ABSTRACT
In the second decade of the twentieth century a new and dynamic force, a kind of Islamic crusade, appeared in Arabia. It was known as the Ikhwan-the "Brethren". The Ikhwan attributed the rejection of Wahhabi purity to contact with the world outside Arabia, and sought to protect the original Arab faith and way of life from contamination by alien ideas and customs. The fierce xenophobia which stemmed from this outlook, and the primitive unformulated nationalism which underlay it, were more pronounced in this revival than in the earlier Wahhabiism, and made the Ikhwan more susceptible to use as a political tool in the hands of a nationalist leader. The Kuwaitis were successful in raising the siege and later routed the Ajman in battle. This tribe, one of the most powerful in Arabia, had for some years been a source of trouble to Ibn Saud.
