Global Salafism

"Salafism" and "jihadi-Salafism" have become significant doctrinal trends in contemporary Islamic thought, yet the West has largely failed to offer a sophisticated and discerning definition of these movements. The contributors to Global Salafism carefully outline not only the differences in the Salafi schools but the borader currents of Islamic thought that constitute this trend as well. They examine both the regional manifestations of the phenomenon and its shared, essential doctrines. Their analyses highlight Salafism's inherent ambivalence and complexities -the "out-antiquing and antique" that has brought Islamic thought into the modern age while maintaining its relationship to an older, purer authenticity. Emphasizing the subtle tensions between local and global aspirations within the "Salafi method", Global Salafism investigates the movement like no other study currently available

Book reviews:

"The first work of its kind on Salafism as a global phenomenon, this is an impressive collection of studies that question received wisdom about the movement as much as they reveal the diversity of its religious and political motivations."

Faisal Devji, St Antony's College, Oxford University.

"This timely volume is a most welcome addition to the emerging scholarly literature on contemporary Salafism. It is a significant contribution to the endeavor both to elucidate its defining characteristics, and to situate it in relation to other trends in contemporary Islamic thought and activism."

Suha Taji-farouki, University of Exeter.

"This is a unique book, the first of its kind to take the phenomenon of Salafism as a whole and address the task of definition."

Stephen Ulph, Senior Fellow, the Jamestown Foundation