Legacy Matters

Death of a Wahhabi King

Yahoo photo made from Saudi TV

The sons of the late Saudi King Faud carrying his body wrapped in a plain brown cloth on a wooden plank from a mosque in Riyadh after his pre-burial service.  The king, who died at 84 after ruling for almost 25 years,  was buried in an unmarked desert grave.

Non-Muslims were not allowed at the ceremony....The ceremony was not officially a state funeral, because the kingdom's strict version of Islam known as Wahhabism stresses the equality of all people in death.

Wahhabis also discourage visiting graves, as is common in other Muslim cultures, and frown on public displays of grief. The only sign of mourning in the streets of Riyadh were a few small condolence signs put up by foreigners.