Salafism in the Maghreb: Politics, Piety, and Militancy (Carnegie Endowment for Intl Peace)

The conservative, literalist Islamist current known as Salafism is often synonymous with extremism and militancy. In fact, Salafism is an adaptive, diverse and dynamic outlook that has emerged as a major social and political force across the Middle East, especially in the countries of the Arab Maghreb--Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya--a vitally important region that impacts the security and politics of Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the broader Middle East. Through extensive interviews and fieldwork, Middle East scholars Frederic Wehrey and Anouar Boukhars explore the many roles and manifestations of Salafism in the Maghreb, to include its relationship with the Maghreb's ruling regimes, with competing Islamist currents, increasingly youthful populations, and communal groups like tribes and ethno-linguistic minorities. Particular attention is paid to how the boundaries between different Salafi currents--pro-regime "quietists," politically active "politicos" who participate in elections, and militant jihadists like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, is increasingly blurred, demonstrating how seemingly immutable Salafi ideology is often shaped by local contexts and opportunities. Similarly, the authors show how Maghrebi Salafism is uniquely reflective of each country's political institutions, history, and social makeup and how the much-touted notion of Salafism as a monolithic Saudi or Gulf "export" is undermined by local realities. Informed by rigorous research, deep empathy, and unparalleled access to Salafi adherents, clerics, politicians, and militants, Salafism in the Maghreb offers a definitive account of this important Islamist current that is at once granular and accessible. This volume explores the growth and transformation of a particular variant of Islamism-Salafism-in the Maghreb region. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and from previous scholarship on Salafi typologies-specifically, quietist, political, and jihadist variants-it seeks to understand the socioeconomic and political drivers between the growth or diminishing of each trend. The volume pays particular attention to exploring how state-sponsored Salafists compete with more informal, nonstate, and transnational variants, particularly jihadists. It analyses how local political contexts determine the calculations and trajectories of Salafist factions that appear to share a certain doctrinal uniformity but whose actual practice on the ground, in the sphere of Arab politics, varies significantly. Specifically, it assesses state capacities and policies toward Salafis as a crucial variable that has shaped the transformation of Salafism across the Maghreb's different countries. A key feature of the book is its attention to the blurring of the boundaries between Salafi quietism, political activism, and the imperative, in some countries, for Salafis to modulate aspects of their doctrine to gain public support. It concludes with the observation that Salafism's growth is the product of a growing and youthful disenchantment with the existing order and especially authoritarianism, corruption, and dislocation. At a time of heightened polarization in the region and unfortunate American misapprehensions of Islamism-at both public and official levels-the book's granular insights provide correctives for understanding a diverse religious current that has too often been synonymous with extremism Résumé éditeur : "The Arab Maghreb-the long stretch of North Africa that expands from Libya to Mauritania-is a vitally important region that impacts the security and politics of Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and the broader Middle East. As Middle East scholars Frederic Wehrey and Anouar Boukhars show in Salafism in the Maghreb, it is also home to the conservative, literalist interpretation of Islam known as Salafism, which has emerged as a major social and political force. Through extensive interviews and fieldwork, Wehrey and Boukhars examine the many roles and manifestations of Salafism in the Maghreb, looking at the relationship between Salafism and the Maghreb's ruling regimes, as well as competing Islamist currents, increasingly youthful populations, and communal groups like tribes and ethno-linguistic minorities. They pay particular attention to how seemingly immutable Salafi ideology is often shaped by local contexts and opportunities. Informed by rigorous research, deep empathy, and unparalleled access to Salafi adherents, clerics, politicians, and militants, Salafism in the Maghreb offers a definitive account of this important Islamist current." The Arab Maghreb-the long stretch of North Africa that expands from Libya to Mauritania-is a vitally important region that impacts the security and politics of Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and the broader Middle East. As Middle East scholars Frederic Wehrey and Anouar Boukhars show in Salafism in the Maghreb, it is also home to the conservative, literalist interpretation of Islam known as Salafism, which has emerged as a major social and political force. Through extensive interviews and fieldwork, Wehrey and Boukhars examine the many roles and manifestations of Salafism in the Maghreb, looking at the relationship between Salafism and the Maghreb's ruling regimes, as well as competing Islamist currents, increasingly youthful populations, and communal groups like tribes and ethno-linguistic minorities. They pay particular attention to how seemingly immutable Salafi ideology is often shaped by local contexts and opportunities. Informed by rigorous research, deep empathy, and unparalleled access to Salafi adherents, clerics, politicians, and militants, Salafism in the Maghreb offers a definitive account of this important Islamist current. 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