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This analysis of Salafi-jihadi online posts by American posters shows that the seemingly unsystematic online discourse in fact focuses on two main topics: the doctrines of al-wala' wal-bara' and takfir. In addition, it highlights the markers that distinguish Salafi-jihadi writers from Salafi-taqlidi ones. Further, the article explains how Salafi-jihadis utilize their online discussions to try to create and maintain a virtual community and a reallife enclave of like-minded individuals, committed to separating both ideologically and socially from their "impure" surroundings. It shows that the ultimate goal of many of the Salafi-jihadi posters is to ensure that followers of their creed do not integrate into their surrounding communities. Finally, the article shows that the online Salafi-jihadi discourse analyzed seeks to maintain a community of devoted Salafi-jihadis who are dedicated to the notion of jihad and willing to carry out jihad if and when the opportunity presents itself.

Salafi-jihadi scholars typically take conservative positions on matters relating to the doctrine of al-wala' wa'l-bara'. Often, their stances are more restrictive than those of non-militant Salafi scholars (known in the academic literature as Taqlidis). However, an analysis of their responses to questions pertaining to the doctrine of al-wala' wa'l-bara' indicates that, under certain circumstances, the Salafi-jihadi scholars exercise an interpretive flexibility that results in more flexible edicts. In general, it appears that in matters with political and/or public implications (such as declaring takfir on a political leader, declaring jihad against apostates, and representing an apostate ruler), the Salafi-jihadis will often express opinions that are inflexible and restrictive. When the matter at hand pertains to personal life, however, even in the case of the doctrine of al-wala' wa'l-bara', Salafi-jihadis often express opinions that are surprisingly flexible. The detailed explanations that appear in Salafi-jihadi responses indicate that Salafi-jihadi scholars understand the complexity faced by Muslims who live in non-Muslim societies and states and who face uncertainty as to application of the doctrine of al-wala' wa'l-bara' to their day-to-day lives. Accordingly, when responding to practical questions about how such Muslims may function within close personal relationships and/or work environments shared with non-Muslims, Salafi-jihadi scholars tread carefully and attempt to provide creative solutions. In so doing, they skirt the edges of doctrinal interpretation.

"Studying Muslim fundamentalisms, this book compares key movements, examining their commonalities, differences and intricate relations, as well as their achievements and failures. Muslim fundamentalisms have the sympathy of approximately half of the Muslim population in the world. Yet, they are divided among themselves and are in a constant state of controversy. The research dwells on the leading fundamentalist movements, such as the Muslim Brothers, Tablighi Jamaʻat, al-Qaeda, and ISIS, and illustrates how differently they think about the West and its culture, democracy, and women's presence in the public sphere. By identifying these trends, and studying them comparatively, the book enables the interested reader to make sense of the plethora of fundamentalist movements, which are otherwise lumped together by the media and are barely discernible for the reader. Whereas most studies of Muslim fundamentalism focus on organizational or militant actions that the movements perform, this study concentrates on their efforts to Islamize society through everyday life in a peaceful manner. Identifying the different strands of Muslim fundamentalisms, the book will be a key resource to a wide range of readers including researchers and students interested in politics, religious, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies"--

This article compares the ideology of Hilltop Youth in Judea and Samaria to that of Salafi-Jihadis in the West. It first demonstrates that there are significant and far-reaching similarities between the two groups' world views. It then explains why, despite profound ideological similarities, there are vast differences in the type of violent acts each group commits. The Hilltop Youth primarily commit acts of vandalism with few deliberate murders, while the Salafi-Jihadis in the West engage mainly in acts of murder. The article suggests that countervailing precepts within the Hilltop Youth's religious thought currently may create a normative balance that restrains their violent conduct, specifically against their co-religionists. This normative balance accounts for the contemporary difference between their violent acts and those of Salafi-Jihadis in the West. As the article suggests, however, this normative balance has been recently challenged by Hilltop Youth who offered innovative legal interpretations that could pave legal way for specifically intra-Jewish violence.