Search results

Abstract
This review article attempts to assess the contribution of Henri Lauzière's recently published The Making of Salafism to the ongoing scholarly debate in the light of the extant literature. It examines his treatment of the three major issues that at present preoccupy the students of Salafism. The most urgent issue touches on the sources of friction between the various contemporary trends within the overall Salafi framework, and especially the causes of the drift of some Salafis to violence. This is associated with the issue of the various components that combine to constitute today's Salafi "movement," most notably the relationship between Salafism and Saudi Arabia's Wahhabism. Finally, and most pertinently to Lauzière's book, is the issue of the Salafiyya's modern trajectory, which is itself divided into two questions. One is the affinity of the modern Salafiyya to the medieval Hanbali heritage of Ibn Taymiyya and the historic Wahhabiyya; the other refers to the role of the late nineteenth-/early twentieth-century Islamic reformers in the formation of modern Salafism.

"Militant Salafism is one of the most significant movements in politics today. Unfortunately its significance has not been matched by understanding. To begin to address this knowledge deficit this book argues that, rather than the largely unhelpful pursuit of individual 'root causes' offered in much of the literature, we would be better served by looking at the factors that have enabled and facilitated a particular political imagery. That political imagery is one that allows individuals to conceive of themselves as integral members of a global battle waged between the forces of Islam and the West, something that lies at the heart of militant Salafism. Frazer Egerton shows how the ubiquity of modern media and the prevalence of movement have allowed for a transformation of existing beliefs into an ideology supportive of militant Salafism against the West amongst Western Muslims"--

"The article examines the emergence of Tunisian Salafism in the aftermath of the fall of the Ben Ali regime and analyses its impact on the on-going process of democratization. Building on primary sources and original field work, the article looks at the challenge that Salafism represents for a successful outcome of the Tunisian transition to democracy, while arguing that its internal complexity and differences should also be highlighted. The Tunisian transition is a unique laboratory of political dynamics in the Arab world and the way in which Salafism interacts with other political and social actors influences both its ideological tenets and strategies." (author's abstract)

[This article primarily discusses the links between Saudi Arabian Islamic charity organizations and the development of Salafism in Indonesia and how these links facilitate the institutionalization of Salafi groups. It specifically deals with the issues of how Islamic charity help Salafi groups create their institutions and how the Salafis distribute these charities to their own members. It also describes how they managed to survive when the flow of Saudi funds was no longer reliable. The primary focus of this article is on the way Islamic charity and Islamic charity organizations respond to existing social and political conditions by engaging in social and political activism. International Islamic charity organizations have shaped the transformation of Islamic movements over the last decades. Indonesian Salafi groups have benefitted from charities in various ways and they have enabled Salafi groups to create their institutions in Indonesia. It is no exaggeration to say that Indonesian Salafi groups have become the major players in the distribution of Saudi Arabian charities in the country. This process is inescapably linked with politics which further shapes the transformation of Salafism in Indonesia.[Pembahasan utama artikel ini adalah menjelaskan keterhubungan antara lembaga amal Arab Saudi dengan perkembangan kelompok Salafi di Indonesia dan bagaimana hubungan ini memfasilitasi penguatan organisasi kelompok tersebut. Lebih khususnya adalah bagaimana lembaga amal Islam tersebut membantu mendirikan yayasan serta membagi dana tersebut kepada anggota-anggotanya. Selain itu juga menjelaskan bagaimana yayasan yang terbentuk itu bertahan ketika tidak lagi menerima sumbangan dari Arab Saudi. Intinya adalah tulisan ini menjelaskan cara kerja filantropi Islam dan organisasi amalnya merespon kondisi sosial dan politik dengan terlibat dalam aktifisme. Organisasi filantropi Islam internasional pada dasarnya telah membawa transformasi gerakan Islam lebih dari satu dekade terakhir. Kelompok Salafi Indonesia dengan berbagai cara telah mengambil keuntungan dari dana amal ini dan untuk menguatkan organisasi mereka di Indonesia. Tidak berlebihan jika disebut bahwa kelompok Salafi merupakan pemain utama dalam distribusi dana amal ini di Indonesia. Proses ini merupakan hal yang tak bisa dihindarkan dari kaitan politik dimana telah banyak berpengaruh pada trasnformasi Salafisme di Indonesia.]