Rethinking Salafism

Salafism has received scrutiny as the one of the main ideological sources for extremist violence perpetrated by jihadi groups. There is a significant corpus of literature discussing transnational jihadi networks, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. These discussions include the radicalization of Salafi thought by jihadi theoreticians and 'ulama. However, Salafism is not monolithic. It contains numerous streams, and an examination of these streamsis crucial to understanding its influence on Muslim societies. Besides Salafi jihadis—those who sanction violence—there are two other broad trends in Salafism: quietist and activist. Quietist Salafis endorse an apolitical tradition and find political activism in any form unacceptable. ActivistSalafis advocate peaceful political change. Each stream is led by 'ulama, seen as the preservers of Salafi traditions.The quietist and activist 'ulama are active participants in their communities. Studies of such clerics have tended to be country-specific, focusing on the influence and nature of Salafism and its dynamics in those countries. In Rethinking Salafism Raihan Ismail assesses the origins, interactions, and dynamics of the transnational networks of Salafi 'ulama in the region comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait, showing how quietist and activist 'ulama work across borders to preserveand promote what they see as "authentic" Salafism while taking domestic circumstances of the 'ulama into consideration. The book offers a reassessment of the quietist/activist dichotomy, arguing that this dichotomy does not apply to such aspects of Salafi thought as attitudes towards the Shi'a and socialmatters in Muslim societies.

In this masterful new volume, Raihan Ismail offers a penetrating and novel exploration of Salafism as a transnational movement and ideology. Balancing analysis of Salafi primary sources and doctrinal output with Salafism as a lived and often highly local socio-political reality, she unpacks the outsized roles of Saudi, Kuwaiti, and Egyptian Salafi clerics across the Islamic world. Her finely grained dissection of Salafi dialogues and debates on a range of worldly and theological issues stands in sharp contrast to the common notion of Salafism as static, excessively literalist, and monolithic. A major addition to the literature on Salafism and Islamism more broadly., Raihan Ismail's rich study brings to life the voices of Salafi clerics debating, extending, and revising their notions of true Islam in response to national and transnational forces and events. Ismail's meticulous analysis offers original insights and makes a compelling case for revising the standard typology of quietist, activist, and jihadi Salafis., An important and impressive work. Salafism is often studied in national contexts, but Raihan Ismail shows that the movement and its internal debates are and have always been fundamentally transnational. Carefully researched yet accessible, the book merits a wide readership., The book provides a short, simple introduction to transnational Salafism that can introduce lay readers into the field.

Raihan Ismail is an Australian Research Council DECRA fellow and a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, ANU. She is the author of Saudi Clerics and Shia Islam.