Global Salafism Islam's New Religious Movement

"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 broader 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 complexitites--the 'out-antiquing the antique' that has brought Islamic thought into the modern age while maintaining its relationship to an older, purer authenticity. Emphasising the subtle tensions between local and glocal aspirations within the "Salafi method", Global Salafism investigates the movement like no other study currently available.

Roel Meijer teaches modern Middle Eastern history at Radboud University in Nijmegen and is Senior Researcher at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations, "Clingendael."