What is the Salafi movement in Islam?

Answer

The Salafi movement is a faction of Islam that enforces Sharia Law based on a strict, originalist, and highly assertive interpretation. In the Islamic faith, there exist various major sects. The most predominant among these is Sunni Islam, constituting over 75 percent of Muslims globally. Within Sunni Islam, there are diverse interpretations, or fiqh, on the correct implementation of Islamic law, leading to divisions. The four primary “schools” of law, rooted in fiqh, are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali. A subset within the Hanbali school is Wahhabi, and Salafi represents a relatively recent interpretation of Wahhabism.

The Salafi movement is commonly seen as a response to European supremacy over Arab territories. During its initial centuries, the Islamic Empire expanded its domain extensively, reaching as far as southern Europe before facing a halt in conquest due to the first Crusade. In contrast, Islamic influence was greatly diminished by European colonialism in the nineteenth century. Concerns over the loss of influence and the dilution of Islamic traditions led to the emergence of Wahhabism, aiming to restore Islam to its original beliefs and strict adherence to Shariah. This ideology played a significant role in the formation of what is now Saudi Arabia.

By the early twentieth century, the Wahhabist ideology had evolved into Salafism, or the Salafi movement. The core belief of this faction is that Islam has deviated from the teachings and practices of Muhammad and his early followers. Specifically, Salafis argue that Islam has been tainted by non-Muslim concepts and practices. The Salafist objective is to revert Islam to the state it was in during Muhammad’s time, devoid of contemporary doctrinal or practical variations, and with an unwavering enforcement of Sharia Law. Most adherents of Salafism either completely eschew politics or hold the belief that worship is the most important aspect of their faith.

King through normal civic processes to change society. However, some Salafis believe that aggressive, violent jihad is a requirement of Islamic faith.

Interestingly, the same political and religious environment also spawned a group that espouses an almost pacifist mentality and was the first to act as Muslim “missionaries”: the Ahmadiyya sect.

Despite being an extremely narrow band of Islamic interpretation, jihadist Salafism is identified with almost every infamous Islamic terrorist organization. Such groups include ISIS, Boko Haram, and Al Qaeda. When Western news outlets speak of “Islamic fundamentalism” or “Islamic militants,” they very often mean Salafi Islam or one of its subsets. To clarify, parsing the beliefs of Muslims to arrive at this unique interpretation of Islam goes a full five layers deep: Islam ⊃ Sunni Islam ⊃ Hanbali School ⊃ Wahhabism ⊃ Salafism ⊃ Jihadist Salafism.

Salafism’s relatively large presence in Saudi Arabia—home to Islam’s holiest cities and considerable wealth—has contributed to its outsized influence in the modern world. This influence appears to be growing; unrest in the Middle East is partly responsible for the Salafi school being the fastest-growing interpretation of Islam worldwide.