"Asia and Africa today" № 12 2020
| Title | POLITICIZATION OF SALAFISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA |
| DOI | 10.31857/S032150750012794-5 |
| Аuthor | Timur R. KHAYRULLIN PhD (Political Science), Research Fellow, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences; Senior lecturer, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) |
| Abstract: | The process of politicization of traditional salafi ideas led to the emergence of conservative Islamism, which eventually moved away from medieval traditionalism and adapted to modern political conditions. The process of politicization of Salafism was initiated by the Salafi reformists al-Afghani and M. Abdo in the early XX century. However, reformists Salafi ideas were modified into political ideology by the Muslim Brotherhood, which was strongly influenced by Salafism in its early stages. During the 50-60s of the XX century, the emerging conservative Salafi Islamism was on the defensive, as it faced the ideas of Arab nationalism. The forced relocation of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to Saudi Arabia, in parallel, marked the movement of Islamists ideas, which received significant development and organizational form due to the financial power of the Gulf monarchies. At the turn of the 70-80s of the XX century, conservative Salafi Islamism helped the Saudis adapt to the processes of globalization and strengthen their positions in the Arab region, relying mainly on unarmed methods. After a temporary decline in popularity in the 1990s, the process of politicization of Salafi ideas received a new impetus during the events of the Arab spring, when political parties began to be created in a number of countries in the Arab region. Despite the fact that initially the Salafists considered open participation in the political process as a temporary tactical measure, this could not but affect the ideological views of the liberal-minded Salafists, who advocated the compatibility of politics with the ideas of Salafism. |
| Keywords: | Salafism, Islamism, Saudi Arabia, Muslim Brotherhood, Arab spring |
| Pages | 19-26 |
