Saudi Arabia and Iran: Transnational Shifts and Regional Order

Contemporary Islamic Studies

Prof. Simon Mabon contributing to Session 1: Intra-Muslim relations and Geopolitical Transformation, at a November 2024 Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford/SEPAD, Lancaster University workshop: Transnational Islamic Movements: Global and Local Realities. Professor Simon Mabon speaking on “Saudi Arabia and Iran: Transnational Shifts and Regional Order”. Guest speaker contributing to the 1-day workshop: Transnational Islamic Movements: Global and Local Realities, held on Friday 29 November 2024. Professor Mabon spoke in Session 1, Intra-Muslim relations and Geopolitical Transformation, chaired by Professor Eugene Rogan. The workshop was co-convened Professor Raihan Ismail of the Contemporary Islamic Studies Programme, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford in collaboration with Professor Simon Mabon, of the SEPAD Project (the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianization project), Richardson Institute, Lancaster University. The workshop explores the evolving roles of Islamic movements and their transnational dynamics, with a particular focus on developments following the events of 7 October 2023. It examines how regional actors exploit diverging intra-Muslim identities and the ways in which these divides are leveraged as tools for geopolitical advantage. Additionally, the workshop analyses the growing significance of Islamist resistance movements, focusing on how grassroots initiatives and armed struggles challenge existing political structures and foster transnational solidarity among Islamic movements. By situating Islamic movements within the shifting power dynamics at local, regional, and global levels, the workshop seeks to provide another layer of understanding of the interplay between these movements, intra-Muslim relations, and resistance. Particular attention will be given to how recent events have redefined the political, religious, ideological, and geopolitical landscape. Various guest speakers contributed to 3 sessions during the day culminating in a roundtable discussion chaired by Professor Pascal Menoret, and edited audio recordings of some of the other guest speaker presentations are also available within this podcast series. Other guest speakers included: Dr Susann Kassem, speaking on “Israel’s War on Lebanon: Social and Political Ramifications”; Professor Inna Rudolf, speaking on “The Nuances within Iraq’s Islamic Resistance”; and Dr Somdeep Sen, speaking on “Hamas and the Global Dialectics of Resistance?”.