change in the balance in favor of Wahhabism, previously not recognized as one of Islamic trends. The conclusion about the serious significance of the religious aspect in the political arena, as well as its effectiveness as a tool for achieving foreign policy goals is made.