Natana J. DeLong-Bas

DeLong-Bas is associate professor at the Theology Department Faculty of Boston College.[3][4] She also serves in a number of editorial, advisory, and consulting roles.[1][4] Previously DeLong-Bas has taught at Brandeis University and worked as a consultant for the RAND Corporation.[4]

DeLong-Bas has expressed the view that there is too much negativity towards Wahhabism in the West, and in her writings has argued that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was "not the godfather of contemporary terrorist movements", but

"a voice of reform, reflecting mainstream eighteenth-century Islamic thought. His vision of Islamic society was based upon monotheism in which Muslims, Christians, and Jews were to enjoy peaceful co-existence and cooperative commercial treaty relations."[5][6]

DeLong-Bas believes that Islamic extremism in Saudi Arabia "does not stem from" Islam, but from issues such as the oppression of the Palestinian people, "Iraq, and the American government's tying [the hands of] the U.N. [and preventing it] from adopting any resolution against Israel, have definitely added to the Muslim youth's state of frustration."[6]

In a 2006 interview published on the London-based Arabic international newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, DeLong-Bas was quoted[7] as stating that she did "...not find any evidence that would make me agree that Osama bin Laden was behind the Attack on the Twin Towers".[6] A month later in The Justice—the student newspaper of Brandeis University (where she was teaching at the time) -- she disputed the quote, stating: "Of course he did. He's the CEO of Al-Qaeda and the leader of their political agenda. All I claimed was that he didn't have anything to do with the logistics or the planning of the attacks themselves."[7]

DeLong-Bas's book Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad was published in 2004 by Oxford University Press. It is based "on a close study of the 14 volumes" of collected works[8] of Wahhabism's founder, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, and has been called "the first extensive explication of the theology" of Wahhabism.[8] It is divided into sections: a brief religious biography and history of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, theology, Islamic law, women and Wahhabism, jihad and the evolution of Wahhabism.[9]

• Islam: A Living Faith Winona, MN: Anselm Academic, 2018.
• Shariah: What Everyone Needs to Know Co-authored with John L. Esposito. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women 2 vols. Editor-in-Chief. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Winner of the 2014 Prose Award Honorable Mention for multi-volume reference from the American Publishing Association. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref:oiso/9780199764464.001.0001/acref-9780199764464
• Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad (rev. ed., Oxford University Press, 2008)[16]
• Notable Muslims: Muslim Builders of World Civilization and Culture (OneWorld, 2006) [16]
• Women in Muslim Family Law (co-author with John L. Esposito, rev. ed., Syracuse University Press, 2001)[16]
• Asma Afsaruddin (1958): Einfuhrung, in Ernst Furlinger und Senad Kusur (Hg.) Islam und religioser Pluralismus: Grundlagen einer dialogischen muslimischen Religionstheologie. Zurich: Theologischer Verlag Zurich, 2019, 117–123.
• Preface to Women Writers of Saudi Arabia: Poetry, Novels and Short Stories., Ieman Abdulrahman Alkhayal and Nawal Mursi Ahmed. Surbiton, UK: King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies and Arabian Publishing Ltd., 2019.
• Islamic Law and Gender, Oxford Bibliographies in Islamic Studies, Editor-in-Chief John O. Voll. New York: Oxford University Press, March/April 2019. Available at www.oxfordbibliographies.com.
• Islam, Nature and the Environment, Oxford Bibliographies in Islamic Studies, Editor-in-Chief John O. Voll. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. Available at www.oxfordbibliographies.com.
• Jihad. Oxford Bibliographies Online – Islamic Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, February 22, 2018. Available at www.oxfordbibliographies.com.
• Rising Sectarianism in the Middle East and Its Impact on American Perceptions of Islam and Muslims, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. XL, No. 4, Summer 2017, 1-21.
• Sectarianism in Saudi Arabia: The Challenges and Opportunities of Wasatiyya and Wataniyya, Maydan Inaugural Journal, Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies, George Mason University, November 17, 2016. Available at: http://www.themaydan.com/2016/11/sectarianism-saudi-arabia-challenges-opportunities-wasatiyya-wataniyya/.
• Between Conflict and Coexistence: Saudi Shi'is as Subjects, Objects, and Agents in Wasatiyya and Wataniyya, Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, May 2016, pp. 47–64.
• Focus On: Sectarianism in the Age of Endless War, Oxford Islamic Studies Online, January 2016.
• Foreign Policy in Saudi Arabia, in Global Perspectives on Foreign Policy of Major Powers, ed. Ajit Banerjee. New Delhi, India: Academic Foundation, 2016, for a project to train young foreign policy analysis in developing countries initiated by the United Nations.
• Political Islam in Saudi Arabia, in The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics, eds. John L. Esposito and Emad El-Din Shahin. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Rolling Stone: Cutting Edge or Cutting Deep?, published globally through Common Ground News Service, July 2013.
• Algeria, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Barakah, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Bouhired, Djamila, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Culture and Expression: Theoretical Overview, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Dhimmi, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Feminism: Concept and Debates, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Feminism: Nature of Islamic Feminism, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Gender Construction: Early Islam, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Gender Studies and Women: History of the Field, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Honor, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Hygiene, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Immigration and Minorities: Theoretical Overview, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• International League of Muslim Women, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Investment and Commerce, Women's Historical Practices, with Sara Bazoobandi in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Islam and Women: 18th to early 20th Century Debates, with Farkhonda Zia Mansoor, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Jameelah, Maryam, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Khawarij, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Marriage: Contemporary, with Zaher Oter, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Mourning, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Politics and Polity, Theoretical Overview, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Purification, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Scholarly Approaches and Theoretical Constructs, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Sharia, Fiqh, Philosophy and Reason: Theoretical Overview, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• United Nations Fund for Population Activities, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Wahhabiyah, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Wealth, Welfare and Labor, in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Women and Social Protest, with Ala'i Nadjib in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Workforce, Women in the: Historical Discourse, with in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Women, Editor-in-Chief, Natana J. DeLong-Bas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Women of the Arab Spring, Beyond Objects and Subjects, published globally through Common Ground News Service, January 2013.
• Saudi 'Islamic Solidarity Summit' spans Sectarian Divisions, September 11, 2012, published globally through Common Ground News Service.
• Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, in I.B. Tauris Biographical Dictionary of Islamic Civilization, ed. Mustafa Shah. London: I. B. Tauris, 2012.
• Muhammad Ibn Sa'ud, in I.B. Tauris Biographical Dictionary of Islamic Civilization, ed. Mustafa Shah. London: I. B. Tauris, 2012.
• All American Muslims, and Christians, Op-Ed piece, December 2011, published globally through Common Ground News Service.
• The Women of the Arab Spring: Their Issues are Everyone's Issues, October 2011, published globally through Common Ground News Service.
• The Norway Attacks and the Price of Fear, Op-Ed piece, July 2011, published globally through Common Ground News Service.
• Driving toward gender equality in Saudi Arabia, Op-Ed piece, July 2011, published globally through Common Ground News Service.
• Women of the Arab Spring: from protesters to parliamentarians?, Op-Ed piece, June 2011, published throughout the US, Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia through Common Ground News Service.
• Focus On: The New Social Media and the Arab Spring, Oxford Islamic Studies Online, May 2011.
• Focus On: Saudi Arabia – Challenges for the 21st Century, March 2011.
• Focus On: Interfaith Dialogue, Oxford Islamic Studies Online, March 2010.
• What Saudi Women Really Want, Saudi Arabia, 1979–2009. Washington, DC: Middle East Institute, October 2009.
• Five Pillars, Oxford Bibliographies Online – Islamic Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Wahhabism, Oxford Bibliographies Online – Islamic Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Al-Qa'ida, Oxford Bibliographies Online – Islamic Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Jihad. Oxford Bibliographies Online – Islamic Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Wahhabis. The Encyclopedia of Global Religions. SAGE Publications, Inc, 2009.
• Bin Baz, Shaykh. The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 3rd edition. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2008.
• Osama bin Laden. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Al-Qa'ida. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Wahhabism, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Wahhabism, Encyclopedia of the Modern World. Oxford University Press, 2008.
• Jihad and the Wahhabi Tradition: Continuity or Change? in Islam and Jihad: Theology and Politics, ed. Taj Hargey. 2008.
• Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Wahhabi Ideology: Do Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's Teachings Matter to Contemporary Wahhabis? in Understanding Wahhabism, ed. Mohammad Ayoub. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2008.
• Usama bin Ladin, Biographical Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East, ed. Michael R. Fishbach. Gale Cengage, 2007.
• Focus On: Women, Islam and the Twenty-first Century, lead article for Oxford Islamic Studies Online launch, October 2007.
• World History Chronology, for Oxford Islamic Studies Online, launched October 2007.
• Islamic History Chronology, for Oxford Islamic Studies Online, launched October 2007.
• Jihad in the Wahhabi Tradition: Continuity and Change, in Understanding Jihad, Deconstructing Jihadism, eds. Caroline Ziemke and M.A. Muqtedar Khan. Institute for Defense Analysis and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, 2007.
• Children in Saudi Arabia, in Greenwood Encyclopedia of Children's Issues Worldwide, ed. Ghada Talhami. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007.
• On Jihad and Terrorism, or Wahhabism versus Jihadism, Al-Daawah Magazine, Saudi Arabia, March 2005.
• Daw'ah and Jihad in the Works of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab: An Ideology for Expansionism?, in Wahhabism Revisited (working title), ed, David Commins. Riyadh: King Abd al-Aziz Center for Research and Archives, forthcoming 2005.
• Terrorism in Riyadh: A View from Within, Al-Daawah Magazine, Saudi Arabia, June 2004.
• Wahhabis, Encyclopaedia of the Quran, ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2004.
• Classical Islam, John L. Esposito with Natana J. De Long-Bas, in God's Rule: The Politics of World Religions, ed. Jacob Neusner. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003.
• Modern Islam, John L. Esposito with Natana J. De Long-Bas, in God's Rule: The Politics of World Religions, ed. Jacob Neusner. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003.