Saudi Arabia

Giles Fraser explores Dr. Iain McGilchrist’s brain hemisphere theory, which argues that the left and right hemispheres of the brain perceive the world in radically different ways—and that modern society has become dangerously dominated by the left hemisphere’s analytical, fragmen ...  Show more

In this episode of Beyond Belief, Giles Fraser explores the deeply personal and often transformative phenomenon of religious conversion in prison. From heroin addiction and violence to spiritual awakening, we hear the raw and powerful testimony of Tony Winter, whose journey to fa ...  Show more

Have we no morals? We know that the Saudis created the monster that is Islamic terrorism, allegedly spending some $100 billion on exporting fanatical Wahhabism to other Muslim nations around the world. We know about the public beheadings and floggings, and the treatment of women ...  Show more

She's a native of Saudi Arabia, raised in a conservative Muslim home. But Nouf, who prefers not to say her last name for security reasons, has lost nearly everything she holds dear, because she converted to Christianity. She lost custody of her two sons, her wealthy family has di ...  Show more

On Saudi religious proselytism. Saudi Arabia has actively sought to export Salafism. How has it done this - and what have been its effects, in countries like Indonesia, Nigeria and Kosovo? Why was fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s such a formative experienc ...  Show more

In the eighteenth century, a Muslim scholar named Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab begins teaching his literalist interpretation of Islam in central Arabia. He teams up with a local governor named Muhammad ibn Saud to conquer Arabia.