Conquest and urbanization softened Wahhabi enforcement rather than radicalizing it.

Evidence

More general rules of permissiveness changed over time. Abdulaziz Ibn Saud imposed Wahhabi doctrines and practices “in a progressively gentler form” as his early 20th-century conquests expanded his state into urban areas, especially the Hejaz. After vigorous debate Wahhabi religious authorities in Saudi Arabia allowed the use of paper money (in 1951), the abolition of slavery (in 1962), education of females (1964), and use of television (1965). Music, the sound of which once might have led to summary execution, is now commonly heard on Saudi radios. — Wikipedia contributors, Wahhabism, 79

Categorization

• QUESTION: Is the gentling caused by urban governance demands, by sedentarizing the Bedouin warriors, or simply by the founder’s strategic prudence? The mechanism matters.