NCJ Number
224137
Journal
The Counter Terrorist Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: July/August 2008 Pages: 26-30,32
Date Published
July 2008
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article explains the beliefs of Salafi Islam and how it has spawned violent jihad that attracts people not predisposed to violence or antisocial behavior, motivating them to commit horrendous acts against those they perceive to be enemies of their faith.
Abstract
Salafism is an Islamic system of belief that the glory and grandeur of Islam existed during its Golden Age when the Prophet Mohammed and his companions practiced it. Islam subsequently became decadent, straying from its initial righteous path of the Umma. This decline of Islam was viewed as due largely to the rise of the West and accommodation to its beliefs, which challenged Islamic beliefs. Salafism envisions a return of the Golden Age when Islam is established in people’s hearts in faith and expressed in character, worship, and human relationships in a homogeneous state with strict Islamic laws and regulations. The Salafists believe that only Jihad can re-establish a true Muslim state that will abolish all injustice from the earth and bring people into the servitude of God. Under Jihad, it is the duty of Muslims to destroy all political systems that prevent people from freely choosing it. Generally, adherents of Salafism attend secular schools as children (approximately 80 percent); have some college education (just over 60 percent), with many attending in the West; and most are trained in the sciences rather than philosophy or religion. A majority, however, considered themselves religious as children and raised in overprotective families and stable households. Their experience in the West is generally alienation and confusion about where they fit within a social network and life direction. They are attracted to the communal character of Salafi Islam, with its shared rituals and it has a strict code of conduct devoid of ambiguity and uncertainty.