CONTEMPORARY SAUDI IDENTITY FROM RELIGIOUS IDENTITY TO NATIONAL IDENTITY

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country that is beginning to play a leading role not only in regional but also international politics. It was in this country that the last two-day peace summit on the war in Ukraine was held. This new role is related to the huge changes that have been taking place in this country for several years, ruled by the young Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The reforms introduced by this ruler are not only to significantly accelerate the country's economic development and increase its importance on the international arena, but they are also a kind of social engineering aimed at changing the Saudi identity based on religion (which, according to the ruler, inhibited any possibility of change) into an identity of which Islam is only one component. This article presents the current place of religion in the politics of Saudi Arabia and the changes that the new nationalism brought about the presence of Islam in the Saudi public sphere and the very identity of the Saudis. The aim of the work is to show the relationship between religion and politics that affect the identity of the citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The article uses the method of critical analysis of sources, especially the latest reports and scientific reports. The work presents the place of religion in the politics of Saudi Arabia and the changes that the new nationalism has introduced in the existing presence of Islam in the Saudi public sphere and in the identity of the Saudis. The article deals with issues related to scientific disciplines, such as political science as well as religious and cultural studies.