in sidelining Iranian influence

Through such funding, Saudi Arabia has been successful in sidelining Iranian influence and in challenging Al-Azhar’s long-standing influence. Indeed, many Indonesians were attracted to Shi’ism following the 1979 Iranian revolution; Shi’as, however, are still considered a minority and Shi’a teachings are barely seen online and offline, in contrast to the strong presence of Wahhabi and Salafi teachings propagated by clerics in both spheres. In addition, there were only 100 Indonesians studying in Iran in 2022,[16] whereas the corresponding number at the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia in 2024 was 1,482.[17] As mentioned earlier, some literature, especially those published in Western academia, have portrayed Saudi funding as primarily aimed at disseminating religious conservatism in the form of Wahhabism and Salafism. While the impact of such funding has been significant—as สล็อต