Salafism in the Maghreb: politics, piety, and militancy
In: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Since the Arab Spring, the Arab countries of the Maghreb-Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya - have emerged as a vitally strategic concern for the United States and Europe, given their impact on hydrocarbon security, terrorism and Mediterranean migrant flows. The conservative Islamist trend known as Salafism has emerged as a major socio-political force on this landscape. While much attention has been focused on the disruptive, militant expressions of Salafi ideology like the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, Salafism is actually far more complex and dynamic. Informed by rich, on-the-ground interviews, 'Salafism in the Maghreb' is the definitive yet accessible account of this oft-misunderstood current of Islamism.